Gauteng moves to tax online gaming companies
Online betting accounted for 80% of total betting revenue in 2024.
South Africa.- The South African province of Gauteng has announced plans to tax online gambling companies operating in its jurisdiction.
In March, the province’s finance MEC, Lebogang Maile, revealed that the government was working on legislation to tax online gaming companies.
With the new law, Gauteng aims to capitalize on the growing online gaming market to generate more revenue.
Gauteng’s current revenue from the gambling industry only comes from licensing physical gambling establishments. The new legislation seeks to add online operators under this framework.
While presenting the 2025/2026 provincial budget in the Gauteng Legislature on March 18, Maile said that a draft amendment to the Gauteng Gambling Act had been developed. He said: “So that we are able to regulate online gambling. People are making a lot of money gambling, and unfortunately, most of those punters are from Gauteng, and we’re not getting the tax that’s due to us.”
Online sports betting has become increasingly popular in South Africa. According to a report from the National Gambling Board, online betting accounted for 80% of total betting revenue in 2024.
The market’s revenue potential has caught the attention of lawmakers, who are considering levying an additional tax on online gambling to support the country’s budget.
Recently, BOSA leader Mmusi Maimane asked the national assembly to implement a sin tax on online gaming.
