Experts Agree Proper Regulation Could be the Best Bet for South African Gambling
Since colonization by the Dutch in the 1600s, South Africa gambling has traditionally operated under heavy restrictions. Officially these restrictions began in 1673, with the South Africa Gambling Act of 1965 codifying more recent game restrictions into national law. Up until 1996, the only real legal form of betting available for South African’s was on horse racing, which was considered a sporting activity.
Officially, this stance changed in 1996 with the passing of the 1996 National Gambling Act. This legalized the vast majority of traditional gambling systems. It also reclassified horse betting as gambling, against a rule held for decades.
While this was generally seen as a net positive for South Africa, it did come with issues that still stand to this day. The most fundamental of these was the issue of regulation. New laws introduced the necessity of 40 different gambling licenses, to ensure the safety of both players and establishments.
The primary problem with these licenses came from the multitude of existing illegal gambling establishments. Thousands of these could be found throughout the nation, and very few were willing to incur the regulatory burden which the newly legal systems demanded.
Were the law properly enforced, this might not have been such an issue, but South African law enforcement proved all too lax in its attention. Without protection, gambling suffered a worse reputation than it perhaps deserved. In turn, this would hurt the popularity and reputation of safe and regulated establishments.
The inevitable result of this occurred in 2004 when the National Gambling Act of 1996 was replaced. The idea was to make it more difficult for illegal establishments to operate, and to hold legal operations to higher levels of scrutiny. In a somewhat natural process, this only widened the divide between legal and illegal gambling parlors. This act also made any forms of online gambling legal which was, at that time, still in its infancy.
Later, in 2008, the National Gambling Amendment Act attempted to address this disparity, and legalize online gambling. It was met with heavy resistance from the existing gambling industries within the country, who feared it could interfere with their prior dominance. Because of this pressure, these amendments are yet to pass.
Despite the current situation, the majority of experts in gambling and psychology who aren't financially dependent on the outcome share the same opinion. This is that illegality will only lead to harm, and that proper legalization and regulation of gambling is the best method we have for addressing the issues which illegal establishments create.
From what professional testimony indicates, this is the path of least resistance and best outcomes, given contemporary and historical evidence. Time has shown that, both in South Africa and abroad, gambling persists whether or not it is legal. In the cases where it is both legal and regulated, the outcomes for the customer have been consistently shown to be better.
Some components of this industry are already heavily regulated. Those which follow this path have been making great strides versus their older and less-regulated counterparts, including online slots casinos, for which legitimate establishments can now be found recommended on review sites. This allows greater selection and none of the otherwise associated stress - users can find the variety they are looking for, but with the reassurance that the business is reputable.
Proper regulation also necessitates the need for basic levels of quality control. Quality control means that mistakes are minimalized and, when they do occur, proper steps are available to ensure a diplomatic and satisfactory outcome for both parties.
At this point and time, the question of regulation within South African gambling institutions seems to be a matter of when, and not if. As for when the evidence of experts will outweigh the pressure from within, this remains to be seen.
