Sun International has introduced a responsible gambling charter covering its land-based casinos and online gaming operations, with commitments on advertising restrictions, account activation, risk monitoring and independent audits. The framework also links responsible gambling measures to executive performance and requires the group to report its activities through its annual Sustainability Report.
The South African gaming group said the charter establishes measurable commitments that customers can use to assess its approach to player protection. Chief executive Ulrik Bengtsson described responsible gambling as a shared responsibility, adding that the document sets out what players can expect from the company and provides a means of holding it accountable.
Advertising restrictions and safer gambling messages
Time-dependent broadcast and display gambling advertising will be prohibited by Sun International between 06:00 and 08:00 and between 12:00 and 18:00, depending on the time zone. The goal of the restrictions is to prevent younger audiences from being exposed to gambling promotions during times when they might be utilizing other media or watching television.
The company has also committed to allocating 10 per cent of its gaming advertising content to responsible gambling messages. This requirement places safer gambling communications within its marketing activity rather than treating player protection solely as a registration or account-management issue.
The charter extends the commitments throughout the group’s business, encompassing both digital and physical gaming venues. Its advertising regulations are a component of a larger collection of policies meant to control the marketing and accessibility of gambling items.
Online accounts face funding restrictions
Another provision targets customers who rely on social assistance or student funding. Sun International will not activate an online gaming account when a customer declares receiving a South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) social grant or funding from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).
The restriction makes the declaration of these funding sources relevant to the online account activation process. It is one of the charter’s specific measures addressing financial vulnerability among people who may be exposed to gambling-related harm.
The policy relies on customers declaring their funding status during registration. The company has stated that it will prevent account activation when either funding category is declared.
By including these restrictions in its charter, Sun International has made account eligibility part of its stated player protection commitments, alongside its controls on advertising and plans for identifying potentially harmful gambling behaviour.
Risk monitoring to begin from 2027
Sun International plans to introduce data analytics from 2027 to help identify behaviour that could indicate a customer is at risk of gambling-related harm. Where appropriate, the group will also use artificial intelligence (AI)-supported monitoring.
The planned approach will not rely solely on automated alerts. Every alert generated by the monitoring process will be reviewed by a person, keeping human oversight in the assessment of potentially risky gambling behaviour.
The charter therefore sets out a future role for technology in identifying warning signs while retaining individual review of cases flagged by the system. The planned introduction of these tools is scheduled for 2027.
Independent audits and executive accountability
The organisation intends to launch an annual independent audit program and is pursuing certification from a globally recognised responsible gambling organisation. These actions are meant to give its responsible gambling strategy and client protection mechanisms external scrutiny.
Sun International has also committed to linking responsible gambling measures to executive performance. It will publish information about its activities and data in its annual Sustainability Report, providing a recurring account of how it implements the charter.