Mpumalanga Opens Path to New Bookmaker Licenses

First New Licenses in Years

For the first time in many years, operators have a chance to apply for fresh bookmaker licenses in Mpumalanga. The Mpumalanga Economic Regulator (MER) has issued a formal Request for Proposals (RFP), marking a rare opportunity in a province where licenses have historically been scarce and highly valued often commanding inflated prices on the secondary market, even when dormant.

Applicants will need to align with a number of regulatory requirements. Most notably, each license will be limited to a single physical location or a single online URL, which means multi-brand operators must tailor their strategies accordingly. Additionally, all key operational functions such as IT, customer support, administration, and retail must be physically based in Mpumalanga.

Applicants will be evaluated not just on commercial readiness, but also on their contributions to transformation goals. According to the MER, there will be strong emphasis on local black ownership, job creation, enterprise development, and compliance with Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) principles.

Required Contributions to Society

The RFP outlines mandatory socio-economic contributions tied to license operations. These include:

• A 0.1% allocation of gross gaming revenue (GGR) to the National Responsible Gambling Programme.

• A 1% contribution of GGR to Corporate Social Investment initiatives within the Mpumalanga province.

The application process will involve several stages. Applicants will undergo an initial screening, followed by a period of public participation and full probity investigations. This structured approach aims to ensure compliance, transparency, and ethical business conduct. The application fee is set at R5,000, while the investigation deposit comes in at R25,000 per license costs that are considered moderate compared to fees in other South African provinces.