Sun International adopts voluntary ad blackout hours in South Africa
The land-based gambling leader has launched a Responsible Gambling Charter that bars advertising during set daily windows, ahead of South Africa's broader regulatory and tax reforms.
Sun International has published a Responsible Gambling Charter setting out how it intends to manage player protection across its land-based casinos and its SunBet online brand, iGaming Business reported.
The operator, which it says accounts for roughly half of South Africa's land-based gambling market, also runs SunBet in Namibia and Botswana. The charter was announced on Tuesday and is built around four principles: player education, player protection, responsible marketing, and staff training.
Chief executive Ulrik Bengtsson said the document puts responsible gambling oversight at board level and ties it to executive performance targets, with progress to be reported annually. "The Charter informs players what they can expect from us and gives them a way to hold us to account," he said.
The most striking commitment sits under the marketing pillar. Sun International has pledged not to run gambling advertising between 6am and 8am, or between midday and 6pm. South African gambling regulation currently carries no mandated watershed periods, meaning the restriction is voluntary. The company has also committed to directing 10% of its gaming advertising content to responsible gambling messaging, and says its marketing will not target minors or vulnerable people.
On player protection, Sun International says self-exclusion is offered across its platforms where law and technology permit, alongside limits and cooling-off periods. From 2027, the operator plans to use data analytics and AI-supported monitoring to identify problematic betting behaviour more quickly.
The charter also includes a ban on activating online accounts for players who receive South African Social Security Agency grants or National Student Financial Aid Scheme funding. Because Sun International cannot access SASSA or NSFAS records directly, enforcement depends on customers declaring that status when they sign up.
Bengtsson acknowledged that the safeguards only work if players use them. "Responsible gambling is a shared responsibility," he said. "We cannot control every player's behaviour, but we can make it easier for people to stay in control. On our online platform, limits, cooling-off periods and self-exclusion are available in one click from the home page. These tools can protect players, but only if they use them."
Staff training commitments include mandatory induction for new employees, role-specific training, and an annual refresher on intervening with at-risk customers. Sun International also pledged to make responsible gambling information easier to find both in its venues and on its online platforms.
Bengtsson used the launch to press for tighter enforcement against unlicensed operators, arguing that licensed companies cannot offset the risks posed by the black market. "Government, regulators and the licensed industry all have a part to play in keeping players in licensed channels, where they are protected," he said. "We can improve our own standards, but we cannot protect people who gamble with unlicensed operators."
His comments come as South Africa's government prepares new gambling legislation and as the National Treasury considers a proposed 20% national gross gaming revenue tax on online gambling. Bengtsson said regulation and taxation need to keep licensed operators competitive, warning that excessive costs could push players toward unregulated offshore platforms. "Rules or taxes that make licensed operators less competitive than offshore sites will push players towards platforms where they have no protection," he said.
He added that Sun International backs a consistent national regulatory framework for South Africa and views the current legislative and tax discussions as an opportunity to address responsible gambling standards industry-wide.