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.

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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.

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 Africa is a country in Africa with legal gambling. There are 42 cities with gambling facilities in South Africa which have 59 legal gambling facilities available in total. The types of gambling available in South Africa are: casinos, horseracing tracks, sportsbetting parlours. 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. 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.

History Of Gambling Laws In South Africa

National Gambling Act of 1996

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 20^th 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.

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.

What’s The National Gambling Age In 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.

Gambling In Africa

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 Online Gambling Legal In South Africa 2018 Full

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.

Is Online Gambling Legal In South Africa 2018 Results

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.