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

Online gambling tycoon Martin Moshal has donated heavily to local political parties since 2021, with R48 million going to the Democratic Alliance (DA), R47 million to ActionSA, and R15.5 million to Build One South Africa (BOSA). 

Moshal has also donated to the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) to the tune of R7.5 million, making him one of the most active donors to political parties in South Africa. 

This participation comes as a result of Moshal’s business interests in the country and his deep ties to South Africa. 

Born in Durban in 1970, Moshal is one of the most successful entrepreneurs to come out of South Africa and is a committed philanthropist. 

Moshal was educated at Carmel College and graduated in 1992 from the University of Cape Town with a degree in Business Science. 

He majored in finance, economics, accounting, and information systems – a background that would set most up for success. 

However, the scale of Moshal’s success is out of the ordinary, with the billionaire having a penchant for successfully taking on risk. 

Shortly after graduating, Moshal co-founded Microgaming with Roget Raatgever in Durban. The company developed foundational software for the online gambling industry.

The company launched The Gaming Club in 1994 and Cash Splash in 1998, which was the world’s first online progressive jackpot slot. 

This cemented the firm’s position as one of the key software providers to the online gambling sector around the world. 

Microgaming is still the bedrock of Moshal’s wealth to this day, and the proceeds generated by it have been used to fund other investments. 

Moshal is an active venture capitalist with his partner Aviad Eyal, with whom he co-founded Entrée Capital. 

This firm has been used by Moshal to invest in high-profile technology companies, including Zapper and Monday.com, among others. 

Moshal started the Moshal Scholarship Program in 2009 to provide funding for students in South Africa, Israel, and Ukraine pursuing higher education. 

He has also donated heavily to Yad Vashem, Israel’s official Holocaust Remembrance Centre in Jerusalem. 

Donations to the DA, ActionSA, and BOSA

Moshal has also used the money generated by his business ventures to make substantial donations to South African political parties. 

Data from the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), compiled by the Outlier, shows that Moshal donates millions to multiple political parties. 

Ahead of the local government elections, he donated R5 million to ActionSA and R5 million to the DA. 

However, the scale of his donations becomes clearer when looking over the past five years. 

Since 2021, Moshal has been the largest donor to ActionSA and BOSA, and the second-largest donor to the DA.

The billionaire has donated R48 million to the DA and R47 million to ActionSA, while he has contributed R15.5 million to BOSA. Moshal has also contributed to the IFP, with R7.5 million in donations. 

There has been widespread speculation that these donations are used to ensure that political parties do not push for closer scrutiny of online gambling in South Africa and to regulate the industry. 

The National Treasury has proposed a 20% national tax on online gambling profits, which is set to be unveiled in the 2027 Budget. 

Newsday asked the political parties that have received donations from Moshal about their stances on online gambling. 

DA spokesperson on trade, industry, and competition, Toby Chance, said the party supports a legal and 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.”

BOSA’s Graham Charters did not answer Newsday’s questions, referring it to a media statement in which it proposed a 6% sin tax on gambling. 

ActionSA declined to comment.