South African online casinos for Real Money

There are a few questions one can have about the legality of land-based gambling in South Africa. South Africa first legalised online gambling back in 1965. However, it wasn’t an overly well-regulated industry until 1996. In 1996, the government passed the National Gambling Act. This was amended in 2008. Ultimately, these laws stipulate that lottery and similar games (such as keno and scratch cards) are the playthings of a monopoly, namely the South African lottery.

Bingo games are legal, too, but only if they are played in slot halls, where they are technically classified as slots. Sports betting and casino gambling are legal, and so is poker, at least in online casinos and licensed and legal gambling venues. Naturally, over 96% of South Americans gamble, so there is plenty of revenue to be had from these sectors.

When it comes to online gambling, the laws are a little different. The internet gambling sector is only “partially legal” in South Africa. The National Gambling Amendment Act sets out what the situation is here. Officially, gambling online is prohibited, but there are some exceptions. Online casino gambling, bingo and poker gameplay are all illegal when it comes to online gambling. Sports betting and online lottery games are legal in South Africa. However, the latter is only legal when it is run by the state monopoly, the South African National Lottery.

Officially, South African players are not legally permitted to bet at offshore casinos, or any online casinos for that matter. However, South Africans are not punished for playing at these foreign sites. There has never been a successful prosecution for doing so. Some South African ISPs (internet service providers) will try and block access to these sites, but they often aren’t successful.

The National Gambling Board has all the power when it comes to licensed South African betting sites and land-based venues. There are several licenses, including sports betting, manufacturer, bookmaker, bingo, casino and other gambling games and options. Provincial gambling regulators have a say in this, too, but none of those has any sort of power compared to the national body. Foreign operators are permitted to apply for a license to offer sports betting to South Africans. Of course, they cannot offer casino games to South Africans, though.

This licensing body has considerable powers. For instance, not only can they instruct internet service providers to block access to foreign betting sites, but they can also tell banks what to do. The National Gambling Board has implemented bans stopping South Africa’s financial institutions from processing payments between their customers’ accounts and “illegal” betting sites. This has seen many South Africans turn to cryptocurrency gambling, as this bypasses those financial institutions.

South Africans must be aged 18 or older to gamble anywhere. Of course, as mentioned, in the land-based betting world, this opens a wealth of games, including slots, poker, table games, bingo, lottery games and much more besides. However, in the online gambling sector, sports betting is the only option. Despite this, slots are still hugely popular with players in the country. Many South Africans have grown accustomed to playing crypto-friendly games as they seek ways to get around the financial institution bans put in place by the NGB.

There really aren’t many casino software providers based in South Africa. GammaStack is a developer that has associations with the African country, but they are about it. However, as South Africans only have offshore casinos to play at, most of the software providers offering games at those sites tend to be the same ones you’d find elsewhere, such as NetEnt, Pragmatic Play, BetSoft Gaming, Real Time Gaming, and so on.

South African casinos are always based offshore to avoid falling foul of the country’s gambling laws. It is worth noting that many of these offshore casinos may cater directly to South Africans, accepting the ZAR currency and offering promos and bonuses exclusively available to them. South African support may also be available, with gameplay in English, Afrikaans, and other languages. Of course, South Africans are welcomed at many crypto casinos, where the availability of games, currencies, languages and more can vary wildly.