SNR (stake not returned): what it means for a free bet payout
SNR stands for stake not returned. When an SNR free bet wins, you receive the winnings without the free bet amount, because the stake was never your money. Illustrative example: a KES 200 free bet at odds of 3.00 pays KES 400, while a KES 200 cash bet at the same odds returns KES 600.
Key facts
SNR stands for stake not returned. It labels a free bet whose winning payout leaves out the free bet amount, so you receive the profit only. A cash bet hands back your stake along with the profit, but an SNR free bet cannot, because the operator supplied the stake.
The guide on what a free bet is and how it pays out covers the wider rules, such as expiry and the gap between free bets and bonus cash.
How an SNR payout is worked out
The payout equals the free bet amount times the decimal odds minus one. Illustrative example: a KES 200 free bet at odds of 3.00 wins KES 200 x (3.00 minus 1) = KES 400. Placed as a cash bet, the same KES 200 would return KES 600, of which KES 200 is your own stake coming back.
| Decimal odds | SNR free bet payout | Cash bet return | Share of the cash return paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.50 | KES 100 | KES 300 | One third |
| 2.00 | KES 200 | KES 400 | One half |
| 3.00 | KES 400 | KES 600 | Two thirds |
| 5.00 | KES 800 | KES 1,000 | Four fifths |
The profit is identical in both columns; only the returned stake is missing. The gap hurts most at short odds, where a win at 1.50 pays just half the free bet amount.
Why SNR terms favour longer odds
The share you keep is the odds minus one, divided by the odds. It climbs as the odds rise, but the chance of winning falls. Implied probability is 1 divided by the decimal odds, so a price of 5.00 implies a 20% chance.
Some free bets pay their winnings as bonus credit rather than cash. In that case a rollover on the bonus credit may apply before anything can be withdrawn.
SNR and Kenyan law
The Gambling Control Act, 2025 does not define stake not returned. Section 74(3) of the Act says its limits on inducements do not stop free bets and bonus bets offered in the ordinary course of business.
Regulation 23(1) of the Conduct of Gambling Operations Regulations, 2026 requires the odds, rules and terms of each bet to be clearly displayed. Look for the SNR label in those terms before placing the free bet.
Tax on money you withdraw after a free bet win is set out in the guide to tax on winnings from a free bet in Kenya.
Questions readers ask
What is the difference between SNR and SR free bets?
SNR means stake not returned: a winning free bet pays the profit alone. SR, stake returned, pays the profit plus the free bet amount, as a cash bet would. Illustrative example with KES 100 at odds of 2.50: SNR pays KES 150 and SR pays KES 250. The terms of each offer say which of the two rules applies.
Why did my free bet win pay less than the odds suggested?
Because the stake was not returned. Illustrative example: odds of 4.00 on a KES 50 cash bet return KES 200, yet the same odds on a KES 50 SNR free bet pay KES 150, the profit alone. Decimal odds show the return on a cash stake, so an SNR payout is always that figure minus the free bet amount.
Sources
- Gambling Regulatory Authority of Kenya, Gambling Control Act, 2025 (No. 14 of 2025), read on 29 October 2026.
- Gambling Regulatory Authority of Kenya, Gambling Control (Conduct of Gambling Operations) Regulations, 2026, L.N. 112 of 2026, read on 29 October 2026.