Zambia auditors identify 48 illegal casinos

The Auditor General’s Office of Zambia has reported 48 casinos that were found operating illegally in the country in the year 2017.

The gambling revenue is a major income for the government. The Tourism and Hospitality (Casino) Regulations No. 93 of 2016 mandates that casino operators must obtain a license from the ministry to run gambling facilities in the country. However, at least 48 venues were operating without the license. The auditors estimate that the state suffered a €37k loss of revenue on account of this.

 “Although amounts totalling €164k were remitted as 20 per cent of the net monthly earnings, it was not possible to ascertain whether this was the amount that should have been remitted in the absence of audited annual returns. Further, seven casino operators did not remit to the Ministry the required 20 per cent of net monthly earnings,” stated the government’s report.