🤕 South Africa🇿🇦: the regulator prepares to block operators, while Internet service providers oppose the plan

🤕 South Africa🇿🇦: the regulator prepares to block operators, while Internet service providers oppose the plan

On July 17, the National Gambling Board (NGB) amended the tender conditions for blocking unlicensed gambling platforms and extended the application deadline from August 7 to September 4, 2026. Local Internet service providers, drawing on international experience, question the effectiveness of the proposed measures.

➡️ What is at stake:

🔻 Africa's largest betting market, with betting volume approaching USD 90 billion according to 2025 data;

🔻 around 62% of online betting is attributed to unlicensed operators;

🔻 as a result, the state loses more than USD 3.1 billion in gross revenue each year.

➡️ The proposal aims to recover these revenues. How does the regulator plan to implement the process ❓

⬆️ monitoring and profiling of illegal gambling websites, including their country of origin, license status, and ownership information;

⬆️ blocking identified websites;

⬆️ reporting to the NGB, followed by transmission of the data to law-enforcement authorities;

⬆️ monitoring previously blocked websites and reblocking them if they reappear.

➡️ Approximately USD 37,000 was allocated from the state budget for these objectives in 2025, but the results were limited. During the year, the NGB provided Google Africa with information on 10 illegal websites for removal from search results, but none were removed.

➡️ In addition, there is currently no specific legal basis for blocking, according to the Internet Service Providers' Association (ISPA):

🔻 blocking Internet access to users requires a solid legal framework establishing the extent of the potential harm caused by the blocked content;

🔻 domain blocking can be easily circumvented by users, while IP-address blocking can cause large-scale disruptions to Internet services across the country;

🔻 blocked websites commonly reappear as mirror sites, significantly reducing the effectiveness of enforcement measures.

➡️ The requirements for potential contractors are also extensive: they must describe the methodology, provide the required documentation, and identify their sources of revenue. However, the tender itself does not necessarily entail the signing of a contract.

➡️ Context: the National Betting Association (SABA) previously also pointed out that the legal framework for combating illegal gambling remains insufficiently defined. The country's legislation does not even provide a precise definition of which entity can be considered an illegal operator.

#news #gambling #betting #Africa

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