Daily Archives: September 6, 2021

Gambling is a global industry that is worth billions. Today, avid gamblers can place their bets on classic casino games, lotteries or sports betting. In South Africa, one in 10 citizens engages in gambling as a form of entertainment. Furthermore, current estimates put the annual gross revenue of the country's gambling industry to be around R35 billion. Going forward, experts have forecast that this will increase by 6% annually.

The introduction of new gambling laws has enabled the establishment of more gambling entities in South Africa. Currently, gambling activities in the country are regulated by the National Gambling Amendment Bill. The Bill ensures all gambling companies operate strictly in accordance with the law when offering their services to the public. In addition, it guides the provision of licences to operators.

Types of gambling in South Africa

The most popular forms of gambling in South Africa include the National Lottery, sports betting, slot machines and bingo. With regards to bingo, its popularity was at 36.6% in 2020 and is expected to increase by 11.9% annually for the next five years. Sports betting, on the other hand, was at 51.4% and continues to grow exponentially. It is projected to increase by 12.3% annually in the coming years.

In recent years, the number of gamblers engaging in sports betting has overtaken that of horse racing. Recent estimates show that individual sports gamblers spend an average of R150 per month placing bets. Today, this type of betting can be accessed from bookmakers such as Betway and Sportingbet. Apart from that, there is also a rise in the number of online casinos establishing their presence in South Africa.

Popular land-based South African casinos

Land-based gambling has been the norm in South Africa for many years. From Johannesburg to Cape Town to Durban, physical gambling venues can be found all over the country. Players who visit these physical establishments can access a vast range of amazing casino games. Some of the most popular land-based casinos include:

South African online casinos

South African online casinos have taken over the nations gambling industry by allowing people to place their bets from anywhere. Popular online casinos among South Africa players include:

These online casinos allow players to deposit funds and withdraw winnings in South African rands. Additionally, they provide various payment methods such as credit cards, bank transfers, Skrill,Neteller, Ecopayz and EasyEFT. However, the payout times vary from site to site. For example, Casino.com pays within three days; Springbok Casino pays in two days; while Europa Casino pays between three and four days.

Choosing a casino site depends on the gambler's needs. Nevertheless, the availability of a variety of games remains one of the top factors when selecting a gambling platform. Apart from that, the site should provide attractive bonuses and promotions. Above all, players must ensure they are dealing with reputable and licensed gambling platforms.

Online casino security and customer service

When playing online, security is always paramount. Fortunately, online casinos in South Africa integrate adequate security measures to offer a safe gaming environment. Firstly, all sites use SSL encryption security protocols to ensure no third party can access players' data. Furthermore, all payment methods are verifiable and trustworthy to ensure they provide secure online transactions. Additionally, each South African casino is committed to ensuring responsible gambling among its players.

When it comes to customer support, players should be able to get help whenever they need it. Luckily, all legitimate online casinos that accept South African players offer a wide range of customer support options. Players can decide to talk one on one with the agents through live chat if they have an urgent issue. Alternatively, they can also send e-mails and the agents will respond as soon as possible. In fact, some online casinos even offer telephone support options.

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Online casino gambling in SA: Facts and figures - ITWeb

Gambling enthusiasts in Finland have more reasons to rejoice as compared to more conservative parts of the world. Finland is known to have one of the most liberal approaches to gambling regulation. To a certain extent, traditional land-based casinos are still regulated by appointed governing bodies. However, it still primarily allows casino operators to thrive within the industry and propagate a more kinetic local economy. When it comes to online casino operators, it gets a lot easier as there arent as many regulations or laws that govern online betting.

The gambling industry in Finland is so lucrative that it has now secured one of the spots in the worlds top ten largest gambling nations. This is due in large part to the governments lenient approach to regulating legitimate casino platforms, especially in the virtual realms. Online casinos, or nettikasino in Finnish, are sprouting up left and right within Finland. This means that the market is growing a lot more competitive, which translates to better services for the consumers. These online casino operators are also growing more aggressive when it comes to increasing their market share by coming out with innovative games and hard-to-resist bonuses that lure people onto their sites.

However, that doesnt mean that setting up any kind of casino platform in Finland is all too easy or convenient. There are still a number of laws, requirements, and regulations that players in the industry will need to take note of. This means that it can be difficult for foreign operators and even gambling tourists to actually experience the gambling environment in Finland.

All in all, Finland has a state-controlled monopoly when it comes to regulating virtual and land-based gambling. Because of the Finnish Lotteries Act, the state-owned operator Veikkaus Oy, or Veikkaus for short, is solely responsible for overseeing activities that pertain to sports betting, instant-win games (like slot machines, and national lotteries. Ultimately, its the responsibility of Veikkaus to ensure that all of these betting and gambling activities are done as responsibly and as safely as possible.

Veikkaus is also responsible for the propagation of thousands of jobs within the gambling industry for the Finnish workforce. It was estimated by the World Financial Review that the Finnish gambling industry would grow by as much as 10% from 2020 to 2021. There are no hardline statistics that show just how much money is being spent on gambling in Finland every year as the data surrounding this is complex and can be difficult to come by. However, its a fair assumption to make that the Finnish people are spending considerable sums of money on gambling each and every year.

Moreover, since the gambling operators in Finland are state-owned, this means that its revenues are used to fund social services for the Finnish people. In particular, revenues from the gambling industry are used to fund sporting events, cultural events, youth development programs, healthcare, and social welfare to name a few. Its estimated that around 700,000 unique gamblers visit legal online gambling sites in Finland on a weekly basis. Another interesting statistic to note is that 40% of the gambling industry in Finland is now being conducted online. This just shows the shift in the consumer behavior thats trending towards virtual services as opposed to traditional land-based casinos.

When it comes to taxation, Finnish people are entitled to keeping all of their earnings. All of the winnings that a gambler accumulates in Finland are 100% tax-free. Aside from that, many online gambling operators in Finland are also making efforts to stay up to date when it comes to their payment methods. Currently, there is a gradual shift towards the use of cryptos or digital currencies for online transactions. However, for the most part, e-wallets and online payment portals are still the go-to options for many online gamblers in Finland.

Even though the country is not particularly welcoming to foreign investors and operators with regards to its gambling laws, its still very much a liberal state when it comes to allowing for local play. Finnish gamblers have free access to as many gambling portals as any other country. This kind of liberal approach to gambling regulation will only allow for the further propagation of the industry in an already potent market.

Disclaimer: Play responsibly. Players must be over 18. For help visit https://www.gamcare.org.uk.

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Finland: Gambling laws and regulations in 2021 - Times of Malta

While most nations begin to encourage industries that were previously termed as socially unacceptable, such as gambling Thailand is still holding on to its prohibition which has so far proven ineffective.

Even though there are occasional arrests conducted in connection with underground gambling, it seems the authorities mostly turn a blind eye to the illegal cartels. These criminal organizations have seemingly been established right under their noses. In fact, the gambling ban has also contributed a fair deal to the corruption rate as elites conduct illegal deals to protect their businesses.

But the recent economic downswings and critical pandemic conditions have reignited conversations about legalization.

What direction has the topic been taking?

Thailand still holds on to its 1935 Gambling Act which prohibits all gambling activities. The only allowed forms are the state lottery and horse racing in either of the six select courses. However, the Act does not mention anything about online gambling.

The rise in the number of casino-born crimes is becoming a bigger concern, making it more difficult for authorities to devise a new enforcement approach. In fact, it is even becoming harder for authorities to control the situation since the cartel heavy-weights have the power to avoid legal consequences unless senior authorities get involved.

For instance, on 25th March 2021, the police arrested Somchai Jutikitdecha, a renowned casino kingpin in Rayong city, over a murder case. Allegedly, he had ordered the assassination of a taxi motorcyclist for taking photos of one of his illegal casinos to show the police. Eventually, Somchai was released on bail and tied an electronic tag on his ankle. The casino boss was again arrested in February for money laundering and illegal gambling.

But prior to that, two hitmen who executed the assassination claimed to have had personal quarrels with the victim.

Such cases continue to happen despite the government retaining the old lows. As such cases continue to happen, they are increasing the gap between the supporters and non-supporters of legalization.

According to various media outlets, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-ocha said he would welcome dialogues about the benefits and risks of legalizing gambling in a move to curb illegal activities. Prayut Chan-o-cha is also a retired army general and the countrys Minister of Defense since 2019.

Sanyakorn Singhaweratham, Kia Partys deputy spokesman, also supported a regulation seeing gambling as a potentially huge source of revenue. He also showed concern over the huge number of Thai gamblers wagering on neighbor-states online casinos. With operators like Thailand Casino, gambling in Thailand is able to provide more sustainable channels for online gamers. Regulation would certainly help Thailand win the lion's share of revenues in the already thriving industry.

Other leaders have suggested unique approaches such as legalizing casinos while restricting them to specific locations such as popular tourist stop-overs. Different forces are increasingly supporting the legalization of gambling suggesting it would help to bring the elites more answerable.

In fact, there are growing concerns over the impact of casino crowding on the national pandemic situation.

According to most Thais who support legalization, regulation has a lesser burden on law enforcement than dealing with an underground industry. But what are the specific perks?

For starters, it would provide numerous channels of revenue collection, including licensing and revenues from increased investments around casino areas. It will also attract foreign casinos which will be paying even higher than the local ones.

Legalization will introduce a balance in operations to prevent consumer exploitation from unfair acts such as outcome alteration and winnings denial.

It will also minimize the funding of illegal activities such as drug trafficking, money laundering, and organized crime.

If Thailand takes the UK approach of providing a self-exclusion mechanism, it may also help to control gambling addiction.

Numerous studies including those conducted by the nations Center for Social and Business Development, and the Center for Gambling Studies, reveal that more than half of the countrys adult population participate in some form of illegal gambling, football being the most popular online form.

Despite the regulatory measures preventing the establishment of casinos within the country, Thais wager on foreign casinos, where they feel safer. In fact, they have devised strategies for choosing the best online casinos, with the aid of third-party recommendation sites, which conduct casinos analysis on their behalf.

The third-party sites help them find the best odds in secure casinos. Some of these casinos also accept deposits and withdrawals in Thai Bahts. However, the less experienced Thais end up becoming victims of fraudulent sites and losing money in the process.

Besides Thailand, worldwide nations are on the verge of allowing various revenue-rich recreational industries such as gambling and CBD, that were previously not debatable. This is especially important after the 2020 pandemic that disrupted economies, leading to a significant reduction in revenues.

Thailand can take inspiration from plans that have worked, before reshaping some aspects to fit their preferences. But the bottom line is that regulated casinos are more controllable.

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Thailand making progress in legalizing gambling: All you need to know - Free Press Journal