South African remote gambling bill revived
Online bill to be put to parliament next month despite lack of clarity regarding government's position
South African politician Geordin Hill-Lewis has revived his remote gambling bill and is “optimistic” about its chances despite ongoing confusion surrounding the government’s stance on the legalisation of egaming.
The bill will be tabled with South Africa’s parliament when it re-opens in February with the hope of prompting further progress towards regulating the country’s online market.
Speaking to South African publication IT Web, Hill-Lewis said he was confident of the bill’s success despite the parliament’s previous “superficial” attitude towards online gambling.
While the bill is much the same as the one tabled in 2014, one significant difference is the division of licensing responsibilities between the National Gambling Board (NGB) and South Africa’s nine separate provinces.
As part of the bill, provinces would play a more active role in issuing gambling licences and provide input into individual decisions, however the NGB will remain the licensing entity to prevent the establishment of nine separate jurisdictions.
Hill-Lewis originally gazetted – published in national press – and tabled the bill last year. However despite winning early support from operators and government officials alike, progress was stalled after an impropriety and corruption scandal which resulted in the suspension of the country’s National Gambling Board.
Then in October South Africa’s Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) tabled proposals to prohibit all forms of online gambling, marking a complete u-turn that left MPs “dumbfounded”.
The bill’s revival comes in the same week that the country’s Casino Association of South Africa (CASA) issued a statement calling for the online market to be regulated, labelling unlicensed sites as a threat to the future of South Africa’s land-based industry.
CASA chief executive Themba Ngobese said that if illegal online gambling in South Africa caused a similar drop in casino visitation as has been recorded in Europe, the implications on revenue and taxation “could be devastating”.
“Until it is legislated, stay away from it; and, of course, if it’s legalised, then it’s a fair playing field and everyone should be able to participate in it,” Ngobese said in statement on CASA’s official website.