Kenya gambling authority forms player protection and research unit to track betting risks
The initiative aims to support early detection of harmful behaviour patterns and strengthen evidence-based regulatory decisions across the sector.
Kenya.- Kenya’s gambling regulator, the Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA), has established a Player Protection and Research Unit to monitor problem gambling behaviour and strengthen player safeguards as part of recent legal reforms to the country’s gambling sector. The move, under the Gambling Control Act 2025, comes as authorities respond to growing concerns over betting activity in Kenya.
The new unit will be responsible for continuous market surveillance, analysing operator data, tracking consumer risk exposure and identifying emerging trends in gambling participation. The initiative aims to support early detection of harmful behaviour patterns and strengthen evidence-based regulatory decisions across the sector.
The GRA stated that the unit will support a transition towards data-led supervision of an industry that has expanded rapidly through mobile and online platforms. The regulator noted that previous oversight structures were limited in their ability to monitor digital betting operations and consumer risk exposure.
Under the new legal framework, operators are required to introduce self-exclusion tools, cooling-off periods, and clearer risk warnings. The authority is also reviewing advertising restrictions, affordability checks and stricter age verification requirements following public consultations.
The Gambling Control Act 2025 expands the regulator’s mandate to license and supervise all gambling products, including online betting platforms and high-risk digital games. It also criminalises unlicensed operations and introduces stricter penalties for non-compliant operators.
GRA Director General Peter Karimi said the reforms are designed to strengthen accountability and consumer protection while maintaining a regulated betting market. He added that the authority will move beyond licensing to continuous market surveillance, data monitoring and enforcement, supported by the new unit’s analytical and research functions.
