While South Africa is, without a doubt, one of the most lucrative gambling markets in the African continent, there are still a few things holding it back especially when it comes to online wagering. Now, it goes without saying that online gambling has been on the rise for quite some time now, and as expected the South African market has not been left behind. Even so, the activity is still largely considered to be illegal in the country as clarified by its gambling authority.

This month, the National Gambling Board of South Africa stepped in to offer a bit of clarification regarding the status of online gambling in the country. The gambling authority and regulator cautioned the country’s citizens against participation in virtual betting activities that are not legal or regulated at the moment. There have been a number of debates on the matter but this clarification not only affirms the regulator’s stand but also points out that participation in such activities carries some very severe penalties.

The Surge in Virtual Betting Activities

As mentioned earlier, South Africa is a very lucrative market, something that has seen to the rise of several illegal or unregulated online gambling operations catering to residents. Most of the facilities that have been doing this are disguised as internet cafes and the others are offshore but can still be accessed via smartphones which are now very accessible across the continent. For South Africa, Money Poker Sites shows the most popular offerings among online gambling in poker and sports betting.

As it stands, the virtual betting facilities that disguise themselves as internet cafes operate in a manner that is considered to be very unethical. Many, if not all, of these venues do not provide adequate protection, if any, to their customers. These operators could decline to pay out winnings if they so wish and they could even tamper with the outcomes of the games that they are offering.

Local law enforcement has been trying to put an end to these illegal operations but this is proving to be a very difficult task. Whenever they get wind of information that the authorities are closing in on them, they often quickly relocate their services to other areas.

Will Things Change?

Online gambling was declared illegal by the 2004 National Gambling Act and remains so to date with very little effort being put towards updating the law. The National Gambling Board’s spokesperson has recently clarified that this is because the activity is extremely difficult to regulate and monitor. Online casinos run 24/7 and there is less scrutiny on the people who place bets on them, he adds.

Perhaps the best way to go about it is to build a framework that would make it much easier for regulation and monitoring. It is pretty obvious that stopping illegal online gambling is going to be an incredibly difficult task and the government is losing millions in tax revenue from the sector. This idea that online gambling could be legalized in South Africa is, in most part, nothing more than wishful thinking but it certainly holds water especially considering all the other jurisdictions around the world that have changed their stance on online gambling over the years.