Remote Gambling Bill to Be Tabled in the National Assembly

Dear Editor

The Democratic Alliance has re-introduced its Remote Gambling Bill to Parliament in a bid to properly regulate the online gambling industry, which has been left in a legislative limbo after years of neglect by previous administrations.

Our current gambling laws fail to keep up with a rapidly developing and ever-evolving industry, which has fast spread to online platforms without any laws to properly regulate them. The DA’s Remote Gambling Bill seeks to rectify this lacuna in our law for the benefit and safety of players and operators alike.

Betting, which includes online gambling, has overtaken casinos as the largest revenue-generator for gambling operators, fuelled by Covid-19 restrictions and an explosion of online gambling and betting platforms. The National Gambling Board reported total gambling revenue of R59,3 billion in the 2023/24 financial year, with betting and online gambling rocketing to 60.9% of that and casinos declining to 23,9%. These statistics are themselves questionable, due to the unregulated nature of the online (remote) gambling industry. Only with proper regulation, monitoring and tax administration will the industry contribute its fair share of tax revenue to the fiscus, at a time when government revenue is under pressure.

By failing to effectively oversee this massive industry, player and operator activities remain unregulated, while the public is not as effectively protected as they are when using physical gaming operations. At the same time, a lack of regulation results in billions of rands worth of revenue and critical jobs being lost to other jurisdictions. The DA has taken it upon itself to rectify this failure and to ensure that online gambling activities are regulated, monitored, and safe for the public.

The Remote Gambling Bill will provide for, amongst other things:

• the regulation and licensing of remote gambling within South Africa;
• set uniform norms and standards for remote gambling activities;
• provide protection to minors and vulnerable persons;
• ensure compliance with the Financial Intelligence Act; and
• provide for provincial licensing of remote gambling activities.

The DA is proud to re-introduce this crucial piece of legislation to Parliament and welcomes comments from all stakeholders on the contents of the Bill.

Regards

Toby Chance MP
DA Spokesperson on Trade, Industry and Competition