Allexer Namundjembo
Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) lawmaker Winnie Moongo has asked the minister of environment, forestry and tourism, Indileni Daniel, to explain how the Gambling Trust Fund is being monitored to ensure transparency and accountability.
The fund was created under section 25 of the Gaming and Entertainment Control Act of 2018 to reduce the social and economic effects of gambling. It is used to support rehabilitation programmes and public education. The Gambling Board of Namibia manages the fund in trust.
In a notice of questions in parliament on Thursday, Moongo said that despite the objectives of the act, concerns remain about how the fund is being implemented.
“While the Act requires the Fund to be financed by licence fees, levies, penalties, and other sources, there appears to be insufficient transparency in the disbursement of funds, the effectiveness of funded programmes, and compliance by gambling operators,” she said.
Moongo asked Daniel to clarify what mechanisms are in place to ensure full transparency and public reporting on the fund’s income and expenditure and what measures exist to make sure all gambling operators comply.
She also pressed for details on how the Fund’s income is allocated to rehabilitation, treatment, and public education, and what impact these allocations have had on reducing gambling addiction.
She further questioned whether the ministry has considered amending the legal framework to address new risks such as underage online gambling, citing the rise of online and digital betting platforms.
The ministry earned N$9.3 million from gambling and gaming activities in the 2022/2023 financial year.
Reports show that little is known about how much of this revenue has been used to address gambling-related harm.
Civil society organisations have also called for greater inclusion in decision-making, warning that addiction and its social consequences continue to grow.
Moongo echoed these concerns and asked the Daniel to explain how community-based rehabilitation programmes are supported through the Fund.
In 2017, the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) raised issues in the draft Lotteries Bill, warning that vague terms such as “any national cause” or “governmental objectives” were too broad and could open the door for misuse of proceeds.
More recently, the government acknowledged oversight gaps when it moved to bring over 280 previously unlicensed gambling operators under review.
Enforcement challenges have also played out in court, where the High Court ruled that licensed gambling houses must pay a 10% levy on profits to the Gambling Board, showing that even licensed operators had not always complied with their obligations.
Previously, Daniel has warned in Parliament about the growing risks of gambling addiction, particularly among youth and the unemployed, linked it to the rise of mobile and online betting.
