SABA CEO Clarifies Advocacy Stage in South Africa’s Push Against Illegal Online Gambling

Sean Coleman, CEO of the Association of South African Bookmakers (SABA), has clarified that the fight against illegal online gambling remains largely in the advocacy and stakeholder engagement phase. Speaking to iGaming Business, Coleman said SABA’s July statement was intended to contribute constructively to national policy discussion rather than suggest legislative amendments are imminent.

The statement proposed six legislative interventions spanning amendments to the National Gambling Act, the Electronic Communications Act, the Financial Intelligence Centre Act and coordinated action from the Reserve Bank. A Yield Sec report commissioned by SABA estimates illegal operators account for roughly 62% of all online gambling activity in South Africa, diverting more than R50 billion in gross gambling revenue offshore each year, with around 16 million South Africans having engaged with illegal platforms in the past year.

Technology’s Role and Limits in Enforcement Strategy

The National Gambling Board published a call for expressions of interest on 30 June from providers capable of monitoring, blocking, tracking and reporting illegal gambling websites, with submissions due by 7 August 2026. Coleman welcomed the tender as recognition that technology must form part of any meaningful enforcement strategy.

“What is encouraging is that this reflects an acknowledgement that technology must form part of any meaningful enforcement strategy,” Coleman said. “Illegal operators are highly sophisticated, operate across multiple jurisdictions and can rapidly establish mirror and replacement websites.” He cautioned that website blocking should not be viewed as “a silver bullet” and instead called for a multi-layered approach combining technology, legislation and coordinated enforcement.

Coleman reported no direct dialogue with the Internet Service Providers’ Association (ISPA) since SABA’s statement. ISPA had called for any blocking to occur only within a clear legislative framework that is court-directed and subject to review.

The Path Forward: Coordinated Interventions Tailored to Local Conditions

Coleman highlighted why South Africa’s challenges do not map neatly onto Australia’s 2017 Interactive Gambling Act reforms, which led to more than 1,300 blocked websites and over 220 operators withdrawing. Gambling regulation is a concurrent competence across nine provincial licensing frameworks rather than a single national authority. Additional complexities include aggressive localisation by illegal operators, socio-economic factors increasing consumer vulnerability, cross-border payment rails and cryptocurrency transactions.

“If I were required to prioritise one intervention, it would be the establishment of an effective and legally certain mechanism to disrupt consumer access to illegal gambling platforms through coordinated technological enforcement measures,” Coleman said. This should operate alongside a public register of licensed operators and expanded consumer awareness campaigns.

From my perspective advising client-partners on gaming regulatory frameworks for over 30 years, this represents a structural shift that demands practical sequencing. Every day consumers are directed toward illegal operators lacking regulated protections. The convergence of legislative, technological and educational measures will determine whether South Africa successfully channels activity into its licensed market.

Reporting: iGaming Business (iGB)