South Africa moves to tighten gambling law and ad rules as illegal online betting tops R50 billion a year

South Africa’s Department of Trade, Industry and Competition is pushing new legislation and stricter advertising rules as the country tries to get a grip on illegal online gambling. For licensed operators and their payment providers, the direction of travel is clear: tougher compliance, more scrutiny of marketing, and less room for offshore traffic to hide in plain sight.

1. Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau said the National Gambling Policy Council (NGPC) is advancing new legislation and tighter advertising regulations to strengthen oversight of South Africa’s gambling industry. The push is aimed at illegal online gambling, gambling addiction, and exposure of the public to gambling activity.
2. The scale is not small. Previous reports cited in the source say illegal online gambling costs the South African economy more than 50 billion rands a year, or about 2.940 billion dollars. Foreign operators running without a licence now account for almost two-thirds of all online gambling activity in South Africa.
3. The South African Bookmakers’ Association (SABA) said the situation has reached critical levels and creates risk for consumers, legal operators, and the wider economy. SABA chief executive Sean Coleman said public debate has focused on the growth of legal online betting, while the real issue is unlicensed foreign operators targeting South African customers without any meaningful control.
4. Tau said in a parliamentary reply that the NGPC has met twice since July 2025 to assess sector challenges and design policy responses. Those responses are meant to address gambling addiction and improve regulatory monitoring.
5. The council also recognized the effect of gambling advertising on betting propensity, including its role in addiction cases. In parallel, the National Gambling Board is working with provincial authorities to create uniform rules and standards that will be used as licensing requirements.
6. The NGPC has also decided to ускорate drafting a bill to deal with gambling-related problems in South Africa. A Technical Gambling Committee has been created to review the National Gambling Amendment Bill of 2018, with the aim of aligning the National Gambling Act and provincial laws so policy, legislation, and enforcement work together across the country.

For PSPs, acquirers, and banks serving gambling merchants, the practical takeaway is straightforward: South Africa is moving toward a tighter licensing and advertising environment, while the regulator is explicitly framing offshore unlicensed activity as the main problem. That is usually where payment restrictions start to follow.