Poker and legal betting on online poker in South Africa
Bookmakers ranking with legal online poker in South Africa 2023:
1.
STS-African poker with the option to chat with croupiers
(great, cheerful atmosphere) + poker in English + "poker 6+" in English.
Start with code:
MAXIMALNYBONUS
:
Doubling the first deposit
up to 300 $
+ Risk-free bet $ 100 on your first coupon + 50 Bonus%
up to 500 $
from 2. deposits + 50 Bonus%
up to 700 $
from 3. deposits + $ 60 Bonus for completing several tasks.
2.
Superbet-African poker no chat.
Start with code:
MAXIMALNYBONUS
:
Welcome package from J. Dudek and T. Smokowski: doubling the first deposit to $ 200 +
Cashback up to 3.500 $
(first week of risk-free play) + $ 20 Bonus for installing the Superbet mobile app. Free bet for $ 34 (if you deposit for 1. total min. 50 $).
3.
Fuxierz-African poker no chat
poker in English.
Start by registering
through this link
:
Risk-free bet
50% up to $500
from K. Stanowski-a real refund of half the rate in case of missing the first coupon,
no turnover requirement!
4.
ETOTO-African poker no chat
+ poker in English + Indian poker in English.
Start with code:
MAXIMALNYBONUS
:
Fat Bonus
up to 200% up to $ 100 no wagering requirement
from Mateusz Bork (tripling of the first deposit). To get max. bonus amount, deposit min. 50 $.
5.
Betfan-African poker no chat
+ poker in English + Indian poker in English.
Start with code:
MAXIMALNYBONUS
:
Strong Bonus
up to 200% up to $300
from Pudzian (tripling of the first deposit). To get max. bonus amount, deposit min. 150 $.
6.
Fortune-poker in English.
Start with code:
MAXIMALNYBONUS
:
Free
20 $ no deposit
(for full account registration) +
3 risk-free bets totaling up to $600
: $ 100 at the time of Registration, another $ 200 after 3 days after registration, another $ 300 after the next 3 days (to be able to use the bonus, you must place a "risk-free bet" within 72 hours from the moment of granting this bonus) +
$ 10 (for the first deposit)
+
50% of the second deposit (Max. 200 $)
. The total maximum bonus amount is
up to $830!
7.
Pzbuk-poker in English
+ Indian poker in English.
Start with code:
MAXIMALNYBONUS
:
Freebet $50
– you get it when you play the accumulator with a combined odds of min. 2.00, for a rate of min. 50 $. Freebet winnings do not require a spin.
Cashback 1.000 $
- you will get a freebet refund if you play a battery between $ 100 and $ 1,000 and it goes wrong. Each event on the coupon must have a rate of min. 1.40. Freebet winnings do not require a spin.
8.
eWinner-poker in English.
Start with code:
MAXIMALNYBONUS
:
Refund for the first bet up to $ 110 and 50% from the second deposit (Max. 500 $).
Poker is one of the most popular casino card games. It is well known to casino regulars all over the world, but what is the current legal situation of poker in South Africa? Is it possible to play poker in casinos or other game centers, and maybe under certain conditions poker is allowed regardless of who organizes it? Is online poker legal and, if so, how? Do I have to pay taxes on this card game? What are the penalties for playing illegal poker?
Online Poker in South Africa
First of all, you need to determine what laws regulate the possibility of playing poker in our country. Well, this is the "act of 19 November 2009 on gambling" (called the Gambling Act). It defines poker as one of the card games of chance, as long as the players are trying to win money or prizes in kind . The law was amended on 15 December 2020, and the amendments to the law came into force on 1 April 2021. m.in. for organizing poker over the Internet, and the implementation of this task was entered to Totalizator Sportowy, which is a company of the state Treasury. And so, the only legal online casino in South Africa is run by Totalizator Sportowy however, all other websites that offer online poker operate illegally. By using their services, we put ourselves at risk. high financial penalties . First, the administrative penalty for the player can be 100% of the winnings without deducting the bets placed. Secondly, the court can impose an additional fine, the maximum amount of which is 120 daily rates, so in 2023 the highest possible penalty is more than $3.5 million.
Z on the other hand, the state of Africane is not indifferent to the constantly multiplying sites organizing illegal poker. Africa has a specialized cell at the African Customs and Tax Office, which deals with their ongoing monitoring and reporting to the so-called. the Register of prohibited domains . The Gambling Act requires telecommunications companies to block sites listed on the register within 48 hours of classifying them as illegal, and payment providers to terminate cooperation within 30 days. Thus, illegal online poker in South Africa, as well as in general playing games in an unauthorized online casino, are greatly inhibited. It is also worth noting that poker, like all other gambling in South Africa, it is allowed only for people who have completed 18 years old . Therefore, legal poker on the Internet is possible only after the assumption individual account on the website run by Totalizator Sportowy, sending the required personal data and a photocopy of the identity document. Such solutions are designed to protect players from the threat of gambling addiction, especially minors who are particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of gambling, including poker.
Stationary Poker
Casino Poker
Legal poker in South Africa can also be organized in land-based casinos and in places located outside casinos. The Legislature has provided for certain conditions that must be met in order to be able to legally Play Poker in African territory. As for casino it must of course be licensed in addition, it must have a special poker terms and conditions approved by the Minister of Finance. In addition, the game of poker must be conducted by a casino employee who has the appropriate authority, while players must play against the casino .
The second possibility is poker tournament and in this case, players can play with each other-as long as a minimum of 10 players participate in the game. It is also necessary notification the director of the relevant chamber of the tax administration (who is responsible for the place where the tournament is to be organized) and providing certain information about this event.
Poker outside the casino
In turn, if legal poker in South Africa were to take place outside the casino, and the organizer would be " a gambling operator on the basis of a concession granted” (Article 6a), it must be tournament form and the same conditions must be maintained as above in relation to the tournament organized by the casino ( minimum 10 people, registration and regulations ). In addition, the organizer is obliged to install in the place where the tournament will be played a special poker game the audiovisual system which will meet certain requirements (the same as is required in the casino or parlor games on slot machines ).
Yet another case concerns a situation where a game of poker wants to organize an entity that generally does not have the license needed to run casino games . This still requires notification and approval of the regulations, but there are additional conditions. Winning a poker tournament can be only prizes in kind the value of which is limited-it can not be more than 50% of the base amount . This amount is defined as the equivalent of "the average monthly salary in the enterprise sector, excluding the payment of remuneration out of profit, in the second quarter of the previous year, as announced in the notice of the president of the Central Statistical Office in the Official Journal of the Central Statistical Office" (Article 70). It follows that the base amount in 2023 is exactly $ 4811.42, so this year a poker tournament organized by an entity without a license can have prizes worth just over $2400. The place where the poker tournament is to be held isolated so that it is only available to invited people who are over 18 years old. Can anyone play these games? As the law says, the organizer can be a natural person, a legal entity, as well as those organizational units that do not have legal personality. The only caveat is that an individual or a person who is a member of the authorities of the tournament organizer cannot be convicted of a tax crime.
Taking into account all the requirements that are put before the organizers of the game of Poker, this is not an easy task, and the participants of such a game will not necessarily be delighted with its conditions. On the other hand, poker in a place that does not meet the conditions set out in the Gambling Act creates the threat of penalties as high as those that are threatened for online poker. One can therefore be glad that thanks to the amendment of the law there is any possibility of organizing a poker tournament outside the casino (especially if there is no licensed casino in a given locality at all), but the difficulty of the venture itself discourages most people potentially interested in it.
Poker-questions and answers
What information do I need to provide when registering for a poker tournament?
The application for the organization of the poker tournament must contain the following information:
- the name and surname, as well as the address of the organizer's residence – in the case of a natural person, or the name and address of the Registered office – in the case of a legal person or organizational unit submitting the application,
- the name given to the poker tournament,
- place and time of the poker tournament,
- estimated number of Poker Tournament participants,
- measures to be taken to ensure that persons under the age of 18, could not participate in a particular poker tournament.
If I Play poker at home with my friends, will it be legal?
It depends. Anyone unpunished for a tax crime, an adult "Blacksmith" has the right to organize poker – however, the game will be legal only if the organizer completes all the formalities. Remember, he must:
- prepare the rules of the game, which must be approved by the Minister of Finance,
- make an application to the appropriate due to the place of Organization of the tournament director of the Tax Chamber,
- provide a suitable venue for the poker tournament – it must be segregated so that minors do not have access to it,
- prizes cannot be money, but only prizes in kind, the value of which does not exceed an amount equal to 50% of the base amount.
Is" spontaneous " poker illegal?
Legal poker in South Africa, as long as there is money or prizes in kind to be won, cannot be "spontaneous", and therefore the conditions set out in the Gambling Act must always be met. However, they do not apply to a purely social game – poker, in which the stakes are, for example, capsules, is of course allowed.
What is free poker? Is free poker illegal?
Free Poker is not prohibited because it is a game of poker that is not played for money. Free Poker can be found at the online casino Total Casino and it is a demo version of the full version of the poker game. It is worth remembering that in order to play poker or other online casino games, it is necessary to register a personal player account (including sending a scan of an ID card), while if we want to try free poker, we do not need to create an account.
Is poker online, in a casino or otherwise taxed?
In the case of poker organized by a licensed casino, the game tax rate in accordance with the Gambling Act is 25% . The player pays this tax only in case you win a poker tournament however, the organizer of the game is responsible for downloading and transferring it to the Tax Office. After deducting from the winning amount of the ticket, we receive the tax base, and the casino pays out the winnings minus the amount of tax. As a consolation, people who Play Poker are exempt from the 10% winnings tax that must be paid if they win more than $ 2,280 (this applies, for example, to winnings in bookmakers ).
However, if a player plays a poker tournament outside the casino, the 25% tax on the game does not apply to him, as does the 10% income tax. Legal Online poker at Total Casino is also not taxed.
What is online poker offered by STS?
Licensed bookmakers in South Africa they do not run casino games and thus do not organize poker tournaments. So what is poker available at a legal STs bookmaker as part of the "BetGames" offer? This is not a real online poker, but a virtual card game in which the player can not participate, but only type the results of the game. Although poker is an important part of the game of chance here, it still relies more on betting than a real game of poker. In detail about betting on card games( including poker) we write in the article "Card games at bookmakers" .