Help and limits

If you need to talk to someone now

The Gambling Regulatory Authority's toll-free line, as shown on the regulator's website, is 0800-723-770. The Authority also lists two help numbers, +254-111021400 and +254-111021407, and an office at ACK Garden Annex, Bishop Road and 1st Ngong Avenue, 7th floor, Nairobi, open Monday to Friday from 8am to 5pm.

Signs that betting is costing too much

• You bet to win back what you lost, and the stakes keep rising.
• Money meant for rent, food, school fees or a loan repayment ends up in a betting wallet.
• You pay for tips or join paid groups hoping the next tip will fix last week.
• You hide how much or how often you bet from the people close to you.
• You feel restless or low when you cannot bet, or stay up late following matches you have money on.
• You set yourself a limit and then break it.

One of these on its own proves nothing. Several together are a good reason to use the tools below.

What you can do today

1. Set a deposit limit in every betting account you hold. Each licensee has to offer daily, weekly and monthly limits.
2. Take a break of at least 24 hours with the self-exclusion option inside the app or site; operators must offer one.
3. Leave tip channels and groups, and delete betting apps from your phone.
4. Tell one person you trust what is happening.
5. Call 0800-723-770 if you want to talk it through.

Limits every licensee must offer

The Gambling Control (Conduct of Gambling Operations) Regulations, 2026 require operators to give players real-time tools (L.N. 112 r.84(1)-(2)):

• deposit limits you set on a daily, weekly and monthly basis;
• loss, session and expenditure limits;
• reality checks: pop-up messages showing how long you have been playing;
• self-exclusion for at least 24 hours, linked to the national register.

No maximum stake, deposit or loss is set in the Act or the Regulations as gazetted, which is why the limits you set yourself matter. The smallest online bet is KES 20 (s.71(1)). A licensee may not lend you money to bet, accept a credit card or advance credit (s.72(7)), and may not make offers designed to get you to gamble, or to gamble more (s.74).

Self-exclusion under the Act

Section 115(1) of the Gambling Control Act, 2025 lets a person who recognises that their gambling is harmful enter a self-exclusion agreement with a licensee, covering all gambling, online included. The 2026 Regulations add a route through the Authority:

• You apply to the Authority on Form 1, stating the period and attaching a copy of your national ID or passport. The Authority acknowledges the application within seven days (L.N. 112 r.70(1)-(3)).
• Form 1 offers six months, one year, two years or an indefinite period, and the period cannot be shortened before it ends.
• While you are registered you may not place a bet, open a gambling account, receive promotions or claim winnings (r.70(5)).
• Online platforms must also offer self-exclusion that takes effect in real time (r.67(3)).

Operators have duties too. A licensee must remove you from its marketing lists within two days of the completed notification (s.115(4)(c)); failing to act on a written self-exclusion request within seven days is an offence (s.115(5)); and deposits taken from a self-excluded person must be refunded within seven days (r.74(1)).

If you are worried about someone else

Talk about money and time rather than about character. Offer to sit with them while they set limits or fill in the self-exclusion form, and give them the toll-free number. You can also call the line yourself to ask what help is available.

Under eighteen

Gambling is for adults. Operators must see proof of age of majority before registering anyone (s.72(2)-(3)), the 2026 Regulations treat persons under eighteen as minors (L.N. 112 r.92), and betting with a child, or taking bets through one, is an offence carrying a fine of up to KES 1,000,000, a year in prison, or both (s.109).