South Africa's National Gambling Amendment Bill has been amended by a National Council of Provinces (NCOP) committee to allow Internet gambling operators to advertise in the country, according to a government insider.
A source with the Department of Trade and Industry -- the department that drafted the bill -- confirmed with IGN that the Select Committee of the NCOP had reversed a wholesale prohibition on interactive gambling advertising. The changes will now be submitted to the Portfolio Committee of the National Assembly (NA) for consideration and approval sometime this week.
If the committee accepts the changes, the bill will be adopted by the NA and will then be forwarded to South African President Thabo Mbeki for assent.
The insider said the DTI hopes to have the bill finalized within two weeks. The bill will likely go into effect late this year or early next year, the insider said.
IGN will continue to monitor this story as it develops.
Emily Swoboda is the senior staff writer at IGamingNews. She lives in St. Louis, Mo.