How to self-exclude from betting in Kenya

Tell the Gambling Regulatory Authority that you wish to self-exclude: visit its offices or email [email protected]. Under section 115 of the Gambling Control Act, 2025 the Authority registers the exclusion and notifies licensees, who must refuse service, close your accounts and return your funds. The chosen period cannot be shortened.

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

What self-exclusion is

Self-exclusion is a formal request to be shut out of gambling for a set time. Section 115(1) of the Gambling Control Act, 2025 describes who it is for: a person who has recognised that their gambling is harmful to them, or is giving rise to difficulties in limiting the money or time spent on it. Such a person may voluntarily enter a self-exclusion agreement to be excluded from all gambling establishments and all controlled games, including online gambling.

It is a stronger measure than the deposit and loss limits described in the guide on setting a betting budget and limits. Limits cap spending. Self-exclusion stops it.

Step 1: decide the scope and the period

The application form (Form 1 in the First Schedule to the Gambling Control (Conduct of Gambling Operations) Regulations, 2026) asks two things. The scope can be all licensed gambling operators in Kenya, land-based gambling premises only, remote or online platforms only, or specific operators that you name.

The period is one of four: six months, one year, two years or an indefinite period. Choose with care, because the form states that the period selected cannot be revoked or shortened before its expiry. If in doubt between two periods, the longer one is the safer choice.

Step 2: notify the Authority

The Gambling Regulatory Authority's self-exclusion page gives two ways to start: visit its offices in person, or send an email to [email protected] stating your intent to self-exclude. The offices are at ACK Gardens Annex, Bishop Road, 1st Ngong Ave, Nairobi, and the toll-free line is 0800-723-770.

Under regulation 70, a person who wishes to self-exclude completes Form 1, specifying the period and attaching a copy of their national identification card or passport. The form asks for your full name, ID or passport number, date of birth, physical address, telephone number and, if you have one, an email address.

Section 115(2) of the Act puts the duty to notify on the person: someone who enters a self-exclusion agreement shall notify the Authority of it. So if you exclude yourself directly with one operator, tell the Authority as well.

Step 3: know the deadlines that follow

An operator who fails to implement a request within the seven days in section 115(5) is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding one million shillings, or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year, or to both.

Step 4: understand what changes while you are excluded

Regulation 70(7) lists what a person whose name is in the register shall not be allowed to do: place a bet, open a gambling account, receive promotions or marketing material from a licensee, or claim gambling winnings.

The last item matters. Regulation 74(1) requires a licensee to deny all gambling access to a self-excluded person, to cancel any winnings obtained in contravention of the exclusion and to report attempted gambling to the Authority. Under regulation 74(2), a licensee who accepts a wager from a self-excluded person is liable to refund all stakes to that person, while any winnings are forfeited to the Authority.

In other words, betting during an exclusion cannot produce a payout. The form also records your acknowledgement that an attempt to gamble does not invalidate the exclusion.

Step 5: close the gaps yourself

The legal process covers licensed operators in Kenya. A few practical steps make it hold in daily life:

• delete betting apps and remove saved passwords and payment details from your phone;
• unsubscribe from betting SMS and mute or leave tipster groups and channels;
• tell one person you trust what you have done and for how long;
• move the money that used to go on bets to a fixed purpose on the day income arrives;
• plan something else for the hours when you used to bet, such as match days.

It can also help to look once, soberly, at what betting was costing. The guide on the expected value of a bet shows why the long-run result was never going to be a gain.

When the period ends

Under regulation 71(1), self-exclusion remains in effect for the duration selected, and under regulation 71(2) you may apply to renew or extend it by completing Form 1 again. Renewing before the end date avoids a gap.

Regulation 72 says a person may apply for removal or modification only after the specified exclusion period has expired, in writing, using the form the regulation calls Form SE-B. The Authority reviews the application and may ask for more information before deciding.

For permanent exclusion, regulation 71(3) sets a waiting period of years before a person may apply for review. The published text of that sub-regulation is unclear about the exact number, so confirm it with the Authority before relying on any figure.

Exclusion that someone else starts

Part IX of the regulations also covers exclusion that the person did not request. An operator may initiate exclusion where it reasonably believes a gambler shows signs of compulsive or harmful gambling or is gambling beyond their apparent financial means (regulation 75), a court may issue an exclusion order (regulation 77), and a family member or other interested party may apply to the Authority (regulation 78).

In the family case, regulation 79 requires the Authority to assess the application, give the affected person an opportunity to be heard where practicable, and determine whether exclusion is justified in the public interest.

A note on the register

Regulation 68 requires the Authority to establish and maintain a secure register of excluded persons that licensees can access through a secure electronic interface, and regulation 73 requires existing licensees to integrate their systems with it within six months of the regulations commencing and to run daily verification checks. This guide describes what the texts require; it cannot confirm how far that integration has gone at any operator, so ask the Authority how your exclusion will be applied.

The smallest stake allowed online is twenty shillings, as the entry on the minimum online stake explains, but harm does not depend on stake size. If betting is causing harm now, the responsible gambling page lists where to turn today.