More than R1m made from illegal online gamblers around the country has been confiscated and forfeited to the state in what the government has hailed as unprecedented court proceedings, says a Cape Times report. The Department of Trade and Industry said about R1.25m was derived from illegal gambling activities, and specifically online gambling.

The department said citizens caught gambling illegally or running an illegal gambling establishment such as Internet cafés that provide illegal online gambling would be targeted and would face criminal charges or a hefty fine to the maximum of R10m, or both. Department spokesperson Sidwell Medupe said there were four cases before the courts. He said three were in Pretoria and the other in Kimberley.

The National Gambling Board was obliged to investigate the circumstances of illegal gambling activities including illegal online gambling, Medupe added.

Full Cape Times report (subscription needed)