Legal expert Garron Whitesman highlights that the Supreme Court of Appeal ruling applies only to Gauteng, ensuring online betting remains legal across South Africa’s other provinces.
SAROGA members Garron Whitesman and Wayne Lurie clarify that the Supreme Court of Appeal ruling only affects Gauteng, ensuring online betting remains legal in other provinces.
South Africa.- South African legal experts have criticised the National Gambling Board (NGB) for “misleading the public” into believing the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) ruling bans online casino-style betting nationwide. They emphasise that the decision affects only Gauteng-licensed operators and that betting remains fully legal in other provinces.
Gambling law specialists Garron Whitesman of Whitesmans Attorneys and Wayne Lurie of Lurie Inc Attorneys, both members of the South African Responsible Online Gambling Association (SAROGA), clarified that the SCA judgment applies solely to Gauteng’s provincial framework. The decision is legally binding in Gauteng but does not automatically extend to other provinces, which operate under separate gambling legislation, according to these experts.
The clarification comes after confusion in the industry following the SCA’s October 2025 ruling in the Supabets/CASA case. While the court confirmed that Gauteng-licensed bookmakers cannot offer roulette and similar casino-style games, legal experts stress that operators in other provinces may continue offering online betting, provided they comply with their respective provincial laws.
Whitesman explained that the ruling should not be seen as a national ban. “Residents of every province in South Africa may lawfully place bets on casino style contingencies with bookmakers licensed in any province in South Africa,” he said, according to Polity.org.za.
He added: “The recent SCA judgment was limited to the Gauteng Gambling Act and the licences issued under it. It does not prohibit provincially licensed bookmakers elsewhere in South Africa from offering fixed odds bets on live casino style games, provided they comply with their own provincial laws.”
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