Is Online Gambling Illegal In South Africa Right Now
Is Online Gambling Illegal In South Africa Compared
Is Online Gambling Illegal In South Africa Now
Is Online Gambling Legal In South Africa

The legality of online gambling has been the subject of discussion in South Africa for many years. It has also been equally a subject of contention in the legal circles, with some parties advocating for the softening of the laws, whilst some remain adamant they should remain the same. Whilst gambling in all forms was liberated in 1996, there were amendments in 2004 that changed the landscape of online casino gambling. We seek to answer common questions from the punter’s perspective on the legality of online gambling in South Africa.

Legal Gambling South Africa

The National Gambling Board (NRB) is responsible for overseeing and regulating all the gambling activities in South Africa. The National Gambling Act 7 of 2004 prevents the use of online casino gambling in South Africa, and this has been in effect ever since despite failed attempts to amend the legislation in 2008 to legalise online gambling activities. A further ruling by the Northern Gauteng High court deemed online casino gambling illegal in 2010 for both local and offshore casino providers. But what does it mean to online sports betting, lotteries, horse racing, games and casino?

Is online gambling legal in South Africa?

The 2004 National Gambling Act prohibited South African operators from both offering and indulging in interactive gambling online to play casino, poker and bingo games, although sports betting was still permitted. Playing at an online casino gambling site that operates from within South Africa is illegal. The products and services of any given casino online gambling site, that happens to be residing within the South African borders is in fact deemed illegal and banned.

The simple answer is yes, Sports Betting and certain casino style games have been licensed by their respective boards and are legal. If you’d like to know if the betting site you are using is legal in South Africa then have a look at where they are licensed. If they are licensed by one of the provinces in South Africa then it’s fully legal to bet or gamble on that site.

Is Online Gambling Illegal In South Africa Right Now

Online Sports Betting and Horse Racing

Sports betting and horse racing fans can surely smile on this one. The good news is online sports betting and horse racing is indeed allowed and very legal in South Africa. This service is provided by most popular bookies such as Hollywoodbets, Sportingbet, Betway and many others. These sports bookies are registered with the NRB, and one needs to check the legal status of the bookie as this provides a basis for the protection of the player.

Online Lotteries and games

This is another segment that is allowed by the Lotteries Act of 1997 in South Africa and is pretty popular with a lot of punters. These include the various types of local lotteries such as those provided by The National Lottery. Again, the player needs to check the registration status of the Lottery and Game provider for their protection. Playing on international lotteries is considered illegal in South Africa. However, some providers go about this by providing fixed odds betting based on the results of international lotteries as in the case of Lottostar. So indeed, one can realize profits from international lotteries through these methods.

Online Casinos

The current gambling laws, although under contention, do not allow for online casino gambling in South Africa, both from local and international bookies. There is a potential for huge fines on bookies if found guilty of illegally providing such services. However, despite this, some international online casinos provide access to users based in South Africa with currencies being denominated in ZAR in some cases. Some bookmakers also provide the option of placing bets on games that are based on casinos which then become legal. The current legal games are live roulette and Betgames. Which covers different games like Dice, Poker and more. Read more about legal online casino games in South Africa. Batavia downs gambling age rating.

Conclusion

The existing gambling laws in South Africa allow for online sports betting, horse racing, lotteries and games. However, most online casino games are deemed illegal, and for fans of casinos it would be best to visit the traditional brick and wall casino. Despite such regulations, there are some international casinos which offer online casino gambling in South Africa. One will hope such laws will be revised in the near future. If you’d like to view all the different legal betting sites in South Africa then we recommend having a browse through this list of betting sites in South Africa. All the bookmakers mentioned on the list are legal and licensed to operate.

If you’d like to know more about Sports Betting or need help with your betting account then head over to the Betting Guide homepage. We hope you found our is online gambling legal in South Africa article useful, if you have any questions leave them in the comments below.

Overview

Gambling has a long history in South Africa and there have been a number of significant changes to the laws since gambling was introduced in the country. From as early as 1673, most forms of gambling in the country were banned, although there have been periods when gambling was legalized. Currently, land-based gambling is legal and regulated, while online gambling is illegal.

The History of Gambling Law in South Africa

Gambling has had a long history of restrictions in South Africa. The 1965 Gambling Act, officially made all forms of betting illegal, except for horse racing which was considered a sports activity. Many illegal casinos opened in the 1970s and in 1995, as many as 2,000 illegal casinos were believed to have been operating. The law changed in 1994, when all forms of gambling were made legal by the newly democratic government. The National Gambling Act of 1996 licensed and regulated casinos and introduced a national lottery.

The National Gambling Act 2004

The National Gambling Act of 2004 repealed the 1996 Act and prohibited online gambling activity. It made it illegal to both offer and engage in online gambling activities. Online sports betting was an exception; however other forms of online betting included local operators as well as operators licensed off-shore.

The National Gambling Amendment Act 2008

Is Online Gambling Illegal In South Africa Compared

The aim of the National Gambling Amendment Act of 2008 was to legalize online gambling and introduce the regulation of the online gambling market. The Act; however, has not come into power due to strong opposition.

Is Online Gambling Illegal In South Africa Now

2010 North Gauteng High Court Ruling

In 2010, the Gauteng High Court ruled on the jurisdiction of online gambling transactions in South Africa. As a result, online gambling through off-shore servers was also banned in South Africa. This means that both offering online gambling services, as well as the act of gambling online, became illegal. A fine of R10 million or ten years imprisonment is the consequence for online gambling sites, Internet providers, banks that process payments for online gambling and individuals who gamble.

Appeal

Is Online Gambling Legal In South Africa

There is currently an appeal to the high court ruling that is waiting to be heard. Those in favor of online gambling in South Africa are still hopef