South African Gamers Still Can’t Access the GTA Online Diamond Casino
If you enjoy playing at the Diamond Casino in Grand Theft Auto, you presumably are not located in one of the countries where the casino is banned. While gamers in the US and many other locations around the globe are able to take advantage of the virtual casino’s content, it remains inaccessible to this day to South African gamers.
Let’s learn more about why players in South Africa cannot enjoy the GTA Online Diamond Casino, and what they can do about it. And also explore the possibility to find new SA casinos where punters enable to deposit with Rands.
When the GTA Online Diamond Casino Opened, South African Gamers Were Excluded
Rockstar Games introduced the Grand Theft Auto Online Diamond Casino & Resort on July 23rd, 2019. While gamers were excited at the chance to gamble in the game, a number of regulators were not amused by the casino’s introduction—among them, South Africa’s. Indeed, upon its release, more than fifty countries banned the Diamond Casino.
Why did regulators in countries like South Africa react so poorly to the Diamond Casino? The reason has to do with the fact that players can use real cash to buy in-game currency. They then can turn around and gamble at the casino with that in-game currency. So, they are essentially gambling with real cash once removed. Overall, these rules work not only in Diamond casino. But players could check the updated South African Rand casinos list 2021 to choose the perfect casino for themselves.
If it were not possible to involve real money like this, hypothetically, the Diamond Casino would not be a “real” casino. But since it is, any player that does so is gambling by many countries’ legal definitions.
Two Years Later, Players from South Africa Still Cannot Gamble at the Diamond Casino
While many players in countries such as South Africa felt dismayed upon the release of the Diamond Casino, they hoped that eventually, they would be able to access it. But two years have gone by, and South African gamers are still fighting the ban.
Indeed, there is a Change.org petition. It is titled, “GTA V online Diamond casino South Africa.” Rico Venter, the person who started it, wrote:
“We had to wait 6 years to open the Casino for GTA ONLINE, just to find out after 6 years that the casino would not be available to us South Africans. Wheel of Fortune, Roulette, Auctions, Slots & lots not mentioned …
All this is forbidden and all we can do about it is to protest.
Please sign here and give us back those years of waiting, so we can enjoy everything we deserve.”
In July 2019, Rockstar answered the petition, simply directing those signing it to offer “constructive GTA online suggestions and input” through their feedback page.
As of the time of this writing, more than 3,200 people have signed the petition. In fact, South African gamers are still signing it in 2021. But here’s the thing. Given that South Africa passed a ban in 2010 on online gambling, it is unlikely that things are going to change anytime soon.
Indeed, Rockstar would want to abide by the laws of South Africa. So, this petition should be directed at the South African government rather than Rockstar. There is not much that Rockstar itself can do about the situation. If Rockstar were to try and intervene, it is likely that South Africa would ban GTA Online and other GTA games outright in the future. That would be no help to anyone wanting to play.
Where Else Can South African Players Gamble Online?
Despite the ban on gambling online in South Africa, many people in the country do so anyway. Indeed, there are quite a few online casinos that offer their services to players in the country. If you want to play games like slots, roulette, blackjack, baccarat, and poker online, check out the South African Rand casinos list we mentioned above. Just remember that when you gamble online in South Africa, you do so at your own risk.
What else can you do if you want to play at the GTA Online Diamond Casino? Hypothetically, you could try disguising your IP address with a VPN, but if Rockstar detects this, you could get banned.
The other thing you can do is continue to pressure politicians in your country to reconsider their position on gambling online. If the South African public continues to protest the ban on the GTA Online Diamond Casino and online gambling in general, it is possible that eventually, regulators might reverse the decision.
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