Is a Curaçao or Malta licence valid for casinos in Kenya?

Not on its own. The Gambling Control Act, 2025 requires an online casino licence issued by the Kenyan Authority (s.28(1), s.67(1)(c)), and a foreign operator needs Kenyan registration and address too (s.79(1)). A licence from another country does not replace that. The test is whether the brand appears on the GRA list.

By Online Casino Kenya Editorial (prepared with AI tools under our editorial policy) · Last updated 2026-10-09

The short answer

A Curaçao or Malta licence does not satisfy Kenyan law by itself. Section 28(1) of the Gambling Control Act, 2025 says a person shall not offer any gambling activity or service unless it is licensed under this Act. For online casinos, section 67(1)(c) names the online casino licence, which the Authority (the Gambling Regulatory Authority) issues.

The Act does not rank licences from other countries, and the sections read for this guide do not mention either jurisdiction. This guide therefore says nothing about how those regulators work. It sets out what the Kenyan text asks for, and the wider question of whether online casinos are legal in Kenya is covered separately.

What the Act says about a "licence"

Section 2 defines a licence as a legal authorization issued by the Authority. It is subject to conditions and standards the Authority prescribes, it may be cancelled if they are violated, and it is assigned to a specific person and may not be re-assigned.

That definition is why a foreign document cannot stand in for it. A licence in the Act's sense comes from the Authority, carries Kenyan conditions and belongs to one named licensee.

What a foreign operator must do

Section 79 deals with operators based in another country. It allows an online gambling licence only where the operator is registered in Kenya, has a physical address registered in Kenya and meets the requirements prescribed in regulations. Subsection (2) adds audited books of accounts for the preceding year.

So a company incorporated elsewhere can serve Kenya lawfully only by going through the Kenyan route. Holding another country's licence is not one of the conditions listed.

How to test a foreign licence claim

Work from the Kenyan side, because that is where the legal test sits. The full routine is in how to check an online casino licence in Kenya; the steps below apply it to a site that advertises a foreign licence.

1. Note the company name, trading name and domain the site shows in its footer or terms.
2. Look for a Kenyan licence number on the platform, as section 36(3) expects of an online licence holder.
3. Open the GRA page of licensed gaming companies and search for the company and the domain.
4. Check the licence column. How to read the GRA list of licensed operators explains the BK, PG and PL columns.
5. If the name or domain is missing, treat the Kenyan licence as unconfirmed, whatever other badges appear.

A foreign licence number can be genuine and still be irrelevant to the Kenyan question. The reverse also holds: a brand on the GRA list is in the register regardless of what else it displays.

The register for casino domains

The regulator's list is headed "Licensed gaming companies for the trading period 2025/26". The table below shows the public gaming entries that list a domain, as taken from that page, which was last modified on 2026-03-19. It may be out of date, so confirm on the live page at gra.go.ke/licensed-operators/.

The entries are neutral register facts and not a recommendation. A short explanation of that licence type is in what a public gaming licence means in Kenya.

What follows if there is no Kenyan licence

Section 79(3) makes it an offence for a foreign based operator to provide online gambling services in Kenya without a licence. The penalty for a natural person is a fine not exceeding KES 2,000,000 or imprisonment not exceeding two years, or both, and for a corporate person a fine not exceeding KES 50,000,000. The wider penalty picture is in what happens to an unlicensed online casino in Kenya.

Illustrative example: if a corporate fine were set at the ceiling, it would be KES 50,000,000. Dividing by the natural person ceiling, 50,000,000 / 2,000,000 = 25, so the corporate ceiling is 25 times higher. Ceilings are limits set by the Act, and a court decides the actual sentence.

Section 92(c) separately makes it an offence to announce, publish or solicit any person to bet in an unlicensed gambling activity or site. The offence sections read for this guide are addressed to operators, owners and promoters, and none names a player. That describes the text and is not legal advice.

If something goes wrong

For a licensed operator, section 80 lets a party to a dispute arising from online gambling appeal to the Tribunal within fourteen days from the date of the dispute. The route to the regulator and the Tribunal is described in how to complain about an online casino in Kenya.

With a site that is not on the GRA list, there is no Kenyan licensee to hold to licence conditions. Keep screenshots and payment records, and ask the Authority or a qualified Kenyan advocate what can be done.

A note on risk

A licence is a legal status, not a safety guarantee. Gambling is addictive and is for adults aged 18+. The responsible gambling page lists the GRA toll-free line and the self-exclusion process.