In Kenya, online betting is permitted. However, all betting sites must obtain a license from Kenya's Betting Control Board to ensure that they pay the required taxes and adhere to certain regulatory guidelines. Kenyans can also sign up for an overseas betting site as long as it is regulated by a separate government. Betting reviewer Betting Sites Kenya makes sure that all of the betting sites that they recommend are legal and work well.
Esports legislation in Kenya
Regulations for websites that provide sports betting were implemented by a statute passed in 2013. Kenya's Betting Control and Licensing Board regulates gambling. However, the restrictions largely apply to land-based activities, which has allowed a slew of international operators to enter the market. Even though there isn't a lot of regulation, the government is happy to let businesses from other countries run freely in the country as long as they don't break the law.
Kenyan legislators intended to change that. Gaming Bill 2019 was prepared with the goal of bringing licenses for all sorts of online gaming and entirely overhauling the iGaming business by restricting foreign operators, regulating advertising, and charging taxes. However, there has been no progress on the bill since November 2019, when it was slated for a second reading.
It is currently unknown whether it will go into effect soon.
In general, Kenyan law permits most forms of gambling, including sports betting, lottery tickets, casino games, and slot machines. Kenyan legislation makes no distinction between skill-based and chance-based games, and there are no restrictions on how Kenyans can place bets (except for an age restriction).
Taxes
Kenya's government has a long history of relying on gambling-related taxes. In 2018, the government began taxing bettors' winnings, in addition to lowering gross gaming revenue taxes from 35% to 15%. The business was not pleased with the 20% tax, and when the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) began to argue that it also extended to betting stakes, many major betting companies, such as SportPesa, were ready to abandon the market.