As the cost of living continues to spiral to new heights and the financial strain intensifies across Botswana, a growing proportion of the citizenry is reported to be engaging with the gambling sector.
Emerging reports reveal that at least 36.6 per cent of the country’s indigenes are actively engaged in gambling.
Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Botswana Gambling Authority, Moruntshi Kemorwale, made this revelation during a Parliamentary Standing Committee on Statutory Bodies and State Enterprises briefing, stressing that the social fabric of the country is seriously feeling the strain of this gambling surge.
Yet, this spike in gambling activity is directly linked to swathes of people living in abject poverty with no jobs, and the desperate scramble to break free from economic hardship.
Kermorwale, however, said the government is earnestly continuing sensitisation programmes to help curb excessive gambling and enlighten people on the social effects of problem gambling.
H2 Gambling Capital projected Botswana’s total gambling market to see a significant rise to 88%, which would stand at around BWP781million ($58.1 million) by 2030.
That succinctly shows that betting engagement will not evaporate anytime soon, as Botswana is often touted as the next key emerging market in Africa.
Minister of Trade and Entrepreneurship in Botswana, Tiroeaone Ntsima, had earlier stated that while the gambling industry is primed for a staggering turnover, he warned that the Gambling Authority has a big job to do in ensuring it does no harm to vulnerable groups, younger audiences and families, the most affected in the most recent spike.
“Gambling must never compromise the well-being of our people,” Ntsima was quoted as saying.
However, sources say several families currently suffer from severe emotional and financial breakdowns, as well as domestic violence cases all fueled by gambling-related stress.
It is understood that the Gambling Authority continues to tackle the canker, rolling out stricter regulations over illegal and online gambling, which are viewed as the chief causes of underage and addictive gambling. Such legislative oversight is expected to play a big role in providing player protection protocols in a time of such gambling frenzy.
