Durban, 6 July 2026 – The South African Bookmakers Association (SABA) is calling for urgent action, not further debate about blocking illegal offshore gambling websites. This follows the recent position adopted by the Internet Service Providers’ Association (ISPA) regarding proposals by the National Gambling Board to block illegal offshore gambling websites.
While SABA agrees that technical interventions must be supported by clear legislation, appropriate regulatory oversight and constitutional safeguards, it says that the debate should no longer centre on whether illegal offshore gambling can be addressed, but how quickly South Africa is prepared to act.
For many months, SABA has been actively engaging with the National Gambling Board (NGB), policymakers and other stakeholders to develop a practical, evidence-based strategy to combat the rapid growth of the illegal offshore gambling market. Those engagements have included detailed presentations, legislative gap analyses, international benchmarking and public awareness initiatives aimed at educating consumers about the risks posed by illegal operators.
The conclusion reached through that work is straightforward. South Africa does not suffer from a lack of laws prohibiting illegal online gambling. It suffers from a lack of laws that enable effective enforcement. The country’s current framework is best described as “prohibition without enforcement.”
SABA welcomes the NGB’s recent move to appoint a service provider to block illegal online gambling websites and its ongoing commitment to stamp out unregulated sites.
Sean Coleman, CEO of SABA says: “We fully support the NGB’s heightened enforcement actions that include a technological component, High Court forfeiture operations, and the coordinated legislative push to eradicate these illicit networks. By declaring war on illegal, unregulated platforms, particularly ahead of or during high-volume sporting periods like the 2026 World Cup. In doing so, the NGB is taking an essential step toward safeguarding vulnerable citizens and protecting the integrity of the domestic economy.”
As the leading voice for licensed bookmakers in South Africa, SABA stands ready to collaborate with the NGB, the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the DTIC), and law enforcement agencies. SABA remains dedicated to deploying robust, technology-driven solutions, strengthening banking compliance, and promoting uniform advertising norms to ensure a safe, sustainable, and strictly regulated gambling environment.
Illegal offshore operators continue to target South African consumers with little fear of meaningful regulatory intervention. In November 2024, SABA commissioned a data-driven report from Yield Sec, a global market research firm specialising in online gaming. The report indicated that illegal operators accounted for approximately 62% of all online gambling activity in South Africa, diverting more than R50 billion in gross gambling revenue offshore annually. An estimated 16 million South Africans have engaged with these illegal platforms in the past year.
They operate outside South African licensing requirements, contribute nothing to the local fiscus, undermine licensed operators that comply with stringent regulatory obligations and offer consumers little or no protection when disputes arise.
This is precisely why SABA undertook a comprehensive review of successful international enforcement models.
Australia provides perhaps the clearest example. Recognising the rapid growth of illegal offshore gambling, the Australian Government amended its Interactive Gambling Act in 2017, providing the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) with clear statutory authority to act against offshore operators targeting Australian consumers. The legislation was implemented quickly, supported by practical enforcement mechanisms including ISP website blocking and enhanced regulatory powers.
The results have been significant. Since implementation, ACMA has blocked well over 1,300 illegal gambling and affiliate websites while more than 220 illegal operators have withdrawn from the Australian market rather than face continued enforcement. Australia has demonstrated that decisive legislative reform, combined with coordinated enforcement, can materially reduce consumer exposure to illegal gambling services.
The lesson for South Africa is not that ISP blocking alone solves the problem. It is that governments can move quickly when legislation provides regulators with the necessary authority and stakeholders work together towards a common objective.
SABA’s discussions with the National Gambling Board have therefore focused on a broader enforcement ecosystem rather than any single intervention. Our legislative gap analysis identified several areas where South African law should be strengthened.
Firstly, the National Gambling Act should be amended to provide explicit legal certainty regarding illegal offshore gambling, clearly defining operators who unlawfully target South African consumers while strengthening enforcement powers and clarifying the extraterritorial application of the law.
Secondly, the Electronic Communications Act should be amended to establish a transparent statutory framework through which authorised regulators can issue website blocking directives against illegal gambling operators. Such a framework should include judicial oversight, transparent processes and a publicly available register of unlawful operators to ensure accountability.
Thirdly, financial disruption should become a central enforcement mechanism. International experience consistently demonstrates that restricting payment channels is one of the most effective ways of dismantling illegal gambling businesses. South Africa already possesses much of the legislative infrastructure required through the Financial Intelligence Centre Act, together with the regulatory oversight of the South African Reserve Bank. What is required is the coordinated application of those powers to prevent banks, payment service providers and, where appropriate, cryptocurrency exchanges from facilitating transactions with known illegal operators.
Fourthly, legislation should be strengthened to impose meaningful consequences on those who knowingly facilitate illegal gambling within South Africa, including local affiliates, marketing intermediaries and payment facilitators. Offshore operators should not be the only entities exposed to enforcement action where domestic participants knowingly contribute to unlawful activity.
Fifthly, greater attention should be given to disrupting the advertising ecosystem that drives illegal gambling. Existing legislation can be strengthened to prevent the promotion of illegal gambling through affiliate networks, influencers, digital advertising platforms and other online marketing channels that continue to direct South African consumers towards unlawful operators.
Finally, South Africa requires a coordinated national enforcement capability equipped with digital monitoring expertise, investigative powers and financial intelligence capabilities. Fragmented regulatory responsibilities have limited the effectiveness of current enforcement efforts. A centralised enforcement model would significantly improve intelligence sharing, operational coordination and regulatory responsiveness.
Importantly, SABA does not advocate website blocking as a silver bullet. International evidence clearly demonstrates that sustainable success is achieved through multiple complementary interventions including website blocking, payment disruption, advertising restrictions, consumer education, intelligence-led investigations and international regulatory cooperation.
Australia demonstrates the effectiveness of restricting access. The United Kingdom demonstrates the effectiveness of disrupting commercial viability through financial controls and regulatory oversight. South Africa has the opportunity to combine the strongest elements of both approaches to create an enforcement framework tailored to its own constitutional and regulatory environment.
This is not about restricting access to the internet. It is about protecting South African consumers from illegal businesses operating entirely outside South African law.
Every day that meaningful enforcement is delayed, illegal offshore operators continue to acquire new customers, generate untaxed revenue, undermine regulated operators and expose vulnerable consumers to significant financial and social risks without the protections that accompany licensed gambling.
SABA remains committed to working collaboratively with the National Gambling Board, provincial regulators, ICASA, the South African Reserve Bank, financial institutions, ISPA and all other relevant stakeholders to develop a practical, balanced and legally robust enforcement framework.
SEAN COLEMAN
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
