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What is Old West?
By December 2025, Kemorwale said gambling revenue had exceeded P700m, and the Authority expected the industry to surpass P1 billion by the end of the 2026/27 financial year in March 2027.
Kemorwale said Botswana needed to modernise oversight as the sector developed, including through a central electronic monitoring system and stronger enforcement capability. “Truth be told, this industry is evolving as the sun rises. You snooze, you lose,” Kemorwale said. He added that the Authority still relies on outside specialists for some technical regulatory work because domestic expertise is limited.
Illegal betting remained a central enforcement concern. In December 2025, the Gambling Authority and Financial Intelligence Agency were reported to be investigating eight foreign-based betting websites allegedly using local proxies to operate in Botswana.
About Old West
“VIP operations is the most human function in iGaming, run by the smallest teams, on the least purpose-built technology, against the shortest-horizon metrics,” said Grygorenko.
“The findings show that VIP managers are asking for a clearer signal on who needs attention, what has changed and where their judgment can have the greatest impact.”
Grygorenko and Hartuv will continue the conversation next week with the iGB webinar (How) should AI engage high-value players?
How to play Old West
An interview carried out by Black Cube with CEO of games developer Ezugi Kfir Kugler had allegedly confirmed that Evolution knowingly provided games in markets sanctioned by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement.
Spectrum conducted follow-up interviews with these employees who had “provided derogatory information relating to Evolution’s business practices”.
It said all interviewees had cooperated fully and some of them had “virtually little or no familiarity with the allegations contained in the report, as their job responsibilities fall outside the scope of these matters”.
