Poker is arguably one of the most popular South African legal online gambling venues available in today’s market and with the proliferation of the Internet there are obvious reason why people are looking to those resources to find legal online poker for South African residents. This is a little bit of a tricky concept. There are legal online poker sites that accept South African players, but the act of playing poker online has been made illegal by the nation’s gambling laws. Online poker is illegal in South Africa (SA) but vast amounts of players reside in that region of the globe. Online poker is generally more convenient for players and offers virtual bonuses that traditional poker rooms don’t offer. At any given time, you can find hundreds of real money poker games available online and playable at your discretion. On this page, we will discuss ­­­the legality of online poker in South Africa, some popular gameplay and bonus options and give you our suggestions on how to find steadfast trustworthy sites to play.

Is Online Poker Legal In South Africa?

No, online poker and any other form of online gambling is not allowed in South Africa. The 1996 National Gambling Act made online poker and all other forms of online gambling illegal for residents and operators inside of South Africa’s borders. Anyone who chooses to participate regardless of the laws puts themselves at risk of having their winnings confiscated and could face criminal prosecution punishable by jail time and stiff fines. Despite the restrictions, online poker is still extremely popular among SA players. It seems that a lot of residents are willing to take the risk. This is likely since the authorities do not have the resources or the gall to spy on everyone to see what they are doing online, and the public knows it. This makes the potential for being confronted by law enforcement unlikely, but not 100% impossible. South Africa legal sports betting and South Africa legal online horse racing have fortunately escaped the scrutiny that online poker and South African online casinos have received.

Legal Online Poker Sites Accepting South African Players

According to the laws of September 2011, no online casino operator can legally offer gambling services within the borders of South Africa. However, there are still a wide choice of operators who continue to attract players from South Africa. Finding safe online casinos is a priority for South Africa gamblers. Si Redd is credited inventing the first video poker game in the 1970’s. The version of poker he chose to use is known as the five-card draw. This is the easiest poker game. It is still the most common at online casinos. In South Africa, the game arrived with the settlers. The form of poker that we enjoy today became prominent in the 1800s.

Yes there are some licensed and legal online poker sites that make their services available to residents of South Africa despite the local restrictions. You should note that online poker rooms consider the burden of adhering to South Africa gambling laws the sole responsibility of the player. Law enforcement shares this view. We suggest that if you choose to play online, that you only play licensed offshore poker rooms regulated under their local jurisdictions. The most effective way to know that a poker room you are playing at is safe is to only play on sites that are regulated by trusted gaming commissions. All of the brands listed below are legally sanctioned with the proper licensing, regulatory oversight and compliance certifications.

Which Poker Games Can I Play Online?

Poker is one of the most popular games played on the internet and at any given time there can be over 1 million players online and because of the platform, web based poker rooms can offer more variations of games than a casino can. These are some of the more common variations of poker play you might run across on the internet.

• Texas Hold’Em
• Stud
• Omaha
• Five Card Draw

Can I Participate In Online Poker Tournaments?

Yes, the poker sites featured on this page do offer an active tournament schedule and can produce some big payouts for top qualifying players. The tournament options available from our trusted brands come with a nice range of applicable promotions, a variety of buy in levels, and typically take place around the clock. You can play tournaments on these sites, but the same risks apply for any online gambling activities in South Africa.

Are There Mobile Poker Sites That Accept South African Players?

Yes, there are multiple mobile poker sites that will accept South African legal online casino players registrations. We suggest that you only play using licensed offshore poker apps that are regulated by their own jurisdictions. Nothing on the internet is 100% safe but if you only play at sites that are regulated by gaming commissions you greatly reduce the risk of have your winnings being withheld or even worse, your identity stolen.

How Do Online Poker Bonuses Work?

Different bonuses work different ways but all of them generally have terms or restrictions that apply. In most cases, the poker bonuses are awarded incrementally, so the more you play, the more of your bonus funds are unlocked and added to your account. There are also wagering requirements in place for all bonuses at all sites. Be sure to familiarize yourself with them so that you meet the requirements for withdrawing any associated winnings. Here are some common bonuses you are highly likely to see and a basic breakdown of how they work in the poker arena.

1. Sign-up Bonus – The sign-up bonus is used by poker sites to entice players to make an initial deposit. A lot of times you might see a 100% match or even a 200% match up to a certain dollar amount.
2. Re-load Bonus – The re-load bonus is an incentive that applies when punters reload their bankroll and a great way for casinos and poker rooms to keep players coming back to their site. One type of re-load bonus will give players a 100% reload the first time, 50% reload the second time & a 30% reload after that.
3. Loyalty Bonus – A loyalty bonus is very popular with online poker sites. Operators like to keep their players online and happy, so they will reward their constant play with loyalty bonuses. A lot of times loyalty bonuses can consist of free tournament entry, reload or other bonuses and sometimes merchandise from the host site.

Do Online Poker Sites Accept South African Rand?

Yes, there are certain sites that will accept the South African Rand. Those sites that don’t process transactions using the Rand will usually offer currency conversion services as well as payment options that can be set up with the Rand and then converted. On most sites you will see numerous options for initial deposits and most of them accept the SAR.

How Do I Deposit Money Into My Online Poker Account?

Bitcoin (and other cryptocurrencies) and e-wallets are the most popular ways for punters to deposit their money into offshore accounts because of the ease of access and their conversion aspects. Many sites offer little to no fees when withdrawing money via Bitcoin or e-wallets thus making them a popular choice among international players. There are other traditional ways of making a deposit or a withdrawal including but not limited to: Visa, Mastercard, Prepaid Cards, Cashier’s Check, Person 2 Person, Bank wire transfer.

Will I Have To Pay Taxes If I Win Playing Online Poker?

Since 2012, recreational gambling winnings are not considered income in SA for income tax purposes, so players are not require to report winnings. However, tax laws are known to change frequently, we suggest you verify this information with a tax professional who is well versed on the aspects of South African gambling taxation.

Can I Get Arrested For Playing Online Poker In South Africa?

Yes, anyone caught participating in online gambling in South Africa can be criminally prosecuted and have their winning confiscated. News24 recently published a story about several players that got caught in Cape Town and had their winnings of R1.25m confiscated by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). The circumstances of the illegal gambling are unclear and may very well have nothing to do with any type of legally sanctioned online gambling destinations. There are numerous illegal, unsanctioned gambling sites that are illegitimately operating unfortunately. The actual instances of prosecution are not plentiful because of the fact that the authorities do not possess effective methods and resources for identifying online gambling participants. To do so would require a level of ‘spying’ on residents that is highly controversial and very expensive. It is definitely not likely that you would be confronted, however there are no guarantees that you wouldn’t.

Are There Legal Land Based Poker Rooms In South Africa?

Yes, just about every casino in SA has its own dedicated poker room. Most of them hold their own tournaments on the weekends or for special events. The World Series of Poker & World Poker Tour both frequent South Africa’s poker rooms. The tournaments are usually held in or near Johannesburg and have produced some big payouts in past events. There are many poker variations spread across the poker rooms, but some commonly played casino poker games are: Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Studs, and more.

South Africa is a fairly large country of about 55 million people on the southern coast of the continent of Africa. It has the second largest economy in Africa after Nigeria, although Nigeria’s per capita GDP is less than half of South Africa’s.

So this is a pretty affluent country by African standards at least, although they do have quite a bit of poverty as well, and has Africa’s usual income inequality gap, and rank in the top 10 countries in the world with the widest gap between rich and poor residents.

This isn’t all that surprising given the makeup of the country, where almost all of the wealth and power has historically been concentrated within a small percentage of the population, but reforms here have far from remedied this, and it remains to a large degree. (1)

This inequality actually has probably served to enhance the gambling industry in South Africa though, especially when it comes to providing a healthy environment for higher stakes gambling like what goes on in casinos.

There are no less than 43 casinos in South Africa, and they are also very widely distributed within the country as well, with 34 different cities having a casino located within it. Not only does South Africa have a lot of casinos, the casino industry here as a whole is also pretty big, with many larger venues that attract both foreign tourists and South African residents alike. (2)

Most of these casino complexes also offer hotels as well as a wide range of other entertainment options, designed to cater to many different tastes. Many are organized along a particular theme, not unlike what we see in Las Vegas, and seek to become more of a one stop entertainment center, not just a place to gamble. (3)

South Africa has had a long history of restricting gambling, and in 1965 a new law was enacted that banned all forms of gambling other than betting on horse racing. However, this certainly didn’t stop it, and in 1995 there were estimated to be about 2000 illegally operating casinos in the country. The next year, gambling became fully legal, as the government perhaps realized that if this is going to go on anyway they might as well reap the benefits of it.

These laws have been updated over the years, and South Africa now enjoys a very thriving legal gambling market. The illegally run casinos still persist here, as the upscale ones are beyond the reach of a lot of people here, and this still thrives in spite of the government continuing to crack down on them on a large scale. (4)

Almost everyone plays the lottery here and almost 97% of South African adults buy lottery tickets. About a quarter play slot machines, so casino gambling is pretty big here, in spite of so many people living in poverty, this goes to show that the illegal gambling dens do a pretty big business as few people here can afford to play at the regulated ones.

Horse racing also remains pretty popular here but this is on a smaller scale than the other two main forms of gambling, although their now allowing off track betting has boosted the industry quite a bit.

Gambling here is a multi billion dollar business here and it’s only expected to grow even more in the coming years, and South Africa easily distances other countries on the continent of Africa in terms of the size of their gambling market, although gambling is still in its infancy in Africa relatively speaking and there are countries who are at least catching up to them as far as the number of casinos anyway, but although they don’t rival them in size.

Playing Poker in South Africa

South Africa is also the capital of poker in Africa, and poker is a very popular game here. Poker is widely available in the casinos and there are some fairly large poker rooms as well, and overall the availability of live poker here exceeds what is available in most countries.

There are no less than 19 poker rooms that operate here, with a total of 53 poker tables, and other casinos also offer poker on a part time basis as well. So there’s plenty of action to be had here if you enjoy live poker. (5)

South Africa also has its own poker tour, and their own poker association as well. While live poker is widely legal, online poker hasn’t been met with the same warm reception. Online gambling, including online poker, is outlawed here, although like in a lot of countries where this isn’t legal to play, there’s not a lot you can do to stop it.

There’s lots of online poker that is played in South Africa actually, and there really isn’t any real attempt to slow it down by the government apart from just declaring it to be illegal. They seem to be positioning themselves to regulate online gambling at some point soon, something they’ve been toying with for a few years now, but nothing has come of it as of yet, although this looks like it’s very close and we may see this happen in the very near future. (6)

No one’s sure what this is going to look like as far as online poker goes, the focus at this point is on casino and sports betting, but it’s possible that they may come up with a viable alternative to the leading online poker sites, and the biggest deal with regulated online poker is that it tends to drive away some of the bigger sites, so this may end up reducing the access that South African online poker players currently enjoy. We’ll have to see how that goes.

At the present time, in spite of online poker being illegal here, none of the major poker sites see South Africa as a grey market at all, and that goes to show that the size of a poker market is very influential in decisions to exit it or not.

Top Online Poker Sites for Players From South Africa

At least right now, the very best the internet has to offer as far as online poker rooms are fully available to South African players who wish to play online poker, and a great many do play. So here’s our top 5 recommendations for you, and all of them offer nice welcome bonus cash to first time players at their top sites.

888 Poker has been named the world’s top poker site for several years in a row now, and this at least makes it very worthy of your checking it out if you haven’t done so already. We agree that this is a fantastic online poker site overall and in particular it is not anywhere near as shark infested as Poker Stars, which didn’t make our cut for that reason, and 888 is second only to them in terms of traffic levels.

Party Poker is the fussiest by far as far as the countries that they are recruiting players from, and the ones they don’t anymore is a pretty long list, but South Africa is fortunately not on it, and therefore South Africans are free to enjoy everything that Party Poker has to offer, which is a pretty substantial offering.

Titan Poker and Bet 365 Poker are mentioned together here, since they are both part of the same network and are essentially the same poker room with only a few minor differences. Both are worth checking out, and this network offers a lot of traffic as well and both sites are particularly well run.

Black Chip Poker is the least famous of our top 5 poker sites, and these guys take players from just about everywhere, they never were scared out of the U.S. market for example, so you know they will be around for you regardless of what happens in South Africa. Black Chip also happens to be a fine online poker room indeed, and deserve to stand alongside our other top recommendations for you.

References:

1. South Africa

2. South Africa Casinos

Online Poker South Africa Legal Advice

3. Casinos in South Africa

4. Gambling in South Africa

5. South Africa Poker Rooms

6. Online Poker Sites in South Africa

#1 Editor's Choice All-in-One Gambling Site: BetOnline.ag

BetOnline.ag is one of the most reputable online poker sites that still cater to United States players and ALL grinders worldwide. Claim your 100% poker bonus and/or FREE $25 sports bet!

• New players can earn up to $1,000 in bonus cash on their 1st deposit.
• Ridiculously crisp software and graphics - no lag whatsoever online or on your mobile device.
• Super easy to deposit on - #1 credit card acceptance rate ANYWHERE; Cryptocurrency also accepted!
• 24/7 live support, VERY FAST payout speeds and built-in sportsbook and casino.
• $25 FREE BET available and other perks you can use at their online or LIVE DEALER casino.

Online Poker South Africa Legal Forms

EDITOR'S NOTE: BetOnline welcomes players from ALL 50 states and from ALL OVER THE WORLD w/ limited restrictions.