Simon’s Namibia Casino and Gambling Guide
Namibia Casino and Gambling Guide
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia formerly known as German South-West Africa and then South West Africa is a country in Southern Africa. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east, and South Africa to the south and to the east. Namibia’s western border is the Atlantic Ocean.
Namibia became a German colony in 1884 under Otto von Bismarck to forestall the British encroachment and named it German South-West Africa. The first genocide of the 20th century took place in Namibia due to the uprising against German rule from 1904 to 1907. Nearly 80% of the population were murdered. South Africa took control of the country after defeating the German forces in World War I and remained in control administering the country as a League of Nations mandate territory. Namibia finally gained complete independence in 1990 due to the Namibian War of Independence (a guerrilla war against the apartheid government of South Africa).
Gambling in Namibia is legal and regulated by the Namib government. The first government-issued law concerning gambling came in 1994 as the Casinos and Gambling Houses Act. The act established the legalization of gambling houses and casinos with a Casino Board to oversee licensing and gambling operations.* However, the government took steps against a fast-growing gambling business by lifting all the licences of gambling houses in 1996 (a 10-year moratorium). Due to this regulation, illegal gambling gained a lot of momentum in the country and the government tries to eliminate it ever since. The 10-year moratorium was lifted in 2006 but no new land-based casinos opened ever since.
Currently, there are 3 licensed casinos in Namibia, 2 (the Avani Windhoek Hotel & Casino and the Desert Jewel Casino and Windhoek Country Club Resort) in the capital city of Windhoek, and the biggest one in the Swakopmund Hotel located in Swakopmund. These casinos offer all the popular casino games to players like roulette, blackjack, poker, slot machines, and sports betting to name a few.
As for online gambling, there are no specific regulations by the government. There are no domestic online casinos in Namibia but Namib citizens are accepted in most foreign online casinos.
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*Casinos and Gambling Houses Act of 1994
Summary:
- Casino gambling in Namibia
- Bingo in Namibia
- Poker in Namibia
- Sports betting in Namibia
- Lottery in Namibia
- Bitcoin gambling in Namibia
Casino gambling in Namibia
Online casino gambling in Namibia: not regulated
Since 1994, gambling is legal in Namibia. However, the government pulled back all licences of gambling houses (not counting casino licences) in 1996, the moratorium was lifted 10 years after, in 2006. Since then, no new casino applied for a licence. Currently, there are 3 casinos operating in the country, the Avani Windhoek Hotel & Casino, the Desert Jewel Casino and Windhoek Country Club Resort, and the Swakopmund Hotel and Entertainment Center. Online gambling is not regulated by the government and there are no domestic online casinos, but Namib citizens can play online in foreign casinos.
The following online casinos accept players from Namibia:
BGO casino – accepting players from Namibia
32 Red casino – accepting players from Namibia
Betsson online casino – accepting players from Namibia
Betsafe online casino – accepting players from Namibia
Casino Euro – accepting players from Namibia
Black lotus casino – accepting players from Namibia
Lotus Asia casino – accepting players from Namibia
GT Bets accepts players from Namibia – accepting Bitcoins as well
Bingo in Namibia
Online bingo in Namibia: not regulated
Bingo is a pretty popular game around the world. Gambling is legal in the country since 1994, that means bingo is legal as well. However, there is not much information about land-based bingo halls in Namibia. Namib citizens can play bingo online, though, as they are accepted in most offshore online casinos.
The following online bingo sites accept players from Namibia:
BGO bingo – accepting players from Namibia
Betsson Bingo – accepting registrations from Namibia
32 Red Bingo – accepting registrations from Namibia
Poker in Namibia
Online poker in Namibia: not regulated
The 3 currently operating casinos all offer poker tables for locals or tourists to try out their poker skills. Players can enjoy poker from the comfort of their homes too if they choose to play in a foreign online casino.
The following online poker websites accept players from Namibia:
Betsson online Poker – accepting players from Namibia
Betsafe online Poker – accepting players from Namibia
32 Red online Poker – accepting players from Namibia
Sports betting in Namibia
Online sports betting in Namibia: not regulated
The most popular sport in Namibia is football but the national team did not qualify to a World Cup yet. Sports betting is one of the most common forms of gambling around the world but in Namibia, it’s not that popular, though. However, Namib citizens can play in land-based or online offshore casinos.
The following online sportsbooks accept players from Namibia:
Betsson online sportsbook – accepting registrations from Namibia
Betsafe online bookmaker – accepting registrations from Namibia
32 Red sport online sportsbook – accepting players from Namibia
GT Bets online bookmaker – accepts registrations from the Namibia, also accepts Bitcoin
Lottery in Namibia
Online lottery in Namibia: not regulated
Playing the lottery is arguably the most common form of gambling around the world. Usually, in countries where gambling is legal, there is a national lottery. However, in Namibia, there is none, at least for now. In 2002, in the Lotteries Act, the government established a Lottery Board.* This board’s main purpose is to organize the national lottery and sustain the state monopoly. But as of now, there isn’t a national lottery.
Bitcoin gambling in Namibia
Bitcoin gambling in Namibia: not regulated
Bitcoin is a digital currency used online. Bitcoin is still a relatively new phenomenon so only just a handful of countries issued laws regarding its use. Most of the Bitcoin trades – due to its digital nature – are occur on the internet. So Bitcoin gambling technically falls into the online gambling genre. Namibia does not have any specific laws concerning Bitcoin gambling or Bitcoin as of now.
The following Bitcoin casinos accept players from Namibia:
GT Bets accepts players from Namibia, and also accepts Bitcoin
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This page is part of Simon’s List – Legal Status of Online Gambling – a definitive guide to the legal status of all forms of online gambling activities in every country around the world.
Last updated: 2016-02-18
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