Botswana Gambling Authority and FIA move to strengthen AML oversight

Botswana’s Gambling Authority has opened talks with the Financial Intelligence Agency to improve coordination on anti-money laundering controls, information sharing and breach reporting across the country’s licensed gambling sector.

Botswana’s Gambling Authority has begun new discussions with the Financial Intelligence Agency aimed at strengthening financial-crime oversight in the gambling industry. The meeting took place on May 13 and brought together Gambling Authority CEO Moruntshi Kemorwale and FIA Director General Bopelokgale Soko, along with senior officials from both institutions.

According to the Gambling Authority, the engagement focused on research and data management, reporting of regulatory non-compliance, information exchange and stronger action against anti-money laundering risks in the gambling sector. The regulator said inter-agency cooperation is central to building a more transparent, accountable and responsible gambling industry in Botswana.

The talks come at a time when licensed operators face closer scrutiny over AML and financial-integrity obligations. The Gambling Authority’s Compliance and Monitoring Unit is responsible for supervising gambling activities and entities, enforcing the Gambling Act 2012 and ensuring that licensees comply with the Financial Intelligence Act and related regulations. Its functions include onsite and offsite inspections, levy verification, enforcement, customer-complaint resolution and AML/CFT/CFP oversight.

The FIA’s role is also central to the reform. As Botswana’s financial intelligence unit, the agency receives, analyses and shares financial information connected to suspicious transactions, money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation-financing risks. It also coordinates AML/CFT activities in the country and supports research into financial-crime trends.

The gambling sector is increasingly relevant to Botswana’s wider financial-crime strategy because it involves cash handling, electronic payments, player accounts and cross-border risks. A National Risk Assessment on money laundering and terrorist financing was published in April 2026, highlighting Botswana’s broader work to identify vulnerabilities and strengthen its AML/CFT framework.

The new cooperation also follows earlier joint warnings from the Gambling Authority and FIA about unlicensed online betting schemes. In a previous advisory, the agencies warned that unregulated betting operations could expose users to financial loss, fraud, money laundering and broader criminal networks, especially through social media promotions and third-party payment channels.

For licensed operators, the message is clear: compliance expectations are rising. Companies will likely face closer monitoring of transactions, stronger reporting obligations and more pressure to detect and report suspicious activity. For Botswana’s gambling market, deeper cooperation between the Gambling Authority and FIA could help protect the regulated sector from illicit finance, strengthen consumer trust and reduce the space for illegal or poorly supervised operators.