Botswana moves ahead with gambling reform that would cut the legal betting age to 18

Botswana’s National Assembly has passed the Gambling Amendment Bill, 2026 on third reading, but the law still needs presidential assent before it can take effect. If signed, the package would lower the legal betting age from 21 to 18 and tighten AML and monitoring rules for operators.

1. The bill updates the Gambling Authority Act (Cap. 19:03) and will only start on the date set by the responsible minister in a notice published in the Government Gazette. So, for operators, the parliamentary vote is important, but it is not the finish line.
2. Clause 2 reduces the minimum age for gambling from 21 to 18, aligning it with Botswana’s age of legal majority. The proposal split parliament: opposition lawmakers Karabo Gare and Kenny Kapinga argued that 18-year-olds are too young for informed betting decisions and that the 21-year limit helps prevent early addiction, while supporters said 18-year-olds already have full civic rights. Labour and Home Affairs Minister Pius Mokgware also warned against rules that cannot be enforced.
3. The reform is clearly aimed at the unlicensed market. Acting chief executive of the Botswana Gambling Authority Moruntshi Kemorwale said unlicensed platforms divert about $63.2 million (850 million pulas) a year from Botswana’s economy. That is the sort of number that tends to get policymakers’ attention, and this one did.
4. Licensed operators are already processing meaningful volume, but the legal market is still only part of the picture. In March 2025, authorised operators processed $11.15 million (150 million pulas) in bets, paid out $10.04 million (135 million pulas) in winnings, and posted $1.11 million (15 million pulas) in gross revenue. Yet only 40% of Botswana’s 550,000 active bettors are estimated to use legal platforms.
5. The bill also tightens AML and supervision requirements. Companies would need to disclose beneficial ownership and carry out stricter customer due diligence, and any acquisition of 5% or more of financial control would require prior approval from the Botswana Gambling Authority. In addition, gambling venues would have to connect their terminals to a central electronic monitoring system run by the regulator, except for casinos and bingo halls, which would install their own control systems.

The compliance angle matters as much as the age change. The amendment is part of Botswana’s response to FATF (Financial Action Task Force) expectations, and it raises penalties for serious violations to as much as $7,432 (100,000 pulas). For PSPs and acquirers, that usually means more KYC, more ownership checks, and less tolerance for sloppy merchant structures.