MBOMBELA – The provincial executive has approved the merger of the Mpumalanga Gambling Board (MGB) with the Mpumalanga Liquor Authority to establish a Provincial Economic Regulator on Wednesday.
Both the Mpumalanga Gambling Board and the Mpumalanga Liquor Authority are the provincial public entities under Department of Economic Development and Tourism responsible for regulating gambling and liquor trade respectively, in the province.
The Mpumalanga Gambling Board regulates casinos, bingo outlets, limited pay-out machines, totalisators and bookmakers in the province, whilst on the other hand, the Mpumalanga Liquor Authority regulates the licensing of liquor outlets.
The Department of Economic Development recently conducted an investigation into the possibility of merging the two entities. The investigation revealed that merging the two entities would improve effectiveness and efficiency, noting that the two industries are closely related in that most gambling venues require liquor licences.