Airtel Money betting sites in Kenya

Which betting sites accept Airtel Money in Kenya?

SportPesa, betPawa, 1xBet, Pepeta, 22Bet and Yellowbet are the bookmakers in the Scout Report that list Airtel Money. In all, 6 of the ranked bookmakers list it, and the table shows the route and reference each one gives. Where a bookmaker lists Airtel but publishes no paybill or limit, the table says so rather than filling the gap with a number from elsewhere.

#	Bookmaker	Paybill / reference	Deposit	Withdrawal
2	betPawa	Not stated	STK push or *334# Airtel paybill	Not stated
4	SportPesa	955100 or SPORTPESA	Airtel Money paybill	Not stated
6	1xBet	Not stated	KSh 10	KSh 100
11	Pepeta	Not stated	Airtel paybill, business name PEPETA	Not stated
12	22Bet	Not stated	KSh 100 general figure; cashier method limit applies	Minimum not confirmed
13	Yellowbet	Not stated	Min KSh 50	KSh 50–300,000

The other twelve ranked bookmakers accept M-Pesa only, or publish nothing about Airtel. That split matters because Airtel lines are common in Kenya, often as the second SIM in a dual-SIM phone, and a punter whose money sits on Airtel has far fewer choices than one on M-Pesa.

How to deposit with Airtel Money, bookmaker by bookmaker

There is no single Airtel method across bookmakers. Each of the six uses a different combination of paybill number, business name, USSD menu and on-screen prompt, so the steps below follow each bookmaker’s own instructions.

SportPesa

SportPesa takes Airtel Money on the same business number as M-Pesa, 955100, or on the business name SPORTPESA. The account number is the phone number registered with SportPesa. SportPesa is strict about the sending line: money must come from the number registered on the account, so an Airtel deposit only works on an account that was opened with that Airtel number.

betPawa

betPawa offers two routes on Airtel. The first is an STK push from its deposit page, which sends an Airtel PIN prompt to the phone in the same way M-Pesa’s does. The second is the Airtel USSD menu: dial *334#, then choose Paybill & Tills, Airtel Paybill, Betting & Gaming and finally betPawa. The menu route works on a basic phone without data.

1xBet

1xBet’s Kenya payment page lists Airtel Money alongside M-Pesa and makes it the cheaper way in: the minimum deposit is KSh 10 by Airtel against KSh 40 by M-Pesa. Airtel deposits use an on-screen payment prompt rather than a paybill, and the minimum withdrawal is KSh 100 on either network. 1xBet also expects withdrawals to go back through the method used to deposit, which matters for anyone who funds the account from both lines.

Pepeta

Pepeta’s FAQ lists Airtel Money through the Airtel paybill under the business name PEPETA. Its M-Pesa paybill, 779900, uses Pepeta as the account number. The FAQ gives no further Airtel steps, so the business name is the reference to use.

22Bet

22Bet’s FAQ lists Airtel Money among its payment methods but gives no paybill, business name or steps for it, and its site blocks visitors from outside Kenya, which limited what could be checked. A punter depositing with Airtel at 22Bet should take the route from the cashier screen after logging in, and should not use a number found on another website.

Yellowbet

Yellowbet’s help pages list Airtel Money for both deposits and withdrawals, on the same terms as M-Pesa: a KSh 50 minimum deposit and withdrawals from KSh 50 to KSh 300,000. The deposit runs from the cashier, where the punter picks the network, enters an amount and follows the payment prompt.

Which bookmakers don’t accept Airtel Money?

Twelve of the ranked bookmakers either state that they take M-Pesa only or publish nothing about Airtel:

Bookmaker	What its own pages say
Betika	Its site settings list Safaricom as the only mobile network. It also takes its own Cashia wallet.
OdiBets	“Only MPESA deposits accepted.”
Radabet	“Deposits and withdrawals are M-Pesa.”
SportyBet	Its help pages describe M-Pesa only.
Mozzart Bet	Airtel Money is not mentioned. M-Pesa and its betting shops are.
Shabiki	Its FAQ gives M-Pesa instructions only.
ChezaCash	M-Pesa paybill and SMS prompt only.
Melbet, HelaBet	M-Pesa is listed. Airtel Money is not published, and other methods appear only in the logged-in cashier.
KessBet, Megapari, GoldPari	No Kenyan payment methods published on their public pages.

Betika is the notable gap. It tops the Scout Report and runs two 15-game jackpots with tickets from KSh 15, yet an Airtel user cannot pay into it directly.

Can winnings be withdrawn to Airtel Money?

Two bookmakers say so plainly. 1xBet sets a KSh 100 minimum withdrawal on Airtel Money as on M-Pesa, and Yellowbet lists Airtel withdrawals from KSh 50 to KSh 300,000. The other four that take Airtel deposits publish no separate Airtel withdrawal instructions or limits.

What all of them publish points in one direction: withdrawals go to the number registered on the betting account, and 1xBet adds that they should go back through the method used to deposit. A punter whose account was opened on an Airtel line should therefore expect winnings to be paid back to that Airtel line, and one whose account is on an M-Pesa line will be paid to M-Pesa.

SportPesa’s terms add that withdrawals are capped at the mobile operator’s limits, with larger amounts paid by bank transfer after identity checks. For Airtel, that means the operator limits set out in the limits section below.

What an Airtel user can do at an M-Pesa-only bookmaker

An Airtel user who wants to bet with Betika, OdiBets, Radabet, SportyBet, Mozzart, Shabiki or ChezaCash has two options, and both mean using a Safaricom line. The first is to move money from Airtel Money to an M-Pesa wallet and deposit from there. The second is to open the betting account on the Safaricom number from the start, since every deposit has to come from the registered line anyway.

The first option costs money. Airtel has waived its fees on transfers between Airtel Money users, but transfers to other networks still carry a charge, and the 5% excise duty is then taken on the M-Pesa deposit as usual. A punter who would make that transfer regularly is better served by one of the six bookmakers that take Airtel directly, where the only deduction on the way in is the 5% excise.

Airtel Money limits and charges

Airtel Money’s limits match M-Pesa’s. Airtel caps a single transaction at KSh 250,000, daily transactions at KSh 500,000 and the Airtel Money balance at KSh 500,000, figures it says were revised together with the Central Bank of Kenya. A large betting payout to an Airtel line therefore runs into the same balance ceiling as one to M-Pesa, and the M-Pesa guide works through what that means for a big win.

Tax is the same whichever network carries the money. The Finance Act 2026 charges excise on any amount deposited for betting, however it is paid, so an Airtel deposit loses the same 5% as an M-Pesa one, and the 5% withholding tax applies to the withdrawal. The betting tax guide has the worked examples.

Airtel Money betting FAQ