DTI welcomes online gambling ruling
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has welcomed a ruling by the South African courts upholding the illegality of online gambling.
This follows a drawn out battle between government and Piggs Peak Casino, which saw the casino shut access to South African based gamblers.
“The activities of Piggs Peak to offer South Africans access to online gambling in flagrant disregard of the laws of the country could be construed as a transgression of South Africa’s gambling legislative prescripts,” says the DTI.
Under the current legislation, any person found guilty of online or interactive gambling may be sentenced to a prison term of 10 years or a fine not exceeding R10 million or both.
“The decision of the Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa to dismiss the appeal by the Casino Enterprises, Swaziland, trading as Piggs Peak is an affirmation of the country’s stringent laws on regulating gambling and ensuring that South Africans are protected from the vagrancies of illegal gambling activities offered to them,” the DTI explains.
The DTI added that due to the cross border impact of online gambling, there was a concerted need for gambling regulators and authorities to deal with the effects of it.
“We are resolute that all illegal gambling activities that take away opportunities for the country to generate revenue and subject punters to the risks of gambling without security will be shut down, and all persons and entities found to be offering the South Africa public such unlawful activities will be blacklisted and denied opportunities to operate lawfully in the country,” the department added.
The DTI expects a review by the National Gambling Board (NGB) to shape the path for the review of the gambling legislation based on the need to protect the public; create a legal framework that ensures fairness; arrest illegal activities and allow for the growth of this industry from which both the country and legitimate gambling businesses derive benefits.
“Conversely, we are aware of the growing internet penetration as well as the increasing access to social media as indicated in the 2010 All Media Product Survey. This also indicates that access to insecure online gambling sites is inevitable”.