Help
Responsible gambling in South Africa
Gambling stops being entertainment at the point where you are chasing. These are the tools available in South Africa, in the order of how quickly they work.
Last updated
The four things you can actually do
People usually reach for willpower first and a tool last. It works better the other way round, because every tool below keeps working on the night when the willpower does not.
| Tool | How fast | What it covers | How to start |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deposit limit at the casino | Immediate | One operator only. Increases usually take 24–48 hours to take effect; decreases are instant. | Account settings, or ask support in writing |
| Self-exclusion at the casino | Immediate | One operator. Closes the account for a fixed term or permanently. | Written request to support — keep the reply |
| Provincial board self-exclusion | Days | Land-based venues and licensed operators in that province. | Apply to your provincial gambling board |
| Bank block on gambling merchants | Immediate to a day | Every card transaction coded as gambling, at every operator. | Your banking app, or phone the bank |
The bank block is the underrated one
Card transactions to a casino carry a merchant category code — 7995 — and several South African banks will now refuse that code on your card if you ask them to. It is the only control on this page that covers every operator at once, including ones you have not signed up to yet, and the only one that a new account opened at three in the morning cannot get around. We have written up how the block works bank by bank in more detail on the blog.
The signs worth taking seriously
- You are depositing again in the same session to win back what you just lost.
- You have moved money that was allocated to something else — rent, school fees, a debit order — into a casino account.
- You are hiding the size or frequency of play from someone who would object.
- You are borrowing to play, including on a credit card or a short-term loan app.
- The amount you need to stake to feel anything has gone up over the past few months.
Any one of those is a reason to phone the number at the top of this page. It is not a crisis line only; the Foundation also does ordinary counselling for people who have simply noticed the trend and want it to stop.
Under 18
Gambling by anyone under 18 is illegal in South Africa, on every product, online and in person. Operators are required to verify age at registration, and a win on an account belonging to a minor is void — the money does not get paid out. If there is a device in your household a child can reach, the parental controls built into Android and iOS are a better answer than trusting the operator’s check.