Gambling Botswana calls for regional collaboration
Gambling regulators across Africa have been urged to continuously share knowledge on responsible gambling as this will enable them to tackle their common challenges and ensure that the continent’s dynamic industry remains sustainable.
This was said by Peter Kesitilwe, Chief Executive Officer ( CEO) of the Gambling Authority of Botswana at the 15th annual conference of the Gambling Regulators Africa Forum ( GRAF) in Durban, South Africa last week. When presenting at the conference, which was held under the theme, ‘ Fostering Unity: Towards a coordinated regulatory framework for Africa,’ Kesitilwe challenged jurisdictions to ensure that problem gamblers do not escape exclusion from their countries to gamble in neighbouring jurisdictions, unless there is a report that they have been fully rehabilitated. “There is evidence that if compulsive gamblers are allowed to gamble, they normally have a relapse and that defeats the intentions and purpose of counselling and rehabilitation. It is high time we linked our responsible gambling systems across GRAF member states,” he said. Kesitilwe further invited GRAF members to benchmark with Botswana as it launches its self- help portal, which will promote responsible gambling by enabling people to self- exclude or report problem gamblers on- line for intervention. “I invite other regulators to engage with Botswana on this project. We can work on IP and roll it out to the rest of Africa. We can create a system similar to a VISA Bin,” he said. One of the key issues that were discussed at the GRAF conference was promoting responsible gambling; as jurisdictions shared best practices for protecting the public and punters against the social impacts of gambling. In that regard, Kesitilwe indicated that Botswana has rolled out numerous programs and initiatives to combat problem gambling. A baseline study that was conducted in 2020 on the prevalence of problem gambling in Botswana, indicated a prevalence rate of five percent. It was followed by subsequent studies into Risk Factors for Problem Gambling
and the Socio- Economic impacts of Gambling in Botswana. According to Kesitilwe, preliminary results have shown that Botswana is faced with issues of illegal gambling, problem gambling and underage online gambling.
After realizing that stigma was a significant deterrent preventing individuals from pursuing available help, the Gambling Authority has also rolled out a public education campaign against stigmatization of problem gamblers. Said Kesitilwe: “It is imperative for our nation to avoid stigmatization towards the business and its participants, while also providing essential support to those in need.”
Meanwhile, Kesitilwe was also appointed into the Board of Trustees for GRAF, where he will serve for three years from April 2024 to March 2027. His appointment has been hailed as a major boost for Botswana, as it will complement the country’s efforts to promote responsible gambling, as well as develop and diversify the gambling industry. GRAF was launched in March 2003 with a mission to advance the effectiveness and efficiency of gaming regulation by providing a forum for African regulators to meet, exchange views and information, and discuss policy issues and matters of common interest. Some of the GRAF member states are Namibia, Botswana, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Kenya, Malawi and South Africa.