Is online gambling legal in Namibia?
The Gaming and Entertainment Control Act 13 of 2018, amended in 2020 and in force with its regulations since 1 December 2021, replaced the old casino and gambling house laws and created the Gambling Board of Namibia under the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism. The Board issues casino, gambling house, bookmaker, totalizator, manufacturer or supplier, testing agent and key employee licences. Section 73 prohibits any online game unless authorized under the Act, and the Minister has not yet prescribed online games or an online game licence, so online casino play is unlawful; bets placed with a licensed bookmaker through communication technology are carved out of that definition, which is the basis for online sports betting. In March and April 2026 the Ministry consulted on amended regulations that would introduce a Central Electronic Monitoring System funded by a 5% monitoring fee and 1% maintenance fee, new application and annual fees, and an electronic lottery licence category.
| Vertical | Status in Namibia |
|---|---|
| Online casino | Prohibited |
| Sports betting | Regulated |
| Online poker | Prohibited |
| Lottery | Regulated |
| Social casino (free to play) | Permitted |
Partially regulated: Some verticals are licensed (usually betting); others are prohibited or unaddressed.
Who regulates gambling in Namibia?
- Gambling Board of Namibia (GBN) — Statutory regulator under the Gaming and Entertainment Control Act: licensing, inspections, levies, the register of restricted persons, the central electronic monitoring system and responsible-gambling programs funded by the Gambling Trust Fund
Namibia gambling licence: how it works
Applications go to the Gambling Board of Namibia in the prescribed form with the documents and fees set by the 2021 regulations. A casino licence is available only to an accommodation establishment graded at least four stars with 100 rooms in Windhoek, or three stars with 50 rooms elsewhere. A gambling house licence lets a hotel or a licensed retail liquor business keep a prescribed number of gambling machines, without tables. A bookmaker licence covers a bookmaking business on events and contingencies, and a totalizator licence covers pool betting. No online game licence can be issued until the Minister prescribes online games under section 73, so there is no route to an online casino licence today. Proposed 2026 amendments would add floor plans, a certificate of fitness for the premises, a tax good-standing certificate, key employee licences and police conduct certificates to every application.
What an applicant needs
- Application in the prescribed form with fees; applicants, controlling shareholders and key employees are vetted, and political office bearers and staff members face restrictions on holding licences
- Casino: graded accommodation establishment (four stars and 100 rooms in Windhoek; three stars and 50 rooms elsewhere)
- Gambling house: accommodation establishment or retail liquor licence; machines only, within the number specified in the licence
- Every gambling machine registered and linked to the Board's central electronic monitoring system
- Compliance with the Financial Intelligence Act 2012 as an accountable institution
- Proposed from 2026: premises floor plans, certificate of fitness, Inland Revenue good-standing certificate, key employee licences and police clearance
Gambling taxes in Namibia
- Operators: Licence fees and levies prescribed under the Act: casinos and gambling houses pay a levy on gambling income at the rate set by regulation, totalizators pay a levy on gross takings, and bookmakers deduct a prescribed levy from amounts won by players and remit it to the Board (section 65). Corporate income tax applies at the standard rate. The proposed 2026 amendments would add a 5% monitoring fee on net monthly gambling income and a 1% maintenance fee on gross income for operators linked to the central monitoring system.
- Players: Bookmaker winnings carry the prescribed levy deducted before payout under section 65; no separate income tax on gambling winnings was identified.
- Also: Levies and fines feed the Gambling Trust Fund, which finances responsible-gambling programs and the Board's operations. The Board's acting chief executive said the proposed fee structure was based on regional benchmarking; stakeholders welcomed lower fees for bars and gambling houses and questioned the higher bookmaker fees.
Advertising, player protection, KYC and payments
Advertising
The Act empowers the Minister to limit and control gambling advertising and requires warnings about the dangers of habitual gambling to be displayed; no detailed advertising code had been published at review, so licence conditions and general law apply.
Responsible gaming
Minimum age 18 since the 2020 amendment. The Board keeps a register of restricted persons who may not gamble and whose winnings can be forfeited, must run outreach and awareness programs, and is rolling out a central electronic monitoring system that it intends to use for age control and player verification in sportsbook and online betting.
Identity and age verification
Casinos, gambling houses and bookmakers are accountable institutions under the Financial Intelligence Act 2012 and report to the Financial Intelligence Centre at the Bank of Namibia; identity verification, record-keeping and suspicious-transaction reporting apply, and the Board checks the restricted-persons register.
Payments
Bank cards, EFT and bank-issued e-wallets are the main rails for licensed bookmakers, with cash in gambling houses and casinos; the Namibian dollar is pegged to the rand and rand notes circulate. Crypto is not legal tender and is not an approved payment channel for licensed operators.
Notable restrictions
- Online games are prohibited unless authorized under the Act; no online game licence has been prescribed, so online casino play is unlawful
- Casino licences only for graded hotels of a minimum size; gambling houses only in hotels and licensed liquor outlets
- Every gambling machine must be registered and linked to the central electronic monitoring system
- No gambling by persons under 18 or by registered restricted persons; winnings of restricted persons can be forfeited
- Licence holders may not share control or profits with another person without the Minister's written authority
Namibia iGaming market: size, players and payments
No reliable public estimate; the Board does not publish gross gambling revenue.
A handful of hotel casinos, hundreds of gambling houses in bars and shebeens, and a small number of bookmakers make up the licensed market; the Board describes Namibia as a new market for sportsbook and online betting and is working through a five-year strategy to raise compliance.
Timeline: how Namibia got here
- 2018Gaming and Entertainment Control Act 13 of 2018 passed to replace the casino and gambling house laws
- 2020Amendment Act 5 of 2020 sets the minimum age at 18 and refines licence definitions
- 2021-12Act and regulations come into force on 1 December; Gambling Board of Namibia established
- 2024Board operational in Windhoek, processing casino, gambling house and bookmaker licences and planning the central electronic monitoring system
- 2026-03Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism consults in all 14 regions (24 March to 9 April) on amended gambling and lotteries regulations with new fees, monitoring fees and an electronic lottery licence
Outlook
The amended regulations consulted on in 2026 are the next step: if adopted they set a new fee schedule, fund the Central Electronic Monitoring System through 5% and 1% fees, add an Electronic Software Lottery Licence for digital lottery platforms and tighten application dossiers. Online casino games remain prohibited until the Minister prescribes online games under section 73, and no timetable for that had been announced by September 2026. Expect the Board to concentrate on linking machines to the monitoring system and on bookmaker compliance before opening any online game category.
Launching in Namibia with GameBridge
Model decided with counsel. Online casino games are unauthorized in Namibia, and the bookmaker route for online sports betting runs on regulations that were being rewritten in 2026, so the honest position is a compliance review with the operator's Namibian counsel before any configuration; GameBridge holds no Namibian licence.
By default GameBridge geo-controls exclude Namibia from casino and poker verticals. For an operator that holds or is applying for a Namibian bookmaker licence, a sportsbook-only brand can be configured in English with a NAD wallet, card and EFT rails on request through the operator's local banking, an age gate at 18, checks against the Board's restricted-persons register and the levy deduction on winnings that section 65 requires. Casino content stays off until the Minister prescribes online games and the operator holds the corresponding licence, and every product version carries a certification package for the Board's testing agents.
- Namibia excluded from casino and poker verticals by default geo-controls
- Sportsbook-only configuration with NAD wallet, cards and EFT on request
- Age gate at 18 and restricted-persons register checks
- Levy deduction on bookmaker winnings at payout
- Reporting aligned to the proposed monitoring and maintenance fees
- Certification package for every product version for the Board's testing agents
Football betting is the online product with a lawful route; GameBridge Studios and Originals content is not configured for Namibia until online games are prescribed.
Frequently asked questions
Is online gambling legal in Namibia?
How do I get a Namibia gambling licence?
What is the gambling tax in Namibia?
How much would a Namibia casino licence cost under the proposed fees?
Which payment methods do Namibian players use?
How does GameBridge approach Namibia?
Sources and review
Reviewed against the sources below on 11 September 2026. Regulation changes; confirm the current position with local counsel before launch.
- Gaming and Entertainment Control Act, 2018 (as amended, in force 1 December 2021) — NamibLII, accessed 2026-09-11
- Gambling Board of Namibia (official site) — Gambling Board of Namibia, accessed 2026-09-11
- Gambling Board of Namibia consults on regulations — Namibian Broadcasting Corporation, accessed 2026-09-11
- Namibia seeks public input on updated gambling regulatory reforms — iGaming Afrika, accessed 2026-09-11
- Shaping Africa's regulatory future: insights from Namibia's rising star (interview with the Board's acting CEO) — iGaming Afrika, accessed 2026-09-11
- Gaming and Entertainment Control Act 13 of 2018 (annotated statute) — Legal Assistance Centre, accessed 2026-09-11
Regulatory summaries are provided for orientation only and are not legal advice. Licensing requirements change; we validate them with you during scoping.