South Africa Legal Online Gambling in Limbo

by Jzee

Thursday, March 18, 2010 at 06:49 AM EDT

Friends we all know what is going on these days! I mean in the entire US there is some kind of discontentment among a majority of the masses who love to play casino games sitting at home but is unable because of the forceful and cruel law called UIGEA. The fate of poker, online casino games, and other such online gambling games are totally uncertain. Though a few days ago I discussed about lawmakers in Washington debating on online poker and other casino games yet there is some kind of desperation among us. We never know what will happen to the fate of poker and online games.

South Africa is another country in legal battle with online gambling. Reports are coming from different sources that South Africa has not yet cleared the mess, and they are still in legal limbo when it comes to online-gambling. It seems that this battle will remain undecided. It is said that the commission has concluded its findings and submitted the report on time to Parliament. But Mr. President Jacob Zuma is more busy with his three wives and children and celebrating their birthdays. Nothing substantial has yet been decided on the fate of online gambling.

The players of South Africa too are living in uncertainty like us and don’t know when they will come to know about the legality of online games. The Chief Director of South Africa’s Department of Trade and Industry, Nomfundo Maseti banned online gambling in South Africa and not allowed to operate in the country. Yet there are more than million in the country who everyday hit the online gambling sites and the department have not resources or information how much money is at stake everyday and how much is won or loss. They don’t have strict legislation like the US to regulate such income. It is said that there are no regulations to scrutinize such transactions of online industry and hence the blank slate of statistics of online gambling.

Due to the absence of regulation, the online gambling sites illegally do their business and many South African citizens engage in playing online casino games. Maseti is of the view that people of South Africa one day could be cheated as all the casinos that perform online gambling are illegal and they may one day do big transaction fraud with the winners or gainers. It is actually a risk that the gamers are taking playing illegal gambling sites. Hence there was an urge to make the casinos legal and thus remove all such worries and fears. The legal battle is not advancing due to the parliament.

It is said that Jacob Zuma, the President of South Africa, is not signing the submitted report into law to at once ban all the illegal casinos under the National Gambling Amendment Bill. And once the Bill is signed into a law, it will ban all online gambling in South Africa. People of the country caught playing online games would be penalized with R10 million fine or 10 years in jail. Boo! Why are they after innocent citizens like us and can’t punish those rackets which run illegal table games under the nose in cities and private parties!

This article originally appeared on Another Harvard Blog.