NEWSWATCH: The Gauteng Gambling Board has been in a long-running battle with online casinos and has won its case after the North Gauteng High Court handed down a ruling that says it's now illegal to gamble using digital products inside South Africa, reports Business Day. Not unexpectedly, online casinos and poker rooms are less than pleased, reports Online-Casinos.com. Carrying advertising promoting online gambling has also been made illegal.
Business Day: Online gambling banned in South Africa... And just to get your attention, if you are bank, online casino, internet service provider or individual who falls on the wrong side of the law, when the chips are down a fine of R10 million or 10 years in jail could be your lot. Also banned is advertising online gambling in the electronic, print and billboard media - and that will have a significant impact on adspend, and hence revenues... And that is bad news for the advertising industry. It's what you might call collateral damage.
Online-Casinos.com: South Africa Brings the Gavel Down On Online Wagering... Understandably, online casinos and poker rooms are less than pleased, and seem to doubt whether the ban will achieve its aims. They seem to feel that what it's probably likely to do is drive online gambling underground - and cost the state taxes in the process. So, maybe at the end of the day it may prove to be a bit of an 'own goal'.
![By U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jesse B. Awalt/Released (DefenseImagery.mil, VIRIN 090131-N-0506A-342) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](https://biz-file.com/c/1506/286714-300x156.jpg?2)
