Self-exclusion from gambling: the national register, the form and the way back

What the law sets up

Section 14 of the National Gambling Act 7 of 2004 is headed "Excluded persons". Under it, a person may register as an excluded person by giving the prescribed notice, and may later cancel that registration in the same way. The text of section 14 also sets out the main rules that follow from it:

• The National Gambling Board keeps the national register and makes it available to the provincial licensing authorities and to licensees.
• No fee may be charged for registering.
• A licensee must not knowingly allow an excluded person to enter a designated gambling area or to gamble, and must take the prescribed steps to identify excluded persons.
• Licensees must make the registration form, and a directory of counselling services, available at their premises and on their websites, and display notices at the entrances to gambling areas.

Section 14 also allows a court, on application, to order the registration of a person who is shown to be gambling addictively, for example where a dependant or relative applies. That route is separate from self-exclusion and needs legal advice; this guide deals with the voluntary route.

The 2026 procedure, step by step

On 10 February 2026 the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition published amendments to the National Gambling Regulations in Government Gazette No. 54106 (GN R. 7113). They set out how a self-exclusion notice is now handled. At the time of writing, this is the procedure the Gazette describes:

1. Get Form NGB1/1. Licensees must have it at their premises and on their websites. There is no fee for the form.
2. Complete it and attach a photograph. The photo must be passport-size and not older than three months; a digital photo must be at least 250 KB. The form can be submitted in hard copy or electronically.
3. Hand it in. You can give it to a licence holder, who must submit it to the Board on the day it receives it, or send it to the Board yourself. In practice the National Gambling Board's guidance is to ask the security department of the operator to exclude you.
4. The Board captures it. The Board must capture the notice on the register within five days, excluding weekends and public holidays, and send it to all licence holders and provincial licensing authorities.
5. The exclusion takes effect. The notice takes effect 10 days after it is submitted to the Board.

Keep a copy of the completed form and note the date you handed it in. If you are at risk now, do not wait for the register to catch up: stay away from the venue and close or freeze any betting accounts you hold while the notice is processed.

What operators must do once you are excluded

The regulations put the work on the industry, not on you. The duties and deadlines in the Gazette notice are summarised below.

The form itself warns that marketing mail may still reach you for at least one month while mailing lists are updated. Two further points matter. Any winnings you collect while excluded are liable to be forfeited and paid over to the Board, so an excluded person who slips through gains nothing. And the register binds licensed operators only. An offshore site that holds no South African licence is not on the system at all, which is one more reason to check a licence before you play; our licence-checking guide shows how.

How long it lasts and how it is lifted

On the length of an exclusion the two official sources read slightly differently. The National Gambling Board's responsible gambling page describes a minimum period of 6 months, with removal considered only after that, on proof of counselling. The 2026 regulations describe the placement as valid until a revocation notice, Form NGB 1/2, is received and approved. Read together, an exclusion does not end by itself: you have to apply, and at the time of writing you should not expect an application before six months to succeed.

The Gazette sets out what an application to come off the register needs:

1. Complete Form NGB 1/2, the revocation notice.
2. Show that you have completed compulsory rehabilitation treatment.
3. Attach a report from a recognised treatment institution.

Operators publish their own versions of the procedure. One casino group's published process, from Tsogo Sun, says the minimum period is six months, that the exclusion is not lifted automatically, and that upliftment is applied for in person with proof of counselling from the South African Responsible Gambling Foundation or a registered psychologist or psychiatrist. It also notes that submitting an application does not end the exclusion while it is considered. Where an exclusion was placed through a gambling board, it is lifted through that board.

Free help alongside the register

Self-exclusion is a barrier, not a treatment. The South African Responsible Gambling Foundation runs the National Responsible Gambling Programme, and according to its FAQs its services are free and available 24 hours a day. Treatment usually starts with a minimum of eight to ten face-to-face counselling sessions, and inpatient care, where it is needed, runs for 28 days. The NGB notes that the programme is funded by the industry at 0.1% of gross gambling revenue.

• Toll-free helpline: 0800 006 008, 24/7.
• SMS or WhatsApp: 076 675 0710.
• E-mail: [email protected].

The counselling you do there is also the proof you will need if you later apply to come off the register. Our responsible gambling page has warning signs and further tools. This guide explains the public procedure and is not legal advice; for a question about your own case, contact the National Gambling Board or your provincial gambling board.