South Africa's Online Gambling Debate Rumbles On

A year after online gambling was made illegal, Casino Enterprises are set to appeal the ruling.

Online gambling has long been a controversial issue in South Africa, with the government struggling to find a template that maximizes revenue while also satisfying all relevant parties.

Last year Judge Neil Tuchten of the North Gauteng High Court ended years of debate with his landmark ruling which declared that, in legal terms, gambling takes place at the player's computer rather than the jurisdiction where the server is located.

Casino Enterprises, owner of the Piggs Peak gambling operation, are appealing this ruling. They initially took the Gauteng Gambling Board to court in 2006.

National Gambling Board chief compliance officer Themba Marasha has stated that online gambling is a “big” problem in South Africa, and that the National Gambling Board is hopeful that Casino Enterprise's appeal will fail. However, as there are no gambling figures available for offshore companies operating in South Africa, critics deride his comment as largely subjective.

Piggs Peak says that if it loses the appeal, it will be forced to stop taking bets from South Africans. In a statement, it reassures that it will ensure “all players are notified and given adequate time to access the banking modules and redeem all remaining balances due to them.

Whatever the outcome of the appeal, it is clear that South African gambling law reforms are an ongoing process, and that more time and debate is needed to formulate a satisfactory and workable model.