South Africa’s National Gambling Board (NGB) said more than R3m in proceeds from unlawful gambling was forfeited to the state under High Court orders. The reported total was R3.075m, comprising about R775,000 seized between April 2025 and March 2026 and a further R2.3m forfeited by 10 April 2026.
The forfeitures show that court orders can remove proceeds from unlawful gambling from operators and players.
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South Africa’s National Gambling Board (NGB) clarified how its Verified Gambling Operators portal works, saying it lists information supplied by the country’s nine provincial licensing authorities. The NGB said a “CLOSED” label on a venue does not by itself indicate illegal activity and that the register includes provincially licensed bookmakers authorised to offer online sports betting. It also said the Remote Gambling Bill has not been approved and that gambling remains governed by the National Gambling Act and provincial rules.
South Africa’s National Gambling Board addressed concerns about its portal listing licensed gambling operators, including entries marked “CLOSED” and online operators said to be missing. The NGB said that status does not by itself indicate unlawful activity, and acknowledged challenges with the completeness, consistency and timeliness of data supplied by provincial licensing authorities.
South Africa’s National Gambling Board launched an online register of licensed land-based and online gambling operators, developed with provincial licensing authorities. The NGB said the public database will be updated continuously and is intended to help consumers and authorities verify which operators are authorised.
South Africa’s National Gambling Board said it launched an online directory for checking whether gambling operators are licensed in the country. The board said the list covers land-based and online operators and is regularly updated, and that it is intended to support public verification and enforcement against illegal gambling.
It was reported that South Africa’s new Illegal Gambling Task Team made 13 arrests during initial operations in Limpopo. Authorities also seized cash during the inspections.