Allan Mzunga, a legal expert believes the cross-jurisdiction deal will help enhance investment opportunities for gambling in Botswana and Namibia.
Last week, the Gambling Authority of Botswana and the Lotteries Board of Namibia signed a landmark agreement. The agreement is a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This sets a new precedent for collaborative gaming regulations across Africa.
The bilateral meeting held in Gaborone sought to enhance partnership across different regulatory policies, including responsible gaming.
Present at the meeting were Gaoakanye, a board member of the Botswana Gambling Authority, and Peter Emolemo Kesitilwe, the Chief Executive Officer. Several other executives also attended. Chairperson Wycliff Shililifa and CEO Dr John Shimaneni were representing the regulator of Namibia.
The two parties said the partnership marked a significant step forward in cross-border regulatory alignment. It also helps cement Botswana and Namibia’s positions as leaders in responsible gaming governance in Africa.
For numerous initiatives intended to enhance the effectiveness of the gaming regulation across both jurisdictions, the Botswana Namibia gambling MoU will make the way.
Thus, both parties will initiate training programs for staff members. This will let the two parties to build best practices as well as discuss player protection improvements.
Allan Mzungu, a legal practitioner of a corporate and commercial law firm in MMS Advocates tells iGB that he believes this is a highly progressive step. With this, a more stable and predictable regulatory environment will be created, which in turn will significantly enhance investment opportunities and foster sustainable gaming growth for these countries.
He added that this approach will not only attract more investors but also promote integrity and transparency within the industry.
The relationship between the two markets began last December when PstBet, a leading Namibian sports betting company, expanded into Botswana. It became the country’s first licensed betting operator.
Regulators from both Botswana and Namibia repeated their strong commitment to responsible gambling during the meeting.
