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South Africa’s Remote Gambling Bill, introduced to regulate online gambling in the country, is expected to be tabled soon, according to the member of parliament sponsoring the measure.
“Discussions are underway with various stakeholders regarding the [National Gambling Amendment] 2008 Act and its overlap with the Remote Gambling Bill,” Toby Chance, a member of parliament for the Democratic Alliance, told Vixio Gambling Compliance.
Chance said he will be formally tabling or presenting the Remote Gambling Bill B11-2024 this year at a date that has not yet been determined, “subject to the committee programme enabling that”.
The bill would introduce a legal framework for licensing and regulating various forms of online gambling, including both operator and supplier licensing.
If adopted at the committee stage, it would go to the National Assembly for deliberation and voting.
If approved, it would then be sent to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), the country’s second House of Parliament that deals with legislation affecting South Africa's nine provinces.
As introduced, the bill gives significant powers to provincial gambling boards to license gambling operators.
The NCOP would also deliberate and vote on the bill, which, if passed, would once again go back to the National Assembly for another vote before being sent to the President for final approval.
Potential movement on the Remote Gambling Bill comes as the separate National Gambling Amendment Bill has begun making progress in recent weeks.
The National Gambling Amendment Bill would not legalise or fully regulate online gambling, but it does introduce a series of measures aimed at tackling illegal online gambling, as well as a host of other measures.
Another key difference in the bills is the role of Provincial Licensing Authorities (PLA), with the Remote Gambling Bill proposing that they should assess licence applications, and the NGB would be responsible for national oversight and coordination.
The National Gambling Amendment bill proposes the creation of a new National Gambling Regulator (NGR), which would primarily centralise regulation at a national level.
The parliament's Mediation Committee, of which Chance is a member, is currently deliberating on the National Gambling Amendment Bill.
In the past few weeks, the committee has held closed meetings on the bill, so its details can not be shared at present. One of the meetings included a briefing from the National Gambling Board, as well as provincial gambling boards, on the bill.
“We are due to issue our report and submit it to the Speaker on June 14,” Chance said.
Odds Improving For Online Gambling Law Changes
Despite failed attempts in the past to address online gambling, several factors have boosted the chances of enacting new national online gambling regulations soon.
More provinces are seeking to emulate the success of Western Cape and Mpumalanga, which have permitted live dealer casino games as “contingent events” for fixed-odds betting for several years and, more recently, have allowed online slot-style games as well.
Provinces such as Gauteng have suggested that expanding online gambling offerings on their terms would ensure they do not miss out on tax revenue.
This push by provinces to regulate online gambling continues to put pressure on the national government.
Additionally, in February 2024, the National Gambling Board (NGB) told parliament there is a need to reform gambling laws, in particular around online gambling, which it said “is illegal in South Africa but is still rife”.
Political changes have also helped the chances of new online gambling legislation being passed.
Elections held in 2024 saw a hung parliament resulting in what is referred to as the Government of National Unity (GNU), with the ruling African National Congress (ANC) losing its majority for the first time in 30 years, forming a partnership with the Democratic Alliance party.
Some lawmakers have been hopeful this could help encourage some form of political compromise to address the issue of online gambling, which both have flagged as a concern.
