The South African legislature has approved a revised gambling law, making changes to the proposed amendment.
The updated legislation focuses on three key aspects, transferring regulatory authority from the National Gambling Board to a new entity, the National Gambling Regulator.
The bill also includes provisions for modifying the National Gambling Policy Council’s governance structure and establishing a national electronic monitoring system to track gambling activities across the country.
The committee chair, Joanmariae Fubbs, explained that these changes were made to ensure the bill’s passage before the current legislative session concludes in 2019.
Several provisions from the original draft, introduced in 2016 and reintroduced by Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies in July, have been removed.
This implies the legislation no longer incorporates fresh regulations to curb banks from remitting funds to offshore online gaming platforms, govern electronic bingo terminals, or delegate oversight of lottery wagering to the National Lottery Commission of South Africa.
It also defers matters such as the potential prohibition of dog racing and the establishment of a self-governing entity for the nation’s horse racing sector to the subsequent administration.
“Although the committee deems these issues to be of paramount significance, there was an inadequate amount of time allotted to conduct a thorough examination,” Fubbs elaborated.
“Consequently, the committee is of the opinion that these amendments enacted today will lay the groundwork for a more comprehensive and meticulous overhaul of the gambling regulatory structure.”
South Africa’s sixth parliamentary session following the end of apartheid will be held next year, with the general election slated for August 2019.
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