Online Poker In South Africa
As with gambling in general, poker is particularly well-liked in South Africa. South Africa is overwhelmingly the continent’s gambling and poker capitals, and many of its citizens partake in gambling in some capacity. Even though gambling has a long history in South Africa dating back to 1673, there are still some restrictions in place today. Further restricting gambling to exclusively horse racing wagering, the Gambling Act of 1965 went much further.
The underground gambling sector not only thrived but also expanded, and by the year 1995, there were more than 2000 illegal casinos operating in South Africa. Nevertheless, this did not stop South Africans from gambling.
Since prohibition proved completely ineffective, the South African government has adopted a more practical stance, at least in regards to land-based gambling, and is attempting to manage it rather than simply outlaw it.
Although the government has tried to pass laws that would make internet poker illegal in the region, South Africa now has the most widely spread and regulated land-based gaming market on the continent. For additional details on this, see this in-depth article.
Gambling In South Africa
In South Africa, poker hasn’t gained as much popularity as it has in some other nations. In general, poker has taken longer to take off in Africa, and the growth of online poker in Africa is still in its infancy. This is largely because there is a relative dearth of internet connectivity in Africa.
The internet is a major influence on contemporary culture, but because South Africa has a middle-of-the-road rate of internet penetration (approximately 50% of the population), it did not experience the same level of online poker popularity as more developed nations.
However, although moving more slowly, the wave is making its way to South Africa, where poker in general and online poker in particular, are very popular.
Regardless of how widespread land-based poker may be in a nation, it still has a very limited market share compared to online poker. A drop in the ocean compared to the potential of the poker market, South Africa’s 53 live poker tables may be by far the most of any African nation and really compare favorably to most other nations.
It doesn’t matter; this is a good sign for the country’s current poker enthusiasm.
The Response Of South Africa To Online Poker
With the passage of the National Gaming Act in 1996, which legalized and regulated land-based gambling, issuing licenses and attempting to provide control to it, the tide finally began to turn in South Africa.
At this point, the government was somewhat involved in the situation and, as is sometimes the case, they felt themselves as having a stake in maintaining the status quo. Online gambling and online poker can be perceived as a danger to this, and governments may choose to hinder it rather than try to benefit from the larger potential that it offers.
That is what the National Gambling Act of 2004 aimed to do by making it illegal for South Africans to run “interactive gaming” websites and, a few years later, for locals to use those websites for gambling, regardless of the country in which those websites were based. Fascinatingly, though, the law defines these interactive gaming sites as those that provide bingo, poker, and casinos, but it exempts online sports betting because the government is involved in overseeing sports betting that does provide online betting.
It is so abundantly evident that the restrictions have nothing to do with the idea of online gambling in general and are instead merely a result of the government’s inability to organize itself in terms of regulating theseso-called interactive games.
Is Online Poker Legal in South Africa?
South Africa has a long history of gambling restrictions. That history started changing several years ago when the legislators showed interested in changing the laws gradually in order to keep up with the industry and the needs of the citizens.
However, things are not that simple. It’s the trademark of South Africans to make things complicated and confusing, and so are the laws pertaining to online poker and online gambling.
Because the laws in South Africa regarding online poker are so stringent, it has become fairly difficult for citizens to engage in poker gameplay via the internet. Players can actually be prosecuted if they’re found to be participating in online poker or other forms of gambling.
In 1965, the Gambling Act of South Africa came into effect and that would officially ban all forms of gambling, with the sole exception being horse racing.
Despite this, the country does have a link with poker gameplay. But how does this happen when it’s considered to be an illegal act there?
There have been certain areas of South Africa that have managed to skirt around the laws, though. For example, in the late 1970s, certain casinos began operating within the nominally independent areas of the country, known as bantustans.
How To Play Online Poker In South Africa
Step 1: Choose Your Poker Website
Online gambling operators from SA cannot run poker websites since it is not legal. However, offshore operators offer their services to SA players. There are hundreds of offshore websites and not all of them are created equal. Unfortunately, many frivolous websites are set up with the sole intention of scamming unsuspecting players.
Therefore, you must choose the right poker website. Safety, security, and legitimacy must be the number one priority. If you pick one of our recommended SA-friendly online poker websites, you’ve already made the right choice and it is time to move on to step 2.
Step 2: Register
Since these poker rooms deal with real money, they will require you to register for an account and provide some information to verify your credentials. Generally, the registration process involves furnishing some personal details and contact details.
Once you’ve opened an account at the poker website of your choice, you will be assigned a username and password that you can use at any time and from anywhere to access your account and play poker to your heart’s content.
Step 3: Fund Your Account
Given that you’re going to play real money poker, you first need to fund your poker account with some money. In order to add money to your poker account, you may use any of the deposit options provided by the platform. Usually, online poker websites allow you to make a deposit using credit cards, e-wallets, bank transfers, and sometimes even via crypto-currencies.
So, pick the best-suited deposit method and fund your account. You may also get a bonus on your first deposit since such welcome offers are commonplace on online poker and online casino websites.
Step 4: Play
Now that you’ve created your account and have funds available, you are all set to join a poker table and get playing. Ensure you read the rules of the game and understand which variant of poker is being played.
We would suggest playing in demo mode a few times before playing for real money since you get accustomed to the user interface and learn the ropes in terms of how to control your actions.
Step 5: Withdraw Winnings
Congratulations! You’ve just won some rounds of poker and made a decent sum of money, now it is time to withdraw your winnings if you wish to. Alternatively, you can leave your winnings in your poker account and use it to fund future play. If you do decide to cash out, you can use any of the supported withdrawal banking methods and request a cashout.
The website may request copies of your ID card, address proof, and proof of payment for security verification purposes before the withdrawal is processed.
