Best betting sites in Kenya

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Do you love sports and would like to make a profit from watching the top football matches? It sounds like a dream job, doesn’t it? But many smart bettors do just that, gambling on their favourite players and teams. Why do some gamblers seem to win every bet while you struggle to beat the bookies? Do they have the magic touch? Of course not. There’s no such thing as luck in betting. The harder you work, the luckier you get. In this review of Kenyan betting sites, we share the tricks of the trade.

List of Betting Sites in Kenya

Found: 12 Bookmakers

Sports betting in Kenya - the ultimate guide

Updated:

Read Our full guide to sports betting in Kenya

Our sports betting experts present all the information you need to get the most out of your sports bets in Kenya.

Best betting sites in Kenya

To give yourself the best chance of beating the bookies, you must ensure you are getting a premium betting service. This article explains how to get the best sports betting in Kenya. We cover all important factors, including welcome bonuses, odds, and more. You will even find a list of the top five bookies our team believe you should sign up with before betting.

Read our recommendations and click any link on this page to your chosen bookie to get started. Registering for an account takes just a few minutes, and you’ll automatically qualify for the welcome bonus free bet.

History of sports betting in Kenya

Different sports balls

Sports betting has been happening in Kenya for years, thanks to the Betting Lotteries and Gaming Act of 1966, which legalized gambling in many forms.

This led to various forms of gambling becoming available, including casinos and betting shops. Forementioned spots grew till mid of 2000`s due to weak and obsolete legislation, the perceived economic size of the industry, lack of clear gaming policy and political interference of the operations of the Regulatory Board.

It’s only in the last few years that sports betting has really taken off online. The reason it took so long to boom were unaffordable mobile device and internet prices for Kenyans. For example, this is a country that only had two mobile phones per 100 people in 2002, and that also had high data charges.

  1. Gambling in Kenya is LEGAL
  2. Gambling Licence cost in Kenya is 100 000 000 KSH
  3. There is a 20% tax for all winning stakes
  4. Min gambling age is 18

In addition to classic casinos and betting shops, new spots for betting possibilities occurred in internet cafes. But data prices were still high, so for the majority of Kenyans, it was way cheaper to bet in betting shops.

The whole industry changed when SportPesa, the first and biggest Kenyan betting company started to operate in 2014. Invested millions of dollars in advertisements, they started an online betting boom which continues even nowadays.

Things were shaken up in the summer of 2019, as the government took action against a number of sites, angry that they had seemingly not been paying enough taxes.

Some of the top bookies in Kenya and the biggest names in the industry, such as SportPesa, Betway and Betin, were ordered to close their virtual doors. This didn’t just hit the betting sites though, as it’s thought that 12 million people had money tied up in the closed sites, which many were unable to withdraw.

Table about sports betting in Kenya
🌍 Country  Kenya
👌 Language  Swahili, English 
💲 Currency  Kenyan shilling
⚽ Popular sports Football, basketball, volleyball
⚖️ Is betting legal Yes
🏢 Regulator  Betting control and licensing board
🧾 Gambling taxes 7.5%
💳 Most popular payment methods VISA, Mastercard, Skrill, EcoPayz

FAQ

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Is There Customer Support Available?

Yes. Any reputable online bookie will offer customer support in a number of ways. This includes live chat, phone or email.

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Can I Claim Free Bets?

Yes! Most bookies accepting players from Kenya will offer free bets to new customers. This benefits you greatly, as it allows you to get ‘something for nothing’.

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Can I Bet From My Mobile?

Yes. Most betting sites now let you place bets from your mobile devices, so you can get in on the action from almost anywhere!

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How To Get The Best Odds

Always compare odds across different bookies to ensure that you’re getting the best odds possible.

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Where To Find The Best Bookies

On this page! We spend a lot of time putting together a list of the top-rated bookies accepting Kenyan players.

How to bet smart on horse racing

  1. Study the form

    The more research you do into a race and the runners involved, the more chance you’ll have of beating the bookies. Read the form, interviews, weights, jockey bookings and more.
    Person riding a horse

  2. Get the best odds

    You want to bet with a bookie that gives you the best odds guaranteed on your selection. This is a promotion that guarantees you the bigger odds on your selection. If the odds were highest when the bet was struck, or the race started, that’s your price.
    Smiling woman with smartphone

  3. Follow tipsters

    Many profitable tipsters offer followers their selections on the biggest races, and it’s worth considering this. Check a tipster’s form, past results and their current tip before trusting their selection. It’s important to conduct your own research even when following a tipster.
    Laptop with tips

Mobile Betting in Kenya

With a continuously growing population, currently around 52 million, a total of 43.3 million Kenyans have access to the internet. Mobile devices are by far the most popular way to gamble in Kenya. According to geopoll.com, 88% of gamblers have used their mobile device to place bets.

During the last 10 years, mobile data costs have dropped considerably. As a result, the lowering of data costs was a massive step towards mobile betting accessibility.

One GB of data can now be bought for Sh200 – a price affordable to many Kenyans nowadays. Kenya has also seen a massive improvement in its mobile infrastructure, with 3G and 4G now available across 85% of the country, which helps Kenyans to reach their favourite betting sites in a moment.

Table about Mobile Betting in Kenya
💯 Available betting features Accumulator, Bet builder, Live stream, cashout 
🏇 Popular gambling activities Casino, sports betting, horse betting, lottery
🗝️ Keep in mind The minimum gambling age in Kenya is eighteen.
🔣 Popular types of odds Fractional odds
📈 Advantages The gambling tax is now lower at 7.5%
📉 Disadvantages There are some betting restrictions meaning some top bookies are unavailable.
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    100% bonus up to 15,000 KES

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Best Jackpot Bookmakers

Nowadays you will find a Jackpot section at the most Kenyan bookmakers, but years ago only SportPesa exclusively offered their customers a few types of football Jackpots.

Invest some shillings, usually up to 100, predict correctly 17 games and scoop progressive Mega Jackpot with the prize starting to rise at 100 000 000 KSH. That’s big money most Kenyans are dreaming about.

At the moment, there are about 20 betting legal sites in Kenya offering different types of football jackpots. We will take a look at the best of them by our experts` opinion.

Our top 5 of best Jackpot betting sites in Kenya:

  1. BetRaha
  2. Betway
  3. Sahara Games
  4. 22bet
  5. Betwinner

TOP 3 Legal Betting Companies in Kenya

Kenyan government’s intervented gambling industry in summer of 2019 what affected 27 betting companies. Their licences revoked and their renewal applications were declined.

Some sites have come back online, however, there was further news in September. The government doubled the tax payable by betting companies, demanding all gambling sites in Kenya pay 20% of their value of bets in taxes.

Another tax law followed soon afterwards. This rule requires all winners to pay a 20% tax on their winnings, and sports betting sites are deducting this fee before making payouts.

In reality, this law has been in effect for a number of years, however it was only recently enforced by the Kenyan government.

Summarizing it all, you do not gain 20% of the expected profit. On the other side, your money is 100% safe and there will be no problems with cashouts. Are you still agree to pay 20% tax on winnings?

If the answer is YES, here is the TOP 3 legal bookies we recommend:

  1. 22bet
  2. Betwinner
  3. Betway

22bet Kenya has a bonus of up to 15,000 KES

Join 22bet by clicking any link on this page and creating an account. It takes only a few minutes, and you will then be eligible for a staggering 15,000 KES bonus which can be used to bet on your favourite sports. Don’t miss out.

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Recommended payment methods for Kenyans

Kenyan mobile market is by 90% controlled by Safaricom (M-Pesa) and Airtel. Therefore there are two payment methods that are particularly popular in Kenyan betting sites: M-Pesa and Airtel Money.

People can deposit money directly from their mobile account; that’s why third-party apps and services are rarely popular here in Kenya. 

Deposit Times, Fees & Limits

Betting Site Deposit speed Free Limits Min/Max
Betraha
Instant 5/500
22bet
Instant No min/No max
1xBet
Instant 5/500
Betwinner
Instant 5/500

Withdrawal Times, Fees & Limits

Betting Site Withdrawal speed Free Limits Min/Max
Betraha
3-5 days 50/70,000
22bet
3-5 days No min/No max
1xBet
3-5 days 50/70,000
Betwinner
3-5 days 50/70,000
  • mpesa-100x100sa

    The absolute king of payment methods in Kenya. There are no service charges for a deposit, the top-up is instant and the min deposit amount starts only at 10KSH.

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  • airtel-100x100sa

    Airtel, the second-largest, mobile operator in Kenya have 12,8 mln customers.

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  • visa-100x100sa

    One of the most popular and safest payment methods. Gives instant access to your deposits.

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  • visa-100x100sa

    Popular and safe payment method used by online bettors. Gives instant access to your deposits.

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4 ratings, average 4.8 out of 5

Review Author

Aigar Shilvan

Aigar Shilvan

Hello, my name is Aigar. Big fan of World cups and the Euros with over 13 years of experience in the gambling/betting world industry.