1. Is Online Gambling Illegal In South Africa
2. Is Internet Gambling Illegal In South Africa News24

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 and almost entirely ignored. Since 2011, however, the government has made it clear they were going to enforce those laws and on multiple occasions seized online gambling winnings from citizens and taken other legal actions when confronted with online gamblers. With this in mind, there are still forms of gambling online that are legal within the country. Continue reading below to find out the specifics on South African legal online sportsbooks and pari-mutuel gambling.

The NGB or as they are also known the National Gambling Board is responsible for overseeing and regulating the land based gaming venues in South Africa. It is currently deemed to be illegal to gamble at an online casino in South Africa however some online betting sites have been given licenses allowing them to accept wagers from citizens and residents of South Africa.

Legal Online Gambling Sites For South African Players

Here we have listed some of the most reputable online sportsbooks and gambling sites in the industry. We have also included reputable online casino and poker sites in this guide that operate legally in the industry and offer their services to residents of South Africa. As previously mentioned we know there is a large portion of South Africans that use these sites despite the laws and we want to provide safe and reliable sources that have the proper regulation and banking practices for those people who choose to do so. Our team of industry specialists has been vetting websites like these for decades and has determined that these are the most secure and trustworthy sites on the market.

• 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.
• Wednesday, February 16, 2011 Pretoria - Online gambling in South Africa remains illegal, despite the number of operations increasing, the National Gambling Board (NGB) said on Wednesday. The board has identified an increase in the number of illegal online gambling operations nationally.
• Gambling laws in South Africa are legislated in the National Gambling Act of 2004. According to this Act, which was amended in 2018, online gambling (or interactive gaming) and online casinos are illegal. While online gambling isn’t permitted within the borders of South Africa, South African players don’t have to worry.
• An amendment to South Africa’s gambling law is in the works, which will allow licenses to be issued to online casinos. This National Gambling Amendment Act was signed into law in 2008 and is.

Top Rated Gambling Sites That Accept South African Players

Is Online Gambling Illegal In South Africa?

According to the Gambling Control Board of South Africa, online gambling is illegal. Also according to the GCB, online betting is legal. So, what’s the difference? In SA, the term “online gambling” refers to the casino and poker games that are played from offshore providers. This is what the control board and the SA government are attempting to stop. “Online betting”, on the other hand, refers to the providers who have secured the proper licenses from the South African government in their appropriate jurisdictions for regulated, legal sports betting and the pari-mutuel gambling that takes place at horse and dog tracks. While online casinos, bingo, and poker remain technically illegal in South Africa, citizens can still enjoy legal online sports betting and pari-mutuel gambling without fear of government intervention.

Online gambling sites that have casino games, poker, or bingo games along with internet service providers, banks that process payments, and even mass media modalities that advertise illegal gambling services as defined by SA law, are punishable by law. Surprisingly this has not discouraged many residents from engaging in offshore online gambling, which has driven several of the premium, licensed online casinos, poker rooms and sportsbooks to continue to offer their services to South African gamblers. Despite the ‘play at your own risk’ environment that has emerged, SA players are still largely engaging in online casino and poker gambling.

Is Online Sports Betting in South Africa Legal?

Yes, it absolutely is. The National Gambling Act deems offering and participating in interactive gambling games as illegal. However, its important to note that the term “interactive gambling games” communicates specifically to online poker, casino games, and bingo only. South Africa has a long history of Sports betting and bookmaking as a business and because of this, those two gambling enterprises over the Internet remain legal in South Africa if the operator has the proper provincial licenses. Any regulated online sportsbook that you find that has the proper regulation in South Africa is legal to use and enjoy in person or over the Internet. The primary distributor of sports betting licenses in SA is the West Cape Gambling and Racing Board.

Learn more in our legal South Africa online sports betting section of our guide.

Is Pari-Mutuel Gambling Online Legal In South Africa?

Pari-mutuel gambling is better known as the primary form of gambling that takes place at horse and dog tracks. This form of wagering has been legal in South Africa since 1965 when the second iteration of laws to regulate gambling was created in the country. In pari-mutuel gambling, the track only takes a small fee from each of the pots as they accumulate for each race. The bettors are betting directly against the other bettors and not the house as in traditional casino and poker gambling. Players will deposit their bets into a pool and the winners who chose the correct first, second, and third place finishers divide the winnings from the pool according to their stake. This form of betting is legal in both physical and online settings. Many licensed and reputable online sportsbooks and/or racebooks include South African horse race betting as well as betting on dog races.

Are Online Casinos Legal in South Africa?

They are not. According to the National Gambling Board of South Africa, the term “online gambling” refers to online casino, poker, and bingo games and has been deemed illegal. Section 11 of the National Gambling Act 2004 reads, “Person must not engage in or make available an interactive game except as authorized in terms of this Act or any other national law.” The National Gambling Amendment Act of 2008 looks to make provisions in SA for the regulation of online gambling websites that host casino games and poker but has been met by land-gambling establishments who are threatened by the online industry and anti-money laundering authorities who together, have halted the 2008 legislature in its tracks.

Despite these restrictions on South African legal online casinos, residents show no signs of slowing down their interest in online casino gambling. Thankfully there are a handful of licensed online casinos operating legally within the industry that still allow players from South Africa to register for an account. We do not advocate anyone breaking the law, but if you are going to gambling online, we want to see you land at a safe, reputable and regulated destination.

Are Online Poker Rooms Legal in South Africa?

No. Online poker, casino games, and bingo are all illegal in South Africa via the National Gambling Act of 2004, which has been mentioned in this guide several times already. As the attempt to release tension on online casino and poker gambling in 2008 subsequently failed, online restrictions became even sharper in 2010. In most countries that don’t have legal online gambling of their own, offshore providers are largely legal to use for the residents of the country in their domestic provider’s absence. This is not the case in South Africa after 2010. Online gambling that is offered to customers within SA from servers located outside of the country was also deemed illegal as a result of a High Court judgment in North Geuteng. The only exceptions to the changed gambling laws in 2010 were the provincially licensed horse and dog racing tracks, and online sports gambling.

Is Online Gambling Illegal In South Africa

As is the case with online casinos, there are still a number of legitimate online poker sites that accept South African players. We do not encourage it, but if you are going to go ahead and play poker online, please restrict your gaming entertainment to legitimate online poker sites that are licensed, regulated and are operating legally within the industry, such as the poker sites listed in this guide. This ensures that you are not putting yourself at risk to theft, fraud or other predatory cyber crimes.

How Safe Are Online Gambling Sites In General?

Online gambling websites are hot targets for unscrupulous and criminal digital activity. The website that you chose to patronize should have the proper security checks in place like SSL data encryption and advanced security profile, the proper licensing and regulation, and a high quality array of gambling entertainment services and banking operations. You want to make sure they have high quality anti-virus software to protect your transfers and solid reputations from third party guides such as this one concerning financial responsibility before you sign up at any online gambling provider.

Can I Gamble Using South African Rand?

Yes. Most online gambling sites that accept customers from South Africa accept ZAR currency for transactions. Should you come across a legally licensed destination that does not process transactions using South African Rand, then they assuredly provide a currency exchange service for players. Since South Africa is considered one of the largest online gambling markets out there, most reputable online gambling destinations have included ZAR as an allowed currency for processing.

Here is all the info on the issue is online gambling legal in South Africa?

Introduction
Casino online gaming is a great way to get some entertainment going on, coupled with fantastic gaming, and a marvellous way to unwind from the comfort of one’s own home.

When it comes to casino online game players that reside in South Africa, there is the ever-constant question of legitimacy and legal issues that tend to follow any casino online gambling site and the player that takes part in the services and products on offer to South African players.

Perhaps the best bet would be to take a closer look at the rules of engagement, the legal ramifications and repercussions of any avid casino online game title player found playing online casino games within the South African jurisdictions, as well as the history of South Africa and gambling on the whole, so as to ascertain what the attitude towards these casino online game players and casino online gambling sites tend to be, when in South Africa.

It is also something to be considered as to when one should expect South African individuals, that happen to be ardent casino online players, to bend a rule (read as law) here and there, in lieu of seeking out their preferred mode of entertainment. Is there even an incident where this type of blatant disregarding of legal ordinances is rather seen as a misdemeanour, in other words, is there a pseudo loophole for these avid casino online players residing in South Africa to aim towards? Keep reading to see what the inside scoop with regards to online gambling legal issues in South Africa happens to be.

Is it legal to gamble online in South Africa?
As with all instances in this life, one needs to take a page out of the history books, in order to be able to see where a situation has once been, so as to understand where it stands presently, and in today’s society.

Is Internet Gambling Illegal In South Africa News24

With regards to the casino online gambling industry in South Africa, it is important to hearken back to the days of yesteryear and see the journey that Gambling in South Africa has taken over the years.

From as far back as 1965, South Africa has had a rather vocal and dominant stance against gambling within the country. The 1965 Gambling Act was introduced, clearly making the distinction within South Africa, stating that all forms of gambling were irrevocably determined as illegal, and subsequently banned as a result.

This public denunciation of the activity of gambling was, however, not taken lightly by the general South African populus, in that many a South African citizen would knowingly break this predetermined gambling act and decree, and opt to play their hand at any given gambling activity, this way breaking the rules (and law), and opt to rather take part in illegal gambling via the many thousands of illegal casino that were situated throughout the country of South Africa.

In fact, between the 1970’s and the 1990’s, South African casino game players had the opportunity to take up their preferred mode of entertainment via gambling activity, in one of the over 2000 illegal casinos that just so happened to be spread out throughout South Africa.

It was in 1994, with the introduction and induction of the new government that a revised gambling act was introduced to South Africa, resulting in the implementation of the National Gambling Act of 1996. This new gambling act legalised land-based casinos and initiated a reform where all forms of gambling within South Africa was now on the path to being regulated by the National Gaming Board.

It was in 2004 that the National Gambling Act was revised, this time making special mention of the fact that online casino gambling was indeed illegal. Further to this was the National Gambling Act Amendment of 2008, where the further emphasis was placed on the illegal nature of casino online operators located within the jurisdiction of South Africa.

Tell me more
What the above quintessentially boils down to is the following:

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.

However, there seems to be a loophole in terms of the rights and legal issues involving the individual South African casino online player. There has been zero incidents or records pertaining to the prosecution of any given casino online player from South Africa, and truth be told, there are very many casino online game players that are South Africans, that remain active and ardent casino online game players, even today.

The general consensus is as such: any offshore casino online gambling site may decide to offer South African players the right to enjoy their casino online slot games and promotional bonus offers, and ultimately join up to be part of the said casino online gambling sites’ player community – it is solely the prerogative of the offshore casino online gambling site in question as to whether they will open their doors to the South African player or not.

The reason why South Africa has clamped down on casino online gambling is in large due to the banking systems within South Africa, and their unwillingness to associate with gambling entities as a whole. The risks are felt to be too great, therefore offshore casino online sites are eligible for gameplay, as these sites are more than happy to take up potential risks that would be associated with bank systems affiliated with gambling enterprises.

Similarly, should a casino online gambling site decide to take up residency in SOuth Africa, although it is an illegal enterprise to undertake, the South African player that signs up to this particular type of casino online brand will not feel the heavy hand of the law come down on them, instead, ti si the casino online gambling site itself which will take the full brunt of the law and the consequences, therefore, plainly put, it is the casino online gambling site that will take all the risks of operating in South Africa.

Conclusion
In one word: it is illegal to have and operate an online casino gambling site within the jurisdiction of South Africa, however, should there be an offshore casino online gambling site that is willing to allow South African casino online game players to sign up and join their particular player community, this is something that is not illegal, and in fact a loophole that many casino online gaming sites have decided to take up, as well as many casino online game players that reside in South Africa.

As is most common with countries that frown upon and even ban casino online gambling, just like South Africa, the entire premise rests on the fact that these countries do not want to associate with nefarious gambling entities. This type of thinking is quite archaic, and especially with the invention of eWallets, cryptocurrencies, and the likes, it will not surprise us when South Africa, and countries just like it, will soon take another look at their stance when it comes to casino online gambling, and move to making it a legal and regulated industry instead.