Sun International launches gambling charter as tax fight looms
Sun International published a responsible gambling charter and warned that heavy taxes could push players to unlicensed offshore sites.Summary
Sun International has published a responsible gambling charter that promises an advertising watershed, AI-assisted monitoring of at-risk players from 2027, and a block on customers who declare a Sassa social grant or Nsfas funding as their income source from opening online accounts. The charter applies to its casinos and Sunbet online platform and also commits the group to devoting 10% of gaming advertising content to responsible gambling messages, seeking certification from an internationally recognised responsible gambling body, and setting up an annual independent audit. CEO Ulrik Bengtsson used the launch to warn government against taxing licensed operators into losing customers to offshore sites, saying rules or taxes that make licensed operators less competitive will push players towards platforms where they have no protection. The warning comes as national treasury prepares new gambling legislation, with a November 2025 discussion paper proposing a 20% national tax on gross gambling revenue from online betting and interactive gambling, on top of provincial gambling taxes, projected to raise more than R10-billion a year. However, the charter contains a disclaimer stating it creates no legal duty of care and no legally enforceable obligations to any player, and some commitments are narrower than they appear, such as the advertising watershed covering only time-dependent broadcast and display advertising, leaving social media, search, websites, push notifications, e-mail and evenings untouched. The group will report to the board's social and ethics committee on four measures tied to the executive performance scorecard: player protection, training, responsible marketing, and compliance and certification. Bengtsson acknowledged that the protections end where the licensed market does, saying the company cannot protect people who gamble with unlicensed operators.
(Source：Techcentral)