The South African Bookmakers Association (SABA) said on Monday that they are calling for urgent action to block illegal offshore gambling websites.
Image: File | Supplied
The South African Bookmakers Association (SABA) wants urgent action to block illegal offshore gambling websites.
SABA said that this follows the recent position adopted by the Internet Service Providers' Association (ISPA) regarding proposals by the National Gambling Board to block illegal offshore gambling websites.
SABA added that while they agreed that technical interventions must be supported by clear legislation, appropriate regulatory oversight and constitutional safeguards, it says that the debate should no longer centre on whether illegal offshore gambling can be addressed, but rather, how quickly South Africa is prepared to act.
“We have been actively engaging with the National Gambling Board (NGB), policymakers and other stakeholders to develop a practical, evidence-based strategy to combat the rapid growth of the illegal offshore gambling market. Those engagements have included detailed presentations, legislative gap analyses, international benchmarking and public awareness initiatives aimed at educating consumers about the risks posed by illegal operators,” added SABA.
SABA said that the conclusion reached through that work is straightforward. “South Africa does not suffer from a lack of laws prohibiting illegal online gambling. It suffers from a lack of laws that enable effective enforcement. The country's current framework is best described as "prohibition without enforcement."
SABA said that they welcomed the NGB’s recent move to appoint a service provider to block illegal online gambling websites and its ongoing commitment to stamp out unregulated sites.”
Sean Coleman, CEO of SABA, said that they support the NGB’s heightened enforcement actions that include a technological component, High Court forfeiture operations, and the coordinated legislative push to eradicate these illicit networks.
“By declaring war on illegal, unregulated platforms, particularly ahead of or during high-volume sporting periods like the 2026 World Cup. In doing so, the NGB is taking an essential step toward safeguarding vulnerable citizens and protecting the integrity of the domestic economy.”
"We remain dedicated to deploying robust, technology-driven solutions, strengthening banking compliance, and promoting uniform advertising norms to ensure a safe, sustainable, and strictly regulated gambling environment,” SABA said.
The association said illegal offshore operators target South African consumers with little fear of meaningful regulatory intervention.
“In November 2023, SABA commissioned a data-driven report from Yield Sec, a global market research firm specialising in online gaming. The report indicated that illegal operators accounted for approximately 62% of all online gambling activity in South Africa, diverting more than R50 billion in gross gambling revenue offshore annually. An estimated 16 million South Africans have engaged with these illegal platforms in the past year.”
SABA said that they operate outside South African licensing requirements, contribute nothing to the local fiscus, undermine licensed operators that comply with stringent regulatory obligations, and offer consumers little or no protection when disputes arise.
“This is precisely why SABA conducted a comprehensive review of successful international enforcement models.”
SABA said website blocking as a silver bullet. “International evidence clearly demonstrates that sustainable success is achieved through multiple complementary interventions including website blocking, payment disruption, advertising restrictions, consumer education, intelligence-led investigations and international regulatory cooperation.”
Australia demonstrated the effectiveness of restricting access. “The UK demonstrates the effectiveness of disrupting commercial viability through financial controls and regulatory oversight. South Africa has the opportunity to combine the strongest elements of both approaches to create an enforcement framework tailored to its own constitutional and regulatory environment”
SABA said every day that meaningful enforcement is delayed, illegal offshore operators continue to acquire new customers, generate untaxed revenue, undermine regulated operators, and expose vulnerable consumers to significant financial and social risks without the protections that accompany licensed gambling.
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