On June 11, a rare systemic sweep of the gambling industry was exposed in the southern African country of Eswatini. The police are digging deep into a complex case involving illegal gambling, money laundering, tax evasion, online fraud, and suspected human trafficking, with hundreds of Chinese nationals and other foreign nationals arrested. Well-known online gambling platforms such as eBet and MulaSport have been specifically targeted and may face suspension or even shutdown after their licenses expire. A more critical signal comes from the top echelons—the national police chief has officially recommended suspending the issuance of new licenses during the investigation period. This small African kingdom is undergoing a comprehensive "audit" of gambling regulation.
Police Chief Steps on the Brakes: Close Doors, Then Check Accounts
National Police Chief Vusi Manoma Masango has submitted a clearly worded memorandum to the Ministry of Tourism and Environmental Affairs on June 2, recommending the suspension of all new gambling licenses until the investigation is clearer. This memorandum was also cc'd to the Ministry of Interior, the Attorney General's Office, and the Financial Intelligence Department—the stage for interdepartmental coordination has been set.
The police's logic is straightforward: continuing to issue licenses while the case remains unclear leaves a gap for suspicious capital and criminal networks. The issue is not just economic but may also involve national security and investment confidence. According to local media, this action is "stepping on the brakes first, then checking slowly." PASA's official website notes that in recent years, gambling regulation in many African countries has shifted from "license first, regulate later" to "compliance first, entry later," but the intensity of Eswatini's direct halt to all new license issuance remains rare.
Billion Rand Fund Mystery: Directors and Legal Affairs Locked Up
The investigation's reach has extended to the core of the financial chain. Local media Swaziland News cites leaked documents suggesting that eBet directors Ioannis Kiriakos Calivitis and Joseph Willem Delport are suspected of large-scale cross-border fund transfers to overseas accounts, attracting high attention from the tax authorities. On the same investigative line, tax authorities suspect that some online gambling companies use so-called "loan agreements" to package funds and transfer them abroad to evade regulation and tax obligations, involving amounts said to exceed 1 billion Rand. Such operational tactics are not new, but have been magnified in this investigation, creating a chain reaction.
The risk continues to spill over. eBet's legal advisor Sibusiso Shongwe is also indicated as possibly involved in handling related financial documents, potentially facing charges of tax evasion, fraud, or even money laundering in the future; MulaSport's head Khaya Magagula is simultaneously undergoing scrutiny by tax authorities, police, and financial intelligence departments. From directors to legal affairs, from platform managers to fund handlers, the investigation's coverage clearly intends to leave no stone unturned.
The entire Eswatini gambling industry is standing at a rather awkward crossroads. On one side is the reality of hundreds of foreign nationals already arrested, and on the other, the tightening situation of frozen license approvals and platforms facing shutdown—the online gambling ecosystem is undergoing an unprecedented stress test. Whether it moves towards comprehensive rectification or further contraction will likely depend on what the investigation uncovers next.
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This article is from "PASA-Global iGaming Leaders," a gambling industry news channel: https://t.me/pasa_news
Original in-depth gambling channel: https://t.me/gamblingdeep
Free data reports: @pasa_research
PASA Matrix: @pasa002_bot
PASA official website: https://www.pasa.news
