Online betting has become part of South Africa’s sporting culture, with betting companies sponsoring teams and using some of the country’s biggest sports stars to promote their brands.

At a media conference on Monday (October 12), researchers at the Solidarity Research Institute (SRI) raised concerns about celebrity endorsements, warning that they could make betting seem harmless to young fans who see sport stars as role models.

Theuns du Buisson, an economic researcher at SRI, said gambling, specifically online betting advertising, had increasingly filled the space once occupied by, among others, cigarette and alcohol advertising.

He warned that online betting advertising could be just as dangerous as cigarette and alcohol advertising, but was often masked by the ‘promise of hope’.

Online betting brands have secured a growing presence in South African sport through team sponsorships and stadium naming rights. Examples include Hollywoodbets’ sponsorship of the Sharks and Dolphins, and 10bet’s five-year naming-rights deal for Ellis Park Stadium, home of the Lions rugby team.

The use of high-profile sports personalities is another part of this marketing strategy. Rugby players such as Eben Etzebeth have featured in Hollywoodbets marketing campaigns, illustrating how betting brands use prominent sporting figures to connect with sports audiences.

Caxton Network News contacted Etzebeth’s team for comment on his involvement in the campaigns. No response had been received by the time of publication.

Hollywoodbets acknowledged receipt of our enquiries about the company and the players involved. Kuhle Mkize, public relations and communications manager at the Hollywood Group, said some questions concerned broader gambling industry matters and would be better addressed by independent industry bodies able to provide a holistic sector perspective rather than that of an individual operator.

Celebrity endorsements are concerning

Nicolien Welthagen, a senior research psychologist at SRI, said these endorsements were particularly concerning in a country where sport played such an important role.

“Younger people look up to sports stars. They are role models,” she said during the media conference.

She added that sports stars could normalise online betting, with young fans potentially interpreting someone like Etzebeth’s association with a betting brand as an endorsement of gambling.

She also raised concerns about how far gambling companies have embedded themselves in sport and everyday life, and the financial cycle that can develop when people keep betting in the hope of winning.

Caxton Network News has learnt from a source close to these sponsorships that a top player could earn up to R1m annually. Lesser players received around R500 000. However, these amounts are unconfirmed, as sports teams rarely disclose individual sponsorship deals.

When gambling companies give back

Gambling companies also promote their contributions to local communities, raising questions about the relationship between community projects and commercial marketing.

Online lottery and gaming platform Lottoland, for example, is associated with Help ’n Dorp, an initiative featured on kykNET that supports towns through community improvement projects.

According to promotional coverage, the initiative benefited 44 towns, with more than R50m invested by September this year.

The questions are how much funding reaches projects directly, whether the improvements last and whether the initiative measures its impact on gambling behaviour.

Du Buisson argued that while gambling companies may create jobs and support community projects, these benefits should not be used to justify the industry’s wider impact. He said there were other ways to create jobs, support communities and gain sponsorships without relying on online gambling.

Maryke Haywood, the head of marketing at Lottoland, did not specifically address the questions Caxton Network News sent her, but said supporting communities and reducing gambling-related harm are not competing priorities. “Lottoland must do both. Our community programmes make a meaningful contribution, but we accept that the most important responsibility is to ensure that customers make informed decisions.”

Jacques Faul, an associate professor at North-West University and CEO of the Titans Cricket Union, said sporting bodies were aware of concerns about gambling, but that the relevant authorities, not sporting organisations, were responsible for regulating the industry.

He said the Titans’ online betting sponsor was a company that operated legally in the country and that sponsorship money was channelled back into communities, including cricket development in informal settlements.

Faul said he viewed sponsorships from online betting companies primarily from an investment perspective.

Online gambling on the rise

According to the SRI report released by Solidarity on Monday, online gambling had grown sharply between 2021 and 2025, increasing by 390%, while other forms of gambling had not experienced comparable growth.

Du Buisson attributed the increase partly to advances in technology, which let people gamble on their cellphones almost anytime, anywhere.

The report also raises concerns about the enforcement of South Africa’s gambling laws. While licensed sports betting is legal, online casino-style gambling remains prohibited under South Africa’s legal framework. Du Buisson noted that the law has many grey areas and that regulating overseas platforms is difficult. 

South Africa’s National Gambling Act and provincial gambling laws permit online sports betting through appropriately licensed bookmakers, but a bookmaker’s licence does not automatically authorise online casino games such as roulette and slots. In October 2025, the Supreme Court of Appeal ruled that bookmakers could not offer roulette under their Gauteng licences, highlighting the distinction between lawful betting and prohibited interactive gambling.

Offshore gambling websites are not automatically authorised to target South African customers simply because they hold licences in other countries, although enforcement against operators based abroad remains difficult.

The National Gambling Board’s 2024/25 annual report highlights concerns about illegal online gambling and regulatory gaps, while the growing presence of betting brands in advertising and sports sponsorships raises questions about consumer protection, particularly for young people. The board’s verified operators list allows consumers to check whether a gambling operator is licensed in South Africa.

Du Buisson argued that the restrictions were not being adequately enforced and that online casino games continued to be offered and advertised.

A growing social concern

Hannes Noëth, chief executive of Helpende Hand, described online gambling as a ‘silent killer’ that was tearing communities apart.

Noëth said the consequences extended beyond individual financial losses, affecting children, older people and entire families. “I know of senior citizens who bet their Sassa income away. I know of a well-known farmer who committed suicide after drowning in gambling debt. I spoke to a student from the University of Stellenbosch who gambled his NSFAS bursary away one day after receiving it.”

Noëth added that people struggling financially might continue gambling in the hope of earning extra income or winning back money they had lost. “Students could spend money intended for essential expenses, while older people risked losing funds needed for necessities.”

The consequences, he said, could include debt, broken relationships and severe emotional distress.

He argued that online gambling or betting could not be treated simply as a matter of individual choice when its consequences spread through households and communities.

Calls for tighter controls

The report recommends stricter enforcement against illegal online casinos and prohibited gambling advertisements. It also calls for tighter restrictions on betting adverts, particularly where children and young people are likely to see them, and on the use of sports stars and celebrities to promote gambling.

It further recommends stronger oversight of online gambling operators, including those operating illegally from abroad, and better public education about the odds of winning and the financial risks involved.

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