Kenya’s proposed new gambling law forces operators to pay for rehab and limits players to one daily bet
Sweeping new Bill seeks to force betting firms to bankroll addiction recovery, limit daily wagers and bring a 1960s law into the digital age.
Kenya – Betting companies in Kenya could soon be footing the bill for the social fallout of their booming industry, as the government moves to introduce sweeping changes to the Gambling Control Bill of 2023.
The Bill – presently under review by the National Assembly’s Sports and Culture Committee – seeks to compel betting operators to contribute a portion of their profits to a state-run fund dedicated to the rehabilitation of gambling addicts.
The Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB), the industry watchdog, argued that while firms rake in billions, the burden of treating addiction has unfairly fallen on the taxpayer.
“It is unreasonable for the government to bear the cost of helping gambling addicts while betting companies continue to enjoy billions in profits,” said BCLB Director Peter Mbugi, according to the Eastleigh Voice publication.
“In Kenya, helping those addicted to gambling has been left solely to the government, with betting companies claiming they’ve paid taxes. Why should the government use its resources to solve a problem it didn’t create? Betting firms must be held responsible.”
Among the boldest proposals in the Bill is a “cooling system” that would limit individuals to just one bet per day, no matter the platform. To enforce this, the BCLB is calling for a centralised digital monitoring system that tracks all gambling activity in real time – an ambitious tool that would require strong legal backing and significant investment.
“There’s very little we can do without this monitoring system,” Mbugi said, adding that the board currently lacks even basic resources to carry out enforcement operations.
Outdated Act of 1966
Kenya has seen a dramatic rise in betting, especially among youth, spurred by the easy accessibility of online platforms. Yet the legal framework, critics argue, remains frozen in time.
The current Betting, Lotteries and Gaming Act dates back to 1966, an era when gambling was a brick-and-mortar affair.
“Betting is no longer done in brick-and-mortar establishments. It’s now online, on our phones. We need to shift from 1963…that’s how critical this new law is,” Mbugi emphasised.
Committee Chairperson Dan Wanyama described the proposed reforms as “critical and reasonable”, confirming the Bill could be ready for presidential assent within days.
If passed, the Bill would not only modernise Kenya’s gambling laws but shift the financial and ethical responsibility for addiction squarely onto the industry’s shoulders.
