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Namibia’s government has ratified two long-awaited acts integral to the regulation and expansion of its gambling industry, as it looks to fund social welfare programmes through the sector.
The Lotteries Act 2017 and the amended version of the Gaming and Entertainment Control Act 2018 both came into force in December 2021, according to the country’s official gazette.
The Gaming and Entertainment Control Act 2018 outlines regulations for legal gambling activities other than lotteries in Namibia and includes the establishment of a new regulator, the Gambling Board, as well as a Gambling Trust Fund.
Under the legislation, the government minister responsible for gambling must initiate and develop policies on all matters relating to gambling and provide the Gambling Board with policy directives.
These policies will include the fees for licences, what events can be wagered on, as well as what online games will be allowed.
The Gambling Board will enforce the act, process licences and recommend how many there should be to the minister.
The regulator must also maintain a registry of restricted players and oversee the implementation of a central monitoring system that all operators must connect to, among a host of other responsibilities.
Requirements for a casino, gambling house, bookmaker, totalisator, manufacturer or supplier and a testing agent licence are all already listed in the law.
Breaches of the law, including offering illegal or unlicensed gambling, can result in up to ten years' imprisonment, as well as fines.
Unlicensed online gambling is also strictly prohibited under the law.
Namibia’s Ministry of Environment, Tourism and Forestry, which oversees the country’s gaming and control division, undertook country-wide inspections to identify unlicensed gambling venues in 2020.
The inspections came after the head of the ministry, Pohamba Shifeta, estimated there were 100,000 unlicensed gambling machines in operation and 3,000 illegal gambling venues in Namibia in 2019.
Separately, the Lotteries Act establishes a Lotteries Board and provides the framework for the conduct of a National Lottery and sports pool by the board or through a licensee.
It also establishes the State Lottery Trust Fund, which has the power to authorise other charitable lotteries and private lotteries run by local sports clubs or offices.
Shifeta said the aim of the National Lottery is to generate much needed revenue for social welfare projects.
