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.
Illegal Online Casinos Still Serve South Africa South Africa features tough gambling laws on both its residents and illegal operators. However, South Africa has yet to take any action against the latter. Offshore casinos, poker sites, and even sportsbooks continue serving the Rainbow Nation. The 2004 National Gambling Act prohibited South African operators from both offering and indulging in interactive gambling online to play casino, poker and bingo games, although sports betting was still permitted.
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. So, the truth is that although online casino gambling remains illegal within South Africa, there are many operators outside of its borders which allow South Africans to play casino games online. Not only do these operators from foreign countries welcome South African players but many of them offer bonuses, rewards and special promotions in Rands. Since 2004, South Africa’s gambling laws were clarified, allowing online betting but declaring online gambling illegal. Punters can make bets on any of the top sporting events and national and international horse races, as there are plenty of SA-licensed online bookmakers.
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
| Site Name | Bonus Offer | Payout Speed | SA | Play |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online Sportsbooks | ||||
| 50% Max $2,500 | 24-48 Hours | Play Now | ||
| 75% Max $1,000 | 48 Hours | Play Now | ||
| Online Casinos | ||||
| 100% Max $3,000 | 24-48 Hours | Play Now | ||
| Online Poker Sites | ||||
| 100% Max $2,500 | 24-48 Hours | Play Now | ||
| 100% Max $2,500 | 48 Hours | Play Now | ||
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
The question of whether playing online casino games (poker, roulette, black jack, etc.) is legal in South Africa is one we often get asked, so we decided to give you the lowdown and clear the air, in our is online gambling illegal in South Africa article.
Is online gambling illegal in South Africa?
Well, the short answer is Yes and No! The National Gambling Board (NGB) is responsible for overseeing and regulating land-based gaming venues in South Africa. The legislation outlines the forms of permitted gambling, which includes land-based casinos, gaming machines in licensed premises and sports betting (phew…). All lotteries are governed separately by the Lotteries Act of 1997. So what this means is that the legislation does not permit online casino gambling in South Africa, but does allow other types of gambling related activities.
For those that are looking to get involved in online casino’s we at BSB can’t really offer too much advise, but we can recommend that you go check outwww.southafricaonlinecasinos.co.za which is a site that has everything you need to know about Casino Betting in South Africa. They’ve also got some great reviews up of websites that South Africans can access as well as being aguide for those new to Casino Betting.
Anyway enough about that, let’s dive into the actual law.
Is Internet Gambling Illegal In South Africa
In 2004, the NGB passed the National Gambling Act which banned online casino gambling within our borders. Online casino gambling via offshore servers was thereafter also prohibited in South Africa. At this point, many of the foreign online casinos stopped allowing South African customers from playing with them. Other online casinos have remained open to South Africans and continue to offer safe and reliable gaming to this incredibly lucrative market. The only case we know of where foreign online casino operators have been prosecuted for accepting business from South Africans, was in 2011, when the Supreme Court ruled against Piggs Peak Casino based in Swaziland.
So, the truth is that although online casino gambling remains illegal within South Africa, there are many operators outside of its borders which allow South Africans to play casino games online. Not only do these operators from foreign countries welcome South African players but many of them offer bonuses, rewards and special promotions in Rands. Some of these casinos even claim to be exclusive to South Africa and only accept ZAR. However, they are registered in countries such as Malta, Guernsey, Gibraltar, etc. where obtaining licenses is cheap and easy, and tax is minimal.
Some piece of mind for online casino gamblers is that South African players have little to be concerned about getting in hot water. The South African online gambling laws target the online casinos themselves and not individual players. The huge amount of tax revenue the government loses out on to these operators is their major headache – not putting gamblers behind bars. We’re not condoning punters going offshore and gambling in illegal activities here, just stating the current state of affairs.
National Gambing Board Laws
The NGB dictates that the responsibility rests with the gaming operators as well as the banks that process payments, to play by the rules – and not with you. It’s not entirely impossible, however, that your winnings are confiscated en route to their bank accounts and deposited in the Unlawful Winnings Trust, administered by the NGB. This is highly unlikely, but unfortunately there’s no possible recourse if it does happen to you. When we say confiscated we mean bye bye money, we’ve experienced it ourselves and it usually starts with a call from the bank informing you that the funds are being confiscated and why.
Land-based and online sports betting through a licensed bookmaker is legal and always has been. In actual fact, it’s the only above board option if you want to use an online platform to place any kind of wager. The legality of online sports betting supposedly rests on the fact that the internet serves only as the medium for betting; the actual outcome is decided in the real – not the virtual – world.
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 of revenue. Hopefully this comes to fruition soon and spurs development of a thriving and fiercely competitive online gaming market in South Africa.
So to summarise the question, is online gambling illegal in South Africa? Yes, online Casino Gambling is illegal BUT online Sports Betting is not illegal!
We don’t know yet how the government might licence, tax and oversee online casinos, but the new industry has the potential to generate Billions of Rands which could be used for the benefit of our country. We hope this article helped answer the age old question of Is online gambling illegal in South Africa?