Treasury says the final online gambling tax design will come in the February 2027 Budget
In his 21 October 2026 Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement, finance minister Enoch Godongwana said consultations on the proposed National Online Gambling Tax are continuing and that the final design will be announced in the February 2027 Budget. Nothing has been enacted, and the speech did not restate a tax rate.
The tax is aimed at operators, not players, so nothing changes at the till for anyone today. It still matters because it will shape how the legal online betting market is priced and how Treasury treats offshore sites that already take South African players. Treasury has said before that taxing interactive gambling would not make it legal, so a casino that accepts South African players is still not licensed here. Check the licence and the withdrawal terms on any site before you deposit, and read our casino reviews for what we have and have not been able to verify.
What the minister said
Speaking on 21 October 2026, Enoch Godongwana devoted a short section of the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement to the proposed National Online Gambling Tax. He reminded Parliament that National Treasury published a discussion paper on it last year, and said the submissions received generally recognised the need to deal with the growth of online gambling and the harm linked to it.
He added that consultations are still running on the design of the tax, how it links to the existing regulatory framework, and what it means for the provinces and the currently regulated market. The speech ends the section with a single date: an announcement of the final design will be made in the February 2027 Budget.
What the proposal looked like
The speech itself does not repeat the numbers. According to casino.com, which summarised the discussion paper, Treasury proposed a 20% national tax on gross gambling revenue from online betting, on top of provincial taxes, with a combined burden of 26% to 29%, and expected it to raise more than R10 billion a year. The same report says public comment closed on 27 February 2026.
We have not re-read the discussion paper for this brief, so treat those figures as the proposal as reported, not as the final policy. The February Budget could change the rate, the base or the way it sits alongside provincial levies.
What it means for South African players
For now, very little changes. Licensed online sports betting through provincial bookmakers remains the regulated product, and the National Gambling Board position on online casino games has not moved. A tax proposal is a revenue and harm-reduction tool, not a licensing decision.
- Operators pay the tax, but higher costs can show up in odds, promotions and product choices.
- Offshore sites that take South African players are not made lawful by a tax design.
- Gambling is entertainment with real risk of loss, not a way to earn money.
What to watch next
The date to mark is the February 2027 Budget. After that, Treasury still has to turn a design into legislation, which means more drafts and more comment. Industry bodies, provincial regulators and the National Gambling Board are all likely to weigh in before anything is law. We will update our coverage when the Budget text is out.