South African National Gambling Board Revamped
In a bid to attract more corporate identity the South African National Gambling Board has revamped itself. It said that it wants to ensure that the nine provincial regulatory bodies adhere to the same general legislative guidelines. At first glance it seems like a presumptuous endeavour which attracted a lot of public attention.
South African National Gambling Board Responsibility
Linda De Vries, chairwoman of the Board introduced a new logo for the board. She said that the board aims to be balanced, dynamic and transparent. She added that the government has given the national board Carte Blanche to govern matters pertaining to casinos, gambling, betting and wagering. Across South Africa the board must also promote uniform gambling norms and standards.
De Vries said, “The NGB noted that as a result of the lack of uniform norms and standards, the gambling sector in South Africa has found itself confronted by various challenges emanating from divergent regulatory approaches by the provincial licensing authorities.” However, she admitted that due to the existence of the nine regulatory boards that there were some coordination problems. This compelled the national board to draft a comprehensive national norms and standards “…intended as a minimum code of general best practices and guidelines for the gambling industry and for the country.”
In cooperation with the nine provincial regulators the NGB will peruse the current legislation, she added.
The Boards’s statistics indicate that gambling is a popular pastime in South Africa. The total gross betting revenue from betting increased by 20% per year from 2025 and 2025. Revenue has shot up from R1.604 billion to R1.924 billion from operations such as 400 totalisator outlets, telebet centres and approximately 300 bookmakers.
In 2025, the market share of legal bookmakers increased from 33% to 37%, thanks to the substantial growth in sports betting, its contribution to gross gambling revenue doubled the last couple of years.
