By Bahle Gama
The public has been warned from engaging in any gaming activity with 8Bet, a betting company that has been labelled as unauthorized by the Gaming Control Board.
The Gaming Control Board brought to the Ministry of Tourism and Environmental Affairs’ attention that a company called 8Bet had launched a betting website without authorization from the Board.
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The public was advised not to engage in any activity in terms of Section 3 (1) (a) of the Gaming Control Act 2022, which states that “a person shall not engage in any gaming or any event or contingency other than with a holder of a licence who is permitted under a licence to engage in gaming on the event or contingency concerned.”
The Ministry said the Gaming Control Board was taking urgent remedial action to avert such a state of affairs and would continue to identify and work with all involved to get to the bottom of such a patently untenable state of affairs.
A phone call was made to 8Bet on a number that was availed on their Facebook page, a female who identified herself as Nolwazi said she was receiving the call from the company’s call center.
She refuted the claims that they are an unauthorized betting company.
“It is not true, and we have a registration licence to prove it, we will be posting it on our social media platforms,” she said.
In response to when the company was established, she said in September and when asked who the Director (s) or CEO is she said such information could not be disclosed, as well as the exact location of their offices which she said were in Mbabane.
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The Eswatini Daily News took the initiative to check social media for users who have participated in the betting company’s website, it seemed many had not engaged in depth whilst others expressed their frustration over being unable to make withdrawals from winnings made.
8Bet promised to share its operating licence with this publication but did not come to the party by the time this story was published. One major betting company that is well-known in the country is Ebet Eswatini which has been operating since 2022.
