Reports AFRICA - NAMIBIA
Taming the wilderness
The new gambling bill in Namibia focuses on casinos, lottery and sports-betting, leaving online gaming in something of a legal limbo, if not all out proclaiming it illegal for citizens
Namibia gained independence from South Africa in 1990 following the War of Independence. It is one of the least densely populated countries in the world partly due to the Namib Desert which covers a large area. Te economy is heavily dependent on the
extraction and processing of minerals for exportation and mining accounts for 11.5 percent of GDP. Namibia is also the world’s fourth largest producer of uranium whilst the country is rich in zinc, copper, lead, gold, silver, tin and marble. Its economy is closely linked to South Africa and GDP per capita in 2015 was $11,300 with a 4.8 percent growth rate. Gambling is legal and regulated in Namibia.
After independence the government introduced the Casino and Gambling House Act of 1994 under the Ministry of Environment and Tourism and this regulated casinos and gambling houses and permitted slots, table games and poker. It also established a Casino Board and made provisions for the licensing and supervision of gambling operators. Within two years however the government
became concerned about the proliferation of slot halls and illegal sites and took steps to deal with it and in 1996, via Act 28, imposed a 10 year moratorium on issuing new gambling licences for slot halls. Tis ban was later lifted in 2006. Te Minister of Environment and Tourism said
they would make amendments to the Casinos and Gambling Houses Act to close certain loopholes to prevent illegal gambling and also drop the ban on the issuance of new casino licences (not gambling house licences). Te idea was simple. Other than diamonds
and cattle ranching there is little in Namibia to develop and the expansion of a tourist trade would help boost the economy. So since this time a further three casino licences have been issued bringing the total number of casino
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licences to six. However at the moment only one extra casino has opened at the Hilton Hotel. Tourism is not particularly huge in Namibia.
Last year 1.17m visitors came to the country although this is a steady increase year on year from 980,000 back in 2009. Figures in 2013 rose by five percent from the
previous year with most visitors coming from Angola, South Africa and Zambia. Te main attraction is of course the
landscape, wildlife and wilderness and income from tourism is expected to grow by seven percent annually. Te direct contribution of travel and tourism
to GDP in 2015 was N$3.7m which was three percent of total GDP and expected to rise to N$9.4m by 2025. Te total contribution of travel and tourism to GDP was N$18.4m (almost 15 percent of GDP). Te sector employs around 102,500 people which is around 19 percent Te Directorate of Tourism was set up to
develop the tourism industry to become more streamlined and focus on the development of tourism and regulate the gambling industry via its two divisions – Gambling Inspection and State Lotteries. Te Gambling Inspection division licences,
implements, regulates, controls and inspects the conduct of gambling in Namibia and carries out the functions and duties of the Gambling and Casino Board. Te State Lotteries sub division is responsible for the promotion and conduct of the National Lotteries and administration of the lotteries fund. Te Casinos and Gambling Houses Act of
1994, amended in 1996 by the Casinos and Gambling Houses Amendment Act, currently includes the following points:
l Casino licences are available to accommodation establishments in the
Windhoek area with at least four stars and at least 100 rooms.
l Casino licences are available to accommodation establishments in other areas of Namibia with at least three stars and at least 50 rooms.
l Age limit for entering casinos or slot halls is 18 years.
l Application fees are: 1. Casino licence N$25,000 2. Gambling House licence N$2,000 3. Transfer of casino licence N$5,000 4. Transfer of Gambling House licence N$1,000
5. Removal of casino licence N$5,000 6. Removal of Gambling House licence N$1,000
l Annual Licence fees: - Casinos - For first five slot machines or gambling device N$250 each
- For next five slot machines or device N$500 each
- For each slot machine or device in excess of 10 N$1,000 each
- Gambling House – for first five slot
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