Since its early days, South Africa's iGaming business has flourished. With the exception of bets on horse races, gambling was outlawed in most countries prior to the 1990s. When the National Gambling Act was passed in 1996, it legalized several types of gambling and paved the path for the uprise of land-based casinos around the country. Land-based casinos flourished in South Africa in the late 1990s and 2000s, giving locals more gambling alternatives.
A new era in gambling, marked by the proliferation of online casinos, began with the introduction of the Internet. Due to legislative constraints, South African players could only access a handful of foreign online casinos at first. However, as time went on and more people began playing games online, more and more online casinos opened up shop in South Africa. Several causes, like the ease of playing from home, the breadth of accessible games, and the rise in mobile gaming, have contributed to this expansion.
South African gamers now have access to a wide variety of online casino games, including classics like blackjack and roulette as well as fan favorites like slots and live dealer games.