Online gambling regulation hits bump in South Africa

The country of South Africa is headed toward lifting a ban on online gambling and poker, but proposed changes to the law have hit a bit of a bump in the road.

A group has added a prohibition on advertising online gambling to amendments to the National Gambling Amendment Bill that are being considered. That bill was enacted in 2004 and outlawed online gaming. The bill now under debate would lift the ban and instead regulate online gambling in the country.

According to pokerpages.com:

Gambling is big business in SA, IT Web reports, with gross gambling revenue (GGR) approaching R14 billion, about half of the country’s defense budget. The National Gambling Board defines GGR as turnover less winnings paid to players.

“Veteran African National Congress lawmaker Ben Turok says the National Assembly’s trade and industry committee last month “took a decision not to proceed” with the Bill as the committee believed “that it would allow young people to gamble from home and we are opposed to that,” reports ITWeb.

Whole thing here.

Some government sources believe the ban on online gambling advertising is unconstitutional, providing a possible roadblock for the bill.

Brick and mortar casinos, bingo parlors and horse racing tracks already exist in South Africa.