South Africa may update gaming law

The Parliament of South Africa could soon approve a bill changing current legislation on the industry.

South Africa.- The South African Department of Trade and Industry has published on its website the draft of the National Gambling Amendment Bill that could soon change current gaming legislation in the country. The new law, that is soon to be debated by the national parliament, would set stricter control over the gaming industry.

One of the major amendments of the proposal is to turn the National Gambling Board into a National Gambling Regulator as well as transferring the regulation of all bets on the national lottery, foreign lottery, lottery results and sports pools to a National Lotteries Commission, as explained by the local press.

Furthermore, the bill includes other amendments such as “providing for broad-based black economic empowerment in the gambling industry. Notably, this will apply to individuals applying for gambling licences,  unlawful winnings will now be forfeited to the National Gambling Regulator, and imposing gambling advertising restrictions.”

This Friday, South African regulators will gather with the Minister of Trade and Industry, Rob Davies, to discuss the bill that has been a work-in-progress since 2016. Meanwhile, several legislators throughout the country have also proposed to include a debate on iGaming legalisation as most of the players set bets on illegal sites.