Can betting bonuses be advertised in Kenya? What the law requires

Yes, a licensed operator may advertise a bonus in Kenya, but only an advert the regulator has approved, carrying set wording and avoiding a list of banned techniques. The rules come from section 87 of the Gambling Control Act, 2025 and the Gambling Control (Advertising) Regulations, 2026, Legal Notice No. 114, made under section 87(3).

Neither text names bonuses, free bets or promotions. They apply to any gambling advert, so a bonus offer meets the same tests as a brand campaign. Offers carrying promo codes, on a poster or in an SMS, fall inside them too, a point covered in the guide to betting promo codes and the scams around them.

Does a bonus advert need the regulator's approval?

It does. Section 87(1) of the Act forbids anyone to promote a gambling advert on an electronic medium or any other form of communication without the approval of the Gambling Regulatory Authority. The list in section 87(1) covers adverts, promotions, notices and placards aimed at enticing the public to gamble, celebrity and lifestyle advertising, and sponsored events.

Regulation 2 of L.N. 114 defines an advertisement as any communication that promotes, or is intended to promote, participation in a gambling activity, whether by print, broadcast, outdoor, electronic or digital media. On that wording, a bonus message sent by SMS, app notification or social media post counts as an advert.

Regulation 5 sets the procedure. The advertiser applies on Form 1 at least seven days before the campaign starts, with the fee, the full text and the script or artwork. The Authority may approve, approve with conditions, or reject with written reasons within seven days of its decision, and it keeps a register of approved adverts.

Regulation 7 adds a second gate for electronic adverts: classification by the Kenya Film Classification Board before distribution. Media owners and agencies must carry only adverts approved by both bodies.

How the law treats inducements

The word inducement comes from the Act, not from the Advertising Regulations. Section 74(1)(b) forbids a licensee to make an offer designed to induce people to take part in gambling or to take part more. Section 74(1)(c) adds a ban on joining arrangements for inducing people to gamble.

Section 74(3) then protects free bets and bonus bets offered in the ordinary course of business, and section 72(7) carries the same proviso for its ban on credit. A bonus is therefore lawful in itself, while the advert announcing it must still pass section 87 and L.N. 114. The Act does not define "ordinary course of business".

Section 74(2) makes a breach of section 74(1) an offence punishable by a fine of up to five million shillings, imprisonment of up to five years, or both.

What a compliant bonus mention must include

Regulation 8 of L.N. 114 lists the content every approved advert must carry, and it repeats the three duties in section 87(2)(a)-(c) of the Act. Regulation 22(4) of the Conduct Regulations (L.N. 112) adds a disclosure rule for bookmakers' promotional material. The table brings the items together.

Regulation 8(a) also requires the advert to be legible, visible and clearly audible where sound is used. The terms statement matters most for a bonus, because the wagering multiple, minimum odds and expiry sit behind it. The guide to wagering requirements and rollover shows what those terms ask of you.

Calls to action and other banned content

Regulation 9(a) of L.N. 114 says a gambling advert shall not have a call-to-action message. The Regulations do not define the phrase. In plain reading it covers wording that urges the reader to register, deposit or place a bet straight away.

The rest of regulation 9 bans adverts that associate gambling with celebrities or social success, depict it as a source of investment or income, appeal to minors, use testimonials, feature former winners, or include jingles and hooks. Regulation 9(g) and section 87(2)(d) of the Act both ban a false, misleading or deceptive message likely to create an erroneous positive impression of gambling.

Regulation 6(1)(c) adds four conditions on content. An advert may not suggest gambling brings financial success or solves personal problems, may not portray it as glamorous, heroic or free of risk, may not depict anyone who appears under eighteen, and may not carry endorsements by public officers, teachers, clergy or other persons of public trust.

Where and when a bonus can be advertised

People who have self-excluded are outside the audience altogether. Regulation 70(5)(c) of L.N. 112 says a registered self-excluded person may not receive promotions or marketing material from a licensee. Section 115(4)(c) of the Act requires a licensee to remove that person from its marketing databases within two days of the completed notification.

Fees, records and penalties

The Second Schedule of L.N. 114 sets an application fee of KES 50,000 and an approval fee of 6% of the advertising budget. Regulation 13(3) requires a licensee to keep copies of all its adverts and approval records for at least three years. Under regulation 13(2), the Authority may direct a licensee, broadcaster, publisher or advertiser to withdraw or amend a non-compliant advert immediately.

Regulation 14 makes publishing an unapproved or prohibited gambling advert an offence, with a fine of up to one million shillings, up to six months in prison, or both. Section 87(4) of the Act sets the penalty for contravening section 87 at a fine of up to twenty million shillings, up to twenty years in prison, or both.

What this page does not cover

This page sets out the rules as gazetted. It does not say whether any particular operator's campaign was approved; regulation 5(7) creates a register of approved adverts, and the Regulations do not say whether that register is published. A bonus that is lawfully advertised can still be voided under its terms, as the guide on whether a bookmaker can cancel a bonus or your winnings explains.

For how bonus types, terms and law fit together, read betting bonuses in Kenya: types, terms and the law. If an advert has pulled you into betting more than you planned, the help and limits page lists the regulator's toll-free line and self-exclusion route.