The coming of the Lottery: Will Batswana benefit?

They largely focused on the supposed benefits the lotto/lottery would bring to the economy and why it is important to expedite the awarding and operation of the lotto/lottery. These 'protests' piqued my interest, not in the behind-the-scenes issues related to awarding of the lottery, but more in the Business of the Lottery and to investigate what Botswana should really expect when the operation is up and running. My interest in the issue is purely on commercial opportunities, citizen empowerment and socio-economic effects basis. In Botswana, the plan to start a national lottery was announced in 2017 by the Gambling Authority via a tender. After a long selection process, a preferred bidder was announced in June 2020.

This consortium of companies was expected to execute the lottery within 12 months. Unfortunately for whatever reasons, the preferred bidder was not able to satisfy the conditions precedent satisfactorily to the Gambling Authority and this forced the authority to cancel the award and begin negotiations with the reserve bidder.