Botswana - Obtain a Public Gaming License

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Procedure

Apply In-Person

1. The application to obtain a Public Gaming License also referred to as the Gambling Establishment License shall be made to the Gambling Authority, whose mandate is to license and regulate the gambling industry in Botswana.Gambling Authority Contact and Map location Details
2. The Authority will publish invitations to the public to apply for licenses through various media platforms e.g. Botswana Government social media page etc. Potential bidders are required to respond to the circulated advertisement by purchasing the Request for Application (RFA) document, which will set out the requirements for each of the license types and the locations of the licenses where appropriate.
3. The RFA Purchase Document can be obtained by downloading the RFA purchase form from the Gambling Authority website Download Documents or download it directly using this link:RFA Document Purchase Form
4. Pay the requisite document purchase fee into the supplied bank account as mentioned in the RFA purchase form. The payment will be strictly by Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT).
5. The completed form should be sent to this email address [email protected] Upon receipt of the completed form, and after confirming the payment, the Authority will forward to your supplied e-mail address the RFA document.
6. The application times and the processing times and guidelines will be contained in the RFA for each license type.
7. Applicants will then apply for the Public Gaming/ Gambling Establishment license following the guideline outlined in the RFA. Timelines pertaining to each license type will be detailed in the RFA. Applications are to be submitted by the submission date, along with the application fee, for the application to be received by the Authority.
8. The application shall be made in writing using a prescribed Gambling Establishment License application form, which will be available for download via the Gambling Authority website.
9. The completed form, attached to the supporting documentation as listed under the “Required Documents” of this page, should be submitted to the authority using the applicable submission method as mentioned in the RFA guideline document.
10. The application will only be registered to be processed when payment of the application fee BWP 50,000 has been made. The payment will be strictly by Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT).
11. The application will be processed as per the information and documentation provided, that is why applicants are advised to provide sufficient information to enable the Gambling Authority licensing board to evaluate the business/company and make its decision.
12. The Authority will immediately after the closing date, confirm all applications received, and embark on the evaluation process.
13. The Authority shall respond within seven (07) working days after receipt of the application for acknowledgment of receipt, including steps of action, this will run concurrently with in-camera interviews, invitations for objections as well as scheduled public hearings.
14. Every applicant shall at his or her own expense, cause notification of an application of the intended license to be published in two consecutive issues of the Gazette, Daily News, or any private local newspaper, calling upon any person who objects to the application to notify the Authority, in writing, of such objection and the grounds of that objection, within 30 days of the last publication of the notification.
15. The Authority shall, on the filing of an application for a license, cause the premises to which the application relates, or the architectural drawings where a building has not yet been built, to be inspected by an inspector appointed by the Gambling Authority.
16. The inspector shall, upon the completion of his or her inspection, forward a copy of his or her report to the Authority, which shall take such report into account, in its consideration of the application.
17. The Authority shall request the Botswana Police Service for police clearance, which clearance shall include setting out any convictions on offenses involving dishonesty or moral turpitude recorded against an applicant for a license.
18. The Gambling Authority licensing board may request additional information relevant to the application for the purpose of ascertaining compliance by the applicant with all applicable laws and regulations. In such a case, the information must be submitted within the stipulated time from the date of notification. Where the applicant fails to submit the required information, the licensing board shall reject the application.
19. After the lapse of the processing time, the outcome of the evaluation will be made public, following the decision to award licenses by the Board.
20. The Authority shall, within seven days after the decision to grant a license, notify the applicant, in writing, that the license has been granted.
21. When all regulatory requirements for approval of the permit are satisfactorily met, the licensing officer shall prepare and issue to the applicant the permit that shall be valid for a specific period and shall indicate the approval scope and limitation.
22. Where the Authority has refused to grant a license to an applicant, the Authority shall notify the applicant, in writing, within seven days of the decision and shall furnish the applicant with reasons for the refusal.
23. While collecting the license, the applicant will be required to produce their identity document and approval letter to be validated by the licensing officer at the Gambling Authority office and pay the annual license fee of BWP 25,000.
    

Apply Online

1. Upon being supplied with the RFA documents by the Gambling Authority. (Refer to the Apply In Person section above on how to purchase the RFA documents)
2. The application for a Public Gaming/Gambling Establishment License can also be applied and submitted, online via the Gambling Authority Website as per the RFA guideline.
3. Navigate on the home page and select the “Resource” option on the menu bar, then click on the “Online Application” on the drop bar, this will navigate you to the “License Online Application” page.
4. Then select “Application for Gambling Establishment License”, this will navigate you to the application form, complete all mandatory sections of the application form, upload the supporting documents as listed under the site, then click on the “Submit” tab.
5. The application will only be registered to be processed when payment of the application fee BWP 50,000 has been made. The payment will be strictly by Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT).
6. The application will be processed as per the information and documentation provided, that is why applicants are advised to provide sufficient information to enable the Gambling Authority licensing board to evaluate the business/company and make its decision.
7. The Authority shall respond within seven (07) working days after receipt of the application for acknowledgment of receipt, including steps of action, this will run concurrently with in-camera interviews, invitations for objections as well as scheduled public hearings.
8. Every applicant shall at his or her own expense, cause notification of an application of the intended license to be published in two consecutive issues of the Gazette, Daily News, or any private local newspaper, calling upon any person who objects to the application to notify the Authority, in writing, of such objection and the grounds of that objection, within 30 days of the last publication of the notification.
9. The Authority shall, on the filing of an application for a license, cause the premises to which the application relates, or the architectural drawings where a building has not yet been built, to be inspected by an inspector appointed by the Gambling Authority.
10. The inspector shall, upon the completion of his or her inspection, forward a copy of his or her report to the Authority, which shall take such report into account in its consideration of the application.
11. The Authority shall request the Botswana Police Service for police clearance, which clearance shall include setting out any convictions on offenses involving dishonesty or moral turpitude recorded against an applicant for a license.
12. The Gambling Authority licensing board may request additional information relevant to the application for the purpose of ascertaining compliance by the applicant with all applicable laws and regulations. In such a case, the information must be submitted within the stipulated time from the date of notification. Where the applicant fails to submit the required information, the licensing board shall reject the application.
13. After lapse of the processing time, the outcome of the evaluation will be made public, following the decision to award licenses by the Board.
14. The Authority shall, within seven days after the decision to grant a license, notify the applicant, in writing, that the license has been granted.
15. When all regulatory requirements for approval of the permit are satisfactorily met, the licensing officer shall prepare and issue to the applicant the permit that shall be valid for a specific period and shall indicate the approval scope and limitation.
16. Where the Authority has refused to grant a license to an applicant, the Authority shall notify the applicant, in writing, within seven days of the decision and shall furnish the applicant with reasons for the refusal.
17. While collecting the license, the applicant will be required to produce their identification document and approval letter to be validated by the licensing officer at the Gambling Authority office and pay the annual license fee of BWP 25,000.
    

Appeal to the Minister

1. Any person who is aggrieved by a decision of the Authority's refusal to issue the license, may appeal to the Minister within 30 days of that decision.
   

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Required Documents

• Certified copy of certificate of incorporation or certificate of registration (if the Applicant is a company).
• Certified copies of share certificates (if the Applicant is a company).
• Proof of directorship (certified copies) (if the Applicant is a company).
• Title deed, lease or sublease agreement of premises to be utilised for the gambling establishment (certified copy).
• Detailed proposal of the project with sketch plans for the proposed operation.
• Proof of funding for the gambling establishment.
• Copies of audited financial statements of the Applicant.
• Information of any application by the Applicant or any of the Applicant’s associates for a gambling establishment licence anywhere in the world, and the outcome of such application.
• Certified copy of tax clearance certificate of the Applicant.
• Proof of shareholding.
• Proof of payment of the applicable fees.
• Any other additional supporting documentation as requested by the Gambling Authority.
  

Office Locations & Contacts

Botswana Gambling Authority
Physical Address Plot 70667, Fairscape PrecinctBuilding 3
Postal address Private Bag BR 161
Broadhurst
Gaborone
Telephone: (+267) 3957672
Email: [email protected]
Botswana Gambling Authority Contact and Map location Details
Botswana Gambling Authority Website

Eligibility

• The applicant is above the age of 21 years.
• Where the applicant is not an individual, the company/business should be registered in Botswana.

Fees

• RFA Purchase Document Fee please consult with the Authority.
• Gambling Establishment prescribed fees:
  • Application fee BWP 50,000.
  • Annual license fee BWP 25,000.
  • Renewal license fee- BW 50,000.
  • License Transfer fee- BWP 5,000.
  • Duplicate fee -BWP 2,000 .
    

NOTES:

• The fee schedule is subjected to change by the gambling Authority.
• The payment will be strictly by Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT).
  

Validity

• The validity of the license shall be mentioned on the license and shall remain valid for that specified period, unless suspended, cancelled, or revoked by the authority. However, the license is subjected to an annual renewal fee.
• Upon expiring the license is subjected to renewal.
  

Documents to Use

RFA Document Purchase Form

Sample Documents

Please attach sample completed documents that would help other people.

Processing Time

Please explain processing time taken in obtaining the document/certificate.

Related Videos

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications.
Attach videos using the following tag <&video type='website'>video ID|width|height<&/video&> from external websites.
Please remove the '&' inside the tags during implementation.
Website = allocine, blip, dailymotion, facebook, gametrailers, googlevideo, html5, metacafe, myspace, revver,
sevenload, viddler, vimeo, youku, youtube
width = 560, height = 340, Video ID = Can be obtained from the URL of webpage where the video is displayed.
e.g In the following url 'http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0US7oR_t3M' Video ID is 'Y0US7oR_t3M'.

Instructions

Please provide other instructions related to the certificate/documents.
E.g. The state office holds birth records since January 1908.

Required Information

• Name of applicant.
• Trading name of Applicant.
• Physical/ Postal Address .
• contact details (Telephone/email/fax).
• Details of the shareholders of the Applicant (if the Applicant is a company) { Name of Shareholders,% of shares held, Postal Address}.
• Details of the directors of the Applicant (if the Applicant is a company): {Name of Director, Postal Address, Telephone No.}
• Details of the Company Secretary (if the Applicant is a company):{Name of Secretaries, Residential Address, Telephone No}
• Names and addresses of the auditors of the Applicant.
• Details of all bank accounts, including foreign accounts, held by the applicant at any time during the last five years.
• Details of the envisaged employment levels of the proposed operation.
• Financial details of how the proposed business is going to be funded.
• Declaration by the application.
  

Need for the Document

Public Gaming/Gaming establishment license is a permit issued to premises where an individual or company wants to offer premises-based gambling activates such as any gambling game, gaming device, slot machine, and race book or sports pool etc.

Information which might help

Enter other informations which might help.

Other uses of the Document/Certificate

Please explain what are other uses of obtaining this document/certificate.
E.g. Birth Certificate can be used as proof of identity.

External Links

• Botswana Gambling Act
  
• Gambling Authority Regulations
  
• Request For Proposal (RFP) for the provision of legal services
  

Others

More information which might help people.