Namibia advances gambling reform proposals amid regulator staffing concerns
The Gambling Board of Namibia (GBN), which would be responsible for implementing the reforms, is not yet fully operational, according to the nation’s Environment, Forestry and Tourism minister, Indileni Daniel.
The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT) held the workshops in October, and submissions from the regional sessions are expected to be consolidated in Windhoek before the next stage of the gazetting process.
Proposed monitoring system
The proposed amendments would introduce new operator fees intended to support stronger oversight through a central electronic monitoring system (CEMS), according to NBC’s report on the Keetmanshoop validation workshop.
The GBN has already gone to market for a remote, real-time CEMS under section 90 of the Gaming and Entertainment Control Act 2018.
The system is intended to record and report gambling activity and transactions at licensed operations, and the procurement process also includes an automated licensing platform. The deadline for both tenders has been extended to 5 November.
The GBN also issued a separate public notice for a 15 October 2026 consultation workshop for bookmaker and totalisator licence applicants, covering licensing requirements and technical compliance for intended betting and wagering platforms.
The proposals include revised licensing and registration arrangements, including an electronic software lottery licence intended to regulate digital and online gaming platforms, according to NBC’s report on the earlier consultation.
GBN’s Acting Chief Executive Johannes Erastus said the proposed structure had been informed by research and benchmarking.
“Our laws, specifically the Act, require the boards to align with international best practices and to engage with regional and international colleagues and jurisdictions to inform and assist us in shaping the Namibian gambling space,” Erastus said, according to NBC.
“We don’t just need to always do informal business. We need to be licensed so that we can have a genuine business,” Ben Shikongo, the GBN chairperson, said during the Keetmanshoop workshop.
In a subsequent NBC report, Shikongo called on the government to “expedite the process of gazetting the fees, particularly those that were previously high”.
Existing levy framework
Under the 2021 regulations, casino, gambling house, bar gambling and shebeen gambling (small drinking establishment) licence holders pay a levy of 10% of net monthly income.
For those categories, the regulations define net income as gambling income less winnings paid out, excluding revenue from food, alcohol and other non-gambling sales. Totalisator licence holders are subject to a separate levy of 10% of gross monthly takings.
Regulator under strain
The reforms would depend on a regulator that Daniel says cannot yet carry out its full mandate. Daniel told parliament that the GBN was not fully operational and that staff were still to be recruited.
The staffing gap affects more than licensing. Daniel said the lack of personnel was limiting consumer education and rehabilitation programmes.
Staffing shortages have also affected the regulation of gambling houses, online platforms and the collection of fees and levies, according to reporting by Namibian Sun.
“Effective regulation, especially for online gambling, is currently a challenge at the moment, not only in Namibia but globally,” Daniel said.
She also said that no applications were being considered for activity prohibited under the current Act. The distinction remains material because the Gaming and Entertainment Control Act defines online games separately from bets placed through communication technology with bookmakers or totalisators.
In February, Daniel said weak oversight was costing Namibia revenue and exposing citizens to gambling-related social harm, according to the Namibia Press Agency.
MEFT deputy executive director Seimy Shidute said the amendments were needed to “adapt to the global developments, such as the digital innovation and emerging technological trends”.
Public revenue
Government revenue figures illustrate what the state is collecting from the sector, rather than the overall size of Namibia’s gambling market.
The Ministry of Finance’s 2023/24 accountability report listed a NAD5 million target for annual gambling income levies and recorded zero collection against that line.
Daniel separately told parliament that NAD17 million had been collected to date for the Gambling Trust Fund, according to NBC.
Tax authority role
The reforms coincide with closer tax enforcement. The Brief reported in March that the Namibia Revenue Agency had signed a cooperation agreement with the GBN to obtain data on gambling operators and winnings.
“We are going to receive data on all players in the industry and compare it with our tax records. Where there is non-compliance, we will raise assessments to ensure the correct taxes are paid,” revenue commissioner Sam Shivute told The Brief.
What comes next
Shikongo said submissions from the regional workshops would be consolidated in Windhoek before the proposals move to the next stage.
The final legal route will depend on the measures adopted: regulations would require gazetting, while any amendment to primary legislation would require the necessary parliamentary process. The final text will determine how any new fees apply and interact with existing levies.
Implementation will also depend on whether the GBN can fill staffing gaps and build the capacity needed to enforce the new framework.
For now, the overhaul remains a set of proposals rather than an operational regime – one intended to modernise oversight, but dependent on a regulator that the minister says is not yet fully operational.