26/08/2010, Online casino

South African gambling authorities have banned online gambling. On the 20th of August, the North Gauteng High Court ruled that online poker and all forms of online gambling are strictly prohibited in the country.

The court's ruling affects both Internet operators who offer online gambling to South African residents and the players who take part in online betting. The ban also refers to gambling advertising on TV, radio, print or billboards and it makes the Internet service providers responsible for blocking online gambling. Breaking the new South African law could cost the guilty persons a face of ZAR 10 million rand (approximately $1.36 million) and/or ten years in prison! The new South African law is similar to the United States' gaming law of 2006, which forbids online gambling websites and punishes the financial institutions for processing payments into gambling websites.

“That’s why we approached the media to alert them of the judgment which makes online casino operations illegal, and if they continue we will have them arrested and fight for conviction,” said Lucky Lukhwareni of the Gauteng Gambling Board commenting on the new ruling.

The South African online gambling industry has an estimated income of over 400 million Rands per year.