Crypto payments at Bombet: coins, networks and what Kenyan law expects
Crypto cashiers are built for a global audience, which is exactly why a Kenyan bettor should read them carefully. This page looks at crypto as a whole — bitcoin, litecoin, ethereum and stablecoins such as USDT — and explains the legal position in Kenya, how a crypto deposit and a crypto withdrawal work, where the costs hide and what records to keep. For Bitcoin alone, see the separate Bitcoin page.
The set of methods and the limits depend on your account — check in the cashier. We do not claim that Bombet offers crypto to Kenyan accounts, and we quote no coins, limits, fees or timings on its behalf.
Where crypto stands under the Gambling Control Act
The Act names the ways in which a licensee may receive a player's funds: debit card, electronic funds transfer, mobile money transfer, cash deposit, or another method approved by the Authority (s.73(4)). Cryptocurrency is not on the named list. So a Kenyan licensee could take crypto only as an approved method. That does not make every crypto cashier unlawful, but it does make the question "which licence and approval cover this?" a fair one to put to support before you send anything. Note too that the Gambling Control (Conduct of Gambling Operations) Regulations 2026 make it an offence to process payments for an unlicensed gambling platform (r.102) — crypto is one of the routes such platforms rely on.
Coins and networks
- Bitcoin — one network, fees that rise when the network is busy, confirmations that can take a while.
- Litecoin — a separate coin with its own network and typically quicker blocks.
- Ethereum — the coin of a network on which many tokens also run; fees there depend on network demand.
- USDT — a stablecoin designed to hold a steady value, issued on several networks; the network you pick decides the fee and must match the cashier.
The rule that prevents most losses: match coin and network in the cashier and in your wallet before sending. A wrong-network transfer is usually unrecoverable.
A crypto deposit, start to finish
In the cashier you choose the coin and network; the system shows a deposit address and often a QR code. You send from a wallet you control, the transfer waits for the confirmations the operator requires, and the balance updates. Keep the transaction hash until you see the credit. The excise duty of 5% on the amount credited to a betting or gaming wallet, collected by the operator, applies here just as it does to mobile money or cards.
A crypto withdrawal
You request it in the cashier with your own wallet address and the correct network. Verification is not skipped — proof of age is required before a prize is paid (s.70(6)), normally with a national ID card or passport. The law's two-day rule says a monetary win must be credited to your betting account within two days (s.70(1)); it does not set the time a crypto withdrawal takes to reach your wallet, which depends on the operator's review and the network.
If crypto is offered to your account, you can deposit with USDT or Bitcoin from your own wallet and play via USDT or Bitcoin like any other balance; the cashier shows whether the balance is then held in the coin or converted to KES. Whatever you choose, the deposit only counts once the confirmations are in.
The hidden costs
Crypto rarely costs nothing. You pay network fees on the way in and out; exchanges and peer-to-peer platforms add their own fees and spreads when you turn shillings into coins and back; and if the balance is converted at deposit and withdrawal, price movement in between can add or remove value. For a bettor who stakes in shillings, two conversions per cycle are a real drag on a small bankroll.
A typical crypto casino cashier lists bitcoin, ethereum, litecoin and USDT. A bitcoin deposit and a USDT deposit follow the same pattern — copy the address, choose the matching network, send, wait for confirmations — and a crypto withdrawal goes back to an address you control. What differs is the fee and the waiting time of each network.
Tax and keeping records
Official Kenyan sources currently disagree on whether and at what rate tax is withheld on withdrawals or winnings, so we do not quote one; check the cashier and the Kenya Revenue Authority's guidance. Keep every transaction hash, date, amount and the shilling value at the time. With crypto there is no bank statement to fall back on — your own record is the evidence if a dispute ever goes to the Gambling Regulatory Authority or, for online gambling, to the Gambling Appeals Tribunal within 14 days (s.80).