06th October 2022
Botswana will host the International Association of Gambling Regulators (IAGR) in October 2023 revealed officials at the Gambling Authority.
It also revealed it is exploring opportunities to open casinos in tourist mecca of Maun and Kasane, which boast several lodges that receive guests from all over the world who may 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 a mortar casino operating 24 hours a day but rather offering a specialized service,” said Emolemo Peter Kesitilwe, Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Gambling Authority.
He said, ”The city of Gaborone is still experiencing growth in different directions which could open up opportunities for growth in the casino industry. We thus believe that one additional casinos licenses of at least 100 machines and possibly including tables could be issued in Gaborone.”
Kasane being located in the North-western corner of Botswana, with local boundaries meeting those of Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The area itself is not densely populated and as such may need to look at various forms of Casino activities outside of the traditional land-based casinos.
Four (4) Bingo licences will be made available and licencing process should start in 2023.
The Authority has submitted Amendments to the current Act to allow for Limited Payout Machines to be licenced to accomodate bars which would assist SMME’s.
The Authority at present regulates 9 Casino Licences
- Grand Palm Casino
- Avani Gaborone Casino
- Moonlite Casino
- Teemane Casino
- Thakadu Casino
- Marang Casino
- Menateng Casino
- Sedibeng Casino
The Authority has been granted approval to issue the following licenses
National Lottery
Betting Licences
Casino Licences
Bingo Licences
“We believe that the Batswana are ready for a National Lottery. There is a history of private lotteries and raffles that have been supported by the public. The participation of people in SMS Lotteries also is evidence that a Lottery would be supported,” said Kesitilwe.
He said, ”A lottery will also contribute immensely to the Botswana government coffers as well as give back to worthy social causes.”
In 2017, Authority undertook a benchmarking exercise with the National Lottery in Mauritius whose population is estimated at 1,5 Million people and a stable economy to get an example of a market closer to that of Botswana.
The Gross Domestic Product figures for the two countries in USD based on figures from the International Monetary Fund in 2019 are Mauritius 14,05 Billion for the nation and per capita stood at 11.097 USD and Botswana’s GDP stood at 16.70 Billion and per capita was 7,051 USD.
“The information shared by the Gambling Regulatory Authority is that their Lottery made over $100 Million in 2015. We believe that Botswana has an aspirational market and would support a National Lottery. We look forward to a successful consultation with the Honourable Minister of Trade and Industry after the conclusion of the licence negotiations,” said Kesitilwe.
The Minister responsible for Finance may, by Order published in the Gazette, establish the National Lottery Distribution Fund into which a prescribed percentage of the proceeds of the national Lottery shall be paid. The moneys paid into the Fund shall be used for national projects such as:
- Charitable expenditure
- Development of Sports and Recreation
- Expenditure on or connected with Arts, Culture and youth empowerment
- And any other matter approved by the Minister for that purpose
A Request for Applications is almost complete and is going through the internal approvals processes. Four ( 4) betting licences will be made available. The RFA will be issued out before the end of the calender year 2022/23. The target date for licencing is June 2023
A core mandate of the Gambling Authority(GA) is to issue licenses in the various licence categories and promoting the economic development of Botswana through a sector focused approach that is aligned with the strategy of Gambling Authority and national priorities, policies and strategies. The GA regulate and control the development of gambling establishments in Botswana.
Section 33 of the Gambling Act, 2012 lists the licences the Authority may grant as follows
- Betting licence
- Bingo licence
- Bingo machine licence
- Bookmaker’s licence
- Casino licence
- Gambling Establishment licence
- Gambling machine licence
- Lottery licence
- Lottery machine licence
- Racing licence
- Testing agent licence
- Totalisator licence
