Law & tax
Is that betting site licensed? Checking a bookie's provincial licence
A licence badge in a site footer proves nothing on its own. Here is how to match a bookie's company name and licence number against the official lists.
Rules, money and odds behind betting in South Africa, written from the primary sources: the National Gambling Act and the provincial board registers, SARS and Reserve Bank documents, the National Lottery game rules and the tote operators' own pool rules. Each post lists its sources at the end.
Law & tax
- Law & tax
Gambling winnings and SARS: casual punters, professionals and foreign wins
A big Lotto or Pick 6 win is usually tax-free for a casual punter, but a UK lottery prize or a win from illegal gambling is not. The rules, with the rand maths.
- Law & tax
Section 11, the 2008 amendment and the Remote Gambling Bills: what has changed
Online casino games have been on Parliament's agenda for two decades, yet the law has barely moved. A plain timeline of every bill, from the official records.
- Law & tax
Self-exclusion from gambling: the national register, the form and the way back
One form, no fee, and every licensed operator in the country has to act on it. How the national exclusion register works and what it takes to come off it.
Banking & FICA
- Banking & FICA
Gambling on a bank card in South Africa: merchant code 7995, fees and blocks
Every card payment to a bookie carries a merchant code that tells your bank it is gambling. Here is what that code triggers: foreign payment bans, possible cash-style…
- Banking & FICA
Cash vouchers for betting accounts: how 1Voucher, OTT and Blu Voucher work
Paying a bookie with cash from the till point: what the 1Voucher, OTT and Blu Voucher rules say about limits, expiry, change, refunds and getting winnings back.
- Banking & FICA
Why SA bookmakers ask for your ID, proof of address and bank proof
The FICA request at a bookmaker is a legal duty under the FIC Act, not red tape. Here is what the law asks for, what each document proves and why payouts get held.
- Banking & FICA
Instant EFT for betting deposits: what happens when you log in to your bank
Instant EFT asks for your internet banking login on a bookmaker's deposit page. Here is what that step does, what the Reserve Bank has warned about it and what to do if…
Lotto & Lucky Numbers
- Lotto & Lucky Numbers
Claiming a Lotto or PowerBall win: where to go and how long you have
A winning ticket is only worth something once it is claimed. Here is where each size of prize is paid, how long you have, and where unclaimed money ends up.
- Lotto & Lucky Numbers
Lotto, PowerBall and Daily Lotto odds: the maths behind every division
One Lotto board has a 1 in 20,358,520 shot at the jackpot. See how the odds of every division are worked out, and what R100 of PowerBall boards really buys you.
- Lotto & Lucky Numbers
Lucky Numbers bets in South Africa: how fixed odds on a draw really work
A Lucky Numbers bet looks like a lottery ticket but works like a sports bet. See how the fixed odds are set, how much margin each price carries, and why the legality is…
- Lotto & Lucky Numbers
From ticket to grant: how the NLC and the NLDTF spend lottery money
About a third of what you spend on a Lotto or PowerBall ticket goes to good causes. Follow the rand from the till to the trust fund, the four sectors and the grant…
Racing & the tote
- Racing & the tote
Bookmaker fixed odds or tote dividend: how each pays on a South African race
A bookie's price is fixed when you bet, while a tote dividend is set by the pool after the race. Here is how to compare the two, what starting price means and how to…
- Racing & the tote
LPMs explained: the R5 stake, the R500 prize and who licenses the machines
The slot-style machines in pubs, hotels and betting outlets are limited payout machines. Their stake, prize and numbers are capped in regulations, and they are licensed…
- Racing & the tote
How merit ratings set the weights in SA handicaps, and how to read them
One merit rating point is half a kilogram on a South African racehorse's back. Here is how the handicappers set the weights, why ratings move, and how to read the…
- Racing & the tote
SA tote bets: Win, Place, Place Accumulator, Jackpot and Pick 6 pools
Every tote bet in South Africa is a share of a pool, not a fixed price. Here is how each pool pays, what fractional betting does to your ticket and where an unwon Pick 6…
