Gambling Age In South Africa

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South African Gambling laws have gone through various levels of scrutiny in the years that it has been in service to the citizens of the country. To understand where the laws are at today, we take a look back to see where they came from. The first gambling restriction to ever hit South Africa came by way of Dutch imperialists as their rivalry with Great Britain started to gain momentum. In 1652, the Dutch founded a colony at the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, which caused European immigration in the cape to swell. As cultural assimilation took place through intermarriages there was a universal adoption of the Dutch language. In 1673, came the first formal gambling restriction to reach the colony. Although it was largely ignored by the inhabitants of South Africa, this persisted until 1965 where all forms of gambling aside from horse racing was formally outlawed.

  1. Gambling Age In South Africa 2020
  2. Gambling Age In South Africa Vs
  3. Legal Gambling Age In South Africa
  4. Gambling Age In South Africa 2019
  5. Can You Gamble At 16
  • Answer 1 of 6: How old do you have to be to gamble in South Africa. What are the rules and regulations regarding age/admission to casino's Thanks again in advance for info.
  • I wanna go to Caesars Palace, but in Vegas its gambling age is 21, I know south africa has one, i cant remember where, johannesburg or somewhere. But what the gambling age in south africa? Also where are some more caesar's palace's at?

Gamblers” in South Africa, or to underplay the potential significance of problem gamblers to gambling revenues in South Africa. Most people in the study felt that gambling had no particularly discernible impact on their lives, and many felt that the experience of gaming had enriched or otherwise. The Act also permitted the establishment of South Africa’s first lottery and reclassified horseracing as a gambling activity, not a sporting one. The rise of online gambling While the Act did a great deal to transform gambling in the country it was only eight years later in 2004 when another piece of legislation was deemed necessary to. However, common gambling ages across the world are 18 and 21. Each state regulates its own minimum age for gambling. Some states have two legal gambling ages, commonly 18 in some casinos, 21 in others. Each state regulates its own minimum age for gambling. Some states have two legal gambling ages, commonly 18 in some casinos, 21 in others.

Despite the more modern legislation, casinos were being operated in Bantustans around the 1970’s. There was estimated to be at least 2000 illegally operating casinos by 1995. However, in 1994, a new democracy was established in the country and all forms of gambling were legalized. Only two years later, gambling laws in South Africa would again, go through drastic change.

History Of Gambling Laws In South Africa

National Gambling Act of 1996

What happens if you gamble under 21

The first democratic legislation in the country of South Africa to formally regulate gambling was the National Gambling Act of 1996. It established a system of legally operating casinos and instituted a single national lottery system. It formed the foundation for regulating gambling establishments in the country and with it came a set of uniform regulations and standards that all casinos seeking proper regulation had to conform to. They assigned meaning to previously vague definitions and gambling ideas while developing 40 gambling licenses that were to be distributed to the provinces and informed on how to distribute them. The 1996 law is responsible for the creation of the National Gambling Board that is still in function today and responsible for the regulation of all gambling activities in the country.

National Gambling Act 2004

The next major change made to legal online gambling in South Africa came by way of the Internet. The National Gambling Act of 1996 was too young to realize the potential of the Internet and therefore didn’t scrutinize how it should be used in terms of gambling. The 2004 Act was the first act to address SA gambling laws regarding online gambling and completely outlawed both offering interactive gambling games online and engaging in them. In doing so, it was established that sporting activities were excluded from that judgment. It was meant to be specifically applied to online casino games, poker, and bingo and subsequently left online sports gambling and pari-mutuel horse track wagering legal given the proper provincial licenses were obtained.

National Gambling Act 2008

Gambling Age In South Africa

In the lead-up to the National Gambling Act’s second major amendment, the 2008 Act, it became known that most of the country was consciously breaking South African gambling laws as they pertain to the internet with no consequences. The public knew they these laws were vastly unenforceable and proceeded to make up one of the largest online gambling communities in the world. After this was found out, there was a legislative attempt to stop this from happening. The method of this attempt wasn’t to try and convince people to stop, but rather, simply make online casino games, poker, and bingo, completely legal and taxable to generate revenue for South Africa. This attempt, however, did not succeed and the gambling laws in South Africa remained. The 2008 Act was confronted in its attempt and lobbied against by the land-based gambling establishments for fear of profit loss. They were accompanied by anti-money laundering authorities that were afraid online gambling could lead to even more nefarious activity.

High Court Judgment 2010

As online gambling remained illegal for the most part in South Africa, SA gambling laws were vastly ignored by the population. South Africa became one of the most profitable customer markets for offshore online gambling operators, which led to the High Court Judgment of 2010. On August the 20th in 2010, the North Gauteng High Court banned offshore companies with servers that were not physically located in South Africa from any kind of online gambling within the country. Both the act of offering online gambling services and using them became illegal, simultaneously. The only two exceptions that were made were for the provincial licensed online sportsbooks and pari-mutuel horse and dog racing.

From this point on, not only were online casinos, poker, and bingo illegal in the country, they were illegal to take part in, advertise for, or facilitate in any manor. Individuals found in breach of the law are subject to a 10 million rand fine, or 10 years in prison. They made it clear that those broadcasting companies who showed advertisements for offshore online gambling companies, individual online gamblers, and banking establishments that process online gambling payments were all grouped into the same category as the online casino providers themselves and subject to the same consequences.

Gambling Age In South Africa 2020

In May of 2017, Trade and Industry Minister, Rob Davies stated that the government of South Africa had seized 1.25 million rand from several parties associated with illegal gambling in the country. They made it clear that a crackdown is looming in South Africa and that they are serious about the consequences given to the crimes that they have outlined.

Provincial Gambling Regulation In South Africa

Gambling Age In South Africa Vs

South Africa is made up of nine provinces that each independently regulate the gambling activity within their provinces. The National Gambling Board was set up in 1996 to regulate and enforce gambling laws in South Africa. They then set up the regulatory infrastructure for each of the provinces, establishing a gambling and racing board in each of them. Currently, The Western Cape Gambling and Race board has given out the most gambling licenses and has made no secret of their intention of using the online gambling industry to boost their revenue numbers.

Applicants must complete the application, which is substantial and file any related documents accordingly. They also must advertise that they have done so, and allow for the prospect of objections to be filed by any interested parties. Then, they must subject themselves to a hearing with the gambling and racing board in question.

What’s The National Gambling Age In South Africa?

The national gambling age was set with the first batch of legislation on gambling in the country. The minimum national gambling age of South Africa is 18. We recommend that you check with your local provincial gambling board to make sure it is legal for you to enter a casino as some have been known to have higher age restrictions set.

In 1673 gambling in the Cape was stopped by the Dutch settlers. The return to gambling in South Africa began in Kimberley with the discovery of diamonds in 1867 and on the Witwatersrand with the discovery of gold in 1886. The latter signified the turning point in South African economic history as the Transvaal became the largest producer of gold in the world; in the 1920s the gold produced in this area was 50% of the entire world's gold supply.

In 1965 the Gambling Act only allowed horse racing. In the 1970s casinos operated in the Bantustan homelands such as Bophuthatswana, as well as in Swaziland. Probably the most famous of these is Sun City, developed by Sol Kerzner who owned the Sun International gambling group. The hotel opened on 7 December 1979 with a professional golf course, the biggest slots hall in Southern Africa and all the family activities one could hope for.

By 1995 over 1,500 illegal gambling casinos were managed by various street groups. Although it was illegal, there was a loophole in the law which allowed 'temporary' gambling services to be offered, which led to a number of transportable gambling sites moving to a different location every night.

With the advent of a new government in 1994, certain forms of gambling were legalised in 1996, including the country's first national lottery. The National Gambling Board was created for the oversight and execution of gambling regulations in the country. Since gambling can become addictive to a small minority of the population (typically less than 2%), they also established counselling services for gamblers. The minimum age allowed for gambling is 18 in order to protect minors under this age. South Africa now boasts 40 licensed casinos, as well as the horse racing tote and the national Lotto lottery.

The first online casino was launched in 1994 in the Caribbean. Gamingclub.co.za launched in 1996, targeting South African gamblers online. Today most South Africans have access to the Internet, mobile smart phones and ipads which allow easy access to online casino gambling. Easy banking methods are also available including credit cards, electronic wallets and mobile pay methods.

Today there are hundreds of online casinos servicing South African players. Most feature over 600 different games and the progressive jackpots boast winning pay-outs as big as Las Vegas. The online poker rooms are packed with beginners and professionals, all playing online with their friends. The bonuses offered by all the gaming website attract new players as well as servicing existing players. Some sites even offer attractive holiday prizes on ships and tropical islands for their regular online players.

Gambling age in south africa compared

Gambling Age In South Africa 2019

Online sports betting is also legal in South Africa with each of the nine provinces having its own regulatory body. There is no tax on sports wagers, unlike that in horse racing wagers where the tax on winnings is 6%.

Can You Gamble At 16

The most popular sports for betting are soccer, cricket and rugby where teams compete on international levels. Bonuses are also offered, especially to all new players.