Can an online casino charge withdrawal fees in Kenya?
The Gambling Control Act, 2025 does not ban every charge. Section 75 lets a licensee use a player's balance to pay bank charges for deposits received and funds withdrawn, and section 72(6)(b) requires it to give you the particulars of any processing fee. The Act sets no minimum withdrawal amount; its KES 20 floor is for bets.
Start with who the rule binds
The provisions below apply to a licensee, so first confirm that the company is licensed. Follow how to check an online casino licence in Kenya and match the company name and licence number against the Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA) list.
The list on the page of public gaming licence holders describes the 2025/26 trading period, so check the live register on the regulator's website too. If the operator is not on it, none of these duties can be directed at that operator.
What the Act says about charges
The Act does not use the phrase "withdrawal fee". It does deal with the pieces that make one up, and they pull in two directions: some charges are permitted, but the player must be told about them and the balance is protected from other deductions.
| Provision | What it says | What it means for a fee |
|---|---|---|
| s.75(c) | A licensee may deal with a player's balance to pay bank charges for deposits received and funds withdrawn. | Bank charges on a withdrawal are a recognised use of the balance. |
| s.72(6)(b) | A licensee shall avail to a player the particulars of any processing fee which may be incurred by the player. | A processing fee has to be disclosed to the player. |
| s.68(6)(b) | An operator provides the Authority with particulars of the charges to be levied by the operator. | The charges are also reported to the regulator. |
| s.76(3) | A licensee holding a player's bank account shall not enforce a charge, write-off, set-off or other claim against it. | The account is not a source for recovering other debts. |
| s.71(1) | A player shall not bet less than twenty shillings in a competition. | This is a minimum bet, not a minimum withdrawal. |
Section 75 is a closed list: a balance may be used to debit a wager, to remit funds at your request, or to pay bank charges. A fee that fits none of those three is hard to square with the section as written, though only the Authority or a court can decide that.
Where a charge can arise in the money's path
Section 69 treats an online gambling transaction as starting when you deposit into your gaming account and ending when you withdraw from it. Section 73(4) lists the ways a licensee may receive funds: a debit card, an electronic funds transfer, mobile money transfer, cash deposits or another method the Authority approves.
Each of those channels is run by a bank or a mobile money provider, and each can have its own tariff. That is why a charge on the way out may come from the provider rather than the casino. Section 76(1) also requires the licensee to hold player money in a bank account or mobile money, or, on your request, pay you in cash, and to keep a register of monies paid out to a punter.
The Act does not tell you which party's tariff applies to which route. For that reason, read the casino's stated charges and the provider's own published tariff side by side before you decide how to withdraw.
Minimum amounts: bet versus withdrawal
The only minimum amount in the Act's online provisions is the KES 20 floor on a bet in section 71(1). An operator that lets a person gamble online for less commits an offence under section 71(3).
A casino may state its own minimum cash-out in its terms. The sections read for this guide neither set nor forbid such a figure, so the term itself is the place to look, and online casino payout rules in Kenya covers the time limits that apply once you do ask for money.
Illustrative example: reading a flat charge
Illustrative example: a casino terms page states a flat charge of KES 50 per withdrawal, and you withdraw KES 1,000. The amount reaching you is 1,000 - 50 = KES 950. The charge is 50 / 1,000 = 0.05, which is 5% of that withdrawal.
Now withdraw KES 200 under the same term. You receive 200 - 50 = KES 150, and the charge is 50 / 200 = 0.25, or 25%. The figures are invented to show the arithmetic only. A flat charge weighs more on small withdrawals, so check how a charge is calculated before you request money.
Check the charge before you withdraw
- Find the casino's stated charges or processing fee in its terms and note the date you read them.
- Ask in writing which party sets each charge: the casino, your bank or your mobile money provider.
- Compare the amount you requested with the amount received and keep both records.
- If a charge was not stated, or a deduction fits none of the uses in section 75, raise it in writing.
What to save for a later dispute is listed in what to keep as evidence in a casino dispute.
Related protections for the balance
If no transaction is recorded on an account for three months, section 77(1) requires the licensee to remit the balance to the player. How balances are held is covered in whether player funds are kept separate, and what happens after closure in what happens to your balance when an account is closed.
If the charge looks wrong
Section 68(8) requires an operator to keep a customer care centre in Kenya to monitor and respond to consumer issues, so write there first. Section 37 lets the Authority investigate a licensee on information from any person. The steps are in how to complain about an online casino in Kenya. The GRA toll-free line is 0800-723-770.
This guide gives no fee cap and no minimum withdrawal figure, because the sections read state none. Gambling is addictive: play responsibly and only with money you can afford to lose.
Questions and answers
Is a withdrawal fee allowed for a licensed online casino in Kenya?
The Act contemplates some charges. Section 75(c) allows a licensee to deal with a player's balance to pay bank charges for deposits received and funds withdrawn, and section 72(6)(b) refers to any processing fee which may be incurred by the player. It does not give a figure or a cap in the sections read.
Does the law set a minimum withdrawal amount?
Not in the sections of the Act and the Operations Regulations read for this guide. The only minimum amount stated is in section 71(1): a player must not bet less than twenty shillings in a competition. That limit concerns bets, not cash-outs.
Must a casino tell me about its fees before I withdraw?
Section 72(6) says a licensee shall avail to a player all the rules relating to authorized games and the particulars of any processing fee which may be incurred by the player. The sections read do not say where or in what form this must be shown.
Can a casino deduct an unrelated debt from my balance when I withdraw?
Section 76(3) says a licensee holding a player's bank account shall not enforce or execute any charge, write-off, set-off or other claim against it, and shall not combine it with another account for a debt owed by the player. Section 75 also limits what the balance may be used for.
Who do I ask if a fee was not disclosed?
Write to the casino's customer care centre first, which section 68(8) requires an operator to keep in Kenya. If it is not resolved, you can raise it with the Gambling Regulatory Authority, which can investigate a licensee under section 37 of the Act.
Are mobile money charges the casino's fee?
Not necessarily. A tariff set by a mobile money or bank provider is a separate charge. Section 75(c) refers to bank charges, and the sections read do not say how a provider's tariff must be passed on, so ask the casino to state which party sets each charge.