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.
IS ONLINE GAMBLING LEGAL IN SOUTH AFRICA? Publication: Publication Date: 14 September 2020: Original publication. In 1965 South Africa introduced the Gambling Act with horse racing wagering the only legal form of gambling. In 2004 The National Gambling Act was introduced, which prohibited online forms of gambling. In 2008 The National Gambling Amendment Act was mooted but never made it past the gate keepers, with the bill aimed at legalising casino, poker.
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 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.
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.
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. Chicago charity poker events 2019 calendar. 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.
South African Gambling laws have gone through various levels of scrutiny in the years that it has been in service to the citizens of the country. To understand where the laws are at today, we take a look back to see where they came from. The first gambling restriction to ever hit South Africa came by way of Dutch imperialists as their rivalry with Great Britain started to gain momentum. In 1652, the Dutch founded a colony at the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, which caused European immigration in the cape to swell. As cultural assimilation took place through intermarriages there was a universal adoption of the Dutch language. In 1673, came the first formal gambling restriction to reach the colony. Although it was largely ignored by the inhabitants of South Africa, this persisted until 1965 where all forms of gambling aside from horse racing was formally outlawed.
Despite the more modern legislation, casinos were being operated in Bantustans around the 1970's. There was estimated to be at least 2000 illegally operating casinos by 1995. However, in 1994, a new democracy was established in the country and all forms of gambling were legalized. Only two years later, gambling laws in South Africa would again, go through drastic change.
History Of Gambling Laws In South Africa
National Gambling Act of 1996
Legal Online Gambling Sites South Africa
The first democratic legislation in the country of South Africa to formally regulate gambling was the National Gambling Act of 1996. It established a system of legally operating casinos and instituted a single national lottery system. It formed the foundation for regulating gambling establishments in the country and with it came a set of uniform regulations and standards that all casinos seeking proper regulation had to conform to. They assigned meaning to previously vague definitions and gambling ideas while developing 40 gambling licenses that were to be distributed to the provinces and informed on how to distribute them. The 1996 law is responsible for the creation of the National Gambling Board that is still in function today and responsible for the regulation of all gambling activities in the country.
National Gambling Act 2004
The next major change made to legal online gambling in South Africa came by way of the Internet. The National Gambling Act of 1996 was too young to realize the potential of the Internet and therefore didn't scrutinize how it should be used in terms of gambling. The 2004 Act was the first act to address SA gambling laws regarding online gambling and completely outlawed both offering interactive gambling games online and engaging in them. In doing so, it was established that sporting activities were excluded from that judgment. It was meant to be specifically applied to online casino games, poker, and bingo and subsequently left online sports gambling and pari-mutuel horse track wagering legal given the proper provincial licenses were obtained.
National Gambling Act 2008
In the lead-up to the National Gambling Act's second major amendment, the 2008 Act, it became known that most of the country was consciously breaking South African gambling laws as they pertain to the internet with no consequences. The public knew they these laws were vastly unenforceable and proceeded to make up one of the largest online gambling communities in the world. After this was found out, there was a legislative attempt to stop this from happening. The method of this attempt wasn't to try and convince people to stop, but rather, simply make online casino games, poker, and bingo, completely legal and taxable to generate revenue for South Africa. This attempt, however, did not succeed and the gambling laws in South Africa remained. The 2008 Act was confronted in its attempt and lobbied against by the land-based gambling establishments for fear of profit loss. They were accompanied by anti-money laundering authorities that were afraid online gambling could lead to even more nefarious activity.
High Court Judgment 2010
As online gambling remained illegal for the most part in South Africa, SA gambling laws were vastly ignored by the population. South Africa became one of the most profitable customer markets for offshore online gambling operators, which led to the High Court Judgment of 2010. On August the 20th in 2010, the North Gauteng High Court banned offshore companies with servers that were not physically located in South Africa from any kind of online gambling within the country. Both the act of offering online gambling services and using them became illegal, simultaneously. The only two exceptions that were made were for the provincial licensed online sportsbooks and pari-mutuel horse and dog racing.
From this point on, not only were online casinos, poker, and bingo illegal in the country, they were illegal to take part in, advertise for, or facilitate in any manor. Individuals found in breach of the law are subject to a 10 million rand fine, or 10 years in prison. They made it clear that those broadcasting companies who showed advertisements for offshore online gambling companies, individual online gamblers, and banking establishments that process online gambling payments were all grouped into the same category as the online casino providers themselves and subject to the same consequences.
Online Sports Betting South Africa Legal
In May of 2017, Trade and Industry Minister, Rob Davies stated that the government of South Africa had seized 1.25 million rand from several parties associated with illegal gambling in the country. They made it clear that a crackdown is looming in South Africa and that they are serious about the consequences given to the crimes that they have outlined.
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 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.
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.
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. Chicago charity poker events 2019 calendar. 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.
South African Gambling laws have gone through various levels of scrutiny in the years that it has been in service to the citizens of the country. To understand where the laws are at today, we take a look back to see where they came from. The first gambling restriction to ever hit South Africa came by way of Dutch imperialists as their rivalry with Great Britain started to gain momentum. In 1652, the Dutch founded a colony at the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, which caused European immigration in the cape to swell. As cultural assimilation took place through intermarriages there was a universal adoption of the Dutch language. In 1673, came the first formal gambling restriction to reach the colony. Although it was largely ignored by the inhabitants of South Africa, this persisted until 1965 where all forms of gambling aside from horse racing was formally outlawed.
Despite the more modern legislation, casinos were being operated in Bantustans around the 1970's. There was estimated to be at least 2000 illegally operating casinos by 1995. However, in 1994, a new democracy was established in the country and all forms of gambling were legalized. Only two years later, gambling laws in South Africa would again, go through drastic change.
History Of Gambling Laws In South Africa
National Gambling Act of 1996
Legal Online Gambling Sites South Africa
The first democratic legislation in the country of South Africa to formally regulate gambling was the National Gambling Act of 1996. It established a system of legally operating casinos and instituted a single national lottery system. It formed the foundation for regulating gambling establishments in the country and with it came a set of uniform regulations and standards that all casinos seeking proper regulation had to conform to. They assigned meaning to previously vague definitions and gambling ideas while developing 40 gambling licenses that were to be distributed to the provinces and informed on how to distribute them. The 1996 law is responsible for the creation of the National Gambling Board that is still in function today and responsible for the regulation of all gambling activities in the country.
National Gambling Act 2004
The next major change made to legal online gambling in South Africa came by way of the Internet. The National Gambling Act of 1996 was too young to realize the potential of the Internet and therefore didn't scrutinize how it should be used in terms of gambling. The 2004 Act was the first act to address SA gambling laws regarding online gambling and completely outlawed both offering interactive gambling games online and engaging in them. In doing so, it was established that sporting activities were excluded from that judgment. It was meant to be specifically applied to online casino games, poker, and bingo and subsequently left online sports gambling and pari-mutuel horse track wagering legal given the proper provincial licenses were obtained.
National Gambling Act 2008
In the lead-up to the National Gambling Act's second major amendment, the 2008 Act, it became known that most of the country was consciously breaking South African gambling laws as they pertain to the internet with no consequences. The public knew they these laws were vastly unenforceable and proceeded to make up one of the largest online gambling communities in the world. After this was found out, there was a legislative attempt to stop this from happening. The method of this attempt wasn't to try and convince people to stop, but rather, simply make online casino games, poker, and bingo, completely legal and taxable to generate revenue for South Africa. This attempt, however, did not succeed and the gambling laws in South Africa remained. The 2008 Act was confronted in its attempt and lobbied against by the land-based gambling establishments for fear of profit loss. They were accompanied by anti-money laundering authorities that were afraid online gambling could lead to even more nefarious activity.
High Court Judgment 2010
As online gambling remained illegal for the most part in South Africa, SA gambling laws were vastly ignored by the population. South Africa became one of the most profitable customer markets for offshore online gambling operators, which led to the High Court Judgment of 2010. On August the 20th in 2010, the North Gauteng High Court banned offshore companies with servers that were not physically located in South Africa from any kind of online gambling within the country. Both the act of offering online gambling services and using them became illegal, simultaneously. The only two exceptions that were made were for the provincial licensed online sportsbooks and pari-mutuel horse and dog racing.
From this point on, not only were online casinos, poker, and bingo illegal in the country, they were illegal to take part in, advertise for, or facilitate in any manor. Individuals found in breach of the law are subject to a 10 million rand fine, or 10 years in prison. They made it clear that those broadcasting companies who showed advertisements for offshore online gambling companies, individual online gamblers, and banking establishments that process online gambling payments were all grouped into the same category as the online casino providers themselves and subject to the same consequences.
Online Sports Betting South Africa Legal
In May of 2017, Trade and Industry Minister, Rob Davies stated that the government of South Africa had seized 1.25 million rand from several parties associated with illegal gambling in the country. They made it clear that a crackdown is looming in South Africa and that they are serious about the consequences given to the crimes that they have outlined.
Provincial Gambling Regulation In South Africa
South Africa is made up of nine provinces that each independently regulate the gambling activity within their provinces. The National Gambling Board was set up in 1996 to regulate and enforce gambling laws in South Africa. They then set up the regulatory infrastructure for each of the provinces, establishing a gambling and racing board in each of them. Currently, The Western Cape Gambling and Race board has given out the most gambling licenses and has made no secret of their intention of using the online gambling industry to boost their revenue numbers.
Applicants must complete the application, which is substantial and file any related documents accordingly. They also must advertise that they have done so, and allow for the prospect of objections to be filed by any interested parties. Then, they must subject themselves to a hearing with the gambling and racing board in question.
Online Gambling South Africa Legal Forms
What's The National Gambling Age In South Africa?
Online Casino Gambling Legal South Africa
The national gambling age was set with the first batch of legislation on gambling in the country. The minimum national gambling age of South Africa is 18. We recommend that you check with your local provincial gambling board to make sure it is legal for you to enter a casino as some have been known to have higher age restrictions set.
