Online gambling is illegal in South Africa says Supreme Court

[jes]

Online gambling is illegal in South Africa says Supreme Court

Be warned: if you gamble online from South Africa you may face up to a R10 million fine and 10 years in prison

[Sodan]

Luckily I'm not into "statistically disadvantages games with potentially disastrous financial outcomes".

[nalu]

I don't gamble I don't like it. But heavy-handedness like this is not even seen for serious crimes. Gambling is luck, chance, educated guesswork. But do it online from SA and you get hammered. This is outrageous and actually should be investigated. Who has this much at stake that the supreme court can paid off like this. Stinks of serious corruption!

[deweyzeph]

Oooooooooh, is that supposed to make us scared? Considering your average cop can barely read or write, I think we can all sleep safely at night.

Get yourself an offshore bank account and gamble using one of the money UK online gambling websites out there.

[antowan]

Daft law! I assume its got to do with the control of currency leaving the country.... Still daft!

[Jedijo]

I take it Purchasing a Lotto ticket online is also illegal?

[Mike Hoxbig]

I take it Purchasing a Lotto ticket online is also illegal?

No because they can get their dirty little mitts on the lotto takings.

[biometrics]

One word: TAX

[Beri]

Oooooooooh, is that supposed to make us scared? Considering your average cop can barely read or write, I think we can all sleep safely at night.

Get yourself an offshore bank account and gamble using one of the money UK online gambling websites out there.

But SARS is not stupid.....

[lcbxx]

One word: TAX

+1. This has very little to do with the winnings of the players, but the tax that needs to be paid by the casino. Piggs Peak, Silversands, etc, operate online casino's outside of South African borders and are thus not liable to pay tax to the Government. All the money they make leaves the country and that is totally unacceptable since that money could be used for squandering elsewhere by Government entities.

[evilstebunny]

We are seriously headed back into the dark ages. What's next, are stars on nipples making a comeback?

[surfs-up]

It's bulldust that you cannot spend your hard earned AFTER TAX money how you please. This country was supposed to have the most liberal laws of any other after 1994. This is fast changing - what with the information bill, and now playing games online. It is simply despicable to impose a R 10 million rand fine for gambling online....not harming anybody from the comfort of your own home, while rapists and murderers are given bail and a few years.

We are sinking to a new low

[twhitehead]

I bet that it is also illegal to allow minors to gamble, yet any minor with a cell phone can do so and is encouraged to do so by everyone from the radio stations, to shops, to the cell phone companies.

P.S. If you accept my bet above, you may be liable for 10 years imprisonment

[gregmcc]

Another censorship by our backwards government!

[Juice]

+1. This has very little to do with the winnings of the players, but the tax that needs to be paid by the casino. Piggs Peak, Silversands, etc, operate online casino's outside of South African borders and are thus not liable to pay tax to the Government. All the money they make leaves the country and that is totally unacceptable since that money could be used for squandering elsewhere by Government entities.

Here's the thing that I don't understand: so, Pigg's Peak, which is not within the jurisdiction of the South African law, is blocking South African on-line gamblers just because they are within the jurisdiction of the South African law? What on earth compells them to give a flying fornication through a rolling doughnut? To be NICE because the SA government said "pretty please"? Surely it's the responsibility of the South African citizens to stay within the laws of their own country? Are we now going to tell the EU lottery to stop sending spam to our SA citizens because it's illegal for our poor people to play? Pffft. Talk about unenforcable laws.

Juice