Gambling advertising in South Africa is regulated, and the rules apply to affiliates as much as to operators. If you promote betting brands on a website, a social account, a YouTube channel or a WhatsApp group, you are producing gambling advertising. This guide sets out the gambling advertising rules South African affiliates must follow: where they come from, what every promotion must include, which claims are off-limits, and what happens when they are broken.
We quote our own Affiliate terms throughout, because they turn the law and the advertising codes into specific obligations for our partners. Some of our rules are stricter than the legal minimum.
Gambling advertising South Africa: where the rules come from
Our terms list the laws and binding codes that apply to the promotion of gambling in South Africa. They include:
- The National Gambling Act 7 of 2004 and provincial gambling laws and rules.
- The Lotteries Act 57 of 1997.
- The Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) and the Consumer Protection Act.
- The Code of Advertising Practice of the Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB), including its Gambling Appendix.
Regulators are also paying closer attention to promoters. The National Gambling Board has instructed provincial regulators to require the immediate removal of promotions by influencers, brand ambassadors or social media personalities on an operator's behalf that are misleading or lack responsible gambling messages.
What every promotion must include
The responsible gambling warning
Under clause 6.1.1, every piece of marketing material must show a warning that includes at least: a statement that only people aged 18 or older may gamble lawfully; the name of the National Responsible Gambling Programme (NRGP); the toll-free number 0800 006 008; and the slogan "Winners know when to stop".
Clause 6.1.2 sets out how visible it must be:
| Format | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Written material, posts, emails and messages | Font at least as large as the main text |
| Web pages, landing pages and banners | Covering at least 10% of the page or banner |
| Video, reels and stories | On screen, legible, for at least 3 seconds |
| Live streams | On screen for the whole stream |
| Profiles, pages, groups and channels | In the bio, "about" section or a pinned post |
The terms note that the email, home page and 3-second rules follow the ARB Gambling Appendix (clauses 4.2, 4.3 and 4.6), while the other requirements are stricter rules of our programme. Where an operator's terms or the law require more, such as the operator's licence number, you must include that too (clause 6.1.3).
An advert label
Every post that contains a tracking link or promotes an operator must clearly show that it is an advert, for example with "#Ad" or "Advert", or the platform's paid-partnership label (clause 6.4.5).
A link to help
Every website, landing page, group or channel you use to promote operators must include a link to, or the contact details of, the NRGP (clause 6.2.2). Our responsible gambling page has the details.
Claims you must never make
Your material must present gambling as entertainment for adults, not as a way to make money (clause 6.2.1). Under clause 6.3.3, you must not state or imply that:
- winning is likely, guaranteed or "sure", or that a bet is "risk-free";
- any number, tip, system, prediction, pattern, app or method can increase the chance of winning a lottery-style game or any random draw;
- gambling is a skill, an investment, a source of income, a way to get out of debt, a way to win back losses, an alternative to employment, or a path to financial security or to making dreams come true;
- the more or longer someone gambles, the more likely they are to win; or
- gambling leads to personal, financial or social success.
The terms give examples of prohibited phrases, including "guaranteed win", "100% win", "sure numbers", "can't lose", "double your money", "easy money", "quit your job" and "get rich", and the same ideas in any South African language.
Offers and bonuses
You must not describe a bonus, promotion or odds inaccurately, leave out key conditions, or present gambling as free or discounted as an inducement. Every bonus you mention must link to the operator's terms for that bonus (clause 6.3.4). Self-made material that uses an operator's bonus or offer also needs our written approval first.
Who you must not target
- Minors. Do not target, appeal to or attract people under 18. That includes cartoon characters, people who are or look under 18, school or youth themes, and media, venues or channels aimed mainly at under-18s (clause 6.3.1).
- Excluded people. Do not target people on exclusion registers or who have self-excluded, or encourage anyone to reverse a self-exclusion. Do not buy keywords or create content aimed at self-excluded or vulnerable people (clause 6.3.2).
- People with a gambling problem. If someone tells you they have a gambling problem, do not encourage them to gamble; refer them to the NRGP (clause 6.2.3).
- People outside South Africa. Do not target them, or promote where the operator is not licensed or where gambling advertising is illegal (clause 6.3.11).
Direct marketing and consent
Sending gambling marketing by email, SMS, WhatsApp, Telegram, direct message, voice note or call needs the person's clear prior consent. Adding people to groups without consent, or messaging lists you bought, scraped or received from others, is prohibited. Every message must identify you and say how the recipient can ask you to stop, and opt-outs must be honoured immediately (clause 6.3.5).
If you send one-to-one direct marketing, you must also register as a direct marketer on the National Opt-Out Registry administered by the National Consumer Commission and check your lists against it before each campaign. You do not need to register if you only publish posts on your own pages, groups or channels. See our POPIA page for more.
Approvals and records
Some material needs our written approval before use (clause 6.5.1): self-made material that uses an operator's name, logo, bonus or offer; any paid advertising campaign; any new website, page, group, channel or account; and any content related to lottery-style betting or number predictions. We aim to respond within 3 business days, and no reply means no approval. Creatives from your dashboard, used unchanged, do not need approval.
Keep a copy of everything you publish, with the date, channel and approval reference (clause 6.5.4).
What happens if the rules are broken
Our terms describe this as a one-strike programme. Clause 8 sets out two levels:
- Minor breaches are limited to four labelling and approval issues: a warning that does not meet the size, placement or duration rules; a missing advert label; unapproved but accurate and compliant creative; or a missing independent-promoter disclosure. The first gets a written warning and 5 days to fix it. A second within 12 months loses the commission for the month of that breach. A third, or failure to fix within 5 days, is treated as serious.
- Serious breaches are everything else, including having no warning at all, misleading claims, messaging without consent, brand-keyword bidding, promoting online casino games or unlicensed products, and targeting minors or excluded people. Even a first serious breach ends the agreement immediately, with loss of commission for the month of the breach and from connected players.
You can appeal any decision within 14 days, and a person who was not involved in the original decision reviews it (clause 8.5). The prohibited practices page lists the legal offences behind several of these rules.
A quick compliance checklist
- The full warning is visible, at the right size, placement or duration.
- The post is labelled as an advert.
- No claims about likely wins, income, skill or success.
- Any bonus mentioned is accurate and links to the operator's terms.
- Nothing appeals to under-18s; nobody under 18 appears.
- Messages go only to people who consented, with a way to opt out.
- Self-made, paid or lottery-related material has written approval.
- A copy is saved with date, channel and approval reference.
Our marketing code summarises the core rules on one page.
Summary
South Africa's gambling advertising rules come from national and provincial law, privacy law and the ARB's Gambling Appendix, and our terms add stricter requirements on top. Show the warning, label the advert, avoid misleading claims, respect consent and keep records. Partners who follow these steps can promote licensed brands with confidence.
Ready to promote responsibly? See how to become a partner.
No persons under the age of 18 may participate in gambling. National Responsible Gambling Programme: 0800 006 008 · Winners know when to stop.
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