South Africa’s Treasury Extends Public Comment Period on Proposed Online Gambling Tax
The National Treasury has extended the public comment period on its proposed 20% national tax on online gambling gross revenue, giving stakeholders additional time to respond to one of the most significant fiscal proposals currently facing the gambling sector.
The extension follows requests from industry groups and other interested parties for more time to assess the implications of the draft discussion paper, which was published on 25 November 2025. Treasury confirmed that the deadline for submissions has been moved from 30 January 2026 to 27 February 2026.
In its notice announcing the extension, Treasury stated, “Having due consideration for the requests for extension, National Treasury hereby extends the deadline for public comments on the discussion paper to close of business on 27 February 2026.”
The draft paper sets out the government’s reasoning for the proposed levy, stating, “Due to the surge in online gambling and its impact on society, it is proposed that a 20 percent tax is applied on gross gambling revenue from online betting, including interactive gambling,” adding that the tax would be “in addition to the currently applied provincial taxes.”
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While the tax could generate around R10 billion ($580 million) in additional revenue, Treasury emphasised that revenue generation is not its primary objective. The paper states that the main goal is to “discourage problem and pathological gambling and their ill effects.” Treasury argues that the rapid expansion of digital betting justifies a reassessment of the existing tax framework.
According to data from the National Gambling Board, total turnover in the South African gambling industry for the 2024/2025 financial year reached approximately R1.5 trillion, representing a 31.3% increase from the previous year. Betting activities, including sports and horse racing, accounted for 75 % of total turnover, while casinos contributed 19.5%.
Although the extension does not signal a shift in policy direction, it provides operators, provincial authorities, legal experts, and civil society organisations with additional time to prepare detailed submissions. Industry bodies have already cautioned that layering a national tax on top of existing provincial levies, which range between six and nine percent could place significant strain on licensed operators.
