“The public is hereby cautioned to be weary of online gambling offerings, as online gambling is illegal in South Africa,\u201d said NGB’s Accounting Authority Karoline Kongwa. \u201cAnd thus anyone participating in any illegal online gambling activity would be unable to receive any winnings and would expose themselves to criminal prosecution.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
An\u00a0announcement from the official South African news agency went on to say that it was the public\u2019s responsibility \u201cto be vigilant and to distinguish between licensed and unlicensed gambling operators in addition to being aware of what constitutes an unlawful gambling activity.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to forcing players to forfeit any winnings to the state, South African authorities say those found guilty of gambling online, or running an establishment that allows people to gamble online, could face imprisonment and\/or a fine of up to R10 million ($760,000).<\/p>\n
\n
Is Online Gambling Legal in South Africa?<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\nAccording to the National Gambling Board (NGB) of South Africa, \u201conline gambling\u201d is illegal, but \u201conline betting\u201d is not. According to NGB\u2019s FAQs:<\/p>\n
\n- Is online gambling legal? <\/strong> Section 11 of the National Gambling Act states: A person must not engage in or make available an interactive game except as authorized in terms of this Act or any other national law.<\/li>\n
- Is online betting legal?<\/strong> Online betting is legal with a licensed South African bookmaker,” read the NGB’s official rules.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
What this means in practical terms is that players can’t bet on poker or casino games with offshore sites, but they can bet on horses or sports with operators licensed by provincial regulatory authorities.<\/p>\n
Source: NGB South Africa<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If the intent is to stop online gambling, taxing winnings at 100 percent might do the trick. South African Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies announced last week that the government had seized R1.25 million ($95,300) from several gamblers prosecuted for illegal online gaming activity. The announcement seemed to add some teeth to a warning […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":51277,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,19,60],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
South Africa Confiscates Player Winnings in Online Gambling Crackdown<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n