MEMBERS of Parliament (MPs) have called on the ministry of tourism and environmental affairs to stop issuing gambling licences, citing growing concerns over gambling addiction and the absence of clear regulations to govern the industry.
The concerns were raised during a House of Assembly sitting yesterday, where Minister for Tourism and Environmental Affairs Jane Mkhonta-Simelane tabled a ministerial statement on gaming ahead of the debate.
Lobamba Lomdzala MP Marwick Khumalo strongly condemned the expansion of gambling activities in the country, saying many citizens had fallen deeply into addiction.
He noted that some gamblers go as far as spending entire nights in gambling rooms.
“Gambling is killing the country. Let us stop gambling,” Khumalo said.
He further argued that government should not be directly involved in gambling activities, stating that such involvement reflected negatively on the country’s development.
“When government is directly involved in gambling, it shows that the country is still behind. There must be an independent company responsible for regulating gambling, not government itself,” he said, further questioning why the ministry continued to issue gambling licences in the absence of proper regulations.
“We are waiting for gambling regulations. Why is the ministry issuing gambling licences when the regulations are not yet in place? We want the minister to also declare a cut-off to this House,” he added.
Hhukwini MP Alec Lushaba echoed similar sentiments, saying the introduction of gambling regulations would ensure the effective implementation of the Gambling Act.
He reminded the House that gambling had previously been prohibited in the country due to limited understanding of its implications.
“At some point, gambling was prohibited because, as a country, we did not know anything about it,” Lushaba said.
Lubombo Regional MP Futhi Ngcamphalala also decried the current state of gambling in the country, saying it was conducted in an uncontrolled manner.
He stressed the urgency of finalising and implementing gambling regulations.
“Gambling in Eswatini is done anyhow. It is very important for the country to have gambling regulations,” Ngcamphalala said.
He singled out online and electronic gambling platforms, particularly the Aviator game, as being especially harmful.
“Gambling is a problem in the country, especially playing Aviator which is doing more harm than good,” he said.
Call for ID verification system
MEMBERS of Parliament (MPs) want the introduction of a gambling system that requires identification number (ID) verification so as to prevent children from accessing gambling platforms.
The MPs raised concern that gambling was destroying the future of children, with many minors reportedly accessing both physical and online gambling sites.
Mbabane East MP Welcome Dlamini asked Minister for Tourism and Environmental Affairs Jane Mkhonta-Simelane when regulations would be introduced so as to ensure that children under the age of 18 were prohibited from gambling.
Ligongolweni MP Joseph Souza also expressed concern, questioning whether the country benefited from gambling given the increasing number of children involved in the activity.
“We want an Act that will prohibit children from gambling. Children are future leaders and we should not destroy them,” said Souza.
Lobamba MP Michael Masilela said gambling addiction among children was becoming a serious problem and stressed that regulations must be made to clearly address the issue of underage gambling.
While acknowledging delays, he urged MPs to support the ministry.
“As the minister informed the House that benchmarking with other countries is still ongoing, let us give her time to do so. If the regulations are still being developed, we should not be too hard on her,” Masilela said.
Lubombo Regional MP Futhi Ngcamphalala emphasised the need for government to protect children, noting that minors still had easy access to gambling platforms in the country.
“We need to engage the ministry of information, communication and technology (ICT) to ensure that systems are put in place requiring ID verification before accessing gambling sites,” she said.
Lobamba Lomdzala MP Marwick Khumalo urged the country to adopt stricter measures similar to those used in Australia to restrict underage access to online platforms.
“What are children doing on gambling sites? We need strong rules that will also allow for the prosecution of parents whose children gamble. The minister of tourism must ban children from gambling instead of focusing on banning plastics,” Khumalo said.
Responding to the debate, Minister Mkhonta-Simelane said the ministry of tourism and environmental affairs was committed to protecting all participants in the gaming sector, particularly children.
She said the contributions from MPs had encouraged her to work harder.
“I am dealing with an Act from 2022 that does not have gambling regulations, so we are starting afresh. We are working as a team to ensure the regulations are thorough and cover all aspects,” she said.
The minister revealed that gambling regulations were expected to be finalised in the 2026/27 financial year.
She added that the ministry was working closely with telecommunications companies to address issues related to children’s access to gambling platforms.
