Taxes Imposed To Limit Internet Gambling In South Africa

Temporary deputy director of Trade and Industry, General Funghai Sibanda, announced plans on designing tax policies in hopes to hinder the growth of internet gambling. The government is highly concerned with the fact that internet gambling has become increasingly popular at a rapid pace. They believe that this may cause dangers in terms of internet fraud, access by minors, and a rise of gambling addictions among their people. Furthermore, the government considers this as a good opportunity to generate revenue that will sustain gambling operations run by the state.

As of now, tax policies on internet gambling are non-existent but the Casino Association of SA (CASA) pointed out in a public hearing that it must be included in the National Gambling Amendment Bill because of its increasing popularity. Currently, the issue regarding tax measures in internet gambling is still under debate. Many lawmakers believe that taxation is the most powerful tool that can limit gambling activities while some believe that it would be impossible to add to the current bill without having to restructure other tax policies. Those who are against this taxation move have provided proof that existing casinos had not been negatively affected by online gambling activities. Gamblers in South Africa must now simply wait for a concrete decision.