Is Online Gambling Legal In South Africa 2018
Online gambling is developing all over the world and South Africa is not an exception. Although there are some issues with legislation South African online casinos are still being the most popular in Africa and offer outstanding gambling experience to clients.
For now on there are many things that have to be clarified for the online gambling services and the industry in general.
The List of The Best Online Gambling Websites in South Africa
In the table below you can see the most rated online casinos in South Africa. These gambling services are all licensed, legal and reputable and those offer standardized service for gamblers from South Africa (some of those also deal with players all over the world).
Rating 5/5
300
- As online gambling remained illegal for the most part in South Africa, SA gambling laws were vastly ignored by the population. South Africa became one of the most profitable customer markets for offshore online gambling operators, which led to the High Court Judgment of 2010.
- In most ways, online casinos are banned in South Africa. This has led to a growing black market, with South African gamblers being forced to use different tricks to access online gambling sites that are overseas and still accept business from South African customers.
- Gambling laws in South Africa are legislated in the National Gambling Act of 2004. According to this Act, which was amended in 2018, online gambling (or interactive gaming) and online casinos are illegal. While online gambling isn’t permitted within the borders of South Africa, South African players don’t have to worry.
Until relatively recently, online gambling law was quite a grey area in South Africa. The main reason for this was that the relevant laws and statutes covering gambling were not up to date in terms of these new forms of gambling made possible by the Internet. So online gambling and poker became popular among South Africans.
Free Spins99.3%
Payout PercentageDeposit Option
Rating 5/5
200
Free Spins99.1%
Payout PercentageDeposit Option
Rating 5/5
200
Free Spins98.5%
Payout PercentageDeposit Option
Rating 4.9/5
100% Up ToR11,500 bonus
Rating 4.9/5
100% Up ToR12,000 bonus
Rating 5/5
100% Up To$200+$10 bonus
Rating 4.85/5
100% Up ToR10,000 bonus
Rating 4.8/5
100% Up ToR8,888 bonus
Rating 4.55/5
100% Up ToR24,000 bonus
Rating 4.45/5
100% Up ToR10,000 bonus
Rating 4.4/5
100% Up To$3,000 bonus
If you want to try to play in of these casinos just follow the corresponding link and complete registration form to begin.
Is Online Gambling Legal in South Africa?
Online gambling could become fully legal in South Africa in 2008. However, due to different reasons the corresponding law wasn’t accepted and since that time online gambling South African law is still pending. There was another attempt to allow online gambling operators to act and get licensed in South Africa in 2016 – it was called Remote Gambling Bill.
However, this attempt has failed as well. However, that doesn’t mean that you violate the law when you sign up and play in the South African online casinos. The thing is you have full right to gamble online just because the online casinos you play in are licensed in other countries.
There is no way South African jurisdiction can reach online casinos that operate on the country territory so there is no risk that your deposit will be lost due to the block of casino accounts.
States Online Gambling Is Legal
Why Online Gambling Is Still Not Fully Legal in South Africa?
Online gambling has already become fully legal in many countries all over the world. However, in south Africa which is stated to have the most progressive gambling laws online gambling is still partially restricted. Why is that?
The thing is South Africa is worldwide known capital of land casinos. Here you can find the famous casinos that operate here for more than a century. And there is a limited number of licenses hold in the country, which means there is a limited number of land gambling facilities allowed on the territory of South Africa.
And online gambling takes the considerable share of income from these land casinos, there is no way to limit the number of online casinos and it is hard to compete with those as playing in online casinos is much more comfortable and cheap. Moreover, online casinos can offer much more activities.
So making online casinos fully legal is against the interests of the currently existing land casinos, that’s why the corresponding laws cannot pass. Though, people in South Africa still legally play in online casinos.
Online Gambling vs Land Casinos in South Africa
There are rich gambling traditions in South Africa and a number of powerful and luxurious land casinos in the country. Due to the recent researches the capitalization of gambling market (for land casinos) will reach 30 billion ZARs in 2019. And the overall number of people that work in casinos makes 60000. The yearly growth of the of the industry makes 4,5% – this figure was much higher until the online casinos came up to the scene.
When it comes to online gambling there are no figures you can point out accurately. However, due to the fact the number of online casinos in South Africa grows exponentially as well as the traffic on these websites it can be said that industry is evolving.
If compare the games for online and land casinos it can be said that when it comes to slots online casinos are much more attractive as there hundreds of types of different slots – the parameter which will never be reached by land casinos. However, when it comes to card games where you play against other players, usually land casinos have poker rooms, while online casinos provide video poker, baccarat, blackjack and other card games where you play against casino.
Will Online Gambling Become Fully Legal in South Africa in 2018/2019/2020?
As already stated gambling in South African online casinos is fully risk free for players. However, the question when will online gambling be legal in South Africa is still on the scene. Well, it can happen soon as authorities understand that despite of barriers existing gamblers are still capable of gambling in online casinos.
Thus, it is not critical for players – all you will get after online gambling is fully legalized in South Africa is dramatic increase of online casinos licensed by local authorities which can lead to improvement of service. Track the updates on our website to be aware of the latest news on online gambling in South Africa.
The Most Popular Online Gambling Websites in South Africa
There are many online casinos in South Africa – some of those are called to be industry leaders due to the number of players and variety of games available. Most of the casinos may look the same, however, there are still differences that make players to choose the one that fits the most.
Springbok
Springbok casino was founded in 2012 and for now it is one of the most popular online gambling services in South Africa. There are many slots in the casino and attractive special offers. You can download the casino client on your computer, play in your browser or download an app for your Android device.
Thunderbolt
This online casino is concentrated on slot games and offers many rapid games to play in. The casino website is mobile optimized, so you can use your smartphone or tablet to game games in it.
Silversands
This casino mainly offers gamblers table and card games. It was established in 2003 and has rapidly conquered top positions among other online gambling services. It is mobile optimized and provides numerous ways of withdrawal and deposit options.
Yebo
Yebo casino was founded in 2014 and since then it remains to hold stable high share of players on the South African market due to well-optimized slots and concentration on progressive slots.
Is There Free Gambling Online in South Africa?
Yes, there is. You can play free online casino games with real money making no deposit. Most of the top South African online casinos offer you up to 300 ZAR on your account after registration, so you can try out playing there on real money without wasting a cent.
What Are the The Most Popular Games On Online Gambling Websites in South Africa?
There are all kinds of gambling activities presented in South Africa, however, below you can browse the most popular ones.
Slot Games
There are traditionally many slots you can find in South African online casinos. There are both classic and progressive slots you can play. There are many combinations and types of slots available by the number of lines, theme, presence or absence of symbols etc. You also can play free online casino slots games in South Africa.
Poker
When it comes to card games poker is surely the most popular one. You can play both against other players or against casino (video poker). Though when it comes to classic gambling services you usually can only play free online casino poker games in South Africa.
Roulette
Roulette is a classic casino game and in South African online gambling services it is presented in many ways. You can also play free roulette casino games if you use the bonuses casino offers.
Blackjack
It is one more popular card game in South Africa. There are many players that play only blackjack due to the fact there are simple rules. Almost all of the casinos offer free online casino blackjack.
Who Is Engaged in Online Gambling in South Africa?
Is Online Gambling Legal In South Africa 2018 2019
These are usually men over 18 years old that want to have a good time and do not ought to leave to the land casinos. Due to the fact there are many simple games, online casinos are quite popular in the country and each year the number of online gamblers grows.
Gambling In Africa
Why South African Online Gambling Websites Are the Best to Deal With in Africa?
If compare developing countries of Africa with the European countries, US or Australia you will notice that the development of the online gambling industry is in the initial stage there. There is a simple explanation to that fact – weak infrastructure and poverty.
However, when it comes to the South Africa the situation is a bit different – the legislation of the country is the most progressive among African countries if you consider gambling. There are gambling zones where you can play legally and more than 70 huge casinos you can choose from. This is the best place in South Africa to gamble and it is obvious that for the online gambling services development should start from South Africa as the country with the biggest demand in online gambling.