Gambling Authority - Botswana

What Gambling Authority - Botswana does

The Gambling Authority of Botswana (also styled "Motshameko O Phepha") is a statutory body corporate established in 2012 under the Gambling Act (Cap 19:03) to regulate Botswana's gambling industry. Headquartered in Gaborone with 34 employees, the Authority is the sole licensing and compliance body for casino, lottery, betting, bingo, machine, and employee license categories, and in May 2024 it extended its mandate to cover digital, virtual, interactive, and SMS competitions, games, and quizzes. Core operations comprise license issuance and renewal, compliance monitoring, responsible gambling programs (self-help exclusion portal, USSD self-service, Problem Gambling Severity Index assessments), and disbursement of gambling levies for youth, arts, culture, sports, and charitable projects, including the Motshameko O Phepa postgraduate scholarship at the University of Botswana.

The Authority runs a digital services stack anchored at gamblingauthority.co.bw, supported by an online application portal (employee licenses, renewals, duplicates, transfers, promotional competitions), a self-help exclusion portal at selfhelp.gamblingauthority.co.bw, and a USSD platform for mobile-based responsible gambling services. Dedicated contact channels exist for general enquiries, fraud reporting (via a tip-offs hotline), the Data Protection Officer, tenders, and scholarship administration. Marketing and stakeholder engagement occur through the official website, social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, X), direct email communications, public consultations, and tender notices; the Authority is currently soliciting stakeholder feedback on the Gaming and Gambling Policy 2002 Regulatory Impact Assessment Report.

The Authority's revenue model is licensing- and regulatory-fee-based: it collects fees for issuing and renewing the various license categories plus application fees for the new digital/virtual/SMS category. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; prospective licensees and tender participants must contact the Authority directly, with tender documents priced at P1,000 (50% discount for 100% youth-owned businesses). The Authority is owned and controlled by the Government of Botswana, has no parent company or subsidiaries, and does not disclose financials through commercial channels.

Name

Gambling Authority - Botswana

Legal name

Gambling Authority

Website

https://gamblingauthority.co.bw

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Gambling Authority of Botswana is a statutory government body corporate that licenses, monitors, and enforces compliance for casino, lottery, betting, bingo, machine, and employee gambling operators, plus digital and virtual gaming, while running responsible gambling programs and disbursing gambling levies to public-benefit projects.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Gambling Regulation

NAICS

Regulation, Licensing, and Inspection of Miscellaneous Commercial Sectors (92615), Gambling Industries (7132)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Gambling, Alcohol & Controlled Substances Regulators (BPAIAOAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Responsible Gambling (RG) Compliance & Player Protection (MPAEAOAE), Compliance Training, Policies & Governance (SOPs, controls, board reporting) (MPAEAOAJ), KYC/Identity Verification & Age Verification Compliance Services (MPAEAOAF), Dispute Resolution, Player Complaints & ADR/Ombudsman Services (MPAEAOAL)

Keywords

• Gambling regulation
• Gambling licensing
• Compliance monitoring
• Responsible gambling
• Regulatory authority

Headquarters

HQ city

Gaborone

HQ country

Botswana

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Licensing and Regulatory Fees: The Authority generates revenue through issuing and renewing various gambling licenses including casino, lottery, betting, bingo, machine licenses, and employee licenses. Additional revenue streams include application fees for digital/virtual/SMS competitions and promotional competitions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Gambling Authority regulates the gambling industry in Botswana by issuing and renewing licenses for casino, lottery, betting, bingo, machine, and employee categories. It conducts compliance monitoring of licensees, promotes responsible gambling through self-exclusion portals and the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) assessment, and disburses collected gambling levies to support youth, arts, culture, sports, and charitable projects. It also administers the Motshameko O Phepa postgraduate scholarship and has expanded oversight to include digital, virtual, interactive, and SMS-based competitions.

Product overview

The Gambling Authority is Botswana's regulatory body for the gambling industry, operating as a unified regulatory services platform. The core offerings consist of licensing services (Casino, Lottery, Betting, Bingo, Machine, and Employee licenses), compliance monitoring, responsible gambling programs including a self-help exclusion portal and PGSI assessment tool, and gambling fund disbursement for social causes. The Authority also administers the Motshameko O Phepa scholarship for postgraduate studies in gambling-related fields. The recent addition of Digital Gaming services expands regulation to include virtual, interactive and SMS-based competitions and games.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Casino License License authorizing the playing or making available for play of casino games specified in the license on licensed premises. Issued to gambling operators in Botswana under the Gambling Act (Cap 19:03).
• Lottery License License authorizing the distribution of prizes by chance where participants make a contribution for participation in chances of the lottery. Issued to lottery operators in Botswana.
• Betting License License for making or accepting bets on the outcome of races, competitions, events, or the likelihood of anything occurring. Issued to bookmakers and betting operators in Botswana.
• Bingo License License authorizing the holder to conduct or provide for the game of bingo on licensed premises. Issued to bingo operators in Botswana.
• Machine License License authorizing the holder to keep gambling machines or devices on specified premises. Issued to machine gambling operators in Botswana.
• Employee License License permitting individuals to engage in work within the gambling industry under specified categories of work subject to licensing. Available to gambling industry employees in Botswana.
• Compliance & Monitoring Oversight service ensuring adherence to gambling legislation, policies, standards, and rules by licensed gambling operators in Botswana.
• Responsible Gambling Self-Help Portal Online self-service portal allowing individuals to apply for self-exclusions, third-party exclusions, and cancellation of exclusions from gambling services. Available to the general public and gambling players in Botswana.
• Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) Assessment Standardized self-evaluation tool measuring at-risk behavior in problem gambling to help individuals assess their gambling patterns. Available to the public and gambling players.
• Gambling Fund Disbursement Distribution of allocated collected gambling levies for youth, arts, culture, sports, and charitable projects in Botswana.
• Online Application Forms Digital platform for applying for employee licenses, renewing licenses, applying for duplicate licenses or license transfers, and registering promotional competitions. Used by licensees and applicants in Botswana.
• Digital, Virtual, Interactive and SMS Competitions, Games and Quizzes Registration Application and registration process for Digital, Virtual, Interactive and SMS Competitions, Games and Quizzes where participants pay for a chance to win prizes. Launched in May 2024 to expand regulation to digital gaming operators in Botswana.
• Motshameko O Phepa Postgraduate Scholarship Scholarship program covering tuition, monthly stipend, research funding, and conference attendance for Masters and PhD studies at the University of Botswana in gambling-related disciplines. Available to qualifying postgraduate students.

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Our Affiliates (Local and International Organizations)unclearOthersThe Gambling Authority works with local and international organizations as affiliates. The Authority's 'Our Affiliates' section states it works with or is associated with local and international organizations, though specific partner names are not detailed on the main website page.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Gambling Board of South Africa: Statutory national regulator of gambling in South Africa; closest regional peer with a comparable mandate across casinos, betting, lotteries and LPMs, and similar oversight structure to the Botswana Gambling Authority.
• National Lottery Regulatory Commission (Nigeria): Nigeria's national regulator for lotteries and gaming; directly comparable as an African national gambling regulator with licensing, compliance monitoring, and responsible gambling functions.
• Betting Control and Licensing Board of Kenya: Kenya's statutory regulator for betting, gaming and lotteries; comparable as an African national regulator handling licensing, compliance and responsible gambling across physical and digital operators.

Regional players

• Gauteng Gambling Board: Provincial gambling regulator in South Africa's most populous province; comparable in scope (casino, betting, LPM licensing plus responsible gambling programs) to the Botswana Gambling Authority.
• Zimbabwe Gambling Board: Zimbabwe's national gambling regulator; close Southern African peer with comparable mandate over casinos, betting, lotteries and responsible gambling, useful for benchmarking regulatory scale in similar economies.
• Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board: Provincial gambling regulator in South Africa issuing casino, betting, bingo and LPM licenses. Comparable to a national African regulator like Botswana given its licensing, compliance monitoring, and responsible gambling remit.

Broad incumbents

• UK Gambling Commission: UK national gambling regulator licensing operators and enforcing compliance, consumer protection and social responsibility; comparable in scope and maturity of responsible gambling programs.
• Swedish Gambling Authority (Spelinspektionen): Sweden's national gambling regulator supervising licensed operators across online and land-based verticals with strong responsible gambling focus; a benchmark for European gambling regulation comparable in function.
• Malta Gaming Authority: Mature European gambling regulator with comprehensive licensing across B2C and B2B gaming, comparable in scope of license categories, compliance monitoring and responsible gambling oversight.
• Curaçao Gaming Control Board: National regulator of Curaçao supervising land-based and online gaming operators; comparable in licensing and compliance monitoring remit, especially relevant given overlap with digital gaming regulation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/botswana-gambling-authority

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gambling Authority - Botswana