Betfair Is Giving Up South Africa Online Gambling

Next Tuesday to be the last day for non-sports betting action Betfair, an international online gambling group, has announced cutting off South African online punters from February 14, the reason being court decisions in South Africa declaring online gambling illegal. Tom Tuxworth, Betfair public affairs manager, has announced that the betting company will block SA-based IP addresses, starting next Tuesday: “Our Web site is in the process of being IP-blocked to the entire country.” Consequently, South Africans have been advised to withdraw their funds before the cut-off date. Tuxworth also said that last year's ruling by the South African courts about online gambling taking place at the point of access, and not at the operator's servers resulted in the company's decision to shut down South African internet punters. The decision has taken some time to be reached for two reasons: a legal review of the company's position following the ruling had to be carried out, and internal company technical procedures had to be followed. Some critics say that it was Betfair's decision to apply for a traditional back-only sports-book licence in the Western Cape under the present regulatory framework which permits licensing for sports betting companies. Meanwhile, the South African government will think over its long-running study of online gambling and whether to regulate and license it.