How to complain about an online casino in Kenya

Complain in writing to the casino's customer care centre first, then to the Gambling Regulatory Authority using its complaint form, by email or at its Nairobi office. A party to an online gambling dispute may also go to the Gambling Appeals Tribunal within fourteen days from the date of the dispute (Act, s.80).

By Online Casino Kenya Editorial (prepared with AI tools under our editorial policy) · Last updated 2026-10-04

Before anything else: is the casino licensed?

The route below works because a licensee answers to the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Kenya (GRA). So begin by confirming the company on the regulator's list, using the method in how to check an online casino licence in Kenya. Write down the company name and the licence number; you will need both on the complaint form.

If the site turns out to have no Kenyan licence, skip to the last section of this page. The steps in between assume a licensee.

The route at a glance

"Operations Regulations" means the Gambling Control (Conduct of Gambling Operations) Regulations, 2026.

Stage 1: put the complaint to the operator in writing

Section 68(8) of the Act says an operator shall maintain a customer care centre within Kenya to monitor and respond to issues raised by consumers. Regulation 9 of the Operations Regulations says the centre must be set up before the licensee commences operations and spells out its purpose.

That purpose includes handling any matter arising from the licensee's gambling activities, resolving all complaints or disputes before they are reported to the Authority, reporting to the Authority within two days any matter raised by the public, and referring any unresolved matter or complaint to the Authority for determination. A licensee that contravenes the regulation is liable to an administrative fine of one hundred thousand shillings.

Regulation 103 adds that a licensee shall establish internal dispute resolution mechanisms approved by the Authority. In practice this means a licensed casino should have a stated complaints procedure. Ask for it by name.

How to make the complaint useful:

1. Use a channel that leaves a record, such as email or the site's written chat, and save a copy.
2. State the facts in order: account identifier, date, game or transaction, amount in KES, what happened and what you are asking for.
3. Quote the rule if you know it. For late payment, the deadlines are collected in online casino payout rules in Kenya.
4. Note the date you sent it. Section 80 counts fourteen days from the date of the dispute, so dates matter from the first day.

Stage 2: take it to the Authority

Section 37 of the Act lets the Authority investigate the conduct of a licensee on its own motion or upon receipt of information from any person. It may direct the licensee to rectify shortcomings and may take other action if the licensee does not comply.

The Authority's complaints page describes the procedure. It says the regulator is mandated by law to receive, investigate and arbitrate or take appropriate action on complaints relating to lotteries, gaming, betting or casinos. The complainant fills in a complaint form, signs it and delivers it to the offices at ACK Garden Annex, 7th floor, in Nairobi.

The page as read on 2026-10-04 gave these contact details. Check the page itself before you rely on them, since they still use the domain of the former Board.

• Complaints email: [email protected]
• General email: [email protected]
• Toll-free number: 0800-723-770
• Office: ACK Gardens Annex, Bishop Road, 1st Ngong Ave, Nairobi
• Hours shown: Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm

Attach what you sent to the operator and what it replied. Give the company name and licence number as they appear on the regulator's list, not just the brand.

What the Authority can do, and what it cannot promise

The Authority's powers are against the licensee. It can investigate and give directions (s.37). It can suspend or revoke a licence on the grounds in regulation 26 of the Licensing Regulations, 2026, which include failure to comply with any condition of the licence. For winnings not paid within 14 days, the Operations Regulations provide a penalty of five per cent of the total winnings, payable to the Authority, and say non-compliance may lead to suspension.

The security a licensee deposits under section 40 of the Act may be used by the Authority to defray a licensee's liability arising from the licensed activity. The Act does not set out a procedure by which an individual player claims against that security.

Neither the Act nor the regulations read for this guide state a deadline for the Authority to answer an individual complaint. This page therefore gives none.

Stage 3: the Gambling Appeals Tribunal

Section 80 of the Act is short: a party to a dispute arising out of an online gambling activity may appeal to the Tribunal for resolution of the dispute within fourteen days from the date of the dispute. The Tribunal is established by section 88, and the short entry on what the Gambling Appeals Tribunal is describes its composition.

The fourteen days are tight compared with the time an operator and the Authority may take. The Act does not say that the period pauses while a complaint is with the operator or the Authority. If the amount in dispute matters to you, take legal advice early about the date from which the period runs; this site cannot give that advice.

Section 88(12) leaves the procedures of the Tribunal to regulations. The Authority's website lists Appeals Regulations among the 2026 regulations. They are not summarised here because they were not among the documents read for this guide.

A person aggrieved by a decision of the Tribunal may appeal to the High Court within fourteen days from the date of that decision (s.90).

Evidence checklist

• The company name, trading name, licence number and domain, copied from the site and from the regulator's list.
• Your account identifier and the phone number or email registered on the account.
• Deposit and withdrawal references from mobile money or the bank, with dates and amounts.
• Screenshots of the balance, the bet or game round and any error message, each showing date and time.
• The rules of the game and the terms as they stood on the day, saved as a file. A licensee must make its game rules available to the player (Act, s.72(6)(a)).
• Every message exchanged with customer care.

If the casino has no Kenyan licence

Then there is no licensee for the Authority to direct, no customer care centre it must keep in Kenya and no security deposited under section 40. Operating without a valid licence is an offence under section 98 of the Act, and section 92(c) makes it an offence to solicit any person to bet in an unlicensed gambling activity or site.

You can still report the site to the Authority, whose website carries a whistleblowing page next to the complaints page. Be realistic about what a report can achieve for you personally: it may help enforcement, but the law read for this guide gives a player no route to recover a balance from an unlicensed operator abroad.

The difference between the two situations is the main practical reason to check the table of public gaming licence holders on the GRA list before money goes anywhere.

When the dispute is really about your own gambling

Some complaints begin as a request to get losses back. The law does not provide for that. What it does provide is a way to stop: self-exclusion under section 115 of the Act, which obliges the licensee to close the account and return any funds held in it.