Is online gambling legal in South Africa?

Legal overview

Gambling in South Africa is governed by the National Gambling Act 7 of 2004 together with nine provincial gambling acts. Section 11 of the national Act provides that no one may engage in or make available an interactive game unless it is authorised under the Act or another national law. Parliament has never brought into force a framework for licensing online casinos, so online casino games, slots and live dealer tables are unlawful both for operators and for players. In a notice of February 2026 the National Gambling Board (NGB) repeated that interactive and remote gambling remains unlawful until Parliament passes a regulating law.

What is legal online is betting with bookmakers licensed by the provincial gambling boards on sporting and racing events, as well as the National Lottery. In October 2025 the Supreme Court of Appeal held that Gauteng-licensed bookmakers may not offer fixed-odds bets on casino games such as roulette; the Western Cape board has said the ruling does not affect its own licensees. Offshore operators have no legal standing: the Act makes debts from unlawful gambling unenforceable, forbids knowingly paying out winnings from unlawful gambling and lets the NGB apply to the High Court to have such winnings forfeited to the state.

Advertising may not be false or misleading or target minors, and must warn of the dangers of compulsive gambling. Gambling is restricted to people aged 18 and over. The NGB keeps a national register of excluded persons that people can join free of charge. In June 2026 it sought a solution to monitor and block illegal online gambling websites, and National Treasury has proposed a national online gambling tax.