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Read Full BioIn response to the anticipated growth of its gambling sector, the Botswana Gambling Authority (GA) has issued ten more national bookmaker licenses.
Six of the ten new licensees have already launched their operations, with three more expected to follow suit in the next few weeks. However, one operator has since withdrawn its license application, although the GA failed to disclose the reasons behind the firm’s decision.
The GA’s licensing efforts are already paying economic dividends, creating 400 new jobs in casinos and new bookmakers.
Economic Impact: Jobs and Sector Growth
As part of the GA’s announcement, future projections suggested the sector could eventually support over 2,300 jobs across the nation’s casinos, betting shops, and Limited Payout Machines (LPMs). In a country famed for its diamond exports, this would solidify the country’s continued expansion of its service and entertainment-based industry employment.
In contrast to Botswana’s widening domestic market, Kenya’s government recently proposed a hike in iGaming tax rates instead to extract larger tax revenues from the trade.
In addition, the Kenyan Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB) announced a 30-day ban on all gambling advertising last week, designed to protect consumers and vulnerable groups.
Echoing the BCLB’s premise of enhanced consumer protections, one of Botswana’s license awardees, BetXplosion, is already attracting positive headlines on this issue. As part of its licensee mandate, the firm announced it plans to pledge a minimum of five percent of its gross gambling revenue to the nation’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives.
Botswana’s CSR efforts effectively redeploy gambling profits to help fund youth development, education, sports, and public health awareness.
Marvin Torto, Chairman of the GA Board, detailed the Authority’s progressive approach to regulation. “As part of our repositioning strategy as a facilitative regulator, we are intensifying stakeholder engagement, developing Botswana gambling standards, and proactively working to reduce regulatory hurdles,” he said.
Torto urged licensed operators to think beyond just adhering to their regulated compliance, instead insisting they push technological boundaries in their efforts. In doing so, he encouraged BetXplosion and others to adopt AI monitoring tools that could flag up illicit player behaviours and protect against problem gambling and money laundering.
Botswana Aims For High Standards in Gambling Compliance
“Leveraging AI will enhance your ability to protect both your business and your customers and align with global best practices in gambling regulation,” Torto said. His comments showcase the regulators’ targeting of a data-driven oversight in an industry often criticized for its lack of proactive prevention.
Botswana’s drive to establish safer betting protocols from the outset mirrors Brazil’s attitude. The LATAM country has recently issued 21 new licenses, raising its total to 173 operators. Here, too, Brazil’s Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA) insists on pushing regulatory compliance and enforcing several responsible gambling measures.
While both are intent on growing their gambling sectors responsibly, many of these evolving nations, including Botswana, appear to be learning from past errors by other countries with more established market sectors.
