National Gambling Board

What this authority does

South Africa regulates gambling on two levels. The National Gambling Board sets and monitors national policy and publishes statistics, while licences are issued by nine provincial boards, each with its own application process and conditions. An operator wanting national coverage therefore deals with provincial regulators rather than with the national body.

Online casino games are not lawful for South African residents, and attempts to licence them have not been completed. Online sports betting, however, is lawful through provincially licensed bookmakers, and the betting sector has grown to become the largest single contributor to gambling turnover in the country, principally through mobile products.

The split structure is the main planning consideration for anyone entering: licence terms, fees and advertising conditions differ by province, and compliance work is repeated for each one.

Licences it issues

• None directly: licences are issued by provincial boards

What supervision concentrates on

• National oversight and policy
• Coordination of nine provincial licensing boards
• Research and market statistics
• Enforcement against unlicensed online casino

Markets on file under this authority