Legislation aimed at revamping the way gambling is regulated in South Africa was approved in the national assembly this month, with the passing of the 2003 National Gambling Bill.
Although the National Gambling Bill is intended to replace the National Gambling Act of 1996, it re-enacts many of its provisions in a new form, while adding several new ones.
The bill addresses, among other things, the need for competition in the market by replacing the arbitrary limits on the number of casinos with a criteria-based system of regulation.
Another new provision is a system of voluntary and court-ordered exclusion of vulnerable persons from casinos to prevent them from gambling.
In terms of the bill, cautionary notices will have to be posted on licenced premises and on gambling advertisements, while such advertising will also be restricted.
The measure further bans the use of credit to pay for gambling, as well as the placement of automated teller machines (ATMs) in licenced premises.
SOURCE:
South African Press Association
