Each new day brings more certainty that online casinos will soon be regulated in South Africa. The proposed law calling to establish licensing and regulatory framework for online betting sites has made its way into the public light as of late - the details of which reveal a highly comprehensive piece of legislation looking more like the soon-to-be-enforced 2005 UK Gambling Act.

This week during a presentation to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on trade and industry, the Director of Legal Affairs at South Africa's Department of Trade and Industry, Brian Muthwa, stated that licensee applications will be drawn up according to amendments to the National Gambling Act, which are currently being proposed. This means that everybody from the gaming software developers and their online casino licensees on down to key employees, equipment suppliers, manufacturers and maintenance provider will be licensed according to National policy.

According to the Department of Trade and Industry, every entity and person that is involved with the production and distribution of online gambling software and equipment will be required to hold appropriate licenses. The DTI also reinforced that all regulatory framework will equally apply to remote vendors located outside of South Africa borders.

Similar to the UK's recently published online casino whitelist, some of the factors used to award licenses will required operators to uphold socio-economic standards and a commitment to fueling South Africa's economy. Online casino operators will also be prohibited from extending credit to players in the interest of preventing problem gambling and financial turmoils.