Namibian minister calls for tougher oversight amid rise in betting and online gaming
Indileni Daniel stressed the importance of the regulator fully discharging its responsibilities under the Gaming and Entertainment Control Act of 2018.
Namibia.- Namibia’s Minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, Indileni Daniel, has urged the Gambling Board of Namibia to strengthen its regulatory capacity as gambling activity, including sports betting and online gaming, continues to expand across the country.
Speaking at a strategic retreat in Swakopmund on Monday, February 23, Daniel stressed the importance of the regulator fully discharging its responsibilities under the Gaming and Entertainment Control Act of 2018. The legislation empowers the Board to regulate gambling activities by issuing licences, overseeing compliance, enforcing standards, protecting consumers and managing licence registers as well as a central gambling monitoring system.
The Minister said the Board should align its operations with national development frameworks, including the Sixth National Development Plan (NDP6) and the governing party’s manifesto implementation plan, to ensure the gambling sector contributes constructively to economic growth.
Daniel highlighted the rapid proliferation of betting houses, licensed gambling venues and internet-based gambling platforms as evidence that regulatory vigilance must be strengthened. She called on the Board to position itself as a proactive regulator that balances economic objectives with social safeguards, including preventing underage gambling and addressing problem gambling behaviour.
She added that the law contains provisions to curb addiction and protect vulnerable groups, noting that effective enforcement of these measures is critical as new forms of gambling emerge.
The Minister’s remarks follow recent legal developments reinforcing the regulatory framework. In April 2025, the High Court of Namibia affirmed that licensed gambling houses must pay levies under the 2018 Act, dismissing legal challenges to the law’s enforcement.
Daniel said strong regulatory capacity is essential to managing growth in the gambling market responsibly and ensuring that gambling revenues support national programmes without contributing to social harm.
