{"id":37166,"date":"2026-11-09T10:10:31","date_gmt":"2026-11-09T13:10:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/?p=37166"},"modified":"2026-11-10T03:37:07","modified_gmt":"2026-11-10T06:37:07","slug":"eswatini-mps-gambling-addiction-operator-oversight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/eswatini-mps-gambling-addiction-operator-oversight","title":{"rendered":"Eswatini lawmakers demand action on gambling addiction and operator oversight"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">MPs want gambling licences to spell out operators\u2019 obligations on addiction prevention as concerns grow over mobile betting and access to support services.<\/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>Eswatini MPs questioned how often gambling operators are audited and what sanctions follow breaches.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Lawmakers want licences to set out operators\u2019 obligations on addiction prevention.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>MPs raised concerns over mobile betting among young people and the lack of support services.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The debate also covered suspected illegal online gambling involving foreign nationals.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Eswatini.- Eswatini lawmakers have raised concerns about the government\u2019s oversight of gambling operators, calling for stronger measures to address gambling addiction, verify reported revenues and tackle suspected illegal online gambling activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The concerns were raised during a Portfolio Committee debate on the Ministry of Tourism and Environmental Affairs\u2019 second-quarter performance report on November 4, 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What did Eswatini MPs ask about operator audits and licensing?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Welcome Dlamini<\/strong>, MP for Mbabane East, sought details on how often gambling operators were audited and what action the ministry took against those found in breach of regulatory requirements. <strong>Charles Ndlovu<\/strong>, MP for Ngudzeni, also called for gambling licences to include clear provisions on addiction prevention. He said Parliament had previously asked the ministry to specify the measures operators must take to address gambling-related harm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What concerns did lawmakers raise about mobile betting and young people?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Thandeka Mavuso<\/strong>, MP for the Manzini Region, raised concerns about the accessibility of gambling, particularly among young people. She said the growing availability of mobile betting platforms allowed people to place wagers on their phones without those around them necessarily knowing about their activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mavuso added that gambling addiction could affect people of all ages and become difficult to overcome once a dependency developed. She also sought information on whether the ministry had put counselling and support services in place for affected individuals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What did MPs ask about illegal online gambling in Eswatini?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The debate also covered suspected illegal online gambling operations in the country. Dlamini sought details of the action taken following the arrest of two emaSwati after Chinese nationals were allegedly found conducting online gambling activities in Eswatini. He also sought clarification on whether the minister had any links to the two arrested individuals but provided no further details about the alleged connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is the status of Eswatini\u2019s Gaming Control Act of 2022?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The concerns come as Eswatini continues to work towards implementing the <strong>Gaming Control Act of 2022<\/strong> through the development of its outstanding regulations. The proposed framework is expected to improve licensing administration, strengthen compliance and introduce additional responsible gambling measures.<\/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\/09\/b35df29d-3a27-4b9f-9745-e67ab428ea22-300x200.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\/african-responsible-gaming-network-launches-to-strengthen-player-protection\">African Responsible Gaming Network launches to strengthen player protection<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>MPs want gambling licences to spell out operators\u2019 obligations on addiction prevention as concerns grow over mobile betting and access to support services.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2395,"featured_media":5965,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"is_press_release":false,"is_interview":false,"is_opinion":false,"focusai_summary":"Eswatini Members of Parliament have voiced significant concerns regarding the oversight of gambling operators, advocating for enhanced regulatory compliance, explicit addiction prevention obligations within B2C licensing, and robust measures against illegal online gambling. The debate highlighted issues with mobile betting accessibility for youth, the verification of reported Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR), and the need for comprehensive support services, all within the context of implementing the Gaming Control Act of 2022.","focusai_entities":"Welcome Dlamini, Charles Ndlovu, Thandeka Mavuso, Ministry of Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Parliament, African Responsible Gaming Network","focusai_location":"Eswatini, Mbabane East, Ngudzeni, Manzini Region","focusai_target_profile":"ceo_executive (0.9), regulator (1.0), compliance_legal (0.95), operator_casino (0.9), investor_analyst (0.85), journalist_researcher (0.9)","focusai_suggestions":[{"label":"Impact on Operator Licensing?","query":"What specific amendments to the Gaming Control Act of 2022 are anticipated to address mobile betting, youth access, and addiction prevention, and how will these new provisions be integrated into B2C operator licensing agreements?"},{"label":"Revenue Verification Protocols?","query":"How will the Eswatini Ministry of Tourism and Environmental Affairs enhance auditing and verification protocols to ensure accurate reporting of Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR) by licensed operators, and what sanctions are proposed for non-compliance?"}],"footnotes":""},"categories":[60019,60011],"tags":[2689,73,1593],"class_list":["post-37166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-regulation-news","category-south-africa","tag-gambling-regulation","tag-illegal-gambling","tag-responsible-gambling"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37166","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=37166"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37166\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37249,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37166\/revisions\/37249"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5965"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37166"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}