Cursed Seas

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Speaking at the 2026 South East Region Staff Excellence Awards in Gaborone, Kemorwale said unlicensed platforms were diverting an estimated P850m ($63.2 million) from Botswana’s economy each year and exposing children and teenagers to unregulated gambling.

He described the rapid growth of the illegal online market as one of the sector’s most serious challenges.

The bill would amend the Gambling Authority Act to align it more closely with the Financial Intelligence Act and Financial Action Task Force standards. Its memorandum says the changes are intended to strengthen anti-money laundering requirements and reduce financial crime risks.

About Cursed Seas

Last week a committee made up of MPs from across the Netherlands’ political spectrum also raised concerns around the role of Meta and Google in supporting the black market.

Candidates from the VVD party urged the government to take a “harder stance” against these big tech platforms.

Van Bruggen told the gambling committee that both Meta and Google were open to maintaining a dialogue with the government on this.

About Cursed Seas

With the central challenge of tax to compete with, operators face a test of whether they can maintain growth while remaining competitive in an increasingly fierce market.

Escobar expects the competitive landscape to evolve as the market settles, with operators facing a different set of priorities from those that defined Peru’s initial regulatory rollout.

“I don’t believe Peru has reached maturity yet, but I do believe it is entering its next stage of development,” she says. “Peru has one of the strongest long-term outlooks in South America.”