SOUTH AFRICAN REGULATORY PROPOSAL FOR ONLINE GAMBLING CRITICISED

10 August 2007

Politicians slow down new legislation's progress

Legislation introduced to the South African Parliament aimed at regulating online gambling (see previous InfoPowa reports) following an extensive international study of the phenomenon has run into opposition from some members of Parliament.

In Cape Town earlier today (Wednesday) several Members of Parliament (MPs) protested as the National Gambling Amendment Act was introduced to the trade and industry portfolio committee by Fungai Sibanda, the acting Director General of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

The members, led by ANC member Ben Turok, complained that the only reason to legislate internet gambling - the Bill calls it interactive gambling - should be in order to abolish it, or at least curb it, reports the business publication Fin24.

"This is a moral issue, Turok said, as he told the DTI delegation that one argument Sibanda put forward in favour of the Bill - to allow the fiscus to benefit - was wrong: "In my view your approach is the wrong one," he said. "It is a social evil, that we may have to regulate to curb, but we must not make money out of it."

Turok likened taxing online gambling to making money out of prostitution.

The legislation is not sufficiently critical of gambling, he said. "When you have a relative evil in society either we legislate to prohibit it or to curb it. You don't legislate to encourage it."

Turok's view was echoed by other governing party members including Solomon Rasmeni, from the North West province, who told members that he would only support the new Bill if it is to be a step "...towards doing away with this unacceptable activity".

He wanted to see gambling, whether on the internet or in the casino, done away with entirely. "It eats the moral fibre of society," he said.

Western Cape member, Danny Oliphant, sounded a note of caution, however, saying: "I'm not sure we will be able to tackle the moral issues."

Nonetheless, he opposed the notion of compelling all players to register before they can play, saying that this will mean they become a permanent participant, and will not be able to be just a casual gambler.

Other MPs complained that all the gambling sites are owned by whites, and that blacks are impoverished by it.

Online Casino News courtesy of InfoPowa