South Africa pushes illegal betting proposals deadline to September 4, 2026

South Africa’s National Gambling Board (NGB) is still trying to build a practical way to identify and block unlicensed online betting sites aimed at local players. That matters for PSPs and acquirers because the country’s own industry figures say the problem is already large: a Yield Sec study commissioned by the South African Bookmakers’ Association (SABA) estimates that 62% of online betting activity in South Africa goes to unauthorized operators, with more than 3.100 billion dollars in gross betting revenue flowing each year to foreign platforms.

1. The NGB published the expression of interest on June 30, then amended it on July 17 to move the original August 7 deadline to September 4, 2026. The change followed a bidder briefing held on July 15, where the board shared more detail on the scope of the service it wants to buy.
2. This is still an early-stage procurement, not an award process. The point is to collect proposals from providers ahead of a formal tender, with the responses helping shape the technical specifications later on. For now, interested parties only need to submit a company profile, tax clearance certificates if they are not international suppliers, and the relevant licenses or certifications.
3. The proposed provider would be expected to profile illegal betting sites targeting the South African market, including their country of origin, licensing status, and ownership structure. Based on that information, the provider would block the identified sites and report them to the national federation, which would then pass them on to the relevant authorities.
4. The model also includes ongoing monitoring. If a blocked site reappears under a different domain or with modified content, the provider would need to detect it and make sure it is blocked again. In other words, the NGB is looking for continuous surveillance and takedown support, not a one-time list of URLs.
5. The NGB says the initiative is grounded in the National Gambling Act, which gives it responsibility to assist the authorities. The source text also notes that the process still leaves open questions about how the scheme will be implemented in practice, which is the part that usually matters most once a tender turns into an actual blocking regime.