In South Africa, although the gambling houses were officially authorized in 1994, they had been operating in the Baltustans long before. However, it was the National Gambling Act of 1996 that made it possible for the government to protect players by regulating regulators.
Domestic casino sectors are regulated by the National Gambling Council. However, each of the nine provinces has a racing and gambling council that checks and licenses the operators. So far, there are around 39 licensed casinos located in different metropolitan areas across the country. Johannesburg and Cape Town boast the largest number of legal institutions.
South African law allows traditional casinos to offer a variety of games. They offer slot machines, poker, craps, roulette, blackjack, baccarat, and 21 to name several games. The only requirement is that you must have at least 18 years to go to the casinos and play these games.
The largest land-based casino in the country is the Rio Hotel Casino Resort, which opened in May 2002. The extremely modern facility, ranked sixth largest in the world and largest in Africa in terms of Square, offering about 274 slots and 11 tables.
GrandWest Casino and World of Entertainment
Another country-marked casino is GrandWest Casino and World of Entertainment in Cape Town. You can find more than 2563 slot machines, 10 poker tables, and 79 table games.
You can also experience world-class gambling offerings at some other upscale establishments. Some of them are Time Square Casino in Menlyn, Montecasino and Carnival City Casino in Johannesburg…
In addition to casinos, South Africans also have access to other forms of gambling. The most popular forms are bingo, lottery and betting on horse racing.
When it comes to online gambling, the law clearly states that it is illegal to provide games with real money to South African citizens via the internet. However, bookmakers can apply for a license to offer online sports betting from the Provincial Licensing Authority.
However, the gambling community in South Africa continues to participate in various online betting activities at licensed international gambling sites in other jurisdictions.
The government has no control over these operators. This is because they are licensed outside of the country. However, players run the risk of being won by the Gambling Council whenever they play at these sites.