Casino withdrawal not paid in Kenya: your formal steps

First work out which rule applies: winnings must be credited within two days (Act, s.70(1)) and paid out by tier, and a licensee that pays nothing within 14 days faces a penalty and must pay the balance with interest (r.104). Then complain in writing to the casino, then to the Gambling Regulatory Authority.

By Online Casino Kenya Editorial (prepared with AI tools under our editorial policy) · Last updated 2026-10-08

Step 0: confirm that the operator is a licensee

Every remedy below is a duty of a licensee, so begin with the register. Follow how to check an online casino licence in Kenya and note the company name and licence number exactly as the Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA) lists them.

The register on the page of public gaming licence holders describes the 2025/26 trading period. Check the live list on the regulator's website before you rely on it.

Step 1: work out which rule applies to your case

A withdrawal that looks unpaid is not always late in law. Section 69 of the Act treats an online gambling transaction as running from deposit to withdrawal, and the Operations Regulations then set different payment limits by the size of the prize. The table lists them as they appear in the Third Schedule.

Separately, section 70(1) of the Act says a licensee must credit a monetary prize to the player's account within two days. The detail of both rules is in online casino payout rules in Kenya.

Step 2: separate a delay from a refusal

Identity checks are required, not optional. Section 70(6) of the Act demands proof of age of majority before a prize is remitted, and regulation 85(3) demands verification of the winner's identity before payment. A request for documents is therefore not by itself a breach.

What the law does not describe is an indefinite hold. Section 75 limits what a licensee may do with a player's balance to three things: debit a wager, remit funds on the player's request, and pay bank charges on deposits and withdrawals. Ask the operator in writing which check is outstanding and on what date it expects to finish.

Step 3: write to the customer care centre

Section 68(8) of the Act requires an operator to keep a customer care centre in Kenya. Regulation 9 of the Operations Regulations gives it the job of resolving complaints before they reach the Authority and referring unresolved matters to the Authority. Regulation 103 adds that a licensee must have internal dispute resolution mechanisms approved by the Authority.

Use a channel that leaves a record and keep a copy. Put these in the message:

• the account identifier, the date of the withdrawal request and the amount in KES;
• the mobile money or bank reference, if any part was sent;
• the tier and time limit you think applies, with the rule number;
• what you ask for and a date by which you ask for it.

Step 4: the late-payment rule and how the figures work

Regulation 104 of the Operations Regulations is headed "Non-payment of winnings". Under it, a licensee that fails to pay winnings within 14 days is liable to a penalty of 5% of the total winnings, payable to the Authority. The licensee must also pay the player the outstanding amount plus interest accrual of 5% per day from the lapse of 14 days, for the next 21 days, until payment in full. Non-compliance may lead to suspension of the licence.

The text does not say whether the interest is simple or compounded, or on which base it runs. The example below uses the simplest reading, simple interest on the unpaid amount, and is only an arithmetic illustration.

Illustrative example: winnings of KES 10,000 remain unpaid after day 14. The penalty to the Authority is 5% of 10,000, which is 10,000 x 0.05 = KES 500. Interest at 5% per day on KES 10,000 is KES 500 for each day. Over the 21 days named in the rule, 21 x 500 = KES 10,500, so the outstanding amount plus interest at the end of that period would be 10,000 + 10,500 = KES 20,500 on this reading. The Authority, not the player, decides how the rule is applied.

Step 5: complain to the Authority

Section 37 of the Act lets the Authority investigate the conduct of a licensee on its own motion or on information from any person, and direct the licensee to rectify shortcomings. The route, forms and contact details are set out in how to complain about an online casino in Kenya. The GRA toll-free line is 0800-723-770.

Attach the operator's replies, the dates and the evidence listed above. Neither the Act nor the regulations read for this guide state a deadline for the Authority to answer an individual complaint, so none is given here.

Step 6: the Tribunal and the courts

Section 80 allows a party to an online gambling dispute to appeal to the Tribunal within fourteen days from the date of the dispute. A person aggrieved by a Tribunal decision may appeal to the High Court within fourteen days from the date of that decision (s.90). The body itself is described in what the Gambling Appeals Tribunal is.

Because the Act does not say that the fourteen days pause during an operator or regulator process, note every date from the first day. This site cannot give legal advice on when the period starts.

If the money was held as player funds

Section 76(2) of the Act requires money held to be at least equal to the total standing to the credit of all players' accounts, and the licensee must make good any shortfall from its own money within thirty days from the end of the month in which it occurs. How this works in practice is covered in whether player funds are kept separate.