Botswana Gambling Authority urges vigilance as gambling industry expands
CEO Moruntshi Kemorwale has emphasised that responsible gambling must be a core regulatory objective, not a peripheral concern, as participation rates rise.
Botswana — The Botswana Gambling Authority has urged sustained regulatory vigilance as the country’s gambling industry expands rapidly, cautioning that unregulated gambling poses growing social and economic risks.
The warning came from acting Chief Executive Officer Moruntshi Kemorwale during a press conference in Gaborone, where he described poorly controlled gambling as a “slow-burn crisis” that could erode social cohesion, mental health and economic stability if left unchecked.
Kemorwale emphasised that responsible gambling must be a core regulatory objective, not a peripheral concern, as participation rates rise and new gaming products proliferate. He highlighted existing challenges including increasing youth exposure to betting and heightened problem gambling risks, which the Authority is working to address through public education, research, treatment referrals and community partnership programmes.
Botswana has seen dramatic industry growth in recent years, with gross gambling revenue projected to exceed P1bn (€68m) by March 2026, a fourfold increase compared with two years earlier, driven largely by online and mobile betting platforms and wider smartphone penetration.
Despite growth within the regulated sphere, unlicensed gambling activity has surged, with recent research from the Gambling Authority and the University of Botswana showing the underground market now valued at about P500m (€34m) annually, roughly twice the size of the regulated betting sector. This unregulated market, which includes offshore and illegal platforms, is drawing large numbers of players and undermining consumer protections.
The Authority also noted strides in addressing problem gambling, including a national Responsible Gambling Programme that has seen prevalence decline from 5 per cent in 2020 to 3.4 per cent in 2025.
Officials are also responding to research showing that a sizeable portion of adults engage in gambling, with vulnerable groups such as young adults disproportionately affected by excessive betting behaviours, particularly on illegal sites.
Kemorwale reiterated the importance of dynamic, adaptive regulation in a fast-changing industry and underscored continued cooperation with international regulators, technology experts and law enforcement to safeguard the public interest.
