12 Mar 2019

Gambling Authority is said to be taking the necessary practical steps to ensure local investors also have a cut in the multi-million pula industry.

Addressing the Central District full council session on the mandate of the organisation in Serowe recently, the organisation’s chief financial officer Mr Peter Kesitilwe said its responsibilities included compliance and monitoring of the industry and preventing potential ill effects of excessive gambling.

“For purposes of citizen empowerment, we also want locals to own shares in companies that have operations in Botswana. 

We emphasise this in our licensing conditions,” he said.

Established in terms of the Gambling Act No 7 of 2012, Mr Kesitilwe said the Authority was charged with regulating the gambling industry in Botswana.

‘’The Gambling Act of 2012 commenced fully on April 1, 2016, thus enabling the Gambling Authority to resume its regulatory function. Prior to April 2016, the gambling industry in Botswana was regulated under the Casino and Lotteries and Betting Acts,’’ he said.

Mr Kesitilwe said one way to ensure that citizens participated in the industry was to guard against fronting and wanted clear plans on shareholdings in cases where locals had partnered with international investors.

“We want to be able to know where citizens received the money from to avoid issues of fronting. We also want clear dividend plans. All these are done before any license can be issued,” stated Mr Kesitilwe.

The Authority is empowered to issue and regulate such license types as casino, bingo, sports betting, lottery and bookmakers, among others, and Mr Kesitilwe said the authority would now invest in systems and processes in anticipation of such developments.

“We have always known that technology will begin to impact the way people gamble and its potential doesn’t show signs of diminishing,” he said.

Their vision, he noted, was to set a socially responsible gambling regulator of the highest integrity, trusted and recognised locally and internationally.

He informed councillors that their mission was to effectively and efficiently regulate and control the gambling industry, account for revenue from the industry and contribute to the socio-economic development of Botswana.

Mr Kesitilwe said casinos supported the tourism resorts in Kasane and Maun, horse racing and betting created and supported new industries, electronic Bingo created employment opportunities while sports betting supported sports development and sponsorship for clubs.

With regards to employment, he said they had employed 53 people, 62 per cent of whom were women while 38 were males. 

They have also employed fresh graduates.

Casinos in Botswana include Kings at Lobatse, Marang and Sedibeng in Francistown, Menateng at Selebi Phikwe, Avani, Grand Palm, Moonlite in Gaborone, Teemane in Jwaneng and Thakadu in Letlhakane.

Councillors appreciated the presentation though some wary that gambling would milk Batswana of their hard-earned cash, especially those seeking to get rich quickly. 

They said lotteries should be shown on television.

Some councillors expressed worry about illegal gambling taking place in homesteads, bus ranks, shebeens, bars, bushes, restaurants and shops. ENDS