How to get a gambling licence in South Africa: fees and steps

Get this right before spending a rand. South Africa issues no online casino licence. The one online licence is a provincial bookmaker licence, and the large licensed operators use it to sell slots, live dealer tables and number draws as fixed-odds bets on a 'contingency', alongside sports betting.

• Section 11 NGA: "A person must not engage in or make available an interactive game except as authorised in terms of this Act." No interactive-gambling licences can be issued, because the framework that would issue them (2008 Amendment Act) was never brought into force.
• An online casino run on a casino licence, from here or abroad, is therefore unlawful to offer or play. Contravening s.11 is an offence (s.82(1)): a fine of up to R10 million or up to 10 years' imprisonment, or both (s.83(1)). The Supreme Court of Appeal held in Casino Enterprises (Pty) Ltd (Swaziland) v Gauteng Gambling Board [2011] ZASCA 155 that an offshore-licensed online casino serving South African players is unlawful, because the gambling happens where the player is, not where the server sits.
• What the market does instead: a bookmaker licence covers fixed-odds or open bets on a lawful contingency, and Betway, Hollywoodbets, Supabets and 10bet sell slots, live tables, crash games and Lucky Numbers that way, under provincial bookmaker licences (all four hold one from Mpumalanga; Betway also holds a Western Cape one, and Hollywoodbets Gauteng and Limpopo ones). Betway's footer reads 'All games are fixed-odds betting events'. The operator examples are in 'How the large online bookmakers are licensed' below.
• It is contested, so the province matters. The Western Cape, Mpumalanga and Eastern Cape boards say the contingencies they approved remain lawful for their licensees. The Supreme Court of Appeal held in Portapa [2025] ZASCA 158 that Gauteng-licensed bookmakers may not offer fixed-odds bets on casino-game outcomes, and the NGB says the judgment's implications extend to all bookmakers.
• Players: in the Western Cape, taking part in gambling over the internet is an offence (s.84D) unless the bet is with a bookmaker licensed in any province.

Two Acts and one dead-letter amendment define the field, plus a pending private members bill that has not moved the law.

• National Gambling Act 7 of 2004: the national frame. It defines gambling, bars unauthorised interactive gambling (s.11), and leaves licensing of activities to the provinces while the NGB coordinates and keeps national registers.
• National Gambling Amendment Act 10 of 2008: passed and signed to create an interactive-gambling licensing regime, but the President never proclaimed a commencement date. It has been dormant for over a decade and confers no ability to license online casino.
• Provincial acts issue the actual licences. In the Western Cape it is the Western Cape Gambling and Racing Act 4 of 1996, administered by the WCGRB; each of the nine provinces has its own board and statute.
• Remote Gambling Bill [B 11-2024]: a private member's bill (sponsor Dean Macpherson MP) that would license remote gambling through provincial licensing authorities. Its parliamentary stage was not confirmed and it is not law. Do not plan around it.

Laws that apply

• National Gambling Act 7 of 2004 (NGA), s.11 bars making available or engaging in an interactive (online) game except as authorised; no such authorisation exists
• National Gambling Amendment Act 10 of 2008, assented to but never proclaimed into force, so its online-licensing framework is dormant
• Western Cape Gambling and Racing Act 4 of 1996, worked-example provincial statute under which bookmaker licences are issued
• National Gambling Regulations, 2004, advertising warnings, responsible-gambling and player-protection rules
• Financial Intelligence Centre Act 38 of 2001 (FICA), gambling and betting licensees are accountable institutions
• Remote Gambling Bill, 2024 [B 11-2024], private member's bill (Dean Macpherson MP) that would license remote gambling through provincial licensing authorities; its parliamentary stage was not confirmed and it is not law

A provincial bookmaker licence is the lawful vehicle for online betting. Choose the province, then apply to its board.

• A bookmaker licence authorises fixed-odds betting on sports, horse racing and approved contingencies, and is the legal vehicle for an online betting platform.
• National reach is not settled by the texts read. The NGB states that online betting is legal with a licensed South African bookmaker, and the Western Cape's online-gambling offence does not apply to bets with a bookmaker licensed in any province. Mpumalanga deems an internet bet with its bookmaker a transaction in the Province and sets no customer-location limit; Gauteng's Act contains no internet authorisation; the Free State, North West and Northern Cape Acts do not provide for remote bets.
• Western Cape (WCGRB): the Board may accept bookmaker applications without invitation (only land-based casino, limited-machine, bingo and totalisator licences are by invitation). A bookmaker licence covers business conducted from the premises specified in it, and each premises needs its own bookmaker premises licence.
• Only the Western Cape and the Eastern Cape take bookmaker applications without an invitation. The other provinces accept them only in response to a Gazette notice (KwaZulu-Natal's 2010 Act sets no invitation requirement, but current practice was not confirmed). No numerical cap on bookmaker licences was found in the Western Cape instruments. Mpumalanga's 2019 Request for Proposals set a ceiling of 60, and a 2025 round offered 20 more with a ceiling of 80 (as summarised by Werksmans; the MER's own copy was not found).
• The licence is provincial, so ongoing supervision, technical standards, tax and advertising approval all run through the province that issued it.

An online bookmaker needs one provincial bookmaker licence and a premises licence for the premises it runs the business from. Land-based licences add nothing online.

• One bookmaker licence, from the province you choose, plus a bookmaker premises licence for each premises you use; in the Western Cape the licence covers business conducted from the premises named in it (Western Cape Act ss 55, 55A).
• National reach is not settled in law: the Western Cape's online-gambling offence does not apply to a bet with a bookmaker licensed in any province (s 84D(3)(a)), Mpumalanga deems an internet bet with its bookmaker to be made in the Province, Gauteng's Act has no internet authorisation, and the NGB says online betting is legal with a licensed South African bookmaker.
• Betting shops are provincial: a shop in another province needs that province's licence and premises approval.
• Not needed: land-based casino, gaming-machine and bingo licences. They give no online rights, because online casino, slots and bingo are interactive games the National Gambling Act prohibits (s 11).

Each province licenses bookmakers under its own Act, so the licence differs from province to province. Four things separate them: whether applications are open, what a bookmaker may offer beyond sport, how betting is taxed, and what the licence costs. 'Not confirmed' means the instrument was not obtained or read.

• Timing: in six provinces you can apply only when the board publishes a Gazette call, so entry depends on the next round. The Western Cape and the Eastern Cape accept applications at any time.
• Product scope: Gauteng confines bookmakers to sporting events, and the SCA held bets on casino-game outcomes unlawful there. The MER and the ECGB say their bookmakers may offer other contingencies, and the WCGRB that the contingencies it approved remain lawful. The NGB disagrees and says the judgment's implications extend to all bookmakers; it has escalated the dispute to the National Gambling Policy Council.
• Tax base: the Western Cape, the Eastern Cape and the Free State tax winning bets; Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and North West tax gross betting revenue or gross profit. A proposed 20% national tax on online gross gambling revenue would come on top of either.
• Local presence: every regime ties the licence to licensed premises in the province. Mpumalanga's 2019 and 2025 Requests for Proposals also required offices in the Province. No instrument read requires a server in the province.
• Social contributions: no province read sets a fixed CSI percentage in law. Mpumalanga's 2025 Request for Proposals makes 1% of gross gambling revenue to CSI and 0.1% to the National Responsible Gambling Programme minimum requirements (Werksmans summary), Gauteng puts transformation targets into licence conditions, and the Northern Cape and Limpopo weigh empowerment commitments.

What the operators' own websites stated on 5 and 6 October 2026. These are their statements, checked against the National Gambling Board's register where it prints a licence number.

• Betway: the footer names two licensed companies, Eastern Dawn Sports (Pty) Ltd, licensed by the Mpumalanga Economic Regulator, and Raging River Trading (Pty) Ltd, licensed by the Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board. The site carries casino, slots and roulette sections and states that 'All games are fixed-odds betting events'.
• Hollywoodbets: the footer lists several companies, most named after a province, and a licence per province, and says hollywoodbets.net and .mobi are licensed by the Gauteng, Limpopo and Mpumalanga boards, 'with specific products licensed by' the KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape boards. The site shows live tables alongside betting.
• Supabets: Portapa 2 (Pty) Ltd t/a Supabets states that it is regulated by the Mpumalanga Economic Regulator under licence 9-2-1-00055, and offers slots and a live tables lobby (Evolution and Pragmatic Live roulette, baccarat and blackjack). The 2025 Supreme Court of Appeal ruling against bets on casino games concerned Supabets' Gauteng-licensed companies.
• 10bet: the footer names Edcobrite (Pty) Ltd, trading as 10bet, registered in Cape Town and licensed by the Mpumalanga Economic Regulator under licence 9-2-1-09661, the number the NGB register lists for 10Bet. Its live casino lobby offers studio games streamed by Evolution (Speed Baccarat, Auto-Roulette, Blackjack): live dealer games are sold on the same basis as the slots, as fixed-odds bets on a contingency under a bookmaker licence.
• An online licence still hangs on a premises: on the NGB register Supabets' 9-2-1-00055 sits against a shopping centre in Mbombela and Hollywoodbets' 9-2-1-00051 against a mall in eMalahleni.
• All four hold a Mpumalanga licence; Betway also holds a Western Cape one, and Hollywoodbets is also licensed by the Gauteng and Limpopo boards (its Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal licences cover specific products only). The Western Cape and Mpumalanga boards, and the Eastern Cape's, say the contingencies they approved remain lawful for their licensees. The NGB disputes it, and in Gauteng the Supreme Court of Appeal held such bets unlawful (see the grey-zone section).

Bookmakers have stretched "betting" into casino-like products. A 2025 SCA decision under Gauteng law has narrowed that for Gauteng-licensed bookmakers.

• The grey extension: bookmakers offer bets on the outcome of numbers, spins and "bet on games" products that look like online casino games but are framed as fixed-odds bets on a contingency.
• The key is the words 'fixed-odds' and 'contingency'. A bookmaker licence authorises fixed-odds bets on contingencies, so every game is presented as a fixed-odds bet with the bookmaker on the outcome of an event; Betway's footer states 'All games are fixed-odds betting events'. That wording, not a casino licence, carries the whole online casino offering, and it holds only where the licensing board accepts it.
• A contingency, in the Mpumalanga and Eastern Cape Acts, is 'an event or occurrence of which the outcome is uncertain or unknown to any person until it happens', and Mpumalanga's bookmaker rules treat any lawful event other than horseracing or a sporting contest as an 'other contingency'. The operators read those words as covering a roulette spin, a slot reel or a number draw. Gauteng's Act allows bets only on sporting events, which is why the court held roulette is not one; the NGB calls the practice 'offering casino-style games as their source of contingency betting'.
• Lucky Numbers and other draw games work the same way: a fixed-odds bet with the bookmaker on which numbers a draw produces. Betway and Hollywoodbets both carry a Lucky Numbers section, and Hollywoodbets publishes separate Lucky Numbers rules. Live dealer tables (roulette, baccarat, blackjack streamed from a studio) are sold on the same basis. Online bingo, where players play each other for a pot, is an interactive game the Act prohibits (s 11), and no board can license it.
• October 2025 SCA ruling (Portapa (Pty) Ltd t/a Supabets v Casino Association of South Africa [2025] ZASCA 158, 21 October 2025): it is unlawful under the Gauteng Gambling Act 4 of 1995 for Gauteng-licensed bookmakers to offer fixed-odds bets on the outcome of casino games.
• The ruling turns on the Gauteng Act. The WCGRB (5 November 2025), the MER (31 October 2025) and the ECGB (7 November 2025) each state that it does not change what their bookmakers may offer. The NGB (29 October 2025) says it extends to all bookmakers, and asked provincial authorities to act.
• Practical read: sports and race betting are lawful with a provincially licensed bookmaker. Whether casino-style 'bet on games' products are lawful depends on the province's Act; only Gauteng's has been decided by a court, and the national regulator disputes the other provinces' reading. Build the sportsbook as the durable core and keep any such product severable.

You license a South African company and every significant stakeholder behind it. Local registration and fit-and-proper probity are substantive, not formalities.

• Corporate form: a Western Cape bookmaker licence may be issued only to a company registered under the Companies Act or a close corporation. A foreign company registered as an external company in South Africa is a contemplated applicant (BED form). No instrument read requires a local bank account.
• Probity / fit-and-proper: the board investigates the applicant company and every person with a direct or indirect financial interest, generally down to a 5 per cent materiality threshold, source of funds, criminal history, honesty and competence.
• Key employees (directors, senior managers, betting-system controllers) must be individually licensed as key employees.
• A business plan with financial projections is required on the Board's BED form for a bookmaker operator; the FIC Act separately requires a Risk Management and Compliance Programme.

Figures below are those of Provincial Notice 113/2026 (Western Cape), in force from 1 April 2026. The Board's fees page still printed the 2025 amounts on 5 October 2026; the Gazette amount prevails.

• Total first-year board fees for a bookmaker licence plus one premises: R51,347 (R32,686 in application fees, then R18,661 a year in combined annual licence and investigation fees across operator and premises). Refundable deposits of R31,982 each (R63,964) accompany the two applications.
• These are regulator fees only. VAT, any security the Board requires under s.39, employee licences and the Board's costs above the deposit are extra.

A Western Cape bookmaker collects a 3% tax and a 3% betting levy on winning bets, and pays 27 per cent corporate income tax and VAT at 15 per cent. A 20 per cent national online-gambling tax has been proposed but is not law.

• Provincial gambling tax is the main gambling-specific levy: Western Cape bookmakers collect a 3 per cent tax and a 3 per cent betting levy on every winning bet, returned weekly. The Board's own sports betting table shows tax of about 6.49 per cent of a column headed gross gaming revenue, which the instruments read do not explain.
• Corporate income tax is a flat 27 per cent for years of assessment ending 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027 (SARS, Budget 2026 confirmed no change).
• National Treasury circulated a 2025 discussion paper proposing a 20 per cent national tax on online-gambling GGR, on top of provincial tax; on Treasury's own figures the combined rate would be 26 to 29 per cent. It is a proposal, not enacted. A 15 per cent withholding tax on winnings above R25,000, announced in the 2011 Budget, was never enacted.

Betting systems must be certified and auditable, and the board must be able to inspect your betting data. Note the national monitoring system does not cover betting.

• Betting software and systems must be tested and certified to SANS 1718 Part IV by a licensed testing agent and approved by the Board before use (Western Cape Racing and Betting Rules 27 and 28).
• Western Cape bookmakers must make their registers, ledgers, books and records available to the Board on request (Racing and Betting Rule 14(1)) and keep bet recordings for 90 days.
• The national central electronic monitoring system links limited pay-out machines, not bookmaking, so do not assume your sportsbook plugs into a national betting monitor; obligations run to the provincial board.
• Player accounts require registration and age verification (18+); no person under 18 may bet.

The Western Cape rules (the reference province) and the national advertising regulations set what a licensed betting site displays and gets approved.

• Every page: the operator's name and registration number, its licensing confirmation, an under-18 warning, the slogan 'Winners know when to stop' (or the National Responsible Gambling Programme's current slogan) and the counselling line 0800 006 008 (Racing and Betting Rule 37(2)).
• The responsible-gambling warning on at least ten percent of the home page (National Gambling Regulations, regulation 3(2)(a)(vi)).
• The Board's prior approval of each website and app (Rule 37(1)), and of advertising and promotions shown on them (Rule 37(3)).
• Before telephone or electronic betting, the player receives the applicable limits (Rule 12(4)); limits on paying winning bets are shown by a link on the website.
• Account, credit and take-back bets: the player record holds name, a verified identity document, driving licence or passport (a certified copy for non-face-to-face checks), a residential address no older than three months, a telephone number and the account number (Rule 17(4)(b)); FICA identity verification applies to every account (s 21).
• Promotions: the National Gambling Act bars advertising gambling as free of charge or at a discount, contrary to the Act, as an inducement (s 15(3)).

Every gambling and betting licensee is an accountable institution under FICA and must run a full AML/CFT programme.

• Gambling and betting licensees are accountable institutions under the Financial Intelligence Centre Act 38 of 2001 (Schedule 1, item 9). The FIC took over AML supervision of gambling institutions after the provincial authorities' role ended in December 2022.
• Obligations: a documented Risk Management and Compliance Programme (RMCP), customer due diligence / KYC on players, ongoing transaction monitoring, and reporting of suspicious and unusual transactions (STRs) and cash-threshold reports (CTRs) to the Financial Intelligence Centre.
• South Africa applies a risk-based approach; register with the FIC and keep the required records. No gambling instrument read mentions cryptocurrency, but the FIC Act duties apply to every licensee regardless.

Responsible-gambling messaging is mandatory, self-exclusion is a legal right, and the WCGRB pre-approves licensee advertising.

• Self-exclusion: the NGB keeps a national register of excluded persons and says the self-exclusion counselling sessions are free. The NGB says a person self-excludes by asking the operator, which sends the forms to the provincial authority and the NGB; it states exclusion lasts six months while receiving treatment and is lifted only after six months and proof of counselling. The texts read do not say whether it covers online bookmaker accounts.
• National Responsible Gambling Programme (NRGP): counselling line 0800 006 008; Western Cape bookmakers must show a reference to the NRGP and the line on every website page.
• Advertising: compulsory health warnings and responsible-gambling messaging on all gambling and betting advertising in every medium (National Gambling Regulations); advertising of any unlawful gambling is prohibited; 18+ only; in the Western Cape every gambling advertisement needs the Board's prior approval. No instrument read requires deposit, loss or session limits.
• Western Cape specific: the WCGRB requires pre-approval of a licensee's advertising before it runs.

The NGB has no blocking power yet. Its reported tools are engagement-based restriction of websites and forfeiture of winnings, and it is procuring a blocking solution.

• Online casino serving South Africa is unlawful (s.11); contravening it carries a fine of up to R10 million or up to 10 years (s.83(1)). The NGB reports about R775,000 forfeited by High Court order in 2025/26.
• No ISP, domain, payment or app blocking power was found in the instruments read. The NGB reports that the absence of a blocking system remains a challenge and that 27 illegal gambling websites have been restricted for South African users through engagement with stakeholders. National Treasury reports that Authorised Dealers must decline requests to buy foreign currency for offshore gambling, and that incoming funds may be seized and handed to the NGB.
• Blocking: on 30 June 2026 the NGB called for expressions of interest in a system to monitor, track, block and report illegal online gambling; the amended call closed on 4 September 2026 and precedes a request for proposals.
• Forfeiture: the NGB reported on 27 May 2026 that the High Court ordered about R3,075,000 of unlawful winnings forfeited to the State between 1 April 2025 and 10 April 2026.
• Remote gambling servers: on 25 February 2026 the NGB advised provincial licensing authorities not to approve, or allow continued use of, remote gambling servers in licensed operations and to act against non-compliant operators, after the NRCS said such servers cannot be certified under SANS 1718.

A concrete path to a lawful South African online betting business, using a Western Cape bookmaker licence. Steps run roughly in order; company and platform work can proceed in parallel with probity.

1. 01

   Fix the product and province

   Strategy

   Accept that online casino is not licensable; build a betting product (sportsbook core, any bet-on-games product only as a severable risk product). Pick the licensing province using the comparison above. The Western Cape (WCGRB) and the Eastern Cape accept bookmaker applications at any time; the other provinces open only by Gazette call. This guide follows the Western Cape.

2. 02

   Incorporate a South African company

   Corporate

   Register a company under South African law (or a close corporation). A foreign company can apply through an external company registered in South Africa. No local bank account is required by the instruments read.

3. 03

   Compile the probity / fit-and-proper dossier

   Due diligence

   Assemble source-of-funds proof, criminal-record clearances and CVs for the company and every person holding a direct or indirect interest of about 5 per cent or more, plus key-employee files for directors and system controllers.

4. 04

   Build and certify the betting platform

   Technical

   Stand up the betting system with 18+ registration and age verification, then have the software tested and certified to SANS 1718 Part IV and approved by the Board. Records must be available to the Board on request.

5. 05

   Draft AML and responsible-gambling programmes

   Compliance

   Write the FICA Risk Management and Compliance Programme (KYC, transaction monitoring, STR/CTR reporting), the responsible-gambling procedures (a register of suspected problem gamblers and referral to the counselling line 0800 006 008 for Western Cape bookmakers), and the business plan.

6. 06

   Lodge the bookmaker licence application

   Fee: R16,343

   File the bookmaker licence application with the WCGRB and pay the R16,343 application fee, plus a refundable deposit of R31,982; file the bookmaker-premises application (a further R16,343 and R31,982 deposit) and key-employee applications (R664 each) as required.

7. 07

   Advertise the application and handle objections

   Public process

   Publish/advertise the application as the provincial act requires so the public and existing licensees may object, and respond to any objections received.

8. 08

   Attend the probity hearing and await decision

   Board

   Present to the board at its hearing; the board completes its probity investigation and decides whether to grant the licence, with or without conditions.

9. 09

   Pay grant and annual fees; register key employees

   Fees

   On grant, pay the annual bookmaker fees (R3,278 licence + R13,088 investigation) and the premises annual fees (R664 + R1,631), and ensure all key employees are licensed.

10. 10

    Register with the Financial Intelligence Centre

    AML

    Register the licensee as a FICA accountable institution with the FIC and switch on KYC, monitoring and STR/CTR reporting before taking real-money bets.

11. 11

    Go live and stay compliant

    Operate

    Launch under the licence. Pay the Western Cape 3 per cent tax and 3 per cent betting levy on winning bets (weekly) plus 27 per cent corporate income tax and VAT; run WCGRB-pre-approved advertising with the required warnings; honour the national exclusion register; and monitor the 20 per cent national-tax proposal and the Remote Gambling Bill.

For game, platform and betting-software suppliers. Licences are provincial; the Western Cape is the worked example, with its fees from 1 April 2026.

1. 01

   Pick the licence

   Licence type

   A manufacturer licence covers anyone who makes, imports, maintains, repairs, distributes, leases or sells gambling devices for use in the Province, and 'gambling device' includes software the Board determines to be one. A distributor licence covers anyone who imports, distributes, markets, leases or sells gambling devices or related systems, which on its words reaches a supplier of games or systems to licensed operators. A national licence is the other route for manufacturers, suppliers and maintenance providers.

2. 02

   Use a South African company

   Corporate

   A manufacturer or distributor licence is issued only to a company or close corporation registered under South African company law; no foreign B2B licence is recognised.

3. 03

   Certify the software

   Testing

   Betting software must be tested and certified to SANS 1718 Part IV by a licensed testing agent, which must be accredited by SANAS (ISO/IEC 17025) and independent of other licensees; the SABS issues the letter of certification.

4. 04

   Apply and pay

   Fees: R16,343

   Western Cape, from 1 April 2026: R16,343 to apply, R6,542 a year and an annual investigation fee of R32,711, with a refundable deposit of R79,957, for a manufacturer or a distributor licence alike.

5. 05

   Get each game approved before supplying it

   Board approval

   A manufacturer or distributor may not supply a gambling device or game to a licence holder unless the Board has approved it, and betting software may not be distributed or used unless certified and approved (Racing and Betting Rule 27(1)). Licensed manufacturers appear on the Board's Licence Holders page.

Tier-ordered: official government first, then practitioner, then trade media. Every primary figure was read from the in-force text on 6 Oct 2026.