The National Gambling Board (NGB) has reiterated that online gambling remains unlawful in South Africa and has issued a formal notice to all provincial licensing authorities to this effect.
It provides guidance on compliance obligations in respect of remote gambling infrastructure and applicable technical standards.
The board said on Friday that interactive and remote gambling activities remain illegal, except where explicitly authorised by national legislation. The servers, as systems designed to facilitate interactive or remote gambling activities, do not constitute lawful gambling systems under the current legislative framework.
“Gambling in South Africa is regulated and licensed through the National Gambling Act and the nine provincial gambling acts. The national act, which sets the national norms and standards, has expressly prohibited interactive gambling until a legislative framework to regulate it is developed and passed by the president,” NGB acting CEO Lungile Dukwana said in a statement.
Aligning with a directive from the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS), the NGB emphasised that the scope of technical standards that are applicable only to lawful gambling systems do not cover servers.
Specifically, the South African national standard (Sans 1718-4:2018 – Edition 3) applies only to wagering and record-keeping systems and as such does not provide for the testing or certification of serves as standalone systems.
Enforcement
The NRCS has further formally directed that the servers may not be submitted for certification against Sans 1718. It will also not issue, renew or extend letters of certification for the servers. Any previously issued letters relating to the servers have lapsed or will lapse upon expiry, with no further certification activities to be undertaken.
Provincial authorities have been instructed to align their licensing and enforcement practices with the regulations and take appropriate enforcement action against non-compliant operators.
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“The NGB will monitor implementation of this notice across all provinces and will report to the minister of trade, industry & competition on compliance levels, enforcement outcomes and the broader industry impact,” said Dukwana.
Illegal betting and online gambling have made headlines in recent months, with the South African Responsible Gambling Foundation releasing a study last year that found that nearly 45% of government grant recipients were gambling money intended for education and for basic goods.
The national treasury said in the budget delivered on Wednesday that it still considering a 20% tax to curb the scourge in problem betting. This can contribute to public sector funds to mitigate against the social costs involved.
The tax will be in addition to the current taxes paid to provinces. The public comment period was extended to close of business on Friday.
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“Following receipt of the comments, national treasury will hold a workshop with those who commented. A proposal, including any revisions from the consultation, will be included in draft legislation that will be made available for public comment later in the year,” it said. – © 2026 NewsCentral Media
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