Kenya’s President, William Ruto, has taken a hardline stance on tackling the gambling industry alongside drugs and alcohol.
In a speech made in the Moiben Constituency of Kenya, Ruto promised that in light of the financial and social impacts of gambling, the government is drafting new regulations to oversee the gambling industry.
“We are creating regulations for gambling because many people are depressed. Five million people are a very large number. It cannot be allowed to continue everywhere. We cannot continue like that as a nation,” he said.
While Ruto’s gambling stance focused on greater oversight, he also promised greater punishments for illegal drug and alcohol sales, including the death penalty for those caught selling the former.
Building on a new framework
Ruto’s promises for greater control come despite Kenya’s parliament passing a new Gambling Control Act in 2025, updating the previous framework that had been in place since the 1960’s.
The new laws oversee betting, casinos and lotteries in the nation, and seek to provide technical guidelines for operators while minimising social harms for players.
As part of the overhaul, the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Kenya replaced the Betting Control and Licensing Board as the country’s gaming regulator.
Meanwhile, operators in the country are now also required to follow a stricter set of rules for advertising their platforms.
Introduced in June, advertisers must refrain from glamourising betting or using celebrities, influencers and content creators to endorse or promote gambling.
All adverts must also not carry a “call-to-action” message or depict gambling as a source of income, and display a responsible gambling message and a warning that players must be aged over 18.
Mobile penetration sparks iGaming surge
Updated framework and promises of greater control indicate the growing size of Kenya’s gambling industry
Data from GeoPoll revealed that the East African nation leads the way alongside Africa for gambling engagement in the region, as 82.1% of respondents from the country have engaged with gambling products.
Surging interest in iGaming has been largely attributed to the rise of mobile penetration across the country and more widely across Africa.
In the case of Kenya, recent data from Kenya’s Communications Authority found that mobile data subscriptions hit 60.2 million by the end of September 2025, surpassing the country’s population of just over 57 million.
Christopher Coyne, Co-founder and CEO of 888 Africa, previously told iGaming Expert: “Increasing mobility across populations – meaning more people with access to phones with web services on them – and improving relative wealth across countries has helped power the growth that has come over recent years.”
Looking ahead, 2026 marks a pivotal year for Kenya as leaders continue to solidify the changes made under its new gambling act, while ensuring that any changes do not negatively impact the growth of the industry.
