Botswana leads charge against illegal gambling
Botswana Gambling Authority CEO, Peter Kesitilwe, has urged gambling regulators across Africa to take stern measures to combat illegal gambling, citing its detrimental impact on government revenue.
He addressed the 15th annual conference of the Gambling Regulators Africa Forum (GRAF) in Durban, South Africa (SA), where he emphasised the need for collaboration to tackle the pervasive issue of illegal gambling.
“We should also blacklist illegal operators from operating in our respective jurisdictions.
“Even if they incorporate new companies, we should be able to pierce the corporate veil and identify the individual culprits.
“If this means providing for that in our legislation, we should do so,” he said.
Kesitilwe’s sentiments rang close to home, as the Gambling Authority of Botswana’s efforts to address illegal online gambling operations, particularly in sports betting, before the advertisement of totalisator and bookmaker licences.
“We realised that a lot of Batswana gambled on unlicensed online platforms, especially sports betting,” he noted. “It is essential to highlight that when we advertised the betting licences, we noted through the same social media pages that Batswana were no longer able to access some of the sites. “It could be that those operators blocked access because they wanted to legalise their status in Botswana by applying for the advertised licences.”
Kesitilwe also revealed that the authority has detected an influx of illegal slot machines believed to originate from the Far East. These machines, previously reported to have been confiscated in neighbouring jurisdictions at previous GRAF conferences, have now reached Botswana.
Kesitilwe disclosed that the Gambling Authority received a tip-off indicating that the slot machines were seen in the northern part of the country. “However, when we made efforts to confiscate the machines, they disappeared,” the CEO said. “Six machines later resurfaced in the southern part of Botswana, and we managed to confiscate and crush them.” While Africa has achieved some success in tracing illegal land-based gambling operations, tracing illegal online gambling operators is more challenging. According to Kesitilwe, most online operators offer their services from other jurisdictions. “Because online players do not converge in one place to gamble, it is even more difficult to trace illegal activities.
“The number of illegal gambling activities continues to grow even though most jurisdictions have provisions in their legislation that prohibit such,” he said.
The issue of illegal gambling operators was topical at GRAF 2024, as delegates discussed best practices for minimising illegal gambling activities, unlicensed online platforms, and underground betting shops.
According to Kesitilwe, they discovered effective strategies for enforcement and collaboration to safeguard industry integrity and government revenue.
The GRAF conference also co-opted Kesitilwe onto its Board of Trustees. He will serve for three years from April 2024 to March 2027.
Gambling Authority Chief of Staff, Moruntshi Kemorwale, said Kesitilwe’s appointment will foster major international connections enabling Botswana to diversify its gambling industry, promote responsible gambling, and generate revenue for the national economy.
As the continent’s premier gathering for regulatory authorities and industry stakeholders, GRAF was launched in March 2003 to advance the effectiveness and efficiency of gaming regulation. At the forum, African regulators meet, exchange views and information, and discuss policy issues and matters of common interest.