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1. Market overview
Where the market sits, who runs it and under what law.
- Region
- Africa
- Legal status of gambling
- Partially regulated
- National regulator
- The Gambling Board, established by the Gaming and Entertainment Control Act, 2018 (the Act's own name for the body it creates). Secondary sources inconsistently call it the "Gaming Board of Namibia" or a "Casino Board" — the Act's own name, Gambling Board, is used here as the more reliable reading.
- Regulator website
- Under verification
- Key legislation
- Gaming and Entertainment Control Act, 2018 (Act 13 of 2018), as amended by the Gaming and Entertainment Control Amendment Act, 2020 (Act 5 of 2020); both took effect 1 December 2021, repealing and replacing the earlier Casinos and Gambling Houses Act, 1994.
- Minimum player age
- Under verification
2. Allowed verticals
What may be offered, and whether it needs a licence.
| Vertical | Status | Licence required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land-based casino | Permitted with a licence | Yes | Among the licence categories named directly in the Act. |
| Sports betting | Permitted with a licence | Yes | The Act names separate "bookmaker" and "totalisator" licence categories. |
| Slots / gaming halls | Permitted with a licence | Yes | Covered under the Act's "gambling house" licence category, per the statute's own licence list. |
| Lottery | Restricted | No | Not named among the Act's own licence categories (casino, gambling house, bookmaker, totalisator, manufacturer/supplier, testing agent); its treatment under this Act is unconfirmed. |
| Online casino | Restricted | No | Sources disagree sharply on scope: one industry report says unlicensed online gambling is strictly prohibited under the Act, while another says online activity remains outside the law entirely, with no comprehensive online framework established. The Act defines an "online game" by reference to games prescribed under section 73, but explicitly excludes a bet placed through communication technology with a bookmaker from that definition. This should be confirmed against section 73 and the Gambling Board's own guidance before publication. |
3. Licensing framework
What a licence is, what it costs and what the holder must have in country.
- B2C licensing
- Under verification
- B2B licensing
- Under verification
- Licence term
- Under verification
- Application fee
- Under verification
- Annual fee
- Under verification
- Local presence required
- The Gambling Board processes licences and recommends licence numbers to the minister; it also maintains a registry of restricted (self-excluded) players and oversees a central monitoring system that licensed operators must connect to.
- Share capital required
- Under verification
4. Taxation and banking
What the state takes, and whether the money can move.
- Gaming tax (GGR)
- A community industry site states a 10% tax on GGR for online operators, but this is not confirmed against the Act or Gambling Board publications and should be treated with caution.
- Corporate income tax
- Under verification
- Tax on player winnings
- Under verification
- Payments
- Under verification
- Banking and payments
- Under verification
Key sources
-
Gaming and Entertainment Control Act, 2018 (Act 13 of 2018)
Parliament of Namibia Legislation
-
Casinos and Gambling Houses Act, 1994 (repealed 2021-12-01)
Parliament of Namibia Legislation
-
Namibia Commences Long-Awaited Gambling Laws
Vixio Industry
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Planning to enter Namibia?
A regulatory assessment reads Namibia's regime against your own products, licence class and corporate structure, and says what follows for each: what you may offer, what you must hold, what it costs and what will change.
Regulatory Intelligence disclaimer
Information is provided for general regulatory intelligence purposes and should not be treated as legal advice for a specific transaction or business model. Regulatory requirements may change and should be confirmed before market entry or implementation.