African iGaming Alliance meets Kenya regulator on gambling oversight

The African iGaming Alliance has met Kenya’s Gambling Regulatory Authority to discuss responsible gambling, consumer protection, anti-money laundering controls and enforcement against illegal operators as the country implements its new gambling regulatory framework.

The African iGaming Alliance (AiA) has stepped up engagement with Kenya’s gambling regulator following a meeting between AiA Chief Executive Peter Emolemo Kesitilwe and Peter Maina Karimi, Director-General of the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Kenya (GRA). The meeting took place on August 20 and was described by the Alliance as a courtesy visit aimed at introducing the organisation and identifying areas for further cooperation.

Discussions focused on several of the main issues currently shaping gambling oversight in Kenya: responsible gambling, consumer protection, anti-money laundering measures, combating illegal gambling and closer cooperation between regulators and licensed industry participants. AiA said it intends to continue its dialogue with the GRA in support of a safe, sustainable and properly regulated market.

The engagement comes as Kenya continues implementing the Gambling Control Act 2025, which replaced the previous Betting, Lotteries and Gaming Act and created the GRA as the country’s central gambling authority. Its remit covers betting, casinos, lotteries and online gambling, as well as licensing, compliance monitoring, due diligence and enforcement.

Anti-money laundering is explicitly part of that mandate. The legislation requires the national regulator to conduct risk-based AML inspections and supervise gambling businesses that qualify as reporting institutions under Kenya’s anti-money laundering framework. The GRA is also required to develop a central real-time monitoring system and cooperate with the Kenya Revenue Authority on tax compliance.

Consumer protection and illegal gambling are similarly becoming more prominent regulatory priorities. The Act tasks the authority with examining the social and economic consequences of gambling, including addictive or compulsive behaviour, while also addressing illegal cross-border activity and maintaining oversight of licensed operators and gambling equipment.

The AiA presents itself as a pan-African trade association for licensed betting and gaming businesses. Its members operate under licences in 20 African jurisdictions, while the organisation advocates responsible gambling, sustainable taxation and more effective enforcement against unregulated operators. The Kenya meeting therefore reflects its wider strategy of maintaining direct dialogue between industry and national regulators.

The August 20 engagement was accompanied by another development in Kenya: AiA and the Association of Gaming Operators of Kenya (AGOK) signed a memorandum of understanding covering regulatory policy, responsible gambling, consumer protection, taxation, licensing, AML/CFT, payments and action against illegal operators. Together, the two developments indicate an effort to create stronger channels between the Kenyan regulator, domestic licensed businesses and the wider African gaming industry.

For Kenya, such dialogue is becoming increasingly relevant as the country moves from the adoption of its new gambling law toward practical implementation and enforcement. The meeting did not announce new regulations or binding commitments between AiA and the GRA, but it establishes another channel for exchanging industry perspectives on compliance, player protection and the challenge posed by unlicensed gambling.