Online Poker Is Banned In South Africa
South Africa in one of the first moves of its kind has banned all forms of online gaming including online poker. This is a really brave move and is one of first of its type. The US authorities implemented a similar move under President Bush but it has proved hard to police and enforce.
The new legislation makes it illegal to play or partake in any type of online poker and if caught you will face prosecution and penalties up to R10 million and up to 10 years in prison. So if you are still intending to play Online Poker you better make sure you make your money’s worth because the risks are extremely high.
It was a court in Gaetung that made the ruling but it will be a matter of time to see if the ruling will actually have an impact on the industry. Most online poker companies are located offshore so it will be almost imposable to stop these companies operating so the full responsibly of this ruling is going to be placed on the player.
Lucky Lukhwareni, the head of legal services said,
“We approached the media to alert them of the judgement which makes online casino operations illegal, and if they continue we will have them arrested and fight for conviction.”
When you compare this to the US ruling it has had a negative effect on online poker but there is still a substantial amount of people playing the game in the US and there have been few convictions for players and Online Poker operators.
