Online Gambling Regulation South Africa
Since before South Africa became a republic, gambling in most forms was banned. While the laws have changed significantly, it is certainly not a free for all, however, gambling in and of itself is no longer illegal. Gambling in land-based establishments in South Africa is legal and regulated. For many years, South Africans traveled outside of the legal borders of South African in order to go to a casino. With the changes in the gambling law, this is no longer necessary. Online gambling in South Africa is still illegal at this time.
Learn About Legality Surrounding Playing at South African Online Casinos. Each day, many players from South Africa will access an online casino to meet their gambling needs. Unfortunately, the majority of these players have not researched the gambling laws in South Africa and could be placing themselves at risk. Online gambling in South Africa remained illegal, except for sports betting which still required online sportsbooks to get a license in one of the South African provinces. All other typical casino games, such as poker, slots, roulette, or blackjack are strictly forbidden. On the National Gambling Board site, it is clearly written. Online gambling is not permissible under the current legislation, but will soon be once the National Gambling Amendment Bill gets enacted. Currently gambling in South Africa is regulated concurrently by national and provincial legislation. A 2011 Gambling Review Commission pushed for new online gambling regulations that could help open up the online casino market in South Africa. It suggested that if government were to draw up new legislation and enforce online gambling regulation controls, not only would it gain a firm hold of the market, but also generate a significant amount.
Online Gambling in South Africa has been a huge part of the global gambling industry for a long time despite the varying changes in the laws within the country. Punters from SA have continually placed bets and enjoyed the games brought by offshore online gambling providers, as the gambling laws in South Africa were deemed unenforceable.
SA'S GAMBLING ACT OF 1965
The South African Gambling Act of 1965 ruled gambling as illegal. Gambling, such as horseracing, was legal. The reason for this is because horseracing is considered a sport. In the 1970s, there were a number of illegal casinos created, with the number rising until there were about 2,000 illegal casinos in the mid 90s. Along with the change from a conservative government to a democratic one, the gambling laws were updated in 1994. At that time, gambling was legalised. In 1996, South Africa introduced a national lottery and regulated and licensed casinos.
CHANGES TO THE GAMBLING ACT IN 2004
In 2004, the 1996 Act was repealed, and the National Gambling Act of 2004 came into effect. While land-based gambling was still allowed, online gambling was no longer considered legal. Again, sportsbetting, even if it was done online, was still considered legal. While online gambling is illegal, the emphasis and main responsibility seems to lie with the gambling operators and the financial institutions. To date, no individuals have been prosecuted for playing at online casinos.
GAMBLING LAW TODAY
In 2008, there was an attempt to legalise and regulate the online gambling market in South Africa, however, since there was strong opposition, the Act has not yet been accepted as law. In 2010, the North Gauteng High Court issued a ruling that gambling transactions though both local and offshore operators is illegal. While both players and operators are fully aware of this law, there are still many casino choices open to South African players.
Those who choose to play at online casinos should make sure that the casinos are safe and secure, and have a good reputation. Although the online casinos will not be licensed in South Africa, it is important to choose a casino that is fully licensed in a recognised gaming jurisdiction.
Many of the online casinos that still offer their sites to South African players will offer players the chance of playing in South African Rands (ZAR), and thereby avoiding exchange rate fees. Many casinos also offer a special Welcome Bonus or free money offer to those who are located in South Africa. In addition to this, players should keep an eye open for an online casino with top notch Customer Support team. Customer Support is available 24 hours a day, with many support teams offering a South African toll free telephone number.
Gambling is not a new phenomenon in the world and it has become a multi-billion dollars industry over the years. With that, there are lots of casinos around the world both land-based and online as well as a ton of players patronizing each establishment. Previously, players could only play casino games at specific locations where casinos or gambling centres were established. Today, it is easy for anyone to visit an online casino, create and fund an account, and afterwards, start to play their favourite games. In other words, it has become a lot simpler to start gambling nowadays. And it mostly does not matter where you are located. Click here, if you will like to learn more about online casinos.
History and Overview of Gambling Laws and Online Casinos in South Africa
Gambling in South Africa has been around for quite some time and over the years, it has evolved to become a major industry. Just like in many countries around the world, gambling is a common activity among a large number of people in South Africa. Although in 1965, gambling was completely banned, until the Democratic Government in 1994 was ushered in before gambling was legalized in South Africa. However, during this ban, there were still underground gambling going on in different settlements and locations known as Bantustans. These Bantustans are independent areas usually referred to as homelands by the natives of South Africa. But after the ban was lifted, land-based casinos started operation fully. Visit http://www.edgenet.org/ to learn more.
Over the years, since the ban on gambling activities have been officially lifted the country has recorded a large sum in revenue. To keep it that based on the fact that most of the revenue comes from brick and mortar casino licensing fees among other charges and royalties, the Government placed a ban on online gambling. This, in essence, was to reduce the competition against the land-based casinos and to ensure that the revenue coming in does not depreciate. However, with the increase in the number of online casinos and the advancement in technology, players still get to play at online casinos. This is because there are various online casinos that now allow South African players to register.
Online Gambling Regulation South Africa Government
- In 1965, all gambling activities were restricted
- Today, online casinos are still restricted from operating in the country.
According to the National Gambling Act and Gambling Amendment Act, which were introduced in 2004 and 2008 respectively, all online casinos are barred from operating in the country. This means that no online casino can set up their operations in South Africa and as a result, they do not have the go-ahead to serve players in the country. Notwithstanding, players that love playing still find a way to play online through different online casinos. Impressively, some online casinos were primarily developed to accept players from South Africa. So, it is quite easy for players in the country to still play all their favourite casino games at the comfort of their home and on the go.
Online Gambling Laws South Africa
Additional Information, Tips and Final Note
Even though online gambling activities are technically restricted by the Gambling laws and Acts of the country, players are not prosecuted from playing at an online casino. This is because it is a popular phenomenon that the people of South Africa are notorious when it comes to gambling activities. In other words, you will not be fined or sent to jail even if you choose to play at online casinos. Also, recently there have been rumours that the recent administration is looking to start licensing online casinos so that playing online can become legal. As a result, we might begin to see top online casinos coming to operate in South Africa and bringing all the great bonuses with them.
You can also join the vast collection of players who enjoy playing at online casinos by searching for different online casinos in South Africa on your favourite search engine. You can also play at top online casinos with the use of top VPN solutions which will help you buy pass any kind of restriction. But always ensure that you confirm that the casino you are choosing to join is legit and has is licensed by a top regulatory body before you proceed. Some of the top authorities that we recommend are the UK Gambling Commission, Malta Gaming Authority, Swedish Gambling Commission and so on. All in all, playing online in South Africa is quite easy even if you are a newbie.