South Africa’s poker scene — Growth potential in a tough market

In this article, EvenBet experts provide insights into South Africa's poker market, including market size and trends, the legal hurdles that shape it, and the strategic levers.

South Africa’s poker market is a paradox. Offline is buzzing — WSOP Africa stops, full houses at Emerald Casino, and a core of seasoned players who know their way around a chip stack. But online? Boxed in by law, left orbiting the iGaming galaxy instead of sitting in the middle.

Numbers explain the niche: in 2023/24, the South African gambling industry pulled in ZAR 59.3 billion (~€3.1 billion) in gross gaming revenue (GGR). Sports betting took most (60.5%), lotteries and slots cleaned up with casual players, and poker barely showed. Poker’s share barely registers, but the country’s 90% smartphone penetration and mobile-first habits hint at growth potential. Hybrid events — like online qualifiers feeding live finals — are popping up, bridging the legal gap. But regulation, payment hurdles, and a taste for quick-win games keep poker’s ceiling lower than in comparable markets.

This article breaks down the market’s size and trends, the legal hurdles that shape it, and the strategic levers — from gamification to local payment systems — that could unlock poker’s potential in South Africa.

Market size, trends, and player segments

South Africa’s iGaming market is forecast to hit $518 million by 2029, with poker bundled into the broader casino segment. Globally, online poker grows at a 10.2% CAGR, but here, progress is slow thanks to legal restrictions and low knowledge of the game by casual online players. Live games thrive — WSOP Africa at Emerald and Rio prove it — but online growth limps because of the laws.

Who’s playing? About 70% men, mostly 18–35, phone in hand. Texas Hold’em is king (62% global share), Pot-Limit Omaha is the rising challenger. Cash games dominate, but fast-fold (like Zoom Poker) is gaining with the time-pressed.

With 81% of bets placed via smartphones, any operator entering this market must go mobile-first. That means lightweight, optimised platforms and letting players seamlessly switch between desktop and mobile without dropping a hand.

Regulatory challenges

If you want to understand why South Africa’s online poker market has not taken off, start with the Gambling Act of 2004. It greenlights sports betting and horse racing — and slams the door on federally regulated online poker. There’s a nuance, however: licensed bookmakers are allowed to offer casino games, including poker, both online and offline, under certain provincial frameworks. Anything outside those channels? Grey or straight-up black market.

Licensing doesn’t make life easier. Provinces like the Western Cape and Mpumalanga are friendlier to online bookmaking, but there’s no unified federal framework, which makes scaling costly and risky. Add a 15% VAT on bets plus AML/KYC hoops under the Financial Intelligence Centre Act, and small operators are toast before they start.

Where legal supply is limited, illegal supply fills the gap. Offshore poker rooms are already skimming local demand, bleeding ZAR 4.8B in lost taxes last year and leaving players with zero protection and exposed to fraud. The proposed Remote Gambling Bill (2024) aims to formalise online gambling, but it has moved slowly. Until it’s law, poker stays stuck in a fragmented, half-legal limbo.

Key growth drivers

Despite the barriers, the right triggers could push South Africa’s poker market into real expansion mode.

• Mobile & Tech Adoption — affordable smartphones and expanding 5G networks give deeper reach, even in rural areas. More than half of South Africa’s population now lives in 5G coverage zones — the highest rate in Africa. For operators, that means a ready-made infrastructure for mobile-first poker.

• Live Poker Tourism — WSOP Africa proves that live events sell. Hybrid qualifiers link legal online play with packed live rooms

• Gamification — missions, ladders, rakeback, or badges for milestones like 100 Hands Played keep players invested on any platform. Works on mobile or in hybrid ecosystems.

• Local Payments — digital wallets like Ozow, vouchers, even crypto cater to the unbanked players while dodging payment bottlenecks.

With these factors in play, the question is not whether the market can grow — but whether regulation will allow it to happen at speed.

What’s holding poker back in South Africa

Even with booming mobile access and tech developments, online poker in South Africa still runs into four walls:

1. Regulatory uncertainty: without a national licence, operators have to juggle provincial rules. Costs, limits, and red tape shift by location, making scale expensive and messy.

2. Cultural perception: the average player is more likely to buy a Lotto ticket or bet on sports than sit at a poker table, which is seen as niche and “for specialists.” Only 12 dedicated poker rooms exist in the whole country, and it's not nearly enough for real mainstream adoption.

3. Payment restrictions: banks keep blocking gambling transactions, so players jump to offshore sites. That drains local revenue and pushes the flow of funds into the black market.

4. Responsible gaming concerns: with unemployment at 32.1%, regulators don’t want poker sold as a payday. Any brand hoping to win trust — both from regulators and the public — will need solid responsible gaming protocols and fun-first positioning.

Until these issues get fixed, the market won’t grow on innovation alone — it’ll grow on who adapts best to the limits.

Competitive landscape

South Africa’s poker landscape is shaped by an imbalance: local operators own the sports betting crowd, offshore sites quietly pull in poker players. 

Brands like Hollywoodbets and Sunbet are household names; they have both reach and trust. But until recently, poker was an afterthought. That is now changing — Hollywoodbets has launched a full-scale poker room powered by EvenBet Gaming, with Texas Hold’em cash games, tournaments, and poker promos. The tournament grid and game variety are set to expand further.

Sunbet, meanwhile, still keeps poker on the sidelines while sports betting eats most of the budget. For many local brands, poker remains a secondary product rather than a customer acquisition driver. Big offshore operators like PokerStars continue to limit South African traffic, while crypto poker sites and niche variants slide around restrictions in grey zones. They win on payments and product depth, but operate entirely outside local law.

For now, the competitive gap remains wide. But with Hollywoodbets’ poker room powered by EvenBet Gaming, we may already be seeing that fusion of local trust and offshore-level product depth — inside the law. A licensed national operator running on a platform approved in nine provinces sets a precedent. Local operators bring brand recognition and infrastructure, while offshore sites bring product variety. Combine both under a compliant framework, and the split market starts to look a lot more connected.

Unlocking South Africa’s poker potential

If South Africa legalises online poker, the market could triple in size by 2030 — same story, newly regulated regions like Brazil saw play out. The audience is here, the tech is here,and the live culture is warming up. The missing link is a clear regulatory pathway.

Opportunities for operators

1. Mobile-first platforms — with 8 in 10 bets already coming from smartphones, operators should design for mobile as the primary channel. Lite, data-friendly apps open rural doors without wrecking gameplay quality.

2. Blockchain integration — crypto-friendly infrastructure can solve payment friction and provide transparent, fast transactions. This also wins privacy-minded players.

3. Localised content — localised content in Zulu and Afrikaans, plus local-themed tournament series with real cultural hooks, can help brands click with the audience.

4. Gamification at the core — as EvenBet Gaming research highlights, missions, leaderboards, and progressive rakeback drive retention and boost ARPU.

Risks to watch out for

Over-regulation can limit innovation and kill margins before you even launch. While regulatory delays give offshore sharks time to strengthen their hold on the market, making it harder for compliant brands to compete when the doors finally open.

The most successful early movers will already have the infrastructure, partners, and gamification ready before the ink on the law is dry.

Playing the Long Game in South Africa

South Africa’s poker market is at a crossroads. Live poker is booming. Online? Stuck in legal limbo. The audience is ready, the devices are in their hands, but the law hasn’t caught up. Mobile adoption, cultural familiarity with competitive gaming, and a proven appetite for live tournaments signal that demand is there — it just needs a legal channel.

Operators’ playbook:

• Go mobile-first — lightweight apps, seamless play.

• Gamification from day one — missions, leaderboards, loyalty loops.

• Plug in local payment tools to kill friction.

Our verdict? Africa’s poker audiences are still evolving — so keep it simple. Build scalable, compliant-ready systems now, and you’ll own the table when the market finally opens.