Namibia pushes gambling reform while regulator lacks full staff
The Gambling Board of Namibia is consulting on new licensing fees and a monitoring system even as the environment minister says the regulator cannot yet fulfil its mandate.
Namibia's Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism has been running regional validation workshops this month on proposed changes to gambling regulation, even though the body meant to enforce them is still being built up, according to iGaming Business.
Environment, Forestry and Tourism minister Indileni Daniel told parliament that the Gambling Board of Namibia (GBN) is not yet fully operational and still needs to recruit staff, the outlet reported.
The October workshops, including one in Keetmanshoop covered by Namibia's NBC, gathered input that officials say will be consolidated in Windhoek ahead of the next phase of gazetting the reforms.
Among the proposals is a new fee structure for operators to fund a central electronic monitoring system, which the GBN is already procuring under section 90 of the Gaming and Entertainment Control Act 2018. The system would track gambling activity and transactions at licensed venues, alongside an automated licensing platform. Tenders for both close on 5 November.
A separate public notice set out a 15 October workshop for bookmaker and totalisator licence applicants, addressing licensing rules and technical requirements for betting and wagering platforms. The wider package also includes an electronic software lottery licence aimed at regulating digital and online gaming.
GBN acting chief executive Johannes Erastus said the proposed framework reflects research and benchmarking against other jurisdictions, telling NBC that the Act requires the board to align with international practice and consult regional and international counterparts.
GBN chairperson Ben Shikongo told the Keetmanshoop session that informal operation was no longer acceptable, saying businesses "need to be licensed so that we can have a genuine business". In further comments reported by NBC, he urged government to move faster on gazetting fees, particularly ones he described as previously too high.
Under existing 2021 rules, casinos, gambling houses, bar gambling and shebeen gambling operators pay a levy of 10% of net monthly gambling income, calculated after winnings are deducted and excluding non-gambling revenue such as food and drink sales. Totalisator licensees instead pay 10% of gross monthly takings.
Daniel said the staffing gap goes beyond licensing delays, also limiting the GBN's capacity to run consumer education and rehabilitation programmes, and hampering oversight of gambling houses, online platforms and the collection of fees and levies, Namibian Sun reported.
She acknowledged that regulating online gambling effectively is a difficulty shared by regulators worldwide, not unique to Namibia, and confirmed that no licence applications are being entertained for activities the current Act prohibits. That distinction matters because the legislation treats online games separately from remote bets placed with bookmakers or totalisators.
Daniel had already warned in February, according to the Namibia Press Agency, that gaps in oversight were costing the state revenue while leaving citizens exposed to gambling-related harm.
Government accounts underline the shortfall: the finance ministry's 2023/24 report set a NAD5 million target for annual gambling income levies but recorded no collection against it. Daniel has separately told parliament that NAD17 million has been collected to date for the Gambling Trust Fund.
Enforcement is also tightening on the tax side. The Namibia Revenue Agency has agreed to share operator and player data with the GBN, a deal first reported by The Brief in March. Revenue commissioner Sam Shivute said the agency would cross-check industry-wide data against its own tax records and raise assessments wherever non-compliance is found.
Shikongo said submissions gathered from the regional workshops will now be brought together in Windhoek before the proposals advance further. Whether the changes take effect through gazetted regulations or require amending the primary legislation will determine the parliamentary steps still needed, and will shape how any new fees ultimately apply.