AT least 27 people have voluntarily applied to be self-excluded from gambling at casinos as of February.
According to a report by the ministry of tourism and environmental affairs for the financial year 2025/2026 tabled by Minister Jane Mkhonta-Simelane in Parliament, the 27 punters were excluded from gambling for periods ranging from 12 months to two years.
Despite that some people asked to be excluded from gambling, the ministry collected over E38 million as levies from gambling.
When debating the last quarter report for the ministry last year, Members of Parliament (MP) and senators asked the ministry whether it was possible to block and blacklist those who were addicted to gambling because many people had reportedly lost their lives through suicides linked to gambling.
Recently, there was a report about a 19-year-old Mobile Money vendor who lost his life after gambling away his employer’s money. Many other incidents of lost property have been reported by the media, emanating from gambling.
Following the escalating and devastating challenges posed by gambling addiction, the ministry disclosed that there were facilities that locals with gambling addiction could access to save themselves from the devastating effects, such as bankruptcy and suicide.
Mkhonta-Simelane said the ministry had already held six stakeholder consultations for the formulation of the Gaming Control Regulations, which include licensed gaming operators and government ministries and agencies.
She said the stakeholder consultations would be finalised before the end of the 2026/2027 financial year, before submission to Cabinet for approval.
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“The department collects gaming levies from lottery licence holders, bookmakers’ licence holders and short gaming promotions. A total of E38 585 761.50 was collected as levies from gaming operations from April 2025 to January 2026,” she said.
She added that a total of E69 000 was collected as annual licence fees from gaming operators as of February.
She also noted that five gaming operations were inspected through a joint operation between the department and the Royal Eswatini Police Service. She said three illegal gaming machines were confiscated at Sidvokodvo.
“The department, in collaboration with the Gaming Board, conducted five hearings for five gaming operators in accordance with the Gaming Control Act, 2022, who had applied for the renewal of their licences,” she said.
She said the ministry also issued 11 short-term gaming permits to companies such as MTN, SPAR, Pick n Pay and Coca-Cola, which run for a period of three months as stipulated by the Gaming Control Act, 2022.
Mkhonta-Simelane stated that the ministry was responsible for ensuring that the gaming industry adheres to legal, regulatory and platform-specific standards, thereby mitigating risks of fines and licence revocation while engendering accountability for revenues due to government.
