Betting sites in Kenya - List of Kenya betting companies

Kenya history in betting

Kenya has always been one of the more liberal African nations when it comes to gambling and sports betting. Gambling has been legal in Kenya since 1966 according to Betting, Lotteries and Gaming Act, Chapter 131, Laws of Kenya. This was the body that was established to provide the regulatory framework for the gaming in the country and to license and monitor gaming operators in the country.

That said, for the longest time, sports betting in Kenya was always seen as a reserve of the high and mighty that could afford to get into casinos and premises that were licensed to provide the service. However, at the turn of the century, across the world, there was a shift from establishment based betting to online betting. In 2011, the Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB) amended their act to include online gambling as part of their mandate and they started licensing online betting companies in the country.

There were a few small companies that started off and couldn’t quite generate much interest. It was not until 2014 that Sportpesa came onto the scene and the rest as they say is history. They took the industry by storm and oversaw the growth of the industry into one of the biggest in Africa.

Betting offer in Kenya

Kenya is a sports loving country. At the international level, Kenyan athletes have for decades dominated events like the Olympics and World Championships in middle distance and long distance races. The Kenyan Rugby 7s team is also part of the 7s circuits.

At the local level, Kenyans’ passion for football is unmatched. From local pubs to high-end clubs in upmarket areas, there are football fans watching and cheering their favorite team in the top European leagues, mostly the English Premier League.

It is this passion that has seen the remarkable growth of the sports betting industry in Kenya as the sports betting companies simply tapped into the high appetite for sports and the lure for easy money. We will take a look at the top bookmakers in Kenya in our preview here and provide insights on their various offers and promotions to guide you into making the best possible choices of the best bookies in Kenya.

Betting Promotions in Kenya

Kenyan punters are spoiled for a choice concerning their sports betting offers and promotions on the table from different bookies. Because of the open nature of the sports betting industry in Kenya, there are a lot of licensed bookmakers and they are all going out of their way in an effort to come up with unique offers and promotions to attract new users to their sports betting websites.

One of the most popular sports betting promotions is the welcome bonus offer which offers new users to a site either a percentage of their initial stake as a bonus upon fulfillment of certain conditions. The catch is usually here in the conditions as some require that you wager your qualifying deposit up to 12 times for you to qualify for the bonus. It is therefore absolutely critical that you read through these terms and conditions. All bookies in Kenya have different T&C’s and it is of high importance to always familiarize yourself with the bookmaker of your choice in Kenya’s conditions.

If you feel reading through these fine prints is not the thing for you, then worry not. We have gone through some of these bonuses and have summarized them in a way that is easy for you to read and understand what you are getting into. Some of the ones that we recommend include the Melbet Welcome Bonus, 22Bet, Betway and many other bookmakers have similar promotions.

We are also always updating these bonuses on a regular basis. So if there are any changes, or if there are any new attractive bonuses, you can be sure we will have these updated right here!

What’s more? We have talked to some of these bookmakers and organized special promotion codes for Betting Tips Africa which you can use to get a bit more than what you would ordinarily get from them!

Availability of Mobile Betting Apps

Mobile apps are the in-thing in sport betting and therefore a must-have for any bookie in Kenya worth its salt. We have therefore taken the time to examine all the mobile apps for the top bookmakers in Kenya and have also scored them based on the user experience as not all apps are the same. We consider the ease of using the app, the interface, the availability of payment methods, it’s compatibility with different devices and so on. Read our review of the best betting apps in Kenya and get to find our which bookies have invested in this critical part of modern day betting experience.

Payment Methods

In Kenya, mobile money in king. As a result, the only payment method that punters really care about is the mobile wallet. Punters want to put in money in their betting accounts and withdraw their winnings at their own convenience.

Whereas some bookies in Kenya may have other payment methods like cards and cryptocurrencies, those are mostly seen as add-ons by many punters in the country and would only appeal to a small segment.

Deposit methods:

The biggest mobile platform remains Safaricom whose MPESA platform accounts for about 90% of the transactions. Other mobile platform providers include Airtel Money which is not very popular in the country due to its lack of reach in parts of the country.

Most deposits incur a small charge depending on the amount from the service provider. However some bookmakers like Betika often add this charge back on the deposit amount as a way of insulating their customers form the charges. Deposits are mostly free of charge and, like deposits, unless there are network delays, these are always instantaneous.

Withdrawal Methods:

Most of the deposit options are used for the withdrawals. You will find all these as you read through our individual bookmaker previews.

Furthermore, it is important to know that if you want to make a withdrawal from your betting account, you need to own and operate a valid bank account. Withdrawals time frame ranges between instant payment and sometimes up to 24 hours.

Note: Mobile deposit and withdrawals limits are mostly pegged on the limits of the provider. At the moment, Safaricom has set a deposit limit of Kes 70,000 per transaction (140,000 per day) and a withdrawal limit of Kes 100,000 per transaction (200,000 per day).

Licenses/ Legal

Sports betting is legal in Kenya and is regulated and monitored under the auspices of the government regulatory body known as the Betting Controls and Licensing Board or BCLB as it is commonly referred to.

This is the only entity that is tasked with the responsibility issuing betting licenses to bookmakers and monitoring their activities to ensure that they are in compliance with the provisions of the Gaming Act.

You can always verify that your bookmaker has been licensed to operate by checking the BCLB number on their website with the information publicly available on the BCLB website.

Security and Seriousness

Most sports betting sites in Kenya provide secure betting environments and payment methods that ensure the privacy of customer data and security of their funds. However, that does not mean you can just join any company blindly and hope they are legit. You need to do some research on the sports bookmaker before you join. Find out if there are any negative reports about the sports bookie of your choice in Kenyaa, check if they are properly licensed, read their terms and conditions to ensure you understand.

Always look for a gambling license: this is found at the bottom of the homepage in the T&C section.

Check the reviews of the online betting site: people will recommend or complain in this section depending on their experience with the bookmaker.

Checkout their payment methods to be sure that they offer payment options with free or low conversion rate. Just relax, we are always here to keep you safe from the bad betting sites.

User Experience

Like we said earlier, punters in Kenya are spoilt in Kenya when it comes to different offers and promotions.

Welcome Bonus: If welcome bonus is your cup of coffee, you cannot go wrong with Melbet, 22Bet, or even Betwinner.

Cash out: If you are not risk averse and always looking to cashout a little profit, then Sportybet and Bet365 would suit you just fine.

Extensive betting markets: If you like having fun with different betting markets and a wide array of sports, our experts recommend Melbet, Odibets, 22Bet or even Mozzartbet here. You can’t really go wrong with either of these.

Jackpots: These are a huge attraction in Kenya. For the best jackpots, we feel Betika and Sportpesa are neck and neck at the top of the list. Sportybet and Mozzartbet also deserve an honorable mention here.

🇰🇪 Kenya betting site reviews