{"id":37016,"date":"2026-11-06T02:46:43","date_gmt":"2026-11-06T05:46:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/?p=37016"},"modified":"2026-11-06T09:29:43","modified_gmt":"2026-11-06T12:29:43","slug":"zimbabwe-gambling-board-sports-ministry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/zimbabwe-gambling-board-sports-ministry","title":{"rendered":"Zimbabwe proposes moving gambling board to Sports Ministry"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The proposal would place the Lotteries and Gaming Board under the Sports Ministry and establish a statutory share of gaming revenue for sports and recreational facilities.<\/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>Zimbabwe&#8217;s Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture Portfolio Committee has proposed transferring the Lotteries and Gaming Board to the Sports Ministry.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Committee chairperson Farai Jere wants a statutory share of gaming revenue allocated to sports and recreational facilities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The proposal includes revenue from the gambling tax introduced by the Finance Minister in 2025.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda supported the proposal, agreeing with Sports Minister Anselem Sanyatwe that the lotteries and gaming entity should fall under the Sports Ministry.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Home Affairs Minister Kazembe Kazembe opposed the proposal, pointing to improvements in the Board&#8217;s leadership and management.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Zimbabwe.- Zimbabwe&#8217;s Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture Portfolio Committee has proposed moving the <strong>Lotteries and Gaming Board (LGB)<\/strong> to the Sports Ministry and allocating a statutory share of gaming revenue to sports development. The proposal, presented by committee chairperson Farai Jere at the <strong>2027 Pre-Budget Seminar<\/strong>, has received support from the Speaker of Parliament but faces opposition from the Home Affairs Minister.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jere presented the proposal during a panel discussion at the seminar, held at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair in Bulawayo, according to Tourism Focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The recommendation calls for the administration of the relevant gambling legislation and the LGB to be transferred to the <strong>Ministry of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture<\/strong>. It also calls for a statutory share of gaming<strong> revenue<\/strong>, including proceeds from the gambling tax introduced in 2025, to support sports and recreational facilities. The tax on sports betting punters&#8217; gross winnings was introduced at 10 per cent in January 2025 before increasing to 25 per cent on January 1, 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jere said: &#8220;Much of the <strong>betting industry<\/strong> depends on sporting activity, yet sport continues to face serious financial constraints. The Committee is proposing reviewing allocation of gaming responsibilities and transferring administration of the relevant legislation and the Sports Lotteries and Gaming Board to the Ministry responsible for Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He also said any transfer would need to follow the necessary legal and administrative processes, with <strong>transparent funding <\/strong>arrangements and clear accountability for revenue collection, transfers and supported projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jere, who also owns CAPS United Football Club, said the gaming and lotteries portfolio should fall under the Sports Ministry because of its relationship with <strong>sporting activities<\/strong>. &#8220;It is very important that this be moved to our Ministry because we are the ones who look over these activities and who administers them, but the credit is going to another Ministry. So that\u2019s something which needs to be looked at and it can actually raise a lot of revenue,&#8221; he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda supported the proposal, agreeing with Sports Minister Anselem Sanyatwe that the lotteries and gaming entity should fall under the Sports Ministry. Mudenda said this would be consistent with <strong>international practice<\/strong>. &#8220;Lotteries and gaming, the best practices must be followed, I want to agree with you Minister of Sport that the lotteries and gaming entity must come under your ministry that is the trend everywhere in the world not just in 5 countries.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, Home Affairs Minister Kazembe Kazembe opposed the proposal, arguing that the Board&#8217;s improved performance reflected better <strong>leadership and management<\/strong>. &#8220;Lotteries and Gaming Board has always been there for years but now people can see its work because of management. People can see the work that it is now doing and believe that now there is money there. No, there is now leadership and management at the lotteries and gaming board.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kazembe added: &#8220;So is it the money or the leadership? If it is the money that you need, you can be given it by the Lotteries and Gaming Board, but we will wait and see. Lotteries and gaming board have done a <strong>great job<\/strong>, they are now complementing treasury efforts,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jere&#8217;s proposal follows an earlier call by government officials to direct sports betting revenue towards grassroots development. On October 7, 2026, Permanent Secretary Nicholas Moyo called for <a href=\"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/zimbabwe-sports-betting-revenue-sports-development\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"34957\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">betting revenue to support sports infrastructure<\/a> and athlete development at the Kuzana Sport and Creative Economy Expo in Bulawayo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Zimbabwe&#8217;s Lotteries and Gaming Act already provides for a Lotteries and Gaming Fund, whose objectives include financing sporting and recreational activities and development approved by the Sports and Recreation Commission. Jere&#8217;s proposal goes further by calling for a <strong>statutory share<\/strong> of gaming revenue to be allocated to the sector.<\/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>Why does Zimbabwe want to move the Lotteries and Gaming Board (LGB<\/strong>) <strong>to the Sports Ministry?<\/strong> Farai Jere argues that the betting industry depends heavily on sporting activities and that the sector should benefit more directly from gaming revenue.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Who proposed moving the LGB?<\/strong> Farai Jere, chairperson of Zimbabwe&#8217;s Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture Portfolio Committee, presented the proposal at the 2027 Pre-Budget Seminar in Bulawayo.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Who supports the proposed transfer of the LGB?<\/strong> Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda supported the proposal, agreeing with Sports Minister Anselem Sanyatwe that the entity should fall under the Sports Ministry. Mudenda also said this would follow international practice.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Who opposes moving the LGB to the Sports Ministry?<\/strong> Home Affairs Minister Kazembe Kazembe opposed the proposal. He argued that the Board&#8217;s improved performance reflected better leadership and management.<\/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\/2026\/10\/f2aac54a-5f88-4b33-81a7-e18262973367-300x200.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\/south-africa-online-gambling-tax\">South Africa\u2019s proposed 20% online gambling tax awaits February 2027 update<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The proposal would place the Lotteries and Gaming Board under the Sports Ministry and establish a statutory share of gaming revenue for sports and recreational facilities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2809,"featured_media":32057,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"is_press_release":false,"is_interview":false,"is_opinion":false,"focusai_summary":"Zimbabwe's Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture Portfolio Committee has proposed transferring the Lotteries and Gaming Board to the Sports Ministry and mandating a statutory share of gaming revenue, including a new gambling tax, for sports development. This move, supported by the Speaker of Parliament and Sports Minister citing international best practices, faces opposition from the Home Affairs Minister who attributes recent improvements to the Board's current leadership. The proposal includes a gambling tax on punters' gross winnings, increasing from 10% in 2025 to 25% in 2026.","focusai_entities":"Lotteries and Gaming Board (LGB), Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture Portfolio Committee, Farai Jere, CAPS United Football Club, Jacob Mudenda, Anselem Sanyatwe, Kazembe Kazembe, Sports Ministry, Home Affairs Ministry, Finance Minister, Parliament, Tourism Focus","focusai_location":"Zimbabwe, Bulawayo","focusai_target_profile":"ceo_executive (0.9), regulator (1.0), compliance_legal (0.9), operator_casino (0.8), affiliate_publisher (0.7), payments_fraud_aml (0.7), investor_analyst (0.9), gambler_consumer (0.7), supplier_vendor (0.7), journalist_researcher (1.0)","focusai_suggestions":[{"label":"Regulatory Shift Impact","query":"What specific changes to B2B\/B2C licensing requirements and regulatory compliance frameworks are anticipated if the Lotteries and Gaming Board is transferred to the Sports Ministry in Zimbabwe?"},{"label":"Revenue Allocation Analysis","query":"How will the proposed statutory share of gaming revenue and the increased gambling tax (from 10% to 25% on gross winnings) impact the Net Gaming Revenue (NGR) of licensed operators in Zimbabwe, and what are the projected financial benefits for sports development?"}],"footnotes":""},"categories":[60020,60011],"tags":[682,1338,78],"class_list":["post-37016","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-legislation-news","category-south-africa","tag-gambling-legislation","tag-gaming-regulation","tag-sports-betting"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37016","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=37016"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37016\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37059,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37016\/revisions\/37059"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32057"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37016"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37016"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37016"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}