As we have anticipated in the recent Weekly Edition, the South Africa National Gambling Amendment Bill was finally signed by the nation's president, Thabo Mbeki.

The bill to license and regulate online gambling which was approved on May 9, 2008, was signed earlier this week. For reasons not yet clear, legislation will not be implemented "until a date chosen by the President."

International study
The bill to set up regulations for the online gambling was introduced to the South African parliament more than a year ago. It followed intensive international study of Internet gambling commissioned by South Africa's National Gambling Board. The Board concluded "that there is a need for licensed and regulated online gambling for the African nation."

Long discussions
The bill has been hotly debated up and down, and makes provision for player protection and disputes, the protection of underage and problem gamblers, advertising and marketing controls, a tough licensing and regulatory regime and anti-money laundering precautions. It is, of course, accompanied by taxation considerations.

The United States government continues to dither on the subject of online gambling while other countries move ahead towards legalizing and regulating the industry. In many cases taxation is the strong magnet pulling decisions along. The South African government went to great lengths to ensure that every base was covered.

What's next
What's left to do now is to implement the rules and guidelines. It is still unknown when they will move on to the implementation stage of the bill. In the meantime the online casinos of the world are lined up and waiting to enter this attractive new market.

Online Casino Reports has already launched a sister site, catered specifically for the South African gambling community. It includes information - including legal updates - on the South African online gambling market, as well as reviews of online casinos, poker rooms, bingo sites and other gambling products that support the Rand currency.

History's course
South Africa got into the casino business some time in the 1960's when the government sanctioned the opening of land casinos as a means of financing the homelands, the parts of the land set aside for the black population. The casinos were a stunning success attracting white gamblers in droves.

No casinos were allowed in the white areas of South Africa. When online gambling appeared, third world countries cast envious glances at this new means of solving the national debt. South Africa got the picture as well.