Sun International releases voluntary Responsible Gambling Charter
South African gambling operator Sun International has introduced voluntary advertising restrictions and new player protection commitments covering its land-based casinos and online betting operations.
The company announced its Responsible Gambling Charter on October 13, outlining measures that include restrictions on gambling advertising during certain daytime hours, increased responsible gambling messaging and additional protections for vulnerable customers.
Under the charter, Sun International will not place time-dependent broadcast or display gambling advertisements between 6am and 8am or between noon and 6pm.
The company says the restrictions are intended to reduce children’s exposure to gambling advertising during school travel and after-school hours.
Sun International has also committed to allocating 10% of its gambling advertising content to responsible gambling messages.
The charter applies across the group’s gambling operations, including its SunBet online betting business (SunBet review).
Sun International Chief Executive Ulrik Bengtsson said the company wanted to establish clearer expectations for operators and customers.
“Responsible gambling is a shared responsibility,” Bengtsson said.
The charter includes commitments to make deposit limits, cooling-off periods, self-assessment tools and self-exclusion more accessible to customers.
Sun International also intends to strengthen its monitoring of potentially harmful gambling behaviour.
From 2027, the company plans to introduce additional data analytics and artificial intelligence-supported monitoring to identify customers who may be experiencing gambling problems.
The company says automated alerts will be reviewed by trained employees and that responsible gambling information will not be used to encourage customers to increase their gambling expenditure.
Restrictions for welfare recipients
Another significant measure concerns customers receiving government financial assistance.
Sun International says it will not activate an online gambling account when a customer declares that they receive a South African Social Security Agency grant or funding through the National Student Financial Aid Scheme.
However, the company acknowledges that it cannot independently access government grant or student funding databases.
Sun International is also introducing additional staff training, independent audits and board-level oversight of its responsible gambling commitments.
The measures come as South Africa considers further changes to gambling legislation and taxation.
Bengtsson has warned that regulations making licensed operators less competitive could encourage customers to use unauthorised offshore gambling websites.
The charter represents a voluntary commitment by Sun International rather than a new legal requirement applying to every gambling operator in South Africa.
SunBet operates a licensed sports betting website and casino in South Africa, with the website relaunched in recent years after being taken offline for some time.
