Interim Chief Executive Officer of the Gambling Authority (GA), Moruntshi Kemorwale, has assured Members of Parliament that the Authority will become self-sustainable in the short term.
Kemorwale was making a presentation before the Parliamentary Statutory Bodies Committee this week. According to him, the Authority has deliberately implemented a financial sustainability strategy aimed at reducing reliance on government subvention and strengthening internally generated revenue streams.
Like many government institutions, the Authority initially depended heavily on government funding. However, through licensing fees, monitoring fees, promotional competition revenues, service fees, and other regulatory income streams, the GA has steadily increased its self-generated revenue base.
“We are currently engaging our board with a view to reducing our subvention by 50 percent, from around P30 million to at least P15 million, while positioning ourselves to become self-sustainable within the shortest possible time,” he said.
Kemorwale explained that responsible gambling contributions are controlled through a committee established by the Act, known as the Excessive Gambling Prevention and Rehabilitation Committee. This committee reports directly to the minister responsible for trade and develops strategies to combat excessive gambling in Botswana. Those strategies are then implemented by the Gambling Authority through responsible gambling contributions.
Kemorwale further added that the Authority’s operating revenue has demonstrated strong and sustained growth, increasing from P2.94 million in 2021/2022 to P24 million in 2024/2025. Projections indicate a rise to P108 million in 2025/2026.
The Authority’s self-sustainability model has been deliberate. According to Chief Finance Officer Tshepang Magang, through new licence categories and supervisory fees, the GA is gradually reducing reliance on government subvention.
“We expect to become fully self-sustaining by 2028,” she said.
The Gambling Act establishes two funds: the Levy Fund and the National Lottery Distribution Fund. The Levy Fund already operates under a statutory order issued by the Minister of Finance. The National Lottery Distribution Fund will be operationalised once the National Lottery licence is issued, according to Magang. Kemorwale stated that the National Lottery is expected to be rolled out during the current financial year.
Kemorwale further stated that the Authority’s corporate strategy is anchored on organisational capability, governance, stakeholder communication and engagement, and public support in the fight against problem gambling. He also noted that the Authority aligns with the tourism, sports, creative arts, financial services, and digitisation sectors under the draft National Development Plan.
“We currently have 62 employees. Of these, 61 percent are female, while 66 percent are aged between 20 and 40 years,” he revealed.
Among other achievements, Kemorwale said the Authority has successfully rolled out new licensing frameworks, transitioning the industry from a limited casino market to a diversified industry. He added that citizen shareholding increased from around 49 percent aggregate to 76 percent aggregate.
The Authority continues to implement anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorism financing (CTF) supervisory systems and continues licensing gaming suppliers and gambling industry employees. The Gambling Authority is also an ISO 9001-certified organisation.
One major achievement, according to Kemorwale, has been reducing the prevalence of problem gambling from 5 percent to 3.4 percent—a reduction the Authority believes is the only recorded decline on the African continent.
However, the Authority continues to face challenges, including illegal online betting platforms, cross-border gambling operations, underage gambling, and capacity constraints in industrial audits.
“We participated in mock evaluations and national AML projects in preparation for mutual evaluation. All operators were trained on AML transactions, cash transaction reporting, and compliance requirements,” he noted.
The Authority projects that by 2028, the industry will have created over 2,000 jobs.
The Excessive Gambling Prevention Programme
Kemorwale said the excessive gambling prevention programme focuses on public education and awareness, CSI and CSR initiatives, stakeholder partnerships, employee training, industry monitoring, counselling, treatment, and rehabilitation. However, he noted that the focus is on prevention rather than rehabilitation: 80 percent of their efforts go towards public education and awareness, while 20 percent goes towards counselling and rehabilitation.
He further noted that research shows 36.6 percent of people actively participate in gambling, mainly due to financial pressures. Twenty percent of gamblers are underage, with many beginning before age 21. The Authority noted that the prevalence of excessive gambling stands at 6.7 percent among illegal gambling activities, while only 3.4 percent of gamblers in regulated activities are affected.
Rehabilitating Problem Gamblers
Regarding rehabilitation, Kemorwale said the Authority works with counsellors and counselling service providers across Botswana. He noted that any properly accredited and registered gambling addiction specialist can provide services and invoice the Gambling Authority. Since 2016, 394 gamblers have gone through counselling and rehabilitation programmes.
Kemorwale said counselling remains voluntary, but the Authority continues encouraging affected individuals and families to seek assistance. The industry itself funds rehabilitation programmes through the 3.5 percent responsible gambling contribution.
Research conducted in May 2025 identified Hukuntsi and the Northwest as hard-hit areas for problem gambling. Most affected individuals were gambling through illegal platforms before online gambling was licensed locally.
“We continue working with police and regulators to combat illegal gambling operators. We also continue public education campaigns through partnerships with football matches, golf tournaments, festivals, and other community events. The prevalence of problem gambling reduced from 5 percent in 2020 to 3.4 percent in 2025, which we believe is the only recorded decline in Africa,” Kemorwale said.
Mandate and Background
The Authority is mandated to control the development of gambling establishments in Botswana through licensing and regulation, to account for government revenue from the gambling industry, and to ensure safe and sustainable gambling offerings in Botswana.
Legalised gambling in Botswana dates back to 1962, when the government enacted the Lotteries and Betting Act, which regulated lottery and betting activities linked mainly to charity activities. In 1971, the Casino Act was enacted, regulating casinos, and by 1995 Botswana had at least eight licensed casinos.
In 2002, a gambling policy was introduced, and in 2012 the Gambling Act established the Gambling Authority by merging the Lotteries and Betting Act with the Casino Act. In 2016, Lottery Regulations expanded the Authority’s mandate to include bookmakers, totalisators, limited payout machines, casinos, bingo, national lottery, and other lottery forms.
Since its establishment in 2016, the Authority has consistently maintained unqualified audited financial statements. “We are proud of that achievement,” Kemorwale concluded
