Remote gambling on the South African political agenda again
News on 14 Mar 2016
News on 14 Mar 2016
The seemingly endless political debate in South Africa on remote gambling (it’s been going on for over a decade) resurfaces this week when the Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry will brief Parliament on the Remote Gambling Bill Tuesday morning.
The Remote Gambling Bill is the vehicle through which government intends to tackle online gambling, which it regards as illegal in South Africa, and both the department and the new National Gambling Board have complained about the proliferation of remote gambling sites offering services to South Africans.
The local land casino industry also sees remote gambling as a competitive threat, and is strongly behind government moves to enforce anti-online gambling laws.
However the official Opposition, represented by MP Geordin Hill-Lewis, claims there are major difficulties in effectively stamping out remote gambling, and that prohibiting it drives operators underground and increases the risks for consumers; regulation and licensing would be a wiser and easier course, Hill-Lewis has proposed.
