National Gambling Board (NGB) acting CEO Lungile Dukwana has raised concern over the growing use of celebrities to promote gambling, saying such marketing practices make it harder to curb addiction and regulate.
Dukwana said some gambling advertisements may already be violating existing regulations, and urged for tighter controls on how gambling is advertised across media platforms.
According to NGB’s latest report, South African gambling operators earned R75 billion in the 2024/25 financial year, reflecting a steady rise in industry revenue. Dukwana warned that without stricter advertising oversight, the sector’s growth could come at a high social cost.