South Africa’s Cabinet has approved appointees to its reconstituted National Gambling Board. We delve into what the new board faces as it gets back to work after a long absence of permanent leadership.
South Africa’s online betting market is growing fast, but so are the questions about how it should be managed and overseen.
A “new” National Gambling Board (NGB) is finally shaping up and turning its attention to what comes next.
With the impact of unlicensed operators, online advertising and stronger regulation all back on the agenda, the country’s new gambling authority has plenty to deal with after a 12-year hiatus of sorts. The real work can now begin in earnest.
Following a meeting on the 23rd of September 2026, the South African Cabinet approved executive appointments of board members to the National Gambling Board, subject to standard qualification verifications and security clearances.
The appointments represent a major milestone for the country’s government in restoring statutory leadership of the regulatory body after 12 years since 2014 without a “permanent” board.
Dr Makgathatso Charlotte Chana Pilane-Majake was appointed Chairperson, with Kganki Matabane as Deputy Chairperson.
The remaining board members include representatives from:
Their inclusion provides the board with law-enforcement, economic, regulatory and social-policy perspectives as it resumes its statutory oversight role.
Illegal online gambling will be one of the biggest issues facing the new board.
The NGB says unlicensed operators from outside South Africa are increasingly operating within the country, while online advertising is now a contentious issue as it has become more visible to the South African public.
The board is already working with Google and Meta to tackle bonus advertising and websites linked to illegal online gambling platforms. It’s also looking at issues around betting exchanges and historical loss tracing while working towards a national policy for online casinos and sportsbooks. The governing bodies are still showing no intent to review the role of crypto casinos, despite their growing popularity.
That task is made more difficult by the speed of online gambling and the ease of access through mobile casino apps.
The scale of the online market adds to the pressure, with betting now the main growth driver, rising from R23.7 billion in 2022-2023 to R62.1 billion in 2025-2026. Casino gaming revenue generated between R16 billion and R17 billion over the same period.
The hurdles are clear, and the new appointees have their work cut out for them.
Obstacles will need to be dealt with going forward, although exactly how remains to be seen.
The NGB has joined forces with the Advertising Regulatory Board to strengthen gambling ad oversight across traditional and digital platforms, which is a solid start, as protecting vulnerable and younger consumers will remain high on the agenda for the foreseeable future.
How the new board responds to those pressures could shape the direction of South Africa’s gambling sector for years to come. For now, the focus will be on turning its renewed mandate into action.
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