Botswana Gambling Authority, FIA deepen cooperation on AML oversight
The engagement aligns with ongoing efforts to improve transparency and accountability across licensed gambling operations in Botswana.
Botswana.- The Botswana Gambling Authority and the Financial Intelligence Agency have opened discussions on closer cooperation in anti-money laundering oversight and regulatory information sharing within Botswana’s gambling sector.
The meeting, held on Wednesday, May 13, brought together senior officials from both institutions to discuss coordination on compliance monitoring, research, data management, and the reporting of regulatory breaches. The discussions also covered broader financial integrity measures linked to the gambling industry.
According to the Authority, the engagement aligns with ongoing efforts to improve transparency and accountability across licensed gambling operations in Botswana. The regulator said collaboration between public agencies is necessary as gambling operators face increasing scrutiny over anti-money laundering (AML) compliance obligations.
The Authority’s Compliance and Monitoring Unit is responsible for inspections, enforcement actions and oversight of AML and counter-financing controls among licensed operators. It also works with other agencies on investigations involving illegal gambling and suspicious financial activity.
The Financial Intelligence Agency, Botswana’s financial intelligence unit, manages systems used for suspicious transaction reporting and financial crime monitoring. The agency is part of the country’s wider framework for detecting money laundering and terrorism financing risks.
Recent assessments of Botswana’s financial crime risks have continued to identify gambling as a sector requiring regulatory oversight due to the movement of large volumes of cash and electronic transactions. A National Risk Assessment report published in 2026 noted that betting operators and limited payout machine businesses were recently brought within the scope of AML supervision following amendments to the Financial Intelligence Act.
The Gambling Authority has published several AML-related guidance documents in recent years, including compliance obligations under the Financial Intelligence Act, terrorism financing guidance, and sector risk assessments for casinos.
While no new enforcement measures or policy changes were announced after the meeting, the two agencies said they intend to continue working together on information exchange and regulatory coordination linked to financial crime risks in gambling.
