It’s an interesting thing - when I came back into the international community of advertising self-regulation in 2017, the issue on every European self-regulator’s lips was “Online gambling”. I did not have a cooking clue what they were on about. This was not a South African challenge. This was not, in my opinion, a hot topic.
Gail Schimmel, CEO of the Advertising Regulatory Board, talks about the need to regulate advertising of online gambling (Image source: © 123rf
123rf)
Eight years later, and I stand corrected. It might have cooled down for my international colleague, but it’s certainly a hot topic for South Africa now.
Let’s start at the beginning. There is an issue. There is no sugar coating this – online gambling is breaking apart the lives of many South Africans, and the incessant advertising is part of the problem.
Unlike other “dangerous” products – alcohol, sugar, vape products, old school casinos – there is no friction between seeing the ad and accessing the service.
You do not have to get in your car and drive to a shop or a venue and actively pay for your “sin” of choice.
No - you see the ad, often simply click a link, and the funds start flowing off your pre-loaded credit card.
Action was needed, and at the beginning of 2025, we worked with the National Gambling Board (NGB) and introduced a Gambling Appendix that reflected the existing laws about gambling advertising.
Mitigate the problematic advertising
And there is no shortage of laws, let me assure you.
Arguably, if every online gambling establishment was complying with those laws, the problem would already be mitigated.
But Government lacks the means or the will or the systems to enforce these laws, and the ARB can only act of we receive a complaint.
To this end, we have met with the NGB and discussed the possibility of them lodging complaints with the ARB, to access our enforcement processes.
But the existing laws do not go far enough.
Significantly, they lack any timing restrictions that we see in every other “problematic” industry – gambling ads can be shown to us at any time, and it sometimes feels like all the time.
Self-regulation is able, unlike legislation, to be created and applied quickly and urgently.
As such, the ARB finds itself in the position of being able to at least try to mitigate the problematic advertising more quickly than other players in this space.
Proposed new Code on Gambling Advertising
For this reason, the ARB has looked at international precedents and Codes from other industries and has drafted a proposed new Code on Gambling Advertising.
This process has started and will continue with consultation with all sectors affected by this industry.
On 13 November, I will be speaking at the Responsible Gambling Foundation’s Responsible Gambling Summit.
I will emphasise to the industry that if the industry itself does not fix the problem, the Government will very likely look at banning all advertising for online gambling.
We know from experience that an industry-accepted, peer-adjudicated system has the best chance of working, but for success, the relevant advertisers have to be willing to compromise.
Workshop
In January 2026, the ARB will host a workshop on the draft Code, and comments on that Code will be open until the end of February 2026.
Depending on the volume and nature of debate, the ARB will move quickly to publish and approve a final version.
In the interim, I cannot stress enough – we can only act if we receive complaints.
If you are worried about activity in this sector, read the existing Code on our website, and if you see anything that breaches these rules, complain.
To receive a copy of the draft updated Code, email info@arb.org.za.
See the existing Code.
