Sun International is pressing South Africa to act against unlicensed offshore gambling sites operating in the country. Chief executive Ulrik Bengtsson made the case directly to government.
He raised it with Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau and officials from the National Gambling Board.
The argument being made
South Africa is weighing updates to its national gambling framework. Sun International wants three things kept at the centre of that work: player protection, responsible gambling and fair taxation.
The warning attached to it is the part worth noting. The company says disproportionate costs or levies on licensed businesses can backfire.
Load too much onto the regulated market and players drift to unregulated offshore sites. Those sites pay no South African tax, run no local checks and answer to no local regulator.
It is a self-interested argument from a licensed operator. It is also, on the evidence from other markets, a largely correct one.
What the company is doing on its own side
Sun International has launched a Responsible Gambling Charter. It covers deposit restrictions, self-exclusion tools, board-level oversight and staff training.
The group also plans to deploy artificial intelligence and data analytics in 2027. The stated purpose is to spot customers showing signs of gambling harm before the harm compounds.
Putting responsible gambling under board oversight matters more than the tooling. It moves the issue from a compliance checkbox to something directors answer for.
Why this is a continental problem, not a South African one
Every African regulator faces the same gap. Enforcement powers stop at the border, and offshore operators do not.
Kenya's regulator has flagged the same difficulty with cross-border platforms and crypto settlement. A site can be formally restricted to one jurisdiction and remain fully reachable from another.
Payment-level enforcement is the main lever most African authorities actually hold. Blocking a domain is easy to route around. Blocking a payment rail is not.
The question for South Africa is whether its framework update gives the National Gambling Board those payment powers, or just raises the cost of being licensed.
Frequently asked questions
What is Sun International asking for?
Stronger enforcement against unlicensed offshore gambling sites operating in South Africa, alongside fair taxation of licensed operators.
Who did the company speak to?
Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau and representatives of the National Gambling Board.
Is offshore gambling legal in South Africa?
Offshore operators without a South African licence are not authorised to take bets from South African players. Enforcement is the open question, not legality.
What is in Sun International's Responsible Gambling Charter?
Deposit restrictions, self-exclusion tools, board-level oversight and staff training, with AI-based harm detection planned for 2027.
Why do high levies push players offshore?
Costs loaded onto licensed operators reach the player as worse odds or tighter limits. Unlicensed sites carry none of those costs and can undercut them.
Source: the consultations were reported by Gamblers Connect.
