MBABANE – MPs have called for an immediate halt to the issuing of operating licences to gambling companies until the long-awaited Gaming Control Regulations are finalised and tabled before Parliament.
The call dominated debate on a ministerial statement on gambling delivered by the Minister for Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Jane Simelane, during the final sitting of the House of Assembly for the year. Members of Parliament (MPs) expressed concern that licences were being issued in the absence of clear regulations, creating loopholes that exposed the public, particularly children, to unregulated gambling activities.
Lobamba Lomdzala MP Marwick Khumalo welcomed the ministerial statement, saying it showed progress.
However, he criticised government’s involvement in gambling, arguing that regulation should be handled by an independent authority or parastatal, as is the case in other countries.
“Gambling is a disease. If it is not properly regulated, it will destroy the country,” Khumalo said, calling for a complete freeze on the issuing of licences until regulations were finalised.
Mbabane East MP Welcome Dlamini, who chairs the Portfolio Committee on Tourism, raised concerns about the licensing of online gambling operators. He said some operators had been issued bookmaker licences, which were traditionally meant for horse and dog racing, instead of interactive gaming licences.
“From my understanding of the law, this means some operators have been wrongly licensed,” Dlamini said, adding that Parliament could not be expected to exercise effective oversight without proper regulations in place.
MPs further continued to question the status of the Gaming Control Regulations, noting that investors had reportedly failed to enter the sector because the regulations were still outstanding. Dlamini dismissed claims which he said were entailed in the ministerial statement that the draft regulations were with the portfolio committee, saying this was not true.
“It has been years since these regulations were expected to be completed, yet to date, they are still not in place. This limits proper control of the industry,” he said.
Concerns were also raised about the continued participation of underage children in gambling, particularly on online platforms. MPs urged the ministry to act with urgency to curb the problem, warning that the situation was becoming uncontrollable.
Dvokodvweni MP Sifiso Shabalala said the regulations under development were critical and long overdue, as they would align all gambling activities with the law and bring order to the sector.
Lobamba Lomdzala MP Khumalo questioned whether the country was benefitting financially from gambling and asked why Eswatini was not adopting stricter measures used in countries such as Australia to block children from accessing online gambling platforms.
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… call for Australia-style crackdown on child gambling
MBABANE – Members of Parliament have urged the Ministry of Tourism and Environmental Affairs to fully imitate Australia by completely banning children under the age of 18 from accessing online gambling platforms.
MPs said partial measures were insufficient and called for decisive, enforceable systems that would practically prevent children from gambling. They argued that Australia has demonstrated that strict enforcement is possible when there is political will.
Lobamba MP Michael Masilela said children had become dominant participants in online betting, a worrying trend that needed to be addressed in the regulations.
He proposed that parents and guardians be held liable if their children were found gambling using their devices.
Lubombo Region MP Futhi Ngcamphalala said the absence of regulations had created a grey area that allowed gambling to thrive unchecked, particularly in rural communities.
“We need these regulations urgently. Without them, very little can change in the gaming sector,” she said, calling for clarity on when the process would be concluded.
Ngcamphalala cited the popular online game Aviator as a major concern, saying it was doing more harm than good in rural areas.
She said children were stealing grandparents’ SIM cards and taking mobile money loans to gamble, while adults were gambling at workplaces in secrecy.
She said blocking secondary mobile wallets alone would not be enough, adding that stricter identity verification should be enforced. Anyone whose identity documents were used by a child to gamble, she said, should be held accountable.
Mtsambama MP Sibongile Mamba supported the call, asking whether the ministry had considered working closely with the Ministry of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) to trace the owners of identity documents used to register gambling accounts.
Ndzingeni MP Gcina Magagula questioned when the draft regulations would be tabled before Parliament, noting that children below the legal age were not registered on platforms such as Vela, therefore it is easy to track that they are using secondary SIM cards authorised by their guardians. He stressed that parents also need to exercise responsibility.
Hhukwini MP Alec Lushaba added that parents needed to be more disciplined, questioning how children were able to collect gambling winnings without adult assistance.
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House of Assembly adjourns until 2026
MBABANE – Speaker of the House of Assembly and Pigg’s Peak MP Jabulani Mabuza has adjourned Parliament sine die.
In his closing remarks, the Speaker urged MPs to enjoy the festive season responsibly and to use the recess period to reconnect with their families and communities.
He encouraged MPs to attend church, care for their families – particularly their wives – and extend support to elderly people in their constituencies as the year draws to a close.
Mabuza concluded by sharing passages from the Holy Bible, including Romans 12:21 which reads: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
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