Namibia advances gambling reform proposals while regulator remains not fully operational

Namibia is moving forward with proposed changes to its gambling rules, but the regulator meant to enforce them is still short of staff. The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism held regional validation workshops in October, and submissions are due to be consolidated in Windhoek before the next stage of the gazetting process.

The proposals would introduce new operator fees to fund stronger oversight through a central electronic monitoring system. The Gambling Board of Namibia (GBN) has already gone to tender for a remote, real-time system under section 90 of the Gaming and Entertainment Control Act 2018. The tender also covers an automated licensing platform, and the deadline for both has been extended to 5 November. The GBN also held a 15 October consultation workshop for bookmaker and totalisator licence applicants. The reforms include revised licensing and registration arrangements, among them an electronic software lottery licence meant to cover digital and online gaming platforms.

Under the 2021 regulations, casino, gambling house, bar and shebeen gambling licence holders pay a levy of 10% of net monthly income, while totalisator licence holders pay 10% of gross monthly takings. GBN chairperson Ben Shikongo has urged the government to speed up gazetting of the fees, particularly those previously considered high.

Minister Indileni Daniel told parliament that the GBN is not fully operational and that staff are still to be recruited. She said the shortage limits consumer education and rehabilitation programmes and affects regulation of gambling houses, online platforms and fee collection. She added that effective regulation of online gambling is a challenge globally, and that no applications are being considered for activity prohibited under the current Act.

Revenue figures show the gap. The Ministry of Finance's 2023/24 accountability report set a NAD5 million target for annual gambling income levies and recorded zero collection. Daniel said NAD17 million had been collected to date for the Gambling Trust Fund. Separately, the Namibia Revenue Agency signed a cooperation agreement with the GBN in March to obtain data on operators and winnings for comparison with tax records.

The legal route will depend on the measures chosen: regulations require gazetting, while changes to primary legislation need a parliamentary process. For now the overhaul remains a set of proposals, and its implementation depends on the GBN building enough capacity to enforce it.