Chairperson of the Botswana Gambling Board,
Chairpersons,
Members,
CEO's and staff of the National and Provincial Gambling Boards,
Industry members and distinguished guests:
It is my pleasure to address you at this gala function of the 4th Biennial Gambling Conference arranged by the National Gambling Board of South Africa.
Throughout the world, the legalised gambling and betting industries are predicated on the desire of governments to create an appropriate balance between providing citizens with the opportunity to participate in legitimate forms of recreational activity, such as gambling and betting, and ensuring that these pursuits are undertaken in such a manner that the public is protected, fairness is promoted and the integrity of the industry is upheld. To achieve this objective, effective regulation is essential.
Effective regulation has a number of key components. It requires a regulatory body staffed by persons of the highest integrity. It also requires an ongoing assessment of the technological and operational parameters within which gaming is conducted, and standards which are responsive to those parameters. Importantly, it also requires sensitivity to the social and economic fabric of communities in which gambling is made available. It requires the development and implementation of clear, comprehensive and often exacting standards for participation in the industry. But most of all, it depends heavily on information sharing.
The chief currency for the execution by a regulator of its mandate is information. Regulators are entrusted with sensitive, confidential information on a daily basis, and are often called upon to share such information with other recognised and credible regulatory bodies. This information-sharing process enables broadly uniform standards to be applied across geographical boundaries and ensures that individuals who do not meet these standards will be unlikely to gain entry to the industry wherever they may seek to operate. It goes without saying that these information-sharing processes preserve the integrity of both industry participants and regulators worldwide.
However, information sharing must go way beyond this, if effective regulation is to be assured. As such, it is crucial that regulators, industry roleplayers and industry-related service providers take time out from the day-to-day performance of their functions to meet, discuss and reflect upon the environment in which they operate, and, in so doing, to determine the areas in which successes have been achieved, and, perhaps more crucially, the areas in which improvements on existing policies or practices are called for.
Critical self-assessment such as this cannot be undertaken in a vacuum. In order to identify the merits and demerits of existing policies and practices, a collaborative and comparative process is needed. Collaboration with others performing the same functions in different jurisdictions enables us to identify differences in approach, discuss the reasons for and impact of those differences, and gauge the approach which best fits the environment in which the industry operates. It enables us to learn from both the successful and less successful initiatives which have been tried and tested elsewhere.
Over and above the need for collaborative and comparative analysis as a tool for embarking upon self-assessment, it is also important to ensure that the approach is multi-disciplinary. No sector of the gambling and betting industries operates in a vacuum. The various sectors have much to learn from one another. But more importantly, there are crucial facets of regulatory practices which cut across the various industry sectors, such as the need to ensure that gambling and betting is conducted in a socially responsible way and that the vulnerable are protected. In this context, information-sharing between regulators, industry participants and responsible gambling practitioners is vital.
It is therefore gratifying that the National Gambling Board has, over the past eight years, taken the initiative to organise biennial conferences at which information-sharing of the type I have described becomes possible. It is clear from the Programme for this Conference that the material to be examined and discussed will prompt meaningful information-sharing and enable delegates to reach informed views on a range of key issues affecting them. It is also clear that the Conference has been structured to promote effective collaboration, in that it makes provision for an analysis of the growth and development of the gambling industry on the African continent as a whole. The participation of the Chairperson of the Botswana Gaming Board, who is also the current Chairperson of the Gaming Regulators of Africa Forum, is a most welcome means of promoting mutual learning and co-operation across national boundaries, whilst providing valuable insights into the approach towards regulation in an African context.
The important objective of collaboration is also boosted by the involvement of a range of South African regulatory bodies at this Conference. Valuable insights may be gained by sharing of information in this context, as it is inevitable that provincial jurisdictions are at different levels of development or have, depending on their environments, various levels of specialised focus.
The goal of collaboration will also be advanced by the participation of a number of industry roleplayers in the various discussions. It is also encouraging to see that various sectors of the gambling and betting industries are represented, promoting dialogue and mutual understanding. The Conference also provides access to information on the latest developments in the technological context in dealing with server-based gaming, facilitated by an expert from Malta, and interactive gambling, information which is critical in today's context of globalisation and borderless transactions, and essential for the development of appropriate policies to meet these trends. The prospects for information-sharing on an international basis are also enhanced by the participation in the conference of representatives from the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and, as I have said, Malta and from 8 other African countries, all of whom I would like to welcome to Cape Town. Thank you for your participation.
Over and above this, the Conference Programme has the added benefit of approaching its subject matter from a multi-disciplinary perspective. In this regard, the involvement of internationally and nationally recognized experts in the field of problem and responsible gambling is most welcome in stimulating discussion as to how South Africa's world-class model can be further developed and refined.
Finally, a word of thanks to all who have been involved in the organisation of this important event, and those delegates who have traveled long distances to share their expertise with us. I wish you all well in your further discussions and deliberations and trust that they will add significant value for many years to come.
I thank you.
