Botswana won the bid to host the conference, which will attract representatives from gaming and gambling regulators across the world.

Addressing members of the media in Gaborone on Thursday, Gambling Authority’s acting chief executive officer, Mr Peter Kesitilwe, said this year’s conference would be held in Australia.

He said South Africa hosted in 2017, followed by Denmark in 2018 while Jamaica hosted the 2019 edition. There was no conference in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19.

Regarding the licensing of casinos, Mr Kesitilwe said the Gambling Authority believed that there was still room for casino activity in the country, adding request for applications (RFAs) had been completed and ready for issuance by March 31 next year, in Gaborone, Maun, Kasane and Palapye.

He said in Maun there had been interest from potential investors to invest in casino business and the area could sustain at least one casino.

 Kasane is situated at a point where Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe meet, as such could cater for tourists in the area.

He said though the area was not densely populated and as such they may need to look at various forms of casino activities that could be offered outside of the traditional land-based casinos.

Mr Kesitilwe said Maun and Kasane boasts of several lodges that received guests from all over the world who might want to partake in gambling as a form of entertainment.

“We believe that they could offer gambling activities in the form of private rooms for their clientele who would want a high-end experience. This would also allow for gambling activity to take place without having a full-time brick and mortar casino operating 24 hours a day but rather offering a specialised service,” he said.

He said Gaborone was still experiencing growth in different directions which could open up opportunities for growth in the casino industry, and believed that one additional casino license of at least 100 machines and possibly including tables could be issued.

He said the authority had been granted approval to issue Casino, National Lottery, Betting and Bingo licenses.

Regarding National Lottery, he said they believed that Batswana were ready for it and said there was a history of private lotteries and raffles that have been supported by the public.

Mr Kesitilwe said the participation of people in SMS lotteries was an indication that they would support a lottery, which would also contribute immensely to the government coffers as well as give back to worthy social causes. BOPA