Botswana’s Bureau of Standards (BOBS) announced that gambling equipment standards gazetted on 12 April 2024 are available to purchase. They cover casino equipment, monitoring systems, jackpot equipment, limited payout machines and wagering record-keeping software.
Operators and equipment suppliers can consult the standards covering gambling equipment and related systems in Botswana.
The day’s most important stories, free. One email a day.
A study by Botswana’s Gambling Authority and the University of Botswana estimates that unlicensed betting has reached P500 million, twice the size of the legal market. Acting chief executive Moruntshi Kemorwale said the research points to offshore platforms expanding faster than regulated betting.
Botswana’s Gambling Authority and Namibia’s Lotteries Board signed a memorandum of understanding during a bilateral visit in Gaborone on 23–24 July 2025. The agreement provides for knowledge exchange, joint research and cooperation on regulatory policy, responsible gambling and gaming oversight.
Gibraltar’s Government published a new Gambling Act that replaces the 2005 law and revises licensing, supervision and enforcement, according to reports. It creates categories for B2C operators, B2B operators and gambling support services, including marketing providers, and establishes a dedicated appeals tribunal with a 28-day filing period.
Botswana Gambling Authority CEO Peter Emolemo Kesitilwe called for harmonised gambling rules across African countries and said the government had worked with mobile network operators on guidelines to revive mobile gambling licences. He said operators would pay a levy based on gross gambling revenue to support addiction prevention and rehabilitation programmes.
Japan’s National Police Agency has proposed reducing standard approval fees for pachinko and pachislot machines by about 30%, with revised rates due to take effect on 1 April 2027 if approved. The certification fee for an already type-tested model would fall from JPY4,340 to JPY3,030, while testing requirements would remain unchanged.
Japan’s National Police Agency has proposed reducing standard approval fees for pachinko and pachislot machines by around 30%.