South Africa Records Just 39 Arrests for Illegal Online Gambling in Five Years

Convictions Remain Low Despite Growing Market Access

South Africa’s fight against illegal online gambling remains largely ineffective, with just 39 arrests recorded over a five-year period and less than two dozen convictions. Police Minister Senzo Mchunu disclosed the figures in response to a parliamentary question from Rise Mzansi leader Songezo Zibi, revealing that 36 cases were formally reported to the South African Police Service (SAPS), but only a fraction led to successful prosecution.

Of the 39 arrests, 20 took place in KwaZulu-Natal, while the rest occurred in Gauteng. Thirteen of the arrests in Gauteng were carried out by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), also known as the Hawks. However, none of those cases resulted in convictions—legal representatives successfully challenged the validity of search warrants, leading to exhibits being returned to the accused.

According to Mchunu, illegal online gambling accounted for just 0.1% of all gambling-related cases, dwarfed by the 32,906 illegal land-based cases reported over the same period. He admitted that identifying online gambling operations is particularly difficult due to how easily such sites can be set up or shut down.

Legislative Paralysis Leaves Online Sector Largely Unregulated

South Africa’s legal framework for gambling, defined by the 2004 National Gambling Act, explicitly prohibits interactive gambling games accessed via the internet. Yet in practice, enforcement remains limited, and access to offshore operators is widespread. According to industry platform AskGamblers, South African users can access more than 1,000 online gambling sites.

Although Parliament has made repeated efforts to regulate the online sector, progress has stalled for over a decade. A 2008 amendment to the Gambling Act was approved by then-President Thabo Mbeki but was never enacted. As a result, the country continues to operate under outdated legislation that fails to reflect the realities of a digital gambling market.

In the run-up to South Africa’s 2024 general election, the Democratic Alliance introduced a new Remote Gambling Bill aimed at regulating online operations, protecting vulnerable users, and decentralising licensing powers to provincial governments. Dean MacPherson, the bill’s co-author and now Minister of Public Works, criticised the government’s failure to modernise the legal framework.

“By not regulating this gambling activity, the erosion of the rule of law and criminal activity is being encouraged, while the public is not effectively protected,” MacPherson said.

Earlier efforts to introduce similar legislation, including a 2015 proposal by then-MP Geordin Hill-Lewis (now Mayor of Cape Town), also failed to gain traction.