A prominent South African opposition leader is urging the government to impose strict new regulations on the country’s rapidly expanding online gambling industry, pointing to a recent legislative crackdown in India as a model for confronting addiction and financial harm.
Makashule Gana, Chief Organizer for the Rise Mzansi party, warned that the proliferation of digital betting platforms and their aggressive advertising campaigns are creating severe societal costs. He argued that without immediate action, the state will be forced to divert public funds from development projects to treat a growing crisis of gambling addiction.
Mr. Gana’s appeal comes just days after India’s parliament passed a sweeping bill banning certain forms of “online money games,” a move its proponents tied to concerns over consumer protection, money laundering and terrorism financing.
“The legislative landscape needs to change to protect vulnerable South Africans,” Mr. Gana said in an interview on Friday. He first sounded the alarm in Parliament last November about the damaging effects of the industry.
The legal framework governing gambling in South Africa is a patchwork of outdated statutes struggling to keep pace with technology. While fixed-odds sports betting is legal, traditional online casino-style games are not. In practice, however, the line has blurred, with many licensed betting operators offering digital slot machines and other casino-like games, fueling a rise in gambling addiction.
The convenience of placing bets via smartphones, coupled with what critics call ubiquitous and irresponsible advertising, has driven widespread adoption. Billboards, television commercials and online ads promising instant wealth have become a constant feature of the urban landscape.
“The advertising has gone overboard,” Mr. Gana said, noting that while some companies have recently moderated their messaging, the changes are insufficient. He called for a ban on ads during early morning hours, an end to “get-rich-quick” promises, and a mandate for operators to fund public awareness campaigns on the dangers of addiction and irresponsible betting.
Attempts to modernize the country’s gambling laws have languished for years. The National Gambling Amendment Act of 2008, which was designed to address “interactive” online games, has never been enacted, leaving a significant regulatory void.
More recently, a private member’s bill, the Remote Gambling Bill was introduced in November 2024 to address these gaps. Its sponsor, Toby Chance, the national spokesman on trade and industry for the opposition Democratic Alliance party, cautioned that an outright ban, like India’s, may be too extreme.
“The DA is not in favour of banning all online gambling,” Mr. Chance said. “However, my private member’s bill introduces measures to control and restrict advertising, adds protections for vulnerable persons and minors, as well as penalties for non-compliance.”
He emphasized that the primary goal is effective regulation to shield citizens from the “pernicious effects” of gambling, which can lead to devastating psychological, social, and economic consequences.
The Department of Trade, Industry, and Competition is known to be in discussions with industry stakeholders about crafting new advertising regulations. But for lawmakers like Mr. Gana, the pace of change is not nearly fast enough to mitigate the damage already being done to South African families.