The legal ramifications of illegal online gambling are something of a joke to punters in most parts of the world.
After all, when the hammer comes down on an operator, their players are usually spared when it comes to penalties. But that’s not how things work in South Africa.
Thanks to some renewed attention to the National Gambling Act 2004, South Africans who gamble illegally at offshore casinos and sportsbooks may wind up forfeiting their winnings to the South African government. The bill was recently amended to reflect the realities of online gambling in South African and put an emphasis on punishing the player, not just the operator.
While it’s tough to tell what impact the new laws will have on the industry as a whole, but it’s definitely had an impact on a few South African players.
Over the weekend South African authorities seized just under $100,000 (USD) in “unlawful winnings,” from several online gamblers, according to a report on CalvinAyer.com. Neither the names of the players, nor the games they played, were released.
In addition to forfeiting their winnings, the unlucky winners could also face criminal prosecution and fines of up to $700,00 (USD).
The government is not, however, the only stakeholder in South Africa that’s taking on illegal online gambling. Recently, a judge in Gauteng province ruled in favor of a regulated operator who sued an offshore for interfering illegally with his business.
The bottom here is that the South African government is no longer playing games when it come to unregulated, offshore gambling.