Social responsibility has become a core focus in sports betting marketing, with responsible gambling an integral part of campaigns across various markets.
Earlier this week, UK-founded online sportsbook Betway announced its responsible gaming collaboration with the Premier Soccer League (PSL) in South Africa.
The country is a core market for Betway, which is the title sponsor of the South African Premiership via its agreement with the PSL, signed in July this year.
In a joint media briefing earlier this week, the duo detailed their social responsibility alongside Sibongile Simelane-Quntana, Executive Director of the South African Responsible Gambling Foundation (SARGF).
“As proud title sponsors of the Betway Premiership, we continue to act on our responsibility as a leading global sports betting brand, to educate our customers and the South African public about responsible gambling,” said Laurence Michel, Betway CEO.
“Through our partnership with the PSL, Betway remains committed to its objective of encouraging responsible gambling across all its platforms. We therefore reiterate our messaging of Bet Responsibly to all football fans and our customers during the month of November and beyond.”
The announcement of the partnership comes during South Africa’s Responsible Gambling Awareness month, an industry-wide initiative which sees bookmakers and their partners, including sports organisations, promote responsible gambling tools and techniques.
Similar events are held in other countries like the UK, where Safer Gambling Week will take place between 18-24 November. This initiative often sees participation from a range of sports partners including football and horse racing organisations.
Betway has become a highly visible brand in South Africa in recent years. Its arrangement with the PSL is not its only marketing partnership in the country, with the firm also sponsoring the SA20 Twenty20 cricket tournament.