Casinoplusbonus takes a deep dive into the legality of online gambling in South Africa. The conclusion. No one really knows what’s happening! (Images courtesy of blockbits on Vecteezy)
South Africa’s online gambling industry continues to remain one of the most interesting to cover when it comes to the big questions. Is online gambling in South Africa illegal or legal, and which forms of remote gambling are, in fact, legal?
There are many more questions to add to that statement, but it’s best to let you read on and form those questions for yourself. Leave a comment at the bottom and we’ll be happy to discuss the topic with you because it confuses yet intrigues us, too!
The Current Remote Gambling Situation in the Country
The current gambling act in South Africa has a clause that states regulating online casino gaming could happen. And the Democratic Alliance party has already introduced a remote gambling act.
It covers all forms of remote gambling, including online casino gaming and sports betting. Now, to understand the situation, there is a back story to this saga.
For those of you living in the Rainbow Nation, we all know this new act is not enforceable as the current government ruling the country is the African National Congress (ANC). As the new election was this year, and the ANC won, the new bill by the Democratic Alliance called the Remote Gambling Bill (B11-2024) may not see the light of day for another 5 years.
This bill intended to reduce problem gambling and finally act upon a clause in the current National Gambling Act 7 of 2004 that provides scope to legalise and regulate online casino gaming.
Now, here is a surprise. There actually is no official rule for online gambling in South Africa.
16 years ago, a final version to regulate remote gambling was ready. That’s 2008, by the way—this piece of news I picked up from the Joburg news publication published on June 18, 2024.
Yet, Kgalema Motlanthe, Jacob Zuma, and Cyril Ramaphosa, all leaders of the country since the bill was ready to sign, have yet to pay it any attention.
This is great news for overseas online casinos, such as those mentioned on the Casinplusbonus EN South Africa online casinos page. It means the bill remains in a presidential draw or filing system somewhere, and overseas online casinos accepting crypto, and ZAR can continue to thrive.
It’s never boring: Read on to find out exactly what’s happening with legality of online casino and sports betting in the Rainbow Nation. One thing is for sure, it’s never a boring story when it comes to the country’s current online gambling situation, as you are about to discover.
SA Gambling A Minefield, Yet Gambling is On the Rise
Right now, South Africa has several licensing authorities for each province, as per the accompanying table. They are all under the country’s main National Gambling Board (NGB).
It is the NGB that governs the new National Gambling Act 7 of 2004, which is the primary legislation for all gambling in the country. That includes land-based and online gambling activities.
Each province has a gambling board responsible for issuing licenses to online sportsbooks and land-based casinos. The act does prohibit online casino gambling, however, there is a rule that allows online sports betting. Let’s bear in mind that the bill has not been officially signed.
Regardless of the online gambling rule that apparently prohibits South African citizens from playing online slots and live casino games online, many of the country’s ‘legal’ sportsbooks host these games available for real money bets.
Yet beware, although the rule is not official. Apparently, players caught gambling on unlicensed sites can face fines or imprisonment. However, there has been no high-profile news of players being fined or imprisoned.
| Provincial Gambling Boards |
|---|
| Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board (WCGRB) |
| Gauteng Gambling Board (GGB) |
| KwaZulu-Natal Gaming and Betting Board (KZNGBB) |
| Eastern Cape Gambling and Betting Board (ECGBB) |
| Limpopo Gambling Board (LGB) |
| Mpumalanga Economic Regulator (MER) |
| Northern Cape Gambling Board (NCGB) |
| Free State Gambling, Liquor, and Tourism Authority (FSLTA) |
| North West Gambling Board (NWGB) |
A Strange System That Most Still Cannot Get Their Heads Around
Rainbow Nation’s Highway to Online Gambling Regulation (Image courtesy of mdhabib on Vecteezy)
Here’s the strange thing about South Africa’s online casino gambling. There is always a flurry of news announcing well-known operators who develop online casino games entering the South African remote gambling market.
Playtech recently partnered with BeyWay South Africa. Although Playtech is well-known for its sports betting services, this deal was for live casino and online slots, according to the London Stock Exchange listed Playtech Betway South Africa Casino Products news report.
Another surprise: just before Playtech announced its deal, Play’n GO has also partnered with Betway South Africa. We all know Play’n GO is a major online slot provider, so no sports deals are happening here.
Another well-known live casino game developer, BetGames has also launched products in South Africa. The live casino game provider announced a deal with 10bet South Africa.
What is happening? Anyone Have the Answers?
Well, your guess is as good as mine. The official stance is online sports betting is legal and online casino gaming is illegal. Yet, no official bill has been signed, although it’s been ready and waiting for signature since 2008.
Online casino game developers are making deals left, eight and centre with apparently legal sports books to supply them with online casino games. What’s more, this saga goes back as far as 2022, when we reported on the Pragmatic Play South Africa Continues Its Rise, with the software provider continuing to supply online sports books with casino games.
Is this all just confusing? What do you think, or what do you know about the South African online casino and sports betting market? Please leave your thoughts and ideas in the comments, and we’ll always reply!
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