FICA With Betting Sites in South Africa (2023)

How to FICA With Betting Sites

Many South Africans engage in online betting; however, they need to understand the processes involved to ensure that the whole activity is secure, legal, and authenticated. Verification is one aspect of guaranteeing authenticity and exercising the legality of betting. In South Africa, verification is conducted under Financial Intelligence Centre Act 2001 (FICA). This legislation helps to ascertain that the person registering a specific betting site meets the legal requirement for gambling. Going through the FICA process before betting is a systematic procedure that calls for the bettor to meet particular requirements, which will be explored in this review. In addition, it would be critical to understanding how the legislation works regarding betting sites and the sites that deploy this procedure before enhancing your betting activity. 

Understanding the Fundamentals of FICA 

Various international betting sites have their means of taking users through verification processes before and after activating accounts. South Africa is no exception as it works regarding the law to ensure that the registered personnel meets various requirements to register and enjoy responsible gambling. Betting is an activity whose basis is money. People use the money to wager, and when their bets go through, they win a certain amount, depending on the betting requirements. 

Since betting is a financial activity, it is inherent that South Africa’s FICA became an active monitor of the activity to guarantee safe payments and transactions. In addition, the legislation seeks to shun away malicious parties from perpetrating irresponsible money exchanges for ill purposes. 

FICA is a legislation enacted in 2001 to prevent tax evasion, money laundering, terrorist financing activity, and fraud. The legislation partners with international entities to harmonize transparent and lawful financial activities. Betting is an activity that engages money exchange; therefore, the legislation ought to cover the industry. To meet the legislation requirements, South Africans must provide specific documentation to shed light on their identity as viable personnel with no malicious intent. 

The FICA documents accepted by betting sites in South Africa

FICA requirements apply to all residents in the country engaging in financial transactions and related activities such as betting. Documentation is fundamental to identifying people and asserting their activities as lawful South African citizens. Locals should therefore observe the available stipulations to materialize their verification and carry on with their betting activities with no qualms. 

The documents required to complete FICA verification include identity documents and documents that prove that you are a resident of South Africa. You do not have to be a citizen to observe the laws regarding verification because this legislation applies to all legitimate residents. 

Identity documents 

Identity documents ascertain your existence in the country as a citizen or legitimate resident of another country. They also show that the country's database lawfully identifies you as a South African citizen or resident. Such documents include: 

• The Green ID Book
• A Smart card ID
• A Valid Driver’s License
• Proof of Residence Documents

Either of these documents is enough to prove that you are a legitimate resident; however, having more than or all of them would be easier to complete the verification process. 

Documents showing your residence

Residence-related documents are equally important because they prove that you live in South Africa. The primary documents required to show that you are a lawful resident of the country include the following: 

• Documents showing your utility bills. The documents should be at least three months old. 
• Bank statements that show financial transactions within the country. The statements should also be at least three months old. 
• The municipal rates and taxes invoices show the payments initiated by you. The documents should be at least three months old. 

With these original copies, you will have to take duplicate photos of each, on each side, and upload them to the necessary platforms when completing your registration.

How to FICA with different betting sites in South Africa

Many betting sites in South Africa conduct verification while observing FICA requirements. The processes are similar in all the betting sites; however, some differences that are specific to particular betting sites should be observed.  

FICA Verification on Betway

Assuming you identified Betway as your preferred operator, there are specific considerations that you should observe before completing the verification process. The following procedure will guide you through the verification process: 

• Sign up for your Betway account.
• A pop-up will appear on your screen when you have not automatically FICA approved. 
• Ensure that you have a copy of your ID and upload the image of both sides.
• Betway will send you a confirmation immediately after your documents have been scrutinized. 
• Upon confirmation, you will be free to deposit, bet, win and withdraw cash conveniently. 

FICA verification on Gbets 

Gbets is another operator in South Africa that requires you to complete the process. You can follow the following procedure to complete the process: 

• After you have completed the registration process, log in to your account. 
• After logging in, identify the "My Profile" option and click on it. 
• Locate the “Account Not verified” option and click on it. 
• There will be a space where you click on it, upload the necessary documents from your device, and submit. 

FICA verification on Sunbet

Sunbet is another major betting operator in the country, which requires you to undergo the same procedure to guarantee safe and convenient money transactions. Sunbet has a relatively intense verification process; however, following this procedure will make your experience smoother: 

• After creating your account, locate “My Account” and click on the option. 
• Go to “My Profile” and click on the option.
• You will see an option labeled "FICA Documentation", click on it and proceed to upload the required documents. 
• Next go to “Upload Passport/ID” and move to your device’s storage to upload the required documents. Remember to upload the documents on both sides. 
• Finalize the uploading process by clicking on the “Submit” option.