{"id":11472,"date":"2025-10-27T07:35:15","date_gmt":"2025-10-27T10:35:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/?p=11472"},"modified":"2026-04-19T12:30:38","modified_gmt":"2026-04-19T15:30:38","slug":"zambia-gaming-association-warns-unlicensed-firms-after-lusaka-inspections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/zambia-gaming-association-warns-unlicensed-firms-after-lusaka-inspections","title":{"rendered":"Zambia Gaming Association warns unlicensed firms after Lusaka inspections"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

While local authorities did not release the exact number of affected operators, ZGA described the lapses as a direct threat to player safety and fair play in the sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Zambia.- The Zambia Gaming Association (ZGA)<\/strong> has warned operators to comply with national laws after a Lusaka City Council<\/strong> inspection found several establishments operating without licences, evading taxes and disregarding responsible gaming measures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While local authorities did not release the exact number of affected operators, ZGA described the lapses as a direct threat to player safety and fair play in the sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ZGA President Noah Malungila<\/strong> noted that the findings from the inspection show a pattern of operators bypassing regulatory requirements. He said: \u201cWe are troubled by the number of businesses that choose to ignore the rules set to protect everyone involved.\u201d He added that the group is working with police to pursue legal action against those in violation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The warning comes as Zambia’s gaming industry grapples with recent changes, including a 10 per cent excise duty on betting stakes. The tax has sparked backlash from operators, who argue it squeezes their margins and could potentially put them out of business. The development has seen firms like Betway and BetPawa<\/strong> suspend operations to protest the levy. However, a court challenge by the duo to halt its collection has been rejected by Zambia’s Constitutional Court<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ZGA has positioned itself as a voice for orderly growth, urging dialogue between operators and regulators over the tax. In a statement last week, Malungila called for talks to address concerns without halting progress in the industry.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n\t\t\tSee also:<\/span><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tSee also:<\/span> Zambia court upholds 10 per cent betting tax<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

While local authorities did not release the exact number of affected operators, ZGA described the lapses as a direct threat to player safety and fair play in the sector.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2395,"featured_media":11477,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"is_press_release":false,"is_interview":false,"is_opinion":false,"focusai_summary":"The Zambia Gaming Association (ZGA) has issued a stern warning to operators following inspections revealing widespread non-compliance with licensing, tax obligations, and responsible gaming measures. This regulatory crackdown coincides with significant industry friction over a new 10% excise duty on betting stakes, which has led to operational suspensions by major firms like Betway and BetPawa, despite a recent court rejection of their challenge. The ZGA advocates for dialogue between operators and regulators to navigate these challenges and ensure orderly industry growth.","focusai_entities":"Zambia Gaming Association (ZGA), Lusaka City Council, Noah Malungila, Betway, BetPawa, Zambia's Constitutional Court","focusai_location":"Zambia, Lusaka","focusai_target_profile":"ceo_executive (0.9), regulator (1.0), compliance_legal (0.95), operator_casino (1.0), affiliate_publisher (0.7), marketing_crm (0.7), payments_fraud_aml (0.7), investor_analyst (0.9), supplier_vendor (0.8), journalist_researcher (0.9)","focusai_suggestions":[{"label":"Tax Impact Analysis","query":"What is the projected long-term impact of Zambia's 10% excise duty on betting stakes on operator GGR, NGR, and overall market consolidation, considering the Constitutional Court's ruling?"},{"label":"Regulatory Enforcement Efficacy","query":"How will the ZGA and Lusaka City Council's intensified enforcement actions, including legal pursuits, affect the prevalence of unlicensed B2C operations and enhance regulatory compliance frameworks in Zambia?"}],"footnotes":""},"categories":[60014,60023],"tags":[78],"class_list":["post-11472","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-central-africa","category-legal-news","tag-sports-betting"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11472","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2395"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11472"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11472\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11508,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11472\/revisions\/11508"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11477"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11472"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11472"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11472"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}