How long must a betting operator keep transaction records?
The Gambling Control Act, 2025 and the 2026 conduct regulations require a licensed operator to keep accurate records of financial transactions and player accounts. In the texts checked for this guide, none names a retention period for them, and none names seven years. Periods appear only for promotion records and advertisements.
The short answer
A licensed operator must keep transaction records, but the gambling law checked here does not say for how many years. The query "seven years" is a common assumption, and it does not appear in the Act or in the three sets of 2026 regulations that were read.
The duty to record is covered in the guide on how operators record deposits and withdrawals. This guide asks the narrower question of how long those records must stay.
What the law requires an operator to keep
Regulation 91(1) of the Conduct of Gambling Operations Regulations, 2026 requires a licensee to submit records and accounts and to maintain accurate records of four things. They are tickets accepted and settled, financial transactions, player accounts, and complaints lodged and disputes resolved.
Regulation 92(1) lists further records, including total sales, total payout, total player savings, customer information, a complaint resolution report and a data protection report. Regulation 92(2) makes the books of accounts available to the Authority's inspectors whenever it requires.
The Act defines "record" widely. It covers any book, account, document or other source of information compiled, recorded or stored in writing, on microfilm or by electronic process.
Where a period is stated and where it is not
The table sets each record type against the period, if any, in the texts read for this guide.
| Record | Period stated | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Financial transactions, player accounts, complaints and disputes | None stated; records must be accurate and kept | Conduct Regs r.91(1) |
| Books of accounts and the r.92(1) list, including customer information | None stated; open to inspection by the Authority | Conduct Regs r.92 |
| Audit log of system and user activities | None stated; must be secure, encrypted and tamper evident | Conduct Regs r.41 |
| Register of monies remitted as presumed abandoned | None stated; licensee must maintain the register | Act s.77(3) |
| Promotion records, terms, winners' names, addresses and prizes | At least one year from finalisation of the promotion | Conduct Regs r.56(6) |
| Copies of advertisements and records of approval | At least three years | Advertising Regs r.13(3) |
Only the last two rows carry a number. Neither covers a deposit, a wager or a withdrawal, so neither can be used to answer the question for transaction records.
What follows from a missing period
A silent text is not a licence to discard records early. The duty to keep accurate records is continuing, and section 95 of the Act makes failing to keep a required record, or keeping a false one, an offence. The penalty is a fine not exceeding one million shillings or imprisonment not exceeding one year, or both.
Regulation 26(1) of the Licensing Regulations, 2026 lets the Authority, after giving notice, suspend or revoke a licence where the licensee fails to keep records required under the Act and the regulations, or fails to submit records it must submit. What happens to players in that case is explained in the guide on accounts when a licence is suspended.
Records and personal data are separate questions
Transaction records often contain personal data. Regulation 96(1) of the conduct regulations requires data collection and processing to comply with the Data Protection Act, and regulation 42 requires personal and financial data to be encrypted and stored on servers in Kenya unless the Authority grants a written exemption.
The Data Protection Act deals with how long personal data may be held. That test is set out in the guide on how long a betting company keeps your personal data, and it is a different rule from the gambling record duty.
Who can see the records
Records are kept for inspection. The Authority may inspect the books of accounts under regulation 92(2), and regulation 41 requires an online platform to provide real-time monitoring of gambling activity by the Authority through a secure application programming interface. The limits of that monitoring are discussed in the guide on whether the regulator can see your account in real time.
What to do if you need an old record
Do not rely on the operator holding a statement indefinitely, because the law gives you no guaranteed period. Save your own copies of deposit and withdrawal messages, with dates, amounts and transaction codes.
- Check the operator's terms and privacy notice for a stated retention period.
- Ask customer care in writing how long account and transaction records are held.
- Where the records contain your personal data, the guide on how to request a copy of your data explains the route.
The guide on an inactive account balance covers the separate three month and five year money rules in section 77 of the Act. Those rules concern funds, not how long records are kept.
What was checked
The Gambling Control Act, 2025, the Conduct of Gambling Operations Regulations, 2026, the Licensing Regulations, 2026 and the Advertising Regulations, 2026 were searched for retention periods. Tax, anti-money laundering and company laws can set their own periods, and they were not read for this guide. Treat any figure quoted for them as unverified here.
Gambling is addictive. Play responsibly. If your play is causing worry, the GRA toll-free line and the self-exclusion process are on the responsible gambling page.
Questions and answers
Is the retention period seven years?
Not in the sources checked for this guide. The Gambling Control Act, 2025, the Conduct of Gambling Operations Regulations, 2026, the Licensing Regulations, 2026 and the Advertising Regulations, 2026 do not state seven years for transaction records. Other laws, such as tax or anti-money laundering statutes, may set periods, but they were not read here, so no figure is given.
Does the law say transaction records must be kept at all?
Yes. Regulation 91(1) of the conduct regulations requires a licensee to maintain accurate records of tickets accepted and settled, financial transactions, player accounts, and complaints lodged and disputes resolved. Section 95 of the Act makes failing to keep a required record an offence.
What is the penalty for not keeping records?
Under section 95 of the Act, a licensee who fails to keep a required book, record or account, or keeps false records or false book entries, commits an offence. The penalty is a fine not exceeding one million shillings or imprisonment not exceeding one year, or both.
Which records do have a stated period?
Two sets. Regulation 56(6) of the conduct regulations requires promotion records, terms, winners' names, addresses and prizes to be kept for at least one year from finalisation of the promotion. Regulation 13(3) of the Advertising Regulations requires copies of advertisements and approvals to be kept for at least three years.
Can I ask an operator how long it keeps my records?
Yes. Because the gambling texts give no period, the operator's own terms and privacy notice are the place to look. You can put the question to its customer care centre, and a data request under the Data Protection Act is covered in a separate guide.
Sources
- Gambling Control Act, 2025 (No. 14 of 2025), ss.77, 95 and the definition of record, accessed 2026-10-23
- Gambling Control (Conduct of Gambling Operations) Regulations, 2026 (L.N. 112), rr.41, 42, 56, 91, 92, 96, accessed 2026-10-23
- Gambling Control (Licensing) Regulations, 2026 (L.N. 111), r.26(1), accessed 2026-10-23
- Gambling Control (Advertising) Regulations, 2026 (L.N. 114), r.13(3), accessed 2026-10-23