Okay, this much we know about online gambling in South Africa. The North Gauteng High Court says that online casinos are illegal. The Gauteng Gambling Board agrees and plans to have any violators arrested. Many online casinos, such as Piggs Peak, disagree and are appealing the decision. The GGB says that the country’s laws about online gambling are crystal clear while Piggs Peak says that they will resume online gambling operations in the country once the confusion is resolved. So obviously somebody is wrong.

Here’s another interesting variable, though. Online betting is perfectly legal there. As if to confuse things further, today Powerbet Gaming spoke up and reminded the world that their enterprises are completely legal and sanctioned by the government.

Powerbet Gaming released a statement that said that “there is considerable confusion among members of the public, banking institutions and the media regarding the legal position of online gambling and betting in South Africa.” Okay, I definitely agree so far. They then went on to say that the online gambling that is banned is online casino games. However, sports betting and online bookmaking “has been offered legally in South Africa for several years, within a well-established legal framework, and administered by provincial and national boards.”

The reason Powerbet wants to make it clear that online betting is legal in South Africa is that they are the parent company of Voltbet.com, an online betting site that is based in South Africa and licensed by the Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board. According to Powerbet Gaming, there is no legal ban on placing a bet with Voltbet or similar companies.

If you’re confused then that would put you in the majority. To me, the only thing that seems clear is that nothing is really clear. Isn’t government regulation and bureaucracy great?

As a result of a legal decision, online casinos are now closing their doors to South African customers. Yesterday, Silver Sands Online Casino announced that they will not allow South African citizens to gamble on their website. In their statement, the online casino, which is based in South Africa, said that they have “made the decision to exclude South African players from participating in our games until there is more clarity regarding the legality of gaming in cyberspace for South African citizens.”

Silver Sands is the second South African online casino to make that move. After initially standing in defiance against the legal decision banning online gambling, Piggs Peak online casino, also based in South Africa, announced that they would temporarily stop online gambling in South Africa until their appeal is heard and a decision made.

Though South African customers can no longer play any games on Silver Sands Online Casino, management stresses that the players accounts “will remain accessible” and the players “may request a withdrawal” at any time. A similar statement was released by Piggs Peak, who is still legally operating their brick and mortar casino in the nation.

All of this stems from an August 20 ruling by the North Gauteng High Court that it is illegal to gamble online in the country, a decision that has been praised by the Gauteng Gambling Board but is being appealed by Piggs Peak.

By sheer coincidence, outlawing online gambling in South Africa would eliminate the only competition for the GGB, who runs all gambling operations in the nation. I’m sure that had nothing to do with the ruling, though.