Gambling crackdown

Government is set to implement a raft of prohibitive measures in an effort to stem the mushrooming tide of illegal gambling that has gripped the nation. According to tourism minister Pohamba Shifeta there are 2 600 unlicensed and illegal gambling houses in Namibia and approximately 20 000 illegal gambling machines countrywide.Shifeta last week tabled the Gaming and Entertainment Control Bill in the National Assembly that proposes to regulate the gaming industry. He said the new legislation will no longer allow the transfer of gambling house licenses from one area to another and therefore the practice of individuals buying gambling machines from others and placing them in various shebeens that do not belong to them will no longer be possible.A gambling house licence will only be issued to the person who on an application conducts an accommodation establishment or retail liquor business.Furthermore, the Bill makes provision for the maximum number of licenses per region.According to Shifeta there are 260 licence holders in Namibia, which include six casinos and 254 gambling houses, while a total of 2 845 gambling machines are registered. These include 1 145 gambling machines at casinos and 1 700 machines at gambling houses from which the gambling industry contributes N$22 million annually to the State Revenue Fund.While motivating the Bill, Shifeta said the new legislation is necessitated by major shortcomings identified in the current Act, as per the Damaseb Presidential Commission of Inquiry of July 1997, as well as changes brought about by the globalisation of modern economies and the advent of new technology that affects the gaming industry.According to him the findings of the commission were that there are too many gambling machines in the country, that the majority of gamblers are local people from the lower income sectors the society and that many tourists are primarily interested in natural and cultural attractions and not in gambling. The commission also found that the monitoring and enforcement of gambling was not adequate and recommended an immediate moratorium on the issuing of new gambling house licenses. Shifeta said the main objectives of the Gaming and Entertainment Control Bill is therefore to regulate gambling activities in Namibia and set out the principles for gambling and its activities. Shifeta said the piece of legislation will not only ensure the strict regulation of the gambling activities, but it also has new provisions to protect members of the public who participate in these activities, as well as society and the national economy at large.“We are also trying to ensure that the issuing of licenses in respect of gambling and gambling activities is transparent, fair and equitable.”The Bill further provides for the establishment of the Gambling Board as and administrative body or agency of government, in line with the current law on gambling. The functions of the board are set out in detail and include the issuing of the various licenses and the overall supervision of the gambling industry. According to Shifeta the Bill gives power to the board to establish and maintain a register of every gambling machine manufactured within or imported into Namibia, and to establish a central electronic monitoring system. This system will be capable of detecting and monitoring significant events associated with a particular gambling machine or any device associated with it.It is also capable of analysing and reporting data in accordance with the prescribed requirements.Shifeta said the board must electronically link all gambling machines to the central electronic monitoring system and the licence holder must pay for the installation and related costs.Shifeta stressed that hefty fines will be imposed or a person will face imprisonment if they are in possession a gambling machine and do not register it and link it to the central electronic system within a period of six to 12 months after the enactment of the legislation. ELLANIE SMIT

Gambling crackdown

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Namibian Sun 2024-11-15

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Gambling crackdown

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Namibian Sun 2024-11-15

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