South Africa—Gauteng Province is at a critical moment in gambling legislation reform. Lebogang Maile, a member of the Provincial Finance and Economic Development Executive Committee, recently stated that the province plans to urgently amend gambling regulations to adapt to the rapidly evolving reality of the industry. He warned that Gauteng is falling behind Mpumalanga and Western Cape Provinces, which have implemented more comprehensive regulatory systems.
Maile convened a meeting with the Gambling Commission, provincial legal advisors, the Department of Economic Development legal team, and the law firm Cheadle Thompson & Haysom to push forward the drafting process of the "Gauteng Gambling Act" amendment. The proposed reforms will cover key areas such as online gambling, licensing and compliance, player protection, enforcement mechanisms, and penalties.
Maile pointed out that current laws are no longer effective in responding to technological innovations and business model changes in the gambling industry, especially the rapid growth of online gambling. He acknowledged that although currently lagging behind sibling provinces, he believes that the legislative amendments will bring Gauteng back to the forefront of gambling regulation and innovation.
According to a market report released by SOFTSWISS, Gauteng Province is expected to contribute 22.1% to the national total gambling revenue in the fiscal year 2024, ranking second only to Western Cape Province's 31.7%.
