NGB Seeks Supplier to Block Illegal Gambling Sites in South Africa
South Africa’s National Gambling Board has issued an Expression of Interest for service providers able to identify and block illegal online gambling websites that target local consumers. Published under reference 01/2026_ED, the request calls for a solution that can monitor, block, report and track unlicensed operators. Submissions close on 7 August 2026 at 12:00 CAT, with a briefing session set for 15 July 2026 at 11:00 CAT.
What the EOI Requires from Suppliers
Regulators say illegal gambling has expanded across physical and online formats, driven by technology, policy gaps and organised criminal activity. Officials add that illegal operators undermine the regulated sector, reduce tax collection and expose consumers to websites that operate outside South African law.
The NGB links the initiative to its mandate under the National Gambling Act of 2004, which includes provisions on the detection and suppression of illegal gambling. The EOI also references the prohibition on unauthorised interactive gambling unless permitted under national legislation.
A selected supplier would monitor illegal gambling websites, block access to them, report intelligence back to the NGB and check if blocked sites resurface under new URLs or different routes.
What This Means for Operators and Affiliates
Separately, iGaming Afrika reported that research commissioned by the South African Bookmakers Association estimates illegal operators account for 62% of South Africa’s online betting market. That research also puts the illegal segment at about 16 million users and more than $3bn, or roughly R50bn, in annual gross gambling revenue.
Those figures do not appear in the NGB’s own EOI document. They should be attributed to the SABA-commissioned research cited by iGaming Afrika, not to the regulator itself.
In practice, the EOI marks a shift from enforcement warnings toward an active blocking mechanism. Licensed operators could see less pressure from offshore rivals that currently avoid tax, licence costs and compliance checks. Affiliates face a more immediate risk, since traffic sent to unlicensed brands may become harder to monetise once site blocks start at scale.
💡TGJ Take
South Africa is trying to make illegal online gambling harder to access, not just harder to justify legally. That matters for licensed operators, since offshore competitors have priced and promoted without the same tax and compliance burden. Affiliates should treat South African-facing offers with more caution, especially where licence status is unclear. If the NGB turns this EOI into an active blocking programme, unlicensed traffic could become a liability instead of a revenue stream.
