Bettabets:labels.mobileNumberLabel (bettabets:labels.required) bettabets:labels.passwordLabel (bettabets:labels.required) bettabets:labels.emailLabel (bettabets:labels.optional). Bettabets vision is to be THE NUMBER ONE choice for retail and online gaming in Africa. Bettabets supports responsible gambling.
Gambling has been a part of human civilization for a long time now. It has flourished despite being frowned upon and, in many places, banned. Each geographic location in the world has its own story about gambling and also different forms of gambling. One of the most commonly found gambling activities in many countries worldwide is sports betting and bookmaking related to that. South Africa has an interesting background and history when it comes to sports betting and gambling in general, both traditionally offline and also online.
Gambling itself was hugely restricted in South Africa for a long time, some say since 1673. In terms of gambling in the modern era, things were no different in the 1960s. IN 1965 the government passed the Gambling Act, which effectively banned all forms of gambling. The only activities that were spared the ban was horse racing; it was considered a sport for a long time - more than 30 years - and so was excluded from the ban. That meant the only place people could place bets there was at the races.
The ban gave rise to scores of illegal casinos. A few of the bantustans - also called homelands, which had marginal levels of independence - were the first physical locations where illegal land-based casinos sprung up during that time. These included:
Things reached a stage where a study in 1995 estimated the presence of close to 2000 illegal casinos in the country. However, change had been in the air for the while and when it finally came, it affected the gambling industry in the country too, in a very positive way.
The 1990s were tumultuous years in the history of South Africa. It signaled the end of the apartheid era and the declaration of official, all-inclusive elections. A new democratic government under the stewardship of the legendary Nelson Mandela was sworn in during 1994. The new government lifted the ban on all forms of gambling. Licensed casinos were established for the first time in 1996, thanks to the passing of the National Gambling Act. A single national lottery was also launched. At the same time, horse racing was declared a gambling activity, which made betting on it legal.
The National Gambling Act distributed 40 gambling licenses among the different provinces and also laid down guidelines for the distribution pattern and set up the National Gambling Board. This board was tasked with stewarding and overseeing the functioning of the country's gambling industry. Further change came along in 2004 with a fresh version of the National Gambling Act being passed and in 2008, the National Gambling Amendment Act was passed.
The amendment in 2008 was necessary because the National Gambling Act of 2004 did not allow for interactive gambling or online gambling, with specific reference to casino games, poker, and bingo. Online gambling for horse racing and also online bookmaking was considered legal as long as the valid licenses are in place and the rules adhered to.
The current laws in South Africa allow gambling. After the new Constitution was adopted, the country was dividing into 9 provinces. Each of these 9 provinces now has its own gambling and racing board, which function more or less like gambling commissions. All bookmakers and sports betting/casino operators have to obtain licenses from the board in their respective regions to operate casino or bookmaking/sports betting operations. Players have the freedom to choose a bookmaker regardless of geography.
Interestingly, there is no tax when you bet on any of the different sports. And there is no taxation for those engaging in betting as a recreational activity either. However, there is a 6% tax on horse racing. That is why sports betting has become increasingly popular in recent times and horse racing seems to be on a slow downward slide; sports betting does not invite taxation. When it comes to horse racing, the organization that controls most of the betting operations in KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape is Saftote, with Gold Circle conducting the operations. Across the remaining parts of the country, it is done by Phumelela.
Each of the 9 provinces in South Africa has its own gambling authority. They are listed below:
Sports betting operators, casino operators, and bookmakers from these provinces have to obtain licenses from their respective licensing authorities to be able to legally provide sports betting and bookmaking to players. Apart from these there are the following 2 authorities as well:
Each of the licensing authorities for sports betting and bookmaking in South Africa were formed to oversee the different aspects of online and land-based gambling in their respective provinces. These boards were tasked with the functions of:
For an operator to obtain a sports betting or bookmaking license from a licensing authority, there are certain conditions laid down by the licensing authority that the operator must fulfill. For instance, if you are an operator looking for a license from the Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board (WCGRB), there are extensive terms and conditions that you have to meet. These terms and conditions are laid out in the rules and conditions for licensees that the board lays down. We list a few important ones below.
Each of the provincial licensing authorities in South Africa has a list of current and existing licensees. Some operators have licenses in multiple provinces, while others have licenses to operate only in specific provinces. All licensees follow the standard procedure laid down by the gambling boards of each province for grant of license, starting with filling out of the form available. We list some of the licensees for the different provinces below.
| Licensing Board | Traditional South African Bookmakers | Offshore South African Bookmakers | New Online Only Bookie with License |
| Gauteng Gambling Board, Gauteng | Betting World (Pty) Ltd LM Bookmaker is associated with Lance Michael Anthrobuzz (Pty) Ltd T/A Top Bet Alexandra Corissa Ghillino - she holds the betting license for Cedar Betting Clinton Lines T/A Albert Lines Racing Gary Fagri T/A International Sports Betting Hollywood Sportsbook Gauteng (Pty) Ltd Keith Ho BetXchange SunBet | SportingBet (entity through which NetBet operates in South Africa) | BetSA Sports Betting |
| Eastern Cape Gambling and Betting Board (ECGBB) | Hollywood Sportsbook - Sue Gager is a bookmaker associated with it Lucky Bets (Pty) Ltd Jeffreysbay Tattersalls | Ebets | |
| Free State Gambling and Liquor Authority | Hollywood Bets Keith Ho BetXchange | ||
| Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board | SportsBet Marshalls World of Sport Tab Online Grand Sport (Pty) Ltd | SportingBet NetBet StanJames | Interbet BetMasters SMS2Bet Betting Services (Pty) Ltd |
| Kwazulu-Natal Gambling and Betting Board | KrugerBets - now part of the Hollywood Sportsbook family J Marshall - associated with Marshall World of Sport | Track and Ball (Pty) Ltd - Pierrick J. Maujean - Umbilo (HO) | |
| Limpopo Gambling Board | Betting World (Pty) Ltd BettaGaming Limpopo (Pty) Ltd T/A BettaBets Fortwood Transportation Enterprise CC T/A Fortwood Idada Trading 363 (Pty) Ltd T/A TopBet Power October Wind Trading (Pty) Ltd T/A BizaBets Portapa 2 (Pty) Ltd T/A Supa Bets | VBet SA Limpopo (Pty) Ltd T/A VBet | Bet SA CC T/A BetSA |
| Mpumalanga Gambling Board | BettaBets Betting World (Pty) Ltd Fortwood Sports Betting HollywoodBets Lottostar Playbet White River Standarton Tattersalls SupaBet Mpumalanga | BetSA | |
| Northern Cape Gambling Board | Sun International (Casino) Leitiho | ||
| North West Gambling Board | Sun International (casinos) Peermont Global (casinos) |
Introduction How to Renew Online How to Request Inactive Status Online Address Changes Name Changes Questions & Answers Regarding Online Registration Renewal Questions & Answers Regarding Photo IDs
Welcome to the Office of the Professions' Online Registration Renewal service. Complete information is available below for those who are unfamiliar with the process.
To renew online, you will need the PIN included in the registration renewal notice sent to you. If you cannot find your PIN, you can retrieve it here.
If you have not received or have misplaced the registration renewal notice, you can contact us to request your PIN.
When e-mailing, please be sure to include your name, profession, license number, date of birth and the last 4 digits of your social security number.
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This service is available for licensees in all professions who are in the final 5 months of their current registration period or no more than 4 months past the expiration of their last valid registration period. Each month a new group of licensees will be mailed their registration renewal documents and be eligible to renew online. With this service you may:
Please read each section for details on using Online Registration Renewal.
Your New York State professional license is good for life, however, you are required to:
It is our goal that your experience using online transaction be positive and that the service be easy to use. However, should you have technical problems, please email OPONLINE@nysed.gov or call 518-474-3817 Ext. 460 business days between 8:30 AM and 4:45 PM ET.
To apply online for renewal of your registration to practice in New York, you must be able to answer 'YES' to all of the following three (3) statements:
If you answered 'No' to any of the questions, you must contact us to request a renewal application.
PLEASE NOTE! If you are completing the registration application online:
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Your New York State license is good for life, however, you MUST register with us periodically if you wish to practice your profession in New York State. Upon licensure, you received a registration certificate valid for a period of three years (two years for physicians). We will mail you an application to renew your registration to practice approximately four months before your registration expires. It is your responsibility to notify this office of any change of address.
If you are not practicing your profession or using your title in New York, you may place your registration in inactive status free of charge. To do so, you must advise us of your decision to register inactive. You can do this online following the steps below or by answering 'no' to question 1 on your paper renewal registration form, signing and returning the form with no fee. If you do not inform us of such a decision, you are subject to the customary registration fee for your profession. In the event that you decide to resume practice after an inactive period, you must reregister your license and meet any post-licensure requirements imposed on your profession.
If you wish to inactivate your registration online for the next registration period, you must be able to answer 'YES' to the following statements:
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