Online Gambling Regulation South Africa

On this page you’ll find everything you need to know about land and online gambling in South Africa. Of all the countries in Africa, South Africa has arguably the most regulated and organised gambling industry, which only really came about at the end of Apartheid in the mid-1990s.

The reasons behind the criminalisation of online gambling in South Africa and many other countries usually pertain to moral implications. Governments and regulatory bodies frequently portray gambling as immoral and a threat to society. Online Gambling – The Position of the South African Government Gambling is regulated by the national government. Provincial governments have the powers to licence and legislate gambling in their provinces and areas of jurisdiction. The current national legislation provides for the development of “online gambling policy”. The recently published draft Films and Publications Amendment Regulations have significant implications for online gaming companies in their current form. The Regulations are out of sync with the commercial realities of online content distribution and gaming platforms and impose extensive administrative and cumbersome obligations on online distributors. A 2011 Gambling Review Commission pushed for new online gambling regulations that could help open up the online casino market in South Africa. It suggested that if government were to draw up new legislation and enforce online gambling regulation controls, not only would it gain a firm hold of the market, but also generate a significant amount.

During Apartheid, the one and only legal form of gambling was on-track horse race betting. It was only in the late 1970s when local hotel mogul Sol Kerzner began construction of his infamous Sun City casino and resort in the then homeland of Bophuthatswana (now part of Northwest Province), that South Africans got their first taste of a land casino with slots and table games.

After 1994, South Africa’s provinces were renamed and restructured, and Bophuthatswana and its fellow homelands – tools of the apartheid era used to enforce segregation - were finally scrapped. The country’s gambling sector also underwent a dramatic transformation as most forms of land gambling were legalised and regulated including sports betting, lotteries and land casinos.

Today, South Africa has some 38 licensed and regulated land casinos (including Sun City) located in or close to the country’s largest metropolitan areas. These attract local and foreign gambling fans alike with their sprawling gaming rooms, entertainment facilities and various eateries.

Although these days many South Africans choose to gamble at offshore owned and operated online casinos, online gambling has yet to be legalised and regulated by the SA government.

There are four main types of gambling in South Africa:

Sports Betting

It’s no secret how much South Africans love sports which is why there are so many land and online sportsbooks where you can place bets on practically any sporting event - local and international. Most South African bookmakers also offer non-sports betting lines on a variety of areas and subjects including politics, celebrities and even the weather.

Lotteries

The South African National Lottery was launched in March 2000 in the form of a single weekly Lotto draw. Since then it has evolved into a bi-weekly Lotto + Lotto Plus draw (Wednesdays and Saturdays) and a bi-weekly Powerball + Powerball Plus draw (Tuesdays and Fridays) with enormous jackpots. It also offers Sportstake 13, Raffle and Pick 3.

Land Casinos

South Africa boasts some of the world’s best land casinos which are situated in or close to the largest cities in the land. Many have smoking and non-smoking gaming floors crammed with a wide choice of slot and video poker machines, and table games like roulette, blackjack, baccarat, poker and others that accept a variety of coin and chip sizes.

Online Casinos

The government of South Africa has yet to legalise online casinos, which means it is currently illegal to own and operate online casinos within South African borders, and is a prosecutable offence. Similarly, it’s illegal to gamble at domestic or offshore online casinos, although South African authorities have yet to prosecute anyone for doing so.

Where once sports betting in South Africa was limited to on-track horse racing, today the sky is the absolute limit because South African punters can wager on horseracing and any other sports they choose at a wide variety of trusted licensed land and online operators.

While there are still many reputable land-based bookmakers across the nation (most of which have been granted licenses by Western Cape Gambling Board), a rising number of punters are opting for the ease, speed and convenience offered by online and mobile sports betting sites.

The main reason is that with just a click of the mouse or a swipe of a finger, you can place your bets. Many of the world’s premier internet bookmakers even offer state-of-the-art live streaming facilities so that you can watch the action online in real time.

Whether owned and operated locally or internationally, as long as they welcome punters from South Africa and are willing to process deposits, wagers and withdrawals in ZAR, you can sign up with them and bet as big or small as you see fit.

South African Online Sportsbooks

The great thing about South African online sports betting is how quick and easy it is to get started. All you need is a computer or a smart phone or tablet, access to the internet, the means to fund your betting account and, of course, to be 18 or older, the legal gambling age in South Africa.

Once you’ve clicked on any of our featured sportsbooks, it will only take you a few minutes to sign up for a new account and verify it. When you make a deposit using a credit card, an e-wallet or a prepaid card, your funds will reflect immediately so you can start betting and hopefully winning.

Each of the online bookmakers we promote offer generous sign up bonus offers as well as ongoing promotions to keep your rewards flowing. In addition, our featured South African sports betting sites are all licensed, offer extremely competitive odds and process pay-outs quickly and efficiently.

Three leading South African-friendly online and mobile betting sites we promote are Sportsbet.co.za, Bet365.com and Sportingbet.co.za. On these sites you’ll find all the latest rugby, cricket, golf, cycling, football, tennis, athletics, snooker, darts and squash action, plus much more to bet on.

Currently only the National Lottery is permitted operate in South Africa, which was launched in 2000. Since then its offerings have expanded to include a bi-weekly Lotto (with Plus) draw, a bi-weekly Powerball (with Plus) draw and three other games - Pick 3, Raffle and Sportstake 13.

Since its launch, the National Lottery (which is operated by Ithuba), has yielded hundreds of instant millionaires as well as hundreds of thousands of lucky winners. To date, the highest lotto jackpot paid out is R58,358,384 (in April of 2013), while the lowest is R757,844 (in March of 2003).

The South African National Lottery is permitted and regulated under the South African Lotteries ACT 57 of 1997. Players of the Lotto must pick 6 numbers from 1 to 49, and players of the Powerball have to pick 5 numbers from 1 to 45 plus an additional number (the Powerball) from 1 to 20.

South Africa has the distinction of having more land casinos than any other country in Africa. There are currently 36 licensed casinos across the nation’s nine provinces, with the highest concentration in Gauteng with 7. Limpopo and Northern Cape only have 2 each, the smallest number.

Arguably, the most famous of South Africa’s casinos is Sun City which, being an enormous family-friendly resort, attracts hundreds of thousands of local and foreign visitors every year. It is also home to the annual Nedbank Golf Challenge, which is the world’s single richest golf tournament.

Another gambling landmark is Gold Reef City Casino, which is literally built above the very goldmines that coined Johannesburg’s famous nickname “the City of Gold.” It has more than 1600 slot and video poker machines as well as some 50 table games that include roulette and blackjack.

Cape Town’s GrandWest Casino and Entertainment World has the distinction of being the biggest casino in South Africa with over 2 560 smart card slot and video poker machines, plus 79 premium table games, all of which accept a wide variety of coin and chip sizes to suit any budget.

Online casinos and play at online casinos is illegal in South Africa according to Section 11 of the National Gambling Act, which states that “a person must not engage in or make available an interactive game except as authorised in terms of this Act or any other national law.”

That said, online betting is permitted in South Africa, at both local and foreign internet sportsbooks. Despite its legal status, many South Africans still seek out safe and reputable offshore online casinos. To date, no South African players have been prosecuted for playing at online casinos.

Online Gambling Laws South Africa

These days most of the world’s best online casinos are available to play on most smart phones and devices. This means you can use your same casino login details (username + password) to sign in to your account on your computer, laptop, smart phone, notebook or tablet.

In addition, most South African mobile casinos support late model mobile devices and operating systems such as Android, Apple iOS, Windows and even Blackberry. Because the majority of mobile casino games are designed in multi-platform HTML5, you can play them on your Samsung Galaxy, iPhone, Nokia or pretty much any other device.

Gambling Legislation and Regulation in South Africa

Post-Apartheid, South Africa underwent a dramatic transformation in most ways areas, gambling included. The National Responsible Gambling Programme (NRGP), a regulatory body, was set up to take the industry into the 21st century by legalising casinos, lotteries, sports betting and bingo.

Under the guidance of the NRGP, in less than a decade a number of bricks and mortar casinos had mushroomed across the land, and South Africans could buy tickets for a lottery with multi-million Rand jackpots. Unfortunately, these new regulations excluded most forms of online gambling.

While placing bets at licensed online sports betting sites was permitted, playing online casino games, online bingo and online poker was not, and still isn’t, according to the National Gambling Act of 2004. There was a slim hope that all forms of online gambling would be legalised as per the National Gambling Amendment Act of 2008, but as yet nothing has changed.

In 2014 a draft bill of the Remote Gambling Bill was introduced in parliament, which encouraged the South African general public to voice their opinions about the possible legalisation of online gambling in the country. The results thereof have yet to be released and made public.

While South Africa’s anti-online gambling stance has scared off domestic online casino operators, most premier offshore casino, poker and bingo sites welcome players from South Africa, and some even offer ZAR as one of their currencies, as well as special SA-targeted bonus offers.

To be clear, it is our stance here at GamblingAfrica that players should adhere to the gambling laws as laid down by their respective countries, South Africans included.

South Africa is situated on the southern tip of Africa. With over 53 million citizens, it is home to one of the world’s most ethnically diverse populations and has 11 official languages.

It is a very mineral rich country that also has a thriving tourism industry with a host of magnificent wildlife preserves, beaches, mountain ranges and more for local and foreign tourists to enjoy.

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.

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.

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 Regulation South Africa News24

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.

Online Gambling License South Africa

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.

Online Gambling Regulation South Africa Contact Details

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.

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.

Online Gambling Legal In South Africa

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.