For a long time, although South African media have announced that online gambling will soon be legalized in the country, the Department of Commerce and Industry (DTI) decided not to lift the restrictions.
DTI says that allowing it in South Africa (SA) will have a detrimental impact on the population and beyond; As such, the online gambling ban is still in effect.
South Africa bans gambling
This decision contradicts the National Gambling Board’s recommendation regarding additional types of gambling in the SA. According to its recommendation in 2010, online gambling in SA must be legalized, but tightly controlled. In March 2012 of the DTI Portfolio Committee accepted such proposals.
According to Stephen Louw, a former member of the National Gambling Council, the DTI’s decision was anti-democratic and wrong for the country. He used the United States and Australia, highlighting the fact that no country can ban online gambling, due to progress in internet technology.
That is why most countries have chosen laws and regulations to use online gambling with economic advantage. He added that online gambling sites have become more popular in the Republic of South Africa.
Little hope to legalize online gambling in South Africa
Though the official road, perhaps, the real reason for the ban on online gambling in South Africa is another reason. According to Independent Online, Zodwa Ntuli, DTI’s deputy general manager, said that the government does not have the network resources to control and monitor online gambling. She also added that it might be allowed in the future. So now only certain forms of gambling like casino and horse racing are legal in South Africa.
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