Staff Reporter
THE Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism has scheduled public consultations on proposed amendments to lotteries and gambling regulations in six regions from 5 to 14 October.
Consultation meetings will take place in Keetmanshoop in the ||Kharas Region on 5 October and in Swakopmund in the Erongo Region on 7 October.
Further meetings are scheduled for Oshakati in the Oshana Region on 9 October; Rundu in Kavango East on 12 October; Otjiwarongo in Otjozondjupa on 13 October and Windhoek in the Khomas Region on 14 October.
The ministry, alongside the Gambling Board and the Lotteries Board, is advancing amendments to the Gaming and Entertainment Control Act and the Lotteries Act to modernise industry oversight.
Key proposed amendments include the introduction of standardised application and registration fees, lowering costs for smaller operations such as bars and shebeens while increasing fees for bookmakers and totalisators.
They also include the implementation of a mandatory 5% monitoring fee on net monthly income and a 1% maintenance fee on gross income to support a Central Electronic Monitoring System; a 5% levy on the value of prizes for promotional competitions and a N$2,000 processing fee for approval.
The amendments further provide for an electronic software lottery licence and clearer rules for digital platforms, as well as coordination with the Namibia Revenue Agency (NamRA) through data sharing to crack down on undeclared operator and winner income.
Picture for illustrative purposes only. Photo: Contributed
