Betfair to pull out of South Africa
Decision follows last year's Supreme Court of Appeal ruling.
Betfair will cease to offer its services to customers in South Africa from today, in response to a Supreme Court of Appeal ruling in the Commonwealth country from last September.
However it has plans to return with a fixed-odds betting licence in the Western Cape province, following Intralot’s successful application for an identical licence last month, according to South African technology news website ITWeb.co.za.
Egaming operators have been banned from offering any products aside from fixed-odds sports betting in South Africa since August 2010 following a ruling from the North Gauteng High Court.
The initial ban was contested by Swaziland-based online casino operator Piggs Peak the following month, although a court of appeal ruling 12-months later confirmed that the company’s activity was illegal on the grounds that it was not licensed by the country’s egaming regulator.
Exchange operator Betfair will introduce an IP ban to ensure South African customers are unable to access its site, with Tom Tuxworth, the company’s public affairs manager for The Netherlands and South Africa, saying the IP block is only coming into force now following several months assessing the legal position and carrying out internal processes.