Modern South Africa is a place of change and there has been much happening in the country in recent years. Of course, that is nothing new as all countries change and develop as time moves on. This can be seen in the USA where previously held views on sports betting has been turned on its head. A May 2018 US Supreme Court ruling made sports betting legal and allowed individual US states to offer it if they wished. Now people in the USA can use the best PA sportsbooks to wager on sports or online sportsbooks in other states where it has been legalized.
News of this new model around sports betting in the US may not garner much attention in South Africa as sports betting there is already legal. However, when you dig a little deeper, there might be something South Africa can learn from the US in terms of also allowing online casino games to be legally enjoyed. US sportsbooks in certain states will also carry online casino games to legally play and many South African’s would surely welcome this.
Online casino play in the USA
As well as a changing attitude to sports betting, the USA has also undergone a rethink in how it views online casino play. It has become legal in certain US states and has opened up online slots and classic casino table games for people in those states to enjoy. New Jersey is the leader and has led the way for others with its 2013 decision to allow online gambling within its borders. Since then others like Pennsylvania and Delaware have followed with more being expected to do so.
Will South Africa follow suit?
As we have already noted, it is 100% legal to engage in online sports betting in South Africa. This does not currently extend to online casino play though which is not currently legal. The 2011 gambling laws in the country specifically state that online gambling is illegal inside South Africa’s borders.
Many residents of the country would surely welcome this change and for South Africa to adopt the USA’s fresh stance with regard to online gambling. Not only would it give them a way to make some extra money, it would also provide them with more ways to have fun and be entertained.
Of course, the big question is whether things will change, and the laws amended to make online gambling legal across South Africa. While there currently seems no appetite for this, there are some good reasons why the government there might look at it in the future.
High revenues for local or national coffers
One of the major benefits of online casinos is the extra money they generate. This is something that South African leaders will surely have an eye on and maybe see it as a way to raise more money to spend on the country. A way of doing so is to tax the online casinos directly on the money they make. Doing that has seen huge amounts of money being made at a local and national level in the US in recent years. Of course, new regulations will also certainly call for new online casino sites in the South African market to be licensed. This could be another moneymaker for the whole economy as companies could be charged a hefty fee for a license.
A stimulus for the employment sector in SA
The health of a country’s employment sector has a major bearing on its overall prosperity. By attracting online gambling companies into the country, South Africa could have a lot of new jobs created. That will, in turn, see more people paying tax to the government on their monthly earnings and also having more money to spend in local businesses.
More investment into the country
Another factor that could make South African leaders decide to make online gambling legal is the investment this could bring into the country from other areas. Making the move to legalize online casino play would show the world that South Africa is a modern, progressive place that is worth investing in. This could see big brands from other sectors decide to open up offices there or to focus more on this potential market.
Will the US lead the way?
Although there is no immediate news on the horizon to suggest that South Africa will follow the USA’s approach, there is legislation in the pipeline which many believe might see it doing so in the future. With the benefits that online gambling could bring to the whole economy if legalized, it seems this may not be too fanciful.
