Gambling Rules, Not Rhetoric

Responsible gambling is not a public relations exercise but a legal and ethical requirement, according to Moruntshi Kemorwale, Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Gambling Authority of Botswana. Speaking at the one-year anniversary of Sunbet Botswana, Kemorwale said the Authority’s Responsible Gambling Strategy is anchored in five pillars designed to protect players, maintain market integrity and support long-term industry stability. “Our Responsible Gambling Strategy is structured around five key pillars,” Kemorwale said, beginning with public education and awareness.

He said the Authority invests in national campaigns, community outreach and digital engagement to ensure citizens understand gambling risks and the tools available to manage them. “Informed players are empowered players,” he said. The second pillar, industry training, requires all licensed operators to undergo structured responsible gambling programmes approved by the Botswana Qualifications Authority.

The aim, he said, is to ensure frontline staff can identify early signs of excessive gambling behaviour and respond appropriately. “Compliance begins with knowledge,” he said. The third pillar focuses on industry monitoring.

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Kemorwale said responsible gambling cannot be left to goodwill alone and must be reinforced through regulatory oversight. This includes compliance inspections, data analysis and engagement with operators to assess adherence to licence conditions, advertising standards, player protection requirements and reporting obligations. The fourth pillar involves self-exclusion and third-party exclusion mechanisms.

According to Kemorwale, these tools allow individuals—and, where appropriate, family members—to intervene before harm escalates. “These systems are not symbolic, they are operational safeguards embedded within licence conditions,” he said. The fifth pillar is corporate social responsibility and corporate social investment.

Kemorwale said operators are expected to contribute meaningfully to the communities in which they operate, extending responsibility beyond betting terminals to youth empowerment, sports development and social impact initiatives aligned with national priorities. He added that all five pillars are supported by continuous research and stakeholder engagement. The Authority, he said, works with health professionals, community leaders, faith-based organisations, academics and the industry to ensure an evidence-based and adaptive regulatory approach.

Kemorwale also highlighted the Authority’s compliance function, describing it as both facilitative and firm. The framework includes licence monitoring, financial reporting oversight, anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing supervision, technical system verification and enforcement where necessary. “Compliance is not about punishment, it is about prevention,” he said.

Against this backdrop, Kemorwale said Sunbet’s first year should be assessed not only by growth metrics but by how effectively it has embedded responsible gambling principles into its operations. He said sustainable success in the sector is driven by disciplined governance, ethical marketing and respect for player protection standards. As regulators, he said, the Authority recognises operators who understand that profitability and responsibility can coexist. “They are mutually reinforcing pillars of long-term stability,” he said.

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