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The South African province of Gauteng is initiating a review of its gambling legislation as it looks to increase taxes and levies by regulating online gambling.
“These reforms aim to enhance revenue collection and ensure a fair and competitive industry,” the Gauteng Gambling Board (GGB) said in a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday (May 6).
The GGB did not respond to an email sent by Vixio GamblingCompliance seeking additional information on the reforms.
The GGB says it has increased tax revenue collection by 2 percent to over R1.2bn ($65m) in fiscal year 2023-2024 despite “navigating sector challenges”.
One of these challenges is the proliferation of illegal online and land-based gambling.
In the first quarter of the year, the GGB shut down 250 illegal gambling sites, and over the last year, it conducted 1,065 unannounced compliance inspections of land-based gambling venues.
“These efforts demonstrate our unwavering commitment to combating illegal gambling, protecting you, the consumers, and ensuring a fair and regulated industry for all,” the GGB said.
In March, Gauteng's Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Finance, Lebogang Maile, said during the province’s fiscal year 2025-2026 budget presentation that he is preparing legislation to regulate online gambling.
“People are making a lot of money from online gambling. Unfortunately, most of those punters are from Gauteng and we are not getting the tax that is due to us. We are done with the draft amendment, it is there,” he said.
Gauteng is the largest contributor to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) out of the nine provinces, accounting for 35 percent of the total, according to the Gauteng provincial budget 2025/2026.
Despite this, the provinces of Western Cape and Mpumalanga have battled for the gambling market's top spot, with both clearing $1bn in gross gaming revenue last year, aided by the fact they have permitted live dealer casino games as “contingent events” for betting for several years, while more casino game types, including slots-style games, have been approved in recent years.
As attempts to regulate online gambling at a national level have stalled in recent years, more provinces are looking to emulate the success of the Western Cape and Mpumalanga by regulating and expanding online gambling offerings on their terms to ensure they do not miss out on tax revenue.
This push by provinces to regulate online gambling is putting more pressure on the national government, but there has still been no update in recent weeks on efforts to update the country’s gambling law.
The Remote Gambling Bill is still waiting to be tabled before the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) Portfolio Committee.
There is also the issue of the National Gambling Amendment Bill, which is awaiting the formation of Parliament's Mediation Committee, where it will be discussed. There is no certainty as yet on when it will be formed.
