Responsible gambling oversight
Holding the gambling industry accountable.
We work alongside regulators, operators, and government bodies to enforce responsible gambling standards that protect Kenyan players.
Policy & oversight
The landscape
An industry that grew faster than its safeguards.
Mobile sports betting in Kenya has expanded faster than almost anywhere on the continent. Within a decade, what was a niche pastime became a daily habit for millions — driven by smartphone penetration, M-PESA integration, and aggressive marketing aimed squarely at young men.
That growth has outpaced the safeguards meant to protect players. Vulnerable people — particularly youth, low-income earners, and those with co-occurring mental health conditions — bear the highest cost.
EACMHS exists, in part, to be the independent voice that asks harder questions of the industry: of operators, of advertisers, and of the regulators charged with overseeing them. We do this not as adversaries, but as partners committed to a system that works for the public.
In numbers
Key facts
#1
Kenya has one of the highest mobile betting participation rates in Africa.
50%+
Share of Kenyans aged 17–35 who report having placed a bet.
BCLB
The Betting Control & Licensing Board licenses and regulates operators.
Direct
EACMHS engages operators directly to enforce player protection measures.
What we do
Three pillars of oversight work.
From the operators’ product roadmaps to the laws that govern them, our work happens across every layer of the gambling system in Kenya.
Operator engagement
We work directly with licensed betting companies to implement self-exclusion programmes, deposit limits, and player protection disclosures. Our engagement is structured, evidence-based, and measured against international best practice.
Regulatory advocacy
We engage the Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB) and the Ministry of Interior to strengthen the legal framework around responsible gambling in Kenya. Where the law lags behind the harm, we make the case for change.
Player protection standards
We develop and promote best-practice guidelines for advertising restrictions, age verification, and vulnerable-player identification across the industry. These are published openly, so any operator — and any regulator — can adopt them.
How we engage
Our oversight model, in four steps.
A repeatable, public-facing process — so the industry knows what to expect from us, and the public knows how we hold it to account.
Step 01
Identify
We monitor industry practices and player-harm reports across operators, platforms, and advertising channels.
Step 02
Engage
We open structured dialogue with operators and regulators — sharing evidence, surfacing concerns, proposing fixes.
Step 03
Advocate
We submit formal recommendations to the BCLB and contribute to public consultations on gambling law reform.
Step 04
Report
We publish our findings publicly — naming what’s working, what isn’t, and who needs to do better.
Partners & regulators
Who we work with.
Betting Control & Licensing Board (BCLB)
Ministry of Interior Kenya
Communications Authority of Kenya
Kenya Revenue Authority
Africa Sports Integrity
Report a concern
Witnessed irresponsible gambling practices?
If you’ve seen a betting operator violating responsible gambling rules — aggressive advertising near schools, no self-exclusion option, or targeting of minors — report it to us confidentially.
Related services
Other ways we help.
Gambling addiction treatment
Free, confidential one-on-one counselling with trained therapists across Kenya.
Responsible gambling education
School visits, workshops and family resources covering early-warning signs and healthier habits.
Support groups
Weekly peer-led groups in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu and online — heard by people who understand.