What the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Kenya does under the Act

The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Kenya (GRA) is the body set up by the Gambling Control Act, 2025 to regulate and control gambling. It issues licences, develops standards, keeps the licence register, monitors compliance and decides complaints on games of chance. It succeeded the Betting Control and Licensing Board.

By Nairobi Ultimate Editorial (prepared with AI tools under our editorial policy) · Last updated 2026-10-07

The short version

Before the 2025 Act, gambling regulation sat with the Betting Control and Licensing Board. Section 6 of the Gambling Control Act, 2025 established a new Authority, the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Kenya, as a body corporate with perpetual succession, and made it the successor of that Board. Its headquarters are in Nairobi, and it may open offices elsewhere in Kenya.

Section 3 states what the Act is for: a framework to regulate and control gambling, to authorise some activities and prohibit the rest, to promote a responsible industry, to minimise social harm, to ensure "integrity and fairness in licensed gambling activities" and to set up ways of resolving disputes. The Authority is the main body that carries those aims out.

Functions listed in section 10

Section 10 is the core list. It is long, so the table below groups the items by what they mean for a player of casino or crash games. It is a summary and does not replace the text of the Act.

Licensing and the register

Section 28(1) says no person may offer a gambling activity or service unless it is licensed under the Act. Section 28(2) then lists what the Authority licenses, including an online gambling licence, gambling equipment testing, provision of gambling software or a platform, and key gambling employees.

The Authority can also take licences away. Section 33 lets it revoke a licence for breach of the Act, a false statement in the application, winding up of the business, or breach of a licence condition. It must first serve a notice of intended revocation and give the licensee fourteen days to give reasons, and section 34 allows suspension after notice and an opportunity to be heard.

Section 39 requires a register of licences open to the public. For how to read the live list and what it does not show, see the guide on RNG testing and certification in Kenya, which also covers the equipment testing and software licences mentioned above.

Standards, fairness and the guidelines

The Authority does not write every rule alone. Section 11 gives the Cabinet Secretary, in consultation with the Authority, the job of prescribing guidelines for how gambling facilities are operated. Those guidelines are to cover conduct "in a fair and open way", protection of children and vulnerable persons, help for people affected by gambling problems, data protection, online payment protection, ethical and responsible marketing and public awareness campaigns.

Fairness is one of the stated aims in section 3(e), and the technical side is dealt with through standards under section 10(a). A reader who wants the numbers side of fairness, meaning how a declared return becomes a house edge, can follow the guide to how RTP and house edge work. The regulator checks that a game is run as declared. It does not change the arithmetic of the declared return.

National and county roles

Section 4 gives the national government the functions of setting policy, norms and standards, licensing including online gambling, vetting, enforcing compliance and anti-money laundering inspections. Section 4(2) requires the Authority to collaborate with county governments.

Section 5 gives county governments their own tasks, including trade permits for gambling premises, monitoring of permits they issue and handling complaints and arbitration. For a person gambling online, the national Authority and its licences are the relevant layer.

Who runs the Authority and how it is funded

Section 7 puts management in a Board. It has a Chairperson appointed by the President, the Principal Secretaries for gambling and for the National Treasury (or representatives), the Attorney-General (or a representative), two non-public-officer members appointed by the Cabinet Secretary, two members nominated by the Council of Governors, and the Director-General as an ex officio member.

Section 8 bars anyone who was a director, employee or shareholder of a gambling operator in the preceding five years from the Board, and requires a written declaration of no conflicting interests. Section 22 lists the Authority's funds: money appropriated by the National Assembly, licence fees, charges and penalties, and other listed sources. Section 26 requires quarterly and annual reports.

Complaints and appeals

The route has layers. Regulation 9 of the Conduct of Gambling Operations Regulations, 2026 requires every licensee to set up a customer care centre whose purpose includes resolving complaints or disputes before they are reported to the Authority. Section 10(m) lets the Authority receive and determine complaints about games of chance after that.

The Gambling Appeals Tribunal, established by section 88, hears appeals against decisions of the Authority, complaints arising out of the outcome of a gambling transaction and complaints about the functionality of gambling machines and equipment. For online gambling, section 80 lets a party to a dispute appeal to the Tribunal within fourteen days from the date of the dispute. Section 90 allows an appeal from the Tribunal to the High Court within fourteen days.

Time limits are short, so a player who disputes an online result should read the sections themselves and keep a record of the rounds in question. This guide is general information and is not legal advice.

Where the Authority meets the player's own limits

Section 115 lets a person who recognises that their gambling is harmful enter a self-exclusion agreement with a licensee. The person notifies the Authority, which keeps a register of these notifications and tells all licensees. A licensee must take reasonable steps to refuse service and keep marketing away from the person.

Self-exclusion is one limit among several a player can set, and the guide on the gambler's fallacy and session limits explains why a fixed budget works better than reacting to a losing or winning run. Gambling is addictive: play responsibly, and see the responsible gambling page for the GRA toll-free line and the self-exclusion steps. This site is for readers aged 18 and over.