How jackpot prizes must be paid out under Kenya's Gambling Control Act

Two sets of rules decide how a jackpot prize reaches you. Section 70 of the Gambling Control Act, 2025 sets the basic duties of the operator. The Third Schedule to the Gambling Control (Conduct of Gambling Operations) Regulations, 2026 (L.N. 112) sets payment times and checks for each size of prize.

This guide explains both, then the route for a complaint if a payout stalls. Tax on a prize is a separate question, covered with related topics in the winnings and tax guides.

What does section 70 of the Act require?

Section 70 carries the marginal note "Payment of prizes and remittance of winning". Under section 70(1), where a player in an online gambling transaction wins a monetary prize, the licensee must credit the amount to the player's account within two days. Section 69 says such a transaction starts when you deposit money into your gaming account and ends when you withdraw it.

A prize that is not money follows section 70(2). The operator must deliver it within seven days, or tell you in writing of an address in Kenya where you can collect it. If you leave it uncollected for six months after that notice, section 70(3) lets the operator sell it by public auction or in a way the Authority approves.

Two more subsections apply to every winner. Under section 70(5), a claim against a licensee for an uncollected prize lapses six months after the winnings are declared. Under section 70(6), the operator must require proof of age of majority before it remits the prize.

How fast must each size of prize be paid?

Regulation 85(2) of L.N. 112 tells licensees to process punters' payments in line with the Third Schedule. Regulation 80(4) applies the same schedule to jackpot payments. The schedule, headed "Online gambling prize payment tiers", sorts prizes into four bands by amount.

Note how the schedule uses the word "jackpot". It applies that label to any online prize exceeding KES 50,000,001, and its tiers turn on the amount alone. On that wording, a smaller win on a jackpot slip is paid under the tier that matches its size.

The Act's own definition is wider. Section 2 defines a jackpot as the highest prize from a combination displayed or advertised in a game of chance. It is payable from a fixed prize schedule or from a special prize pool that grows as contributions are made.

How do the two-day rule and the tiers fit together?

The Act and the Regulations use different words. Section 70(1) speaks of crediting the amount to your account within two days. The Third Schedule speaks of when payment shall be completed, and for its two top tiers the clock starts only once verification is complete.

The Regulations, as gazetted, do not explain how the two time limits interact. If your prize is large, ask the operator in writing which stage your claim has reached and keep the reply. A dated written answer is useful evidence if you later need to complain.

Why do you have to prove your age before a prize is paid?

The Act asks for proof of age twice. Section 72(3) requires proof of age of majority before an operator registers any player, and section 70(6) requires it again before the operator remits a prize. Neither section writes a number; the age of majority in Kenya is eighteen, and regulation 92 of L.N. 112 refers to persons under the age of eighteen years.

Regulation 82 of L.N. 112 adds identity checks for winners. Regulation 82(3) requires a licensee to verify the identity of any winner before paying winnings. Under regulation 82(4) the check uses official identification documents and confirms that the winner is not a self-excluded person and is legally eligible to gamble under the Act.

Self-exclusion has a direct effect on prizes. Under regulation 70(5)(d), a registered self-excluded person may not claim gambling winnings. The help, limits and self-exclusion page explains how exclusion works and where to get support.

What extra checks apply to a large prize?

The checks grow with the amount. A mid-tier prize needs government-issued identification and proof that the ticket is yours. A large-tier prize adds ticket authentication, enhanced anti-money laundering checks and, where necessary, an in-person or secure video check.

The General Provisions at the end of the Third Schedule cover every tier. No prize shall be paid without verification of lawful ticket ownership, and the Authority may issue guidelines that add controls or procedures for any tier. Keep the bet ID, the confirmation message and the details of the account you staked from, since those records are what you can show.

The biggest wins come with extra care for the winner. Jackpot winners must be offered financial counselling and secure payment arrangements. The schedule says structured payout options "may be provided"; it does not make them compulsory.

Regulation 80(1)(c) requires a licensee that offers a jackpot to open a fixed deposit account equal to the jackpot amount it commits to, separate from its operational account. Under regulation 80(2) the account must be with a bank licensed by the Central Bank of Kenya. Evidence that the money is banked goes to the Authority weekly for a progressive jackpot and every fourteen days for a fixed one.

What happens if the operator pays late?

Regulation 101 of L.N. 112 puts a price on delay. A licensee that fails to pay winnings within fourteen days is liable to a penalty of 5% of the total winnings, payable to the Authority. The licensee must still pay you the outstanding amount, plus interest of 5% per day from the end of those fourteen days for the next twenty-one days, until payment in full.

Regulation 101(3) adds that non-compliance may lead to suspension of the licence. Illustrative example: if a KES 1,000,000 prize were paid late, the penalty owed to the Authority under regulation 101(1) would be 5% of that sum, or KES 50,000. The interest owed to you depends on the number of days of delay, so read regulation 101(2) in full against your dates.

Where can you complain about a jackpot payout?

Start with the operator. Section 68(8) of the Act requires an online operator to keep a customer care centre in Kenya. Under regulation 9(2) of L.N. 112, that centre must try to resolve complaints before they reach the Authority, and must report public complaints to it within two days.

1. Write to the operator's customer care centre with your account details, the bet ID, the prize amount and the date of the result. Regulation 100 requires every licensee to run an internal dispute resolution process approved by the Authority.
2. Escalate if there is no answer. Under regulation 9(2)(e), a matter still unresolved after 72 hours, or one where you ask in writing for escalation, must be referred to the Authority.
3. Contact the regulator directly if needed. Section 10(m) of the Act gives the Authority the function of receiving and determining complaints from the public on games of chance. Its complaints page offers a form that can be delivered to its offices at ACK Garden Annex, 7th floor, Nairobi, and its toll-free line, as shown on the regulator's website, is 0800-723-770.
4. Appeal to the Gambling Appeals Tribunal if the dispute stays open. Section 80 lets a party to an online gambling dispute appeal within fourteen days from the date of the dispute. Section 88(9)(b) gives the Tribunal complaints about the outcome of a gambling transaction.

Two limits apply to that last step. The Gambling Appeals Tribunal Regulations, 2026 (L.N. 115), under the heading "Exhaustion of remedies", give the Tribunal no jurisdiction until the complaint has first been heard through the Authority's own mechanisms. A Tribunal decision can then go to the High Court within fourteen days under section 90.

What this guide does not cover

This page sets out the law on paying prizes. Tax withheld from a payout is explained in how tax applies to jackpot winnings. The smaller payouts for near misses are covered in jackpot bonuses for 12 or 13 correct.

If one of the matches on your slip was postponed, the rules in postponed matches and void legs decide your result before any payout question arises. The rules on this page describe duties placed on operators. They say nothing about your chance of winning, which stays very small on any long jackpot slip.