Botswana casinos are likely to have their business hours drastically reduced by legislation that is currently being worked on.
Principal commercial officer in the ministry of trade and industry, John Matsheng, said that in the planned Gaming and Gambling Bill, there would be less hours for gambling at casinos.
"We still have the discretion to reduce the hours," said Matsheng, a member of the Casino Control Board. The Board has not exercised that discretion and what it plans to do is to start consulting with casino operators.
By limiting the hours that casinos can operate, the government hopes, at one level, to deal with the problem of compulsive gambling.
Speaking at the third annual Gaming Regulators Africa Forum (GRAF) held in Gaborone last year, Lekwalo Mosienyane, the chairperson of the Board highlighted that the fact that Botswana casinos can operate round the clock was problematic.
These and other factors have contributed to an increase in problem gambling in the country he said. The promulgation of the new law comes after realisation that the Casino Act, which has been in use since 1971, is outdated.