{"id":35666,"date":"2026-10-20T15:16:27","date_gmt":"2026-10-20T18:16:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/?p=35666"},"modified":"2026-10-21T05:03:42","modified_gmt":"2026-10-21T08:03:42","slug":"botswana-namibia-bookmaker-licensing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/botswana-namibia-bookmaker-licensing","title":{"rendered":"Botswana shares bookmaker licensing experience with Namibia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Botswana\u2019s Gambling Authority reported higher betting revenue, fewer illegal gambling accounts and lower problem gambling prevalence.<\/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>Botswana\u2019s Gambling Authority shared its bookmaker-licensing experience with Namibia at a Gambling Board of Namibia workshop in Windhoek.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Namibia is moving to regulate and licence betting, and the workshop covered licensing requirements under its Gaming and Entertainment Control Act, 2018.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Illegal gambling accounts in Botswana fell from more than one million before licensing to approximately 40,000.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Problem gambling prevalence in Botswana fell from 5 per cent in 2020 to 3.4 per cent in 2025, while the Gambling Authority stressed that industry growth must advance alongside player protection.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Namibia\u2019s Environment, Forestry and Tourism Minister Indileni Daniel called for fair, consistent licensing decisions without preferential treatment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Botswana.- Botswana\u2019s Gambling Authority (GA) shared its <strong>bookmaker-licensing experience<\/strong> with Namibia, offering guidance on strengthening regulatory oversight, protecting players and bringing illegal gambling activity into a regulated environment as the country moves towards a licensed betting market. The collaboration featured at the Gambling Board of Namibia\u2019s (GBN) Industry Consultation Workshop on the Licensing of Bookmakers and Totalizators, held at NIPAM in Windhoek. At the meeting, Gambling Authority CEO Moruntshi Kemorwale reported that Botswana\u2019s<strong> betting revenue<\/strong> rose from BWP240m (US$18m) to BWP1.3bn (US$97.4m), with BWP1.5bn (US$112.4m)projected for the current financial year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The workshop covered licensing requirements under <strong>Namibia\u2019s Gaming and Entertainment Control Act, 2018<\/strong>, including application investigations and technical assessments of betting platforms. Environment, Forestry and Tourism Minister Indileni Daniel called for<a href=\"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/namibia-bookmaker-licensing-workshop\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"35618\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> fair, consistent licensing decisions<\/a> without preferential treatment, while GBN chairperson Ben Shikongo highlighted regulatory directives and best practices across the Southern African Development Community (SADC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Botswana GA said: \u201cBy sharing its learnings and <strong>regulatory experience<\/strong>, GA is helping its regional peers navigate reform, translating Botswana\u2019s progress into practical knowledge that can strengthen safeguards elsewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/10\/BOTSWANA2-900x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-35671\" srcset=\"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/10\/BOTSWANA2-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/10\/BOTSWANA2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/10\/BOTSWANA2-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/10\/BOTSWANA2-420x280.jpg 420w, https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/10\/BOTSWANA2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/10\/BOTSWANA2.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Regulators and industry stakeholders gather to discuss bookmaker and totalizator licensing as Namibia advances betting reforms.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kemorwale and Gambling Authority chief operations officer Mopati Rammekwa were invited to share Botswana\u2019s bookmaker-licensing experience at the workshop, as Namibia takes steps to regularise and license betting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kemorwale also reported that <strong>illegal gambling accounts<\/strong> in Botswana had declined from more than one million before licensing to approximately 40,000. Problem gambling prevalence fell from 5 per cent in 2020 to 3.4 per cent in 2025. \u201cBehind these figures lies a powerful lesson: industry growth must advance alongside player protection,\u201d the authority said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The engagement reflects the Gambling Authority\u2019s commitment to collaboration with regulators and industry partners worldwide, with responsible gambling at the heart of its mandate.<\/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>What is Namibia doing about bookmaker licensing?\u00a0<\/strong> Namibia is moving to regularise and licence betting. The Gambling Board of Namibia held a workshop on licensing bookmakers and totalizators, covering requirements under the Gaming and Entertainment Control Act, 2018, application investigations and technical assessments of betting platforms.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>How much has Botswana\u2019s betting revenue grown?<\/strong>\u00a0 Botswana\u2019s betting revenue rose from BWP 240m to BWP 1.3bn, according to the Gambling Authority\u2019s CEO. The authority projects BWP 1.5 billion for the current financial year.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>How have illegal gambling accounts in Botswana changed?<\/strong> Illegal gambling accounts fell from more than one million before licensing to approximately 40,000, according to the Gambling Authority.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Has problem gambling changed in Botswana?<\/strong>\u00a0Problem gambling prevalence fell from 5 per cent in 2020 to 3.4 per cent in 2025, according to the authority\u2019s figures.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\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\/2026\/10\/4eb2f28b-2535-4cb0-a31d-dc0dd7175f74-300x200.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-bookmaker-licensing-workshop\">Namibia calls for fair bookmaker licensing at GBN workshop<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Botswana\u2019s Gambling Authority reported higher betting revenue, fewer illegal gambling accounts and lower problem gambling prevalence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2809,"featured_media":35670,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"is_press_release":false,"is_interview":false,"is_opinion":false,"focusai_summary":"Botswana's Gambling Authority reported substantial growth in regulated betting revenue, alongside a significant reduction in illegal gambling accounts and problem gambling prevalence, following its robust licensing framework implementation. This successful regulatory experience was shared with Namibia, which is actively developing its own comprehensive licensing and regulatory framework for bookmakers and totalizators under the Gaming and Entertainment Control Act, 2018, emphasizing fair and consistent market entry. The collaboration underscores a regional commitment to strengthening regulatory oversight and player protection while fostering industry growth.","focusai_entities":"Botswana\u2019s Gambling Authority, Gambling Board of Namibia, Moruntshi Kemorwale, Indileni Daniel, Ben Shikongo, Mopati Rammekwa","focusai_location":"Botswana, Namibia, Windhoek","focusai_target_profile":"regulator (1.0), compliance_legal (0.95), ceo_executive (0.9), operator_casino (0.9), investor_analyst (0.85), journalist_researcher (0.9), supplier_vendor (0.8), payments_fraud_aml (0.75), product_ux (0.7)","focusai_suggestions":[{"label":"Namibia Licensing Impact","query":"What specific B2B and B2C licensing categories will Namibia's Gaming and Entertainment Control Act, 2018, establish, and what are the projected timelines for market entry?"},{"label":"Botswana Regulatory Success","query":"Beyond revenue growth, what specific governance frameworks and enforcement mechanisms did Botswana's Gambling Authority implement to achieve such a significant reduction in illegal gambling accounts and problem gambling prevalence?"}],"footnotes":""},"categories":[60019,60011],"tags":[2689,1593,78],"class_list":["post-35666","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-regulation-news","category-south-africa","tag-gambling-regulation","tag-responsible-gambling","tag-sports-betting"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35666","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=35666"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35666\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35763,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35666\/revisions\/35763"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35670"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35666"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35666"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35666"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}