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Online casinos boom
(nov. 13, 2005)
Although South
African law prohibits Internet gambling, it has done little to stop a
growing number of punters from pointing their mouse in the direction of
online casinos.
Professor Peter Collins of the National Responsible Gambling Programme
said it was difficult to tell how many people were using online gambling
because it was illegal.
He estimated that such gambling was probably "as popular in South Africa
as it is in the rest of the world where it presently accounts for about
two percent of all gambling".
Collins expects this percentage to rise to around 5% by 2010 with
technological advancements in gaming.
Losers
This would increase the global loss by players from R240-million
currently, to around R600-million.
Group marketing manager for Piggs Peak online casino, Wendy Graaf
attributes the popularity of the online games to convenience, and the
wide variety of games available.
While Graaf would not comment on the numbers of players their online
casino had, she said that "player numbers had risen in relation to the
increased use of the Internet".
The National Gambling Act of 2004 provides that "a person must not
engage in or make available an interactive game except as authorised in
terms of the National Gambling Act or any other national law."
Possible loophole
Currently, no Internet gambling games have been authorised in the
country. A possible loophole in the law relates to the country in which
the gambling server is placed.
A pending court case between Piggs Peak and the Gauteng and National
gambling boards aims to define the laws relating to the position of the
server.
Graaf said that Piggs Peak Internet Casino had launched an application
against the National Gambling Board and Gauteng Gambling Board, in the
Pretoria High Court to declare the Internet gambling and advertising of
Piggs Peak Internet Casino legal.
"Our view is that we are licensed by the Swaziland government and our
Internet casino is in Swaziland, and therefore gambling on Piggs Peak is
legal," she said.
Loud and clear
In the Eastern Cape, the law is so clearly defined that the location of
the server is irrelevant, and Internet gambling was still illegal, said
Keith Harvey, head of Legal Affairs at the Eastern Cape Gambling and
Betting Board.
Harvey said "the Eastern Cape Gambling & Betting Act states that no
person physically present in the province shall participate in a
gambling game by way of telephone, telefax, interactive television,
electronic mail or Internet transmission".
It is also illegal to invite any Eastern Cape resident to join in a
telephonic or Internet gambling game. This makes advertising online
casinos illegal in the province.
There are currently no plans to legalise online gambling in the
province, Harvey said, as these would be in conflict with the national
laws.
He said that national government had convened a committee to look into
the issue of the legalisation of Internet gambling.
Impulse gambling
Harvey believes that the reason for their reluctance to legalise
gambling lies in social issues. He sites issues like an increase in
impulse gambling, gambling by children and a possible loss of jobs in
actual casinos as reasons for not legalising the games.
Collins said "we expect the number of people who develop problems with
gambling on the Internet to grow as Internet gambling itself grows".
He said because Internet gambling was "effectively unregulated" it made
the exploitation of vulnerable and young players comparatively easy.
"We are hoping that, in South Africa, Internet gambling will be
legalised and regulated precisely so that all sorts of protections can
be afforded to players who might otherwise get into trouble" he said.
The Herald News |
