Limits and self-exclusion for crash games in Kenya: the tools the law gives you

A crash round can end at any moment, and Auto Play can place the next bet for you round after round. A limit you set before the session therefore does more work than a choice made in the middle of it. The odds do not bend to any system either, as explained in why no method beats a crash game over many rounds.

Kenyan law makes every licensed operator provide the tools. You pick the amounts and the times. If gambling has become harmful, section 115 of the Gambling Control Act, 2025 lets you step away from all of it.

Why limits matter in a fast game

Spribe describes Aviator's curve as one that can crash at any time, with the player cashing out before the plane flies away. Its rules let Auto Play bet automatically for a chosen number of rounds, so many rounds can pass without a single tap. The rhythm of a round is described in how an Aviator-style round runs from bet to crash.

Auto Play has stop conditions of its own, such as stopping when your balance falls by a chosen amount. Those are game settings you can change between rounds. The tools required by the Regulations are a separate set that the operator must provide on your account.

The law sets a floor, not a ceiling. Section 71(1) of the Act sets the minimum online bet at KES 20, and no maximum stake, deposit or loss limit is set in the Act or the Regulations as gazetted. The game's Limits button shows only the game's own minimum bet, maximum bet and maximum win.

Which tools must an operator give you?

Regulation 84(1) of the Gambling Control (Conduct of Gambling Operations) Regulations, 2026 (L.N. 112) requires a licensee to provide accessible, real-time tools to control your gambling. Regulation 84(2) lists what those tools must include. The Regulations prescribe no figures, so the numbers are yours.

Set the deposit limit first, at a sum you can lose without touching rent, school fees or food money. Then set a session limit and switch on reality checks. A limit is most useful when it is set before you feel like raising it.

How does self-exclusion work under section 115?

Section 115(1) lets a person who recognises that their gambling is harmful enter a voluntary self-exclusion agreement with a licensee. The agreement covers all gambling establishments and controlled games, online gambling included. Under section 115(2) and (3), the person notifies the Authority, which keeps a register and notifies all licensees.

Section 115(4) then puts duties on the operator. It must refuse you service, keep marketing away from you, remove your details from its marketing databases within two days of the completed notification, and close your accounts and return the funds held in them. Under section 115(5), an operator that fails to implement a written request within seven days commits an offence carrying a fine of up to KES 1,000,000, up to one year in prison, or both.

The 2026 Regulations add a national route. Under L.N. 112 r.70, you apply to the Authority on Form 1, stating the period and attaching a copy of your national ID card or passport. The Authority acknowledges the application within seven days, verifies your identity, enters you in the register within seven days and tells you in writing when the exclusion takes effect.

The regulator's self-exclusion web page still shows an older range of periods and an e-mail address of the former Betting Control and Licensing Board. The periods in Form 1 of the Regulations as gazetted are the ones to rely on.

What changes once you are on the register?

Under L.N. 112 r.70(5), a registered person may not place a bet, open a gambling account, receive promotions or marketing material, or claim gambling winnings. Regulation 74(1) makes the operator deny all access, refund any deposit taken in breach of the exclusion within seven days, cancel winnings obtained in breach and report the attempt to the Authority.

The period cannot be cut short. Regulation 72(1) allows removal or change only after the chosen period ends, on Form SE-B, and the Authority reviews that application within 14 days. A person who chose indefinite exclusion must wait at least three years before applying for review, under r.71(3).

Regulation 73(1) gives existing operators six months from the commencement of the Regulations to connect their systems to the register. Regulation 73(2) and (3) then require automatic blocking of excluded players and daily checks against the register. If a site lets you play while you are excluded, keep a screenshot and report it to the Authority.

Signs of harm the law itself names

The Act describes harm in plain terms. Section 115(1) speaks of gambling that is harmful to the person, or that makes it difficult to limit the money or time spent, with adverse consequences for the person, for others or for the community.

The Regulations add markers of their own. Regulation 75(1) lets an operator exclude a player who shows signs of compulsive or harmful gambling, or who gambles beyond their apparent financial means. Regulation 78 covers gambling that has caused, or is likely to cause, serious financial hardship, that puts dependants or family welfare at risk, or that leaves the person unable to make informed decisions.

Questions drawn from those words:

• Do you play for longer, or spend more, than you planned before the session?
• Are you gambling with money meant for bills, debts or family needs?
• Has anyone who depends on you been affected by your gambling?
• Have you tried to cut back and found you could not keep to your limit?

If the honest answer to any of these is yes, use the limits and the exclusion routes above. Under L.N. 112 r.67(1), a licensee must exclude a punter who discloses that gambling has affected their wellbeing or that of other people. Gambling is not a way to fix a money problem.

Where can you get help in Kenya?

• The regulator's website shows a toll-free number, 0800-723-770, which it describes as a line for customer support, technical help and gaming inquiries.
• The Gambling Regulatory Authority's contact page gives its office as ACK Garden Annex, Bishop Road, 1st Ngong Avenue, 7th floor, Nairobi, open Monday to Friday from 8am to 5pm. Form 1 applications go to the Authority under r.70(1).
• This site's help, limits and self-exclusion page puts the contacts and tools in one place.

Gambling is for adults of the age of majority, which in Kenya is eighteen. The 2026 Conduct of Gambling Operations Regulations (r.92) bar persons under eighteen, and section 72(3) of the Act requires proof of age of majority before a player is registered.

What this does not cover

This page sets out the legal tools. It does not replace counselling or medical care, and it does not cover unlicensed sites, which owe you none of these duties. How to tell a licensed operator from an unlicensed one is covered in whether crash games are legal in Kenya, and the other safety topics sit under law and safety in Kenya.