One of the most asked questions among gamblers in South Africa is: “is online gambling legal in South Africa? The reality is that there is no simple answer for this. While the laws in South Africa prohibit online casinos from operating within the borders of the country, there are no clear laws that ban South Africans from playing in online casinos. As long as the online casinos are registered out of South Africa, then people who are in the country can still play.
Understanding South Africa Gaming Laws
The gaming laws of South Africa were enacted in 1965. Since then, the country has undergone a lot of changes when it comes to the laws that govern gambling. On online gambling, at first, all forms of online casino games were banned under the 2004 National Gambling Act. After trying to enforce the rule for so long, and perhaps realising how vast the internet is, the South African laws changed in 2011. While still maintaining a ban on online casino games in South Africa, the law clarified that it applies to online casinos operating within the borders. Moreover, there was no clear law that addressed if individual players were allowed to bet online or not.
South Africans and Gambling
The number of South Africans who have been playing online casino games has been increasing. Most of the online casino sites are that they play with are based out of South Africa. The good news is that some of the popular casino sites that accept South African players allow them to pay in South African Rand. Since there is a wide variety of online sites that claim they allow South Africans to play, it is always advisable for people who want to play online casino games to do due diligence in establishing if the site they want to play at is legit.