Banning it is a problem

ONLINE gambling has been labeled as ‘ubiquitous’ and enforcing a ban is a problem, parliamentarians are told. The hot topic was at the heart of committee discussion on Friday where the positives and negatives were looked into.

Business Day reports that members of the committee discussed potential problem areas such as the prevention of money laundering, underage gambling & illegal gambling operators. Current legislation prohibits gambling via internet sites that offer casinos & poker, & wagering on non-South African betting sites is also not allowed. Committee chairman Joan Fubbs said online gambling could not be ignored & was ubiquitous in SA, whilst Democratic Alliance MP Geordin Hill-Lewis observed that “online gambling is a fact in SA. Prohibition is impossible & at the moment it is taking place in a completely unregulated environment & we are deriving no economic benefit from it.”

National Gambling Board representatives recommended that if legalisation is approved, the number of online gambling licenses should be restricted to manageable numbers & be strictly regulated. Licenses should only be valid for eight years & measures would be needed to protect gamblers against fraudulent operators & exclude underage or problem gamblers, they emphasised.