SA provinces told to enforce ban on online casinos, NGB says

South Africa’s National Gambling Board (NGB) has issued a formal compliance notice instructing all provincial licensing authorities to tighten enforcement against online casino activity. The board reiterated that interactive and remote gambling remain unlawful unless authorised by national legislation, and said “remote gambling servers” used to facilitate online casinos do not qualify as lawful gambling systems under the current framework.

The notice aligns with a directive from the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS), which has ruled these servers cannot be certified under the gambling technical standards.

What the NGB notice says

In its media release, the NGB said the notice was issued to provincial licensing authorities in terms of sections 33 and 34 of the National Gambling Act, and provides guidance on compliance obligations relating to remote gambling infrastructure and technical standards.

The board also pointed to the National Gambling Act’s prohibition on unauthorised interactive gaming.

A person must not engage in or make available an interactive game

Why remote gambling servers are the focus

The NGB says remote gambling servers (RGS) are systems designed to facilitate interactive or remote gambling and do not constitute lawful gambling systems under South Africa’s current legislative framework.

It also stressed that the technical standard often referenced in gambling certification, SANS 1718-4:2018 (Edition 3), applies only to wagering and record-keeping systems (WRS) and does not provide for testing or certifying remote gambling servers as standalone systems.

What NRCS has directed provinces and operators to do

The NRCS directive, as set out by the NGB, includes three practical outcomes: remote gambling servers must not be submitted for certification, the NRCS will not issue/renew/extend letters of certification for them, and any prior certifications have lapsed or will lapse on expiry.

Key actions (as stated by the NGB)

Requirement	What it means in practice
No SANS 1718 certification for RGS	Servers can’t be approved using the gambling standards process
Use certified WRS only	Operators must use wagering/record systems compliant with SANS 1718
Provincial enforcement	Provinces should prohibit approval/continued use of RGS and act on non-compliance

What happens next

The NGB said it will monitor implementation across all provinces and report to the Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition on compliance levels, enforcement outcomes and broader industry impact.