Mahjong Panda

What is Mahjong Panda?

Botswana’s regulated betting market has expanded quickly following the Gambling Authority’s 2023 process to license bookmaker and totalisator operators, including online betting subject to regulatory approval.

In January 2024, before locally licensed online operators were active, the Authority said it had recorded about 510,000 monthly cases of Botswanans participating in illegal online gambling.

Sunbet Botswana launched its online sports-betting platform in February 2025 and reported a 4,700% increase in sign-ups during its first month. As this was an operator-reported figure, the company did not publicly disclose the comparison baseline or absolute number of registrations.

About Mahjong Panda

With ice hockey and UFC-themed initiatives driving engagement in North America and a 45% lifetime value increase seen with the launch of MEGA Shoot, a player-versus-player simulation penalty shootout game initiative which launched during the World Cup, it is an exciting time for the Malta-based platform provider.

Barrett also describes how MEGA can “make a player feel connected within the software ecosystem and the brands” Soft2Bet operate with.

Play the video above to watch the full video interview and hear more insights from Harrison Barrett.

About Mahjong Panda

These internal changes form part of wider organisational shifts following Veikkaus’ May 2026 decision to establish two subsidiaries: one dedicated to exclusive operations and another for the newly competitive, licence-based market.

Veikkaus has submitted licence applications as a private entity, joining around 50 other companies that had applied to join the upcoming market by the end of June.

The company committed to a management reshuffle late last year as part of this transition, scrapping the role of deputy CEO after Velipekka Nummikoski was shuffled into a new role.