{"id":35618,"date":"2026-10-20T03:16:05","date_gmt":"2026-10-20T06:16:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/?p=35618"},"modified":"2026-10-20T06:48:30","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T09:48:30","slug":"namibia-bookmaker-licensing-workshop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/namibia-bookmaker-licensing-workshop","title":{"rendered":"Namibia calls for fair bookmaker licensing at GBN workshop"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Namibia calls for fair bookmaker licensing as AiA highlights regulatory priorities at a GBN workshop, with no new rules reported. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Key takeaways:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Namibia\u2019s government called for fair and transparent bookmaker licensing at the Gambling Board of Namibia\u2019s industry workshop in Windhoek on October 15.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The workshop covered licensing under the Gaming and Entertainment Control Act, 2018, including application investigations and technical assessments of betting platforms.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Minister Indileni Daniel said the government is \u201cnot prepared to gamble\u201d with the well-being of its people and the integrity of its economy. Daniel called for fair, rigorous assessments of applicants, with the law applied consistently.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>GBN chairperson Ben Shikongo cited regulatory directives and SADC best practices, while acknowledging criticism from politicians and the public over the Board\u2019s approach to industry operators.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The reports reviewed identified no new licensing rules. Separately, Namibia\u2019s October public consultations included proposed monitoring and maintenance fees to support the Central Electronic Monitoring System (CEMS).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Namibia.- Namibia\u2019s government has called for fair and transparent bookmaker licensing, insisting the law be applied consistently and without preferential treatment. The message came at the Gambling Board of Namibia\u2019s (GBN) <a href=\"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/namibia-gambling-board-invites-bookmaker-totalizator-applicants-to-licensing-workshop\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"33771\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Industry Consultation Workshop on the Licensing of Bookmakers and Totalizators<\/a> in Windhoek, where its chairperson acknowledged political and public criticism of the Board\u2019s approach to operators. The African iGaming Alliance (AiA) set out its own priorities of clear licensing frameworks, balanced taxation and consumer protection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The GBN held the workshop at the Namibia Institute of Public Administration and Management (NIPAM) on October 15. The session focused on licensing requirements under the <strong>Gaming and Entertainment Control Act, 2018 (Act No. 13 of 2018)<\/strong>, including application investigations and technical assessments of proposed wagering and betting platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Environment, Forestry and Tourism Minister Indileni Daniel stressed the government\u2019s commitment to protecting the <strong>public interest<\/strong>. \u201cBut there is one thing on which the government of Namibia is not prepared to gamble: the well-being of our people and the integrity of our economy. We are not ready to gamble with that,\u201d said Daniel, according to NBC Namibia.  Daniel called for applicants to undergo fair and rigorous assessments, with the law applied consistently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">GBN chairperson Ben Shikongo said the Board was under <strong>strict directives<\/strong> to regulate gambling and draw on best practices from across the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. He also acknowledged criticism from politicians and the public, saying the Board had previously been reluctant in its dealings with industry operators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The AiA, represented by CEO Peter Emolemo Kesitilwe, also participated in the workshop. According to the alliance, Kesitilwe delivered a presentation titled \u201cThe Future of Betting in Africa: Building a Competitive, Responsible and Sustainable Industry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AiA identified clear licensing frameworks, balanced taxation, consumer protection and collaboration as priorities for developing a <strong>sustainable regulated betting market<\/strong>. These were the alliance\u2019s stated priorities, rather than decisions adopted by the workshop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Acting GBN CEO Johannes Erastus said a properly regulated gambling industry could contribute to <strong>investment, employment, innovation<\/strong> and government revenue. He emphasised the need to balance these economic opportunities against the risks gambling poses to communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOur responsibility is therefore to ensure that its economic opportunities are balanced with the risk they pose to our communities through strong regulatory oversight, consumer protection, integrity and social responsibility,\u201d Erastus said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Namibia Revenue Agency (NamRA) also addressed taxation during the workshop. Discussions further covered industry standards, fairness, consumer protection, market integrity and the responsible use of technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The October 15 licensing workshop was separate from Namibia\u2019s<a href=\"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/namibia-gambling-reforms-employee-registration-online-controls\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/namibia-gambling-reforms-employee-registration-online-controls\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> six public consultations<\/a> held from October 5 to 14 on proposed gambling and lottery reforms. Those proposals include registering gambling employees who handle money amid money-laundering concerns, restricting underage online gambling and introducing a proposed 5 per cent monitoring fee on operators\u2019 net monthly income and a 1 per cent maintenance fee on gross income to support the Central Electronic Monitoring System (CEMS). These measures remain proposals and were not confirmed outcomes of the licensing workshop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frequently asked questions (FAQs)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Did Namibia announce new bookmaker licensing rules at the October 15 workshop?<\/strong> No new licensing rules were identified in the reports reviewed. The workshop gave applicants and industry stakeholders an opportunity to discuss licensing requirements under the Gaming and Entertainment Control Act, 2018.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>What did the African iGaming Alliance (AiA) say about betting regulation in Namibia?<\/strong> AiA CEO Peter Emolemo Kesitilwe identified clear licensing frameworks, balanced taxation, consumer protection and collaboration as priorities for a sustainable regulated betting market. These were the alliance\u2019s stated positions, not decisions adopted by the workshop.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Who attended the GBN\u2019s bookmaker licensing workshop?<\/strong> The workshop brought together government representatives, gambling regulators and industry stakeholders to discuss bookmaker and totalisator licensing. The African iGaming Alliance was represented by CEO Peter Emolemo Kesitilwe, while the Namibia Revenue Agency also addressed taxation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>What did the GBN workshop on bookmaker licensing cover?<\/strong> The Gambling Board of Namibia held the workshop on bookmaker and totalisator licensing under the Gaming and Entertainment Control Act, 2018. It focused on application investigations and technical assessments of proposed wagering and betting platforms.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div id=\"see-also-container\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"see-also-label\">See also:<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"related-article\">\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"related-article__thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/04\/pennsylvania-regulator-to-allow-new-casino-licenses-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"related-article__text\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"see-also-label-strong\">See also:<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/namibia-gambling-board-invites-bookmaker-totalizator-applicants-to-licensing-workshop\">Namibia Gambling Board invites bookmaker and totalisator applicants to licensing workshop<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Namibia calls for fair bookmaker licensing as AiA highlights regulatory priorities at a GBN workshop, with no new rules reported.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2809,"featured_media":35629,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"is_press_release":false,"is_interview":false,"is_opinion":false,"focusai_summary":"Namibia's government and the Gambling Board of Namibia (GBN) are reinforcing the imperative for fair, transparent, and consistently applied bookmaker licensing under the Gaming and Entertainment Control Act, 2018. This directive, stemming from an industry workshop, emphasizes rigorous technical assessments of betting platforms and balancing economic opportunities with public interest and consumer protection. While no new regulatory rules were reported, the African iGaming Alliance (AiA) highlighted priorities for a sustainable African betting market, including clear licensing frameworks and balanced taxation.","focusai_entities":"Gambling Board of Namibia (GBN), African iGaming Alliance (AiA), Namibia Revenue Agency (NamRA), Indileni Daniel, Ben Shikongo, Peter Emolemo Kesitilwe, Johannes Erastus, Namibia Institute of Public Administration and Management (NIPAM), NBC Namibia","focusai_location":"Namibia, Windhoek, Southern African Development Community (SADC)","focusai_target_profile":"ceo_executive (0.9), regulator (1.0), compliance_legal (1.0), operator_casino (0.9), tech_data (0.7), investor_analyst (0.8), supplier_vendor (0.8), journalist_researcher (0.9)","focusai_suggestions":[{"label":"GBN Licensing Impact","query":"How will the GBN's reinforced emphasis on fair and rigorous licensing assessments under the Gaming and Entertainment Control Act, 2018, specifically alter the market entry and operational compliance landscape for prospective and existing bookmakers in Namibia?"},{"label":"AiA Priorities Alignment","query":"To what extent do the African iGaming Alliance's (AiA) stated priorities of clear licensing frameworks, balanced taxation, and consumer protection align with the Gambling Board of Namibia's (GBN) current regulatory enforcement and future policy direction?"}],"footnotes":""},"categories":[60019,60011],"tags":[682,2689,78],"class_list":["post-35618","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-regulation-news","category-south-africa","tag-gambling-legislation","tag-gambling-regulation","tag-sports-betting"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35618","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\/2809"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35618"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35618\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35649,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35618\/revisions\/35649"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35629"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35618"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35618"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35618"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}