Poorly regulated online gambling is dismantling any shot we have for long term prosperity in South Africa.

The only “safe bet” is stronger player protection, increased gambling literacy & secure guardrails to protect our most vulnerable socio-economic groups. 

This petition signals public support for amendments to the Remote Gambling Bill, 2024. Intention is to guide public policy in designing frameworks for safer gambling.

Please share this petition with your networks to help drive change.

Summary details on the proposed amendments below:

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National gambling incidence is currently at an all time high. This surge is fueled by high economic inequality, relentless advertising & low levels of user education. Platforms injecting addictive gamification & frictionless access trigger a toxic loop of addiction. 

Here's some terrifying stats:

• South Africans wagered R1.1 trillion of bets across 2023/2024 (up 40% from the previous year!!)
• 27% of gamblers receive social grants
• 31% of gamblers are “problem gamblers”, a 500% increase since 2017
• 40% of gamblers “reinvest” winnings to gamble again
• Gamblers indicate the primary reason for betting is to generate an income, because they need the money (vs leisure & entertainment) 
• Most gamblers are 25-34 with an even split across men & women 
• Pensioners also rank among the top demographic of gamblers

Why Africa?

Globally, developed markets are shifting towards proactive regulation & protecting users from online gambling. The financial performance of large, global entrants into Africa reaffirms the attractive commercial opportunity of exploiting gaps in soft regulations. Vast information asymmetry between operators & players amplifies the advantage of remote gambling companies. Interactive gambling is currently unregulated in South Africa.

What can we do to fix this?

Below are proposed amendments to the Remote Gambling Bill to be shared with the Speaker of the National Assembly. You can find the original bill here: Remote Gambling Bill 2024 

Fight for the economically fragile 

1. Prevent youth from gambling on their future: increase the minimum age to engage in online gambling to (at least) 21. Youth aged 15-24 currently have an unemployment rate of 60.2% anchoring their status as economically vulnerable.

2. No bets with social nets: Require disclosure of the player’s sources of funds. Operators to proactively apply betting limits for users relying on social grants as their primary source of income.

3. Banks are for saving, not staking: Strip away access to lottery tickets, betting vouchers & any gaming integrations from banking applications. Commission revenues disclosed by financial institutions indicate frictionless access triggers high volumes of gambling activity. 

Responsible advertising

4. Advertising after dark: Only allow remote gambling advertising (across media channels) between 21:00 & 06:00. Additionally a “whistle to whistle” restriction on all gambling advertisements during sports broadcasts.

5. Promote with purpose: all influencers, affiliates & commercial partners to clearly disclose their partnership with remote gambling companies using #ad or #sponsored. Additionally, all headline posts to include full disclaimers on responsible gambling & gambling counselling help line contact numbers.

6. Think before you share: apply restrictions on sharing affiliate sign-up links & encouraging copying of bets across social media. In line with South African “copy trade” regulations for stocks – providers of any “copy bets” need to be licensed & regulated. 

7. Shirts without stakes: Removal of front of shirt sponsorships for remote gambling companies - in line with globally adopted practices. 

Know your odds

8. No free lunch: Apply restrictions on free bets, bonus bets, promotional advantages or incentives for placing bets (especially for newcomers). 

9. Wager wisely: clearly indicate the Return To Player (RTP) percentages & expected win probabilities to users prior to submitting bets. Particularly important in Limited Payout Machines where the RTP % is below 90%

Know your limits

10. Deposit limits: allow for user determined time period based deposit limits. Operator limits may also be instilled based on betting frequency, betting quantum & irregular deposits. 

11. Cool off periods: enforce mandatory “cooling off” periods between bets placed reducing the frequency of rebound betting. Intention to protect players instinctively “chasing” losses. 

Bet on recovery 

12. Walk away button: highlight the ability for any user to self-exclude – a feature to be clearly visible on the platform main screen.

13. Relapse control: Maintain a central registry across key operators who prevent self-excluded users form accessing other platforms. Data privacy is critical. 

14. Pay for the damage: 1% fee of gross gambling yield charged to remote gambling operators. Collections to be used for research, education & treatment of gambling harms. 

Sustainable policy 

15. Know the facts: Commission a detailed independent, annual report detailing the socio-economic habits, statistics & trends of online gambling in South Africa. This assists in constantly shaping policy & driving reform. 

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Kindly share this petition with your networks, a successful outcome hinges on collective action. 

Please also feel free to connect with any feedback, insights or general comments you have!

Koshiek Karan (LinkedIn)

Founder, BankerX 

December 2024