The gambling scene has continued to grow in South Africa, and there has been a nod towards safeguarding the future for both operators and players with discussions over regulating online casino play within the country. This is nothing out of the ordinary, players have to work within legal frameworks regardless of location.
Any time a player loads an online casino site, for example, that player has to accept that operator’s terms and conditions. That operator, in turn, is only permitted to operate legally after obtaining the relevant licensing from the governing body — which in South Africa is the National Gambling Board (NGB).
The Gambling Act 7, 2004 is the framework that dictates what is permitted in gambling. Ultimately, that plays a huge role in the end-user experience players get. How exactly does the National Gambling Act affect gamblers, and what could the future bring?
The Limitations Of The National Gambling Act
Any time there are rules in place for something, there will always be limitations on certain things. The most significant area for players in South Africa is that there are no provisions within the National Gambling Act for online casino play.
This is down to the definition of games of chance that most casino games are. A slot machine, for example, is not a game of skill because it’s driven by a random number generator, and no player knows when a jackpot a will hit. There’s essentially no magic formula that a player can use to manipulate the machine into giving one out.
Do South Africans Play Online Casinos?
Interestingly, the restrictions regarding online casino play by the National Gambling Act don’t stop players from accessing online platforms. It only prohibits domestic operators from providing legal online services — but that doesn’t mean South Africans can’t (and don’t) play.
The option is simply to turn to foreign-based online casino platforms that will accept them. This can lead to issues with black market casinos hijacking the scene, but players can potentially utilise platforms that are licensed and regulated by other governing bodies around the world.
Informative casino review sites can help search for the top casinos in South Africa. By exploring ratings of different platforms, and analysing sections of them like game variety, licensing, and payment options, they are excellent resources to help point players in the right direction.
So South African players still play at online casinos, and unfortunately, that means money heading out of the country, which misses out on the benefits of further internal gambling tax revenues — simply because of the prohibitions in the National Gambling Act.
Land Based Casinos
Back in 1994, there were only nine casinos in South Africa, which steadily grew to 37 as of March 2024. The land-based casino scene is the official place where South Africans can go and enjoy a gambling experience, especially as players can’t officially get it online.
Casinos remain hugely popular hubs of entertainment — but due to location, aren’t easily accessible to everyone. What they do offer is a secure, trusted, and somewhat traditional form of gambling, which often also delivers a social experience for players.
All of this, too, falls under the rule of the National Gambling Act, 7 of 2004. Those regulations state, under the “casino” definition, any premises that offer gambling — but exclude the presence of a bingo-only site, or one that only offers limited pay-out machines. A casino has to have a broader range of games, including slots, table games, and options, all under one roof.
Sports Betting
That’s not to say all forms of online gambling are shut down. South Africans have, for example, great access to sports and horse racing betting online — which is extremely popular among the younger demographics, with most of it being accessed through mobile devices.
This is a big sector of the country’s gambling industry. There are over 30 licensed online sports betting sites in South Africa, which influences local operators as well. The NGB is at the top of the tree in regulations, but online sports betting operators are also regulated by their respective provinces.
The National Gambling Act also allows for lottery products. In total, the gross gambling revenue in South Africa hit an all-time high of ZAR59.3bn in the 2023/24 financial year as player spending hit new heights of ZAR1.14tn. Sports betting saw the biggest area of growth, while retail casinos followed by producing ZAR17.36bn of the industry total.
The Push For Remote Gambling Bill 2024
In 2024 South Africa introduced new casino regulations, providing a much stricter framework mostly geared towards helping players have responsible gambling experiences. This includes restricting advertising, mandatory spending limits, self-exclusion programs, and stricter checks on age.
A new bill is on the table that pushes for specific regulations around online gambling, where products can safely be offered to players. That includes the strict enforcement of the proposed rules and hefty fines for any operators who don’t comply.
Should the bill get approval, the regulations and oversights into a greater range of online options will be done by the National Gambling Board, which will keep a close eye on anyone who’s been handed a license, including consistent audits of accounts.
