Gambling conference on the cards

Botswana has won the bid to host the International Association of Gambling Regulators Conference in October 2023.

The conference will provide a forum for gaming regulators from around the world to meet, learn best practice techniques and strategies, network and exchange views, share information and discuss legislation, policies, and procedures.

Addressing the media recently, Gambling Authority (GA) acting CEO, Emolemo Kesitilwe said Cabinet has approved Botswana hosting this conference.

“We have been competing with the United Kingdom to host the International Association of Gambling Regulators Conference and finally won the bid,” he said.

Before COVID-19, the conference was hosted in Jamaica, Denmark, and South Africa.

“This conference is for gambling regulators throughout the world and provides opportunities for its members to engage on issues regarding legislations around gambling,” Kesitilwe added.

Meanwhile, GA has commissioned two studies to establish the risk factors for problem gambling and the socioeconomic impact of problem gambling in Botswana. Local firm, 5 AM Consultancy has been awarded a contract to research on behalf of the GA.

“We have been doing campaigns around responsible gambling in order to ensure we bring down the five percent to a lower figure. We are currently undertaking two studies, the first one is the socioeconomic impacts of gambling in Botswana and the other is the risk factors of gambling in Botswana,” he said.

These studies will also assist in developing the gambling industry policy which is in the Gambling Act. Government through Cabinet will endorse and approve this policy.

“We have a role to play to ensure that we implement a responsible gambling framework.

We do industry training and monitoring, provide public education and awareness, and counselling and therapy. We engage with our stakeholders and do involve them in the responsible gambling framework,” he said.

In 2019, the acting CEO said they had set out to do a study on the prevalence of gambling in Botswana and found problem gambling in the country at five

percent.

“This conference is for gambling regulators throughout the world and provides opportunities for its members to engage on issues regarding

legislations around gambling,” Kesitilwe

added