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?

In the worst decision in South Africa since allowing vuvuzelas in the stadium during the World Cup, online poker is now banned in the country. A ruling by the North Gauteng High Court on August 20 banned online poker and all forms of online gambling in South Africa. The decision protects the Gauteng Gambling Board’s monopoly on gambling in the nation by removing online gambling as competition.

The Gauteng Gambling Board (GGB) has been fighting for a ban on online gambling for a while to protect the interest of their brick and mortar casino industry, with us worth $2.2 billion. Last week, Judge NB Tuchten ruled in favor of the GGB and banned online gambling. As a result, anyone caught gambling online or playing online poker in South Africa can face a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a $1.36 million fine.

The new anti-online gambling ruling would punish not only players, but also online casinos, financial institutions and internet service providers involved in online gambling transactions. Advertising for online gambling in the country is also now illegal.

Though the GGB is excited by the ruling – warning that they will have any violators arrested – not everyone is ecstatic. Piggs Peak, for instance, intends to fight the ban and appeal to a higher court. Piggs Peak runs both a brick and mortar casino in Swaziland and an online casino website. Lew Saul Koor, Operations Director of Piggs Peak, stands in defiance of the GGB, stating that “until the appeal has been heard and the outcome determined, our business will continue as usual as agreed with the Gambling Boards.”

The most common sense solution to the dispute would be for the South African government to legalize online gambling but require the casinos to pay a fee or a tax for operation in the country. After all, South Africa needs more money and generally they are all for anything that generates an income for them. The online gambling ban seems to show that they think they lose more money to online casinos than they would earn by regulating them. Only time will tell.