Online gambling billionaire gave R48 million to the DA, R47 million to ActionSA, and R15.5 million to BOSA

One of the biggest donors to South African political parties is Martin Moshal, who became a billionaire through online gambling.

According to The Outlier’s Political Party Donations portal, Moshal gave R48 million to the DA, R47 million to ActionSA, R15.5 million to BOSA, and R7.5 million to the IFP.

Moshal is a successful but media-shy South African-born internet entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and philanthropist.

In 1994, he co-founded Microgaming and launched the Gaming Club in South Africa with the domain casino.co.za.

During this period, he developed a series of foundational patents for online gambling technologies, including the world’s first online progressive jackpot slot game.

He became one of the most successful online gambling entrepreneurs in the world, with close links to the well-known gaming company, Betway.

Microgaming powers Betway, which offers sports betting, online casinos, online poker, and online bingo. Moshal is also one of Betway’s backers.

Although Moshal no longer lives in South Africa, he remains a major player in its political landscape through his large donations.

The latest Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) Political Party Funding report showed that Moshal continues to donate millions to political parties.

He donated R5 million to ActionSA and another R5 million to the Democratic Alliance ahead of the 2026 Local Government Elections.

Over the last five years, Moshal has been the second-largest donor to the Democratic Alliance, with R48 million in donations.

He is ActionSA’s largest donor, with R47 million, and has also been BOSA’s largest donor, with R15.5 million.

Moshal is also one of the biggest contributors to the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), with donations of R7.5 million.

Influencing the political landscape regarding online gambling

With Moshal being one of the biggest political donors in South Africa, the question arises of whether this money influences views on online gambling.

Many commentators have raised concerns that the political parties which received donations from him are less likely to support a ban on online gambling.

Newsday asked Build One South Africa whether it supports a ban on online gambling, or, potentially, only on online casino gambling.

BOSA director of communications at Build One South Africa, Graham Charters, preferred not to answer these questions.

Instead, he referred Newsday to an old party statement on the mid-term budget in which they proposed a sin tax on gambling.

“We long proposed the introduction of a 6% national sin tax on online gambling to be charged against online gambling companies,” it said.

Toby Chance, the DA’s spokesperson on Trade, Industry and Competition, said the party supports a legal but regulated online gambling environment.

“Our position is that online gambling must be tightly regulated through new legislation and that an amendment to the National Gambling Act is necessary,” he said.

“A key issue will be expanding protections for vulnerable individuals and using technology to help identify the user of a particular device when gambling or betting.”

He said that the cooperation of banks, online platforms, and retailers will be critical to achieve this goal.

Chance explained that they do not support an outright ban on online gambling as it generally leads to an increase in illicit operators.

“We have seen that in the alcohol and cigarette industries, and it would be the same outcome with gambling,” he said.

Newsday asked ActionSA for its view on online gaming, given Moshal’s donations, but the party declined to comment.