Regulations for Online Gambling in South Africa
The iGaming industry in Africa has been on the rise. However, for a long time, one country has prohibited its people from registering and playing at online gambling sites.
South Africa has always been a fascinating country regarding online gambling regulations. Many people have a firm belief that online gambling should remain illegal. In contrast, others want the government to step up and implement certain legislative changes, legalizing at least some sort of online gambling.
Let’s check out when these legislations were implemented and whether there are any possibilities South African players can enjoy placing bets and playing casino games online at sites like paridirect.
Online Gambling Restrictions
Before 1996, all forms of gambling, except horse racing betting, were illegal in South Africa. Interestingly, horse racing bets weren’t considered gambling but only sporting activities. Check out this link slot gacor and elevate your winnings today.
However, in 1994 a new democratic government took over the county, and they planned to loosen up the gambling regulations. A National Gambling Act was created two years later, which allowed operators to apply for a special gambling license. Every province in South Africa was given the green light to issue permits to land-based casinos.
The government formed the National Gambling Board, which had the power to oversee all gambling and betting venues’ operations. It didn’t take long for the gambling industry to show results, and many land-based casinos started to open.
A national lottery was also created, and other gambling activities were starting to pick up the pace. While there were more changes to the 1996 National Gambling Act in 2004, there was nothing mentioned about interactive casinos. Thus, the South Africans who wanted to place bets online or play certain casino games needed to go to offshore online sites or an operator in another province authorized to provide online sports bets.
This started to shift over the years as more people became interested in online gambling. However, even though the amendment passed in 2008 promised that online gambling would become legal, lawmakers still haven’t enacted it to this day. In 2010, more problems arose when a court decided that even offshore online gambling sites couldn’t accept players from South Africa.
The Future of the South African Online Gambling Industry
For over a decade, experts have warned the South African government that the country is missing an ample opportunity by avoiding talks about legalizing online gambling. While the amendment of 2008 is in place, the country is taking losses both in revenue and taxes.
The Department of Trade, Industry, and Competition (DTIC) in South Africa still hasn’t moved to bring in a legislative framework for online gambling. Because online gambling and betting are still disregarded and unregulated, the growth of illegal and scam online gambling sites is currently on the rise in South Africa.
Not only is the government avoiding adding funds to the economy, but also disregarding new job opportunities, and the chance of players getting scammed at illegal online gambling sites is bigger. Some bodies in South Africa are surveilling the online gambling market; however, no objective measures are being taken to protect players at the moment.
Online Gambling Regulations in Other Countries in Africa
If we consider the whole continent of Africa and its 54 states, more than 30 have legalized all forms of gambling, including online gambling. Ghana, Namibia, Egypt, Morocco, Cameroon, Kenya, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Uganda, and more allow its people to enter, register, and play any online casino game and place sports bets. Subsequently, the countries have seen a significant rise in their economy.
While other countries have allowed online gambling, the ones we mentioned above have the largest population of gamblers. Because some countries like South Africa prohibit online gambling, entering and registering at an online gambling site claiming to provide its services there is a bad idea.
You might be able to place bets or win at a casino game; however, most likely, your winnings will be taken away by the African National Gambling Board.
Final Thoughts
Many African countries are thriving thanks to their fair and regulated gambling laws. South Africa is currently taking big losses with their anti-gambling laws; however, some people remain positive that things will change in the near future. With other countries like Ghana, Egypt, and Kenya claiming huge revenue from online gambling, it’s only a matter of time before their neighbor realizes the benefits of entering the iGaming industry.