The Gambling Review Commission, which was appointed by the Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Rob Davies in December 2009, has found the current prohibition of interactive gambling in South Africa to be “undesirable as it fails to offer protection to South African punters”.
This was said by Minister Davies when he briefed the Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry, and later the media, on the findings of the Commission, in Parliament today.
The Commission was specifically requested to review the evolution of the gambling industry since 1996 to assess its social and economic impact, with specific reference to the demography of gambling participants, the incidence of problem gambling and gambling addiction, youth gambling and the efficiency and effectiveness of current strategies to mitigate the negative effects of gambling.
It was further tasked with an assessment of proliferation in South Africa, considering licensed and unlicensed activities and technological developments and the viability of new gambling activities.
The Commission established that online gambling was unlikely to disappear as the world was driven by technology.
It recommended that a holistic view of online gambling should be taken to its regulation that includes interactive gambling and all forms of remote gambling such as telephone or cellphone gambling.
“The Commission further advised that the National Gambling Amendment Act of 2008, be amended to include all forms of remote gambling like online betting and betting exchanges. It further indicated that there should be a single regulator for online gambling who should regulate national lottery and sports pools,” said Minister Davies.
“The very first comprehensive overview of the gambling industry since its legalisation provides data and content for regulators, the National Gambling Board, in particular to use review the present principal Act,” said Minister Davies.
He added that the destination style of rolling out gambling facilities has relatively contained levels of proliferation, and has to some extent controlled the propensity for South Africans to gamble.
“While provincial regulators are successful in enforcing compliance within the industry, operators complain about lack of regulatory uniformity across provinces – uniformity should be encouraged. This calls for the harmonisation of the gambling regulatory framework,” added Minister Davies.
The Portfolio Committee will study the findings of the report and hold public hearings to allow broader public participation in determining the future of the gambling industry in South Africa.
The Commission’s report is available on the dti website.
Enquiries:
Sidwell Medupe
Director Media Liaison
Tel: 012 394 1650
Cell: 079 4921774
E-mail: MSMedupe@thedti.gov.za
Source: Department of Trade and Industry
