Today any South African found to be gambling online, whether at a casino, a poker room or a bingo hall, is considered to be in contravention of the law, as are any operators found to be hosting gaming sites in South Africa for South Africans. This will remain the status quo as long as South Africa's gambling laws are not amended. 'Any form of online/interactive gambling is illegal in South Africa up until the National Gambling Amendment Act of 2008 comes into effect,' the DTI confirmed. Online gambling not illegal.
Gambling in South Africa is regulated by the National Gambling Act 7 of 2004 ('NGA'). This act sets out which types of gambling would be allowed such as casinos, sports betting and gaming machines.
The NGA did not legalise online gambling but in 2008 the National Gambling Amendment Act 10 of 2008 was signed into law by the President but never implemented in light of increasing concern about the social impact of online gambling and in light of pressure from anti money laundering authorities.
Online gambling remains illegal in South Africa and this was confirmed by a Supreme Court of Appeal decision in the matter of Casino Enterprises v The Gauteng Gambling Board (653/10)
- Illegal online gambling, which is growing rapidly as smartphone penetration increases, cost South Africa R587 million in lost GDP. The total impact of illegal land-based and illegal online gambling resulted in R1.9 billion in lost GDP, and a loss of 3 785 jobs.
- Until relatively recently, online gambling law was quite a grey area in South Africa. The main reason for this was that the relevant laws and statutes covering gambling were not up to date in terms of these new forms of gambling made possible by the Internet. So online gambling and poker became popular among South Africans.
- Well, online gambling in South Africa is currently in a grey area and though there is a lot of legislation governing it, there are a few loopholes that make it open to interpretation. If you're concerned about playing online, understanding the history of the laws passed about online gambling as well as the current state of affairs may go a.
Online Gambling Illegal In South Africa 2020
Online sports betting, online horse race betting and the business of bookmaking is lawful in South Africa, provided that the person conducting such business has a provincial bookmaker's licence.
Dingley Marshall Lewin can assist with gaming, gambling and betting law in South Africa. We have advised international online and domestically based bookmakers and software providers to bookmakers. In addition we can assist with the following matters, amongst others:
- legislative and regulatory compliance within the gaming and betting industry
- gaming license applications and renewals
- collection of supporting information for submission with application
- compilation of probity related information
- PAIA applications for the determinisation of ownership of a gambling, betting or racing website
- drafting of objections to 3rd party license applications duly advertised in the media as part of the application process
Online Gambling Illegal In South Africa 2019
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