The casino gaming industry in Namibia has a long way to go although the government has created a regulatory framework for it. So far, the government of Namibia has licensed 3 casinos in Namibia. The land casino resorts in Namibia are large and exciting and offer a wide range of exciting slot games and table games.
Namibia could have had more than just three casinos, but for a 10-year moratorium imposed by the Namibian government on the granting of casino gaming licenses. Since the government lifted the moratorium in 2006, more casinos might come up in Namibia in the near future.
Namibian Casino Resorts
As previously mentioned, Namibia has 3 licensed and regulated land casino resorts—the Mermaid Casino and Swakopmund Hotel in Swakodmund, the Desert Jewel Casino and Windhoek Country Club Resort, and the Kalahari Sands Hotel and casino.
Mermaid Casino
The Mermaid Casino, which is available for 18 hours per day, offers an interesting collection of 13 table games and card games and 170 slot machine games and video poker machines. The facility also includes 2 restaurants.
Desert Jewel Casino
The Desert Jewel Casino offers over 8 table games and over 200 slot machine games and video poker machines, including hot titles such as Poker, Blackjack, and American Roulette. The facility includes a buffet and a restaurant service.
Kalahari Sands Hotel
The Kalahari Sands Hotel and Casino has over 130 gaming machines and table games, including casino classics such as Blackjack, Roulette, and Poker. A bar and a restaurant also form part of the facilities. This casino, in collaboration with the Namibia Gaming Board, has launched a program for the prevention of problem gambling.
Reasons for Namibia’s Underdeveloped Casino Industry
The top reason why Namibian casino resorts and hotels are few in number is the 10-year moratorium on granting of casino licenses, which the Namibian government imposed in 1997. A number of casino investors in the country began protesting against this prolonged moratorium, which was one of the reasons why the government withdrew it in 2006. In Namibia, the environment and tourism ministry is the body that processes gambling license applications and grants licenses.
A massive licensing scandal was also one of the reasons why the government withdrew its prolonged moratorium. In 2006, the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) of Namibia discovered that Sackey Naumagongo, a government officer and TV commentator, had been giving away fake licenses to casino operators. According to the ACC, a number of other officers in the environment and tourism ministry were involved in this business of giving away fake licenses.
Online Casinos
Namibia does not have any online casinos, but there is no dearth of offshore online gambling companies offering a wide range of online gaming services, including casino gaming, to the Namibian gambling community.