Granny and Family busted for Illegal Gambling in South Africa

There are a few nations in the world that are home to very large gambling populations and South Africa is one that can be labeled as belonging among them. Estimates indicate that up to 80% of the South African adult population gambles on a regular basis. 

For many years, specifically as early as 1673, the gambling industry was heavily regulated. As a matter of fact, it was almost shut out and exclusively prohibited in all its forms from 1965 well into the 1970’s. 

In the 1970’s a few casinos appeared in South Africa, but they were all built in areas which were called “Homelands” and fell outside of the government’s jurisdiction. These were very popular, similar to online casinos in South Africa nowadays. Being that the online gambling market is just making its way into the country most sites accessed are actually located in other countries, outside of the government’s reign of power. 

In 1994, when the Homelands were incorporated to belong to the rest of the nation, casinos were not destroyed, but rather legalized. The government was able to use the valuable revenue streams produced by this change in South African gambling law to finance many changes within the nation. 

The brick-and-mortar casinos are popular and many enjoy playing at online casinos in South Africa, but for some reason there’s still a sizeable black market for gambling. A group running an illegal gambling operation was arrested just this week! 

The perpetrators included a 65 year-old woman, her son and his wife, 48 and 46 respectively, as well as her 26 year-old grandson. They were caught due to the fact that they are all unemployed but somehow have lots of cash on their bank accounts. Aside from charges regarding their illegal gambling operation, run from their house, they are also alleged to sell drugs.