South Africa Intensifies Crackdown on Illegal Gambling Sites

South Africa’s National Gambling Board (NGB) is stepping up efforts to combat illegal offshore gambling by pursuing website blocking measures, strengthening cooperation with overseas regulators and seeking broader enforcement powers against operators targeting South African players.

During a briefing to Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Trade, Industry and Competition, the regulator outlined a series of actions aimed at reducing the growing presence of offshore gambling platforms. The NGB estimates that illegal and non-compliant gambling operations generate approximately R5 trillion in turnover, while South Africa’s regulated online gambling sector produced R75 billion in revenue during 2025.

The regulator warned that offshore operators continue attracting local customers without holding South African licences or contributing tax revenue, adding pressure to an industry already facing rising levels of gambling-related harm.

Regulator seeks international cooperation and website blocking

The NGB has asked the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies to assist in blocking access to illegal gambling websites and is working alongside the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA), the South African Police Service (SAPS) and provincial licensing authorities to strengthen enforcement.

According to Acting Chief Executive Officer Lungile Dukwana, many of the offshore operators targeting South African customers are licensed in jurisdictions including Gibraltar, Malta, the Philippines and Curaçao.

“We are seeing that there are external operators … in our space, and those are not licensed in South Africa, and that creates a challenge of its own because, in that specific instance, they are coming from the online casinos, and they are offered by other countries.”

“Those are licensed from, for example, Gibraltar, the Philippines and the UK and Malta as well. Those have been the source of our main platforms in terms of the online gambling sites that we have actually seen,” Dukwana said.”

The regulator confirmed it has contacted authorities in several jurisdictions and issued cease-and-desist letters to operators believed to be offering gambling services unlawfully within South Africa.

“We have engaged with the UK [and] … with Malta. We still have to have engagement with the Philippines and Gibraltar to ask them to stop their licences from operating in our own space,” Dukwana said.”

“That work we have done on our side, and we have sent them … cease-and-desist letters, so that they can be able to stop that work from happening on our side.”

Alongside discussions with foreign regulators, the NGB is developing a dedicated blocking system for illegal gambling websites. The regulator also said it has worked with Google, Meta and ICASA to limit access to unlicensed operators and restrict their online visibility.

Legal dispute continues over online casino games

The enforcement campaign comes as the NGB continues to argue that online casino gambling remains illegal under South African law, with the exception of licensed online sports betting.

The regulator cited Section 11 of the National Gambling Act, maintaining that interactive gambling is prohibited unless specifically authorised by national legislation.

However, several licensed bookmakers, including Hollywoodbets, Betway, SportingBet, Sunbet and SuperSportBet, have argued that their casino-style offerings fall under contingency betting rather than interactive gambling.

The disagreement centres on whether online casino games offered through bookmaker licences should be treated as betting products or interactive gambling. The NGB maintains that these games allow players to actively participate in gameplay and therefore fall outside the legal scope of traditional sports betting.

Although the regulator has repeatedly communicated its interpretation to provincial licensing authorities, it acknowledged that enforcement has not been applied consistently across the country.

Advertising and gambling growth remain under scrutiny

The regulator also identified advertising as a significant factor behind the expansion of illegal online gambling. It said widespread gambling promotions, influencer marketing and insufficient advertising controls have contributed to normalising gambling and encouraging participation among financially vulnerable consumers.

To address these concerns, the NGB has worked with provincial regulators, sports bodies and the Advertising Regulatory Board while preparing advertising standards that will be submitted to the National Gambling Policy Council.

The regulator is also preparing a broader report for the council covering online gambling, betting exchanges and historical loss tracing.

Recent industry figures presented by the NGB illustrate the scale of South Africa’s gambling market. Total wagers reached approximately R1.5 trillion during the 2024/25 financial year, up from R1.14 trillion the previous year. Gross gambling revenue increased by 26.2% to R75 billion, with betting accounting for roughly 70% of the total.

Members of Parliament also highlighted ongoing concerns about regulatory capacity. DA MP Toby Chance questioned differences between gambling and lottery regulation, while MK Party MP Sithembile Nkosi warned that technological developments within the gambling industry continue to outpace current enforcement capabilities.

Source: Regulator targets offshore gambling sites draining billions from SA, Business Day, June 24, 2026