Lawmakers in Namibia are ready to lift the two-decades-old ban on new gaming licenses in the country, according to multiple news reports.
Minister of Environment and Tourism Pohamba Shifeta says there are at least 100,000 unlicensed gambling machines in about 3,000 illegal gambling houses in Namibia, and acknowledged that the underground industry has provided a livelihood for thousands of his countrymen.
The new gaming act, to replace legislation installed in 1994, “will not only ensure strict regulation of gambling activities, but has new provisions to protect the public who participate in these activities and the national economy.”
Under the new act, all gaming halls must be registered and monitored, and inspectors will have the authority to make arrests or seize assets when procedures are not followed. A proposed central electronic monitoring system would “detect and monitor significant events associated with gambling machines or any device associated with gambling machines that are made available for play in Namibia,” he stated.
All operators must offer help for problem gamblers as well.
“The mission is to promote the industry in a more productive and positive light to remove any stigma that exists, we should love one another and share a cake together no one should be left out,” he said.
Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairperson Tomas Iindji said businesspeople “want to operate legally and access the licenses as urgently as yesterday. The process of securing licenses should not be cumbersome, it must be easy and straightforward.
I am of the view that the government of Namibia is about equal distribution of wealth but we are now defeating our own objectives and ideals. Why is it difficult to do business in Namibia, more especially for the Namibians?” he asked. “The system has to change and our government has all the powers to change the system.”
