“I would like to formally propose that we pledge to not accept ad money from online gambling brands."
Sarah Britten, brand and communication strategist, explains why 919FM won’t accept ads for online gambling (Image source: © Digital Signage Today
Digital Signage Today)
On 1 October, I sent that to the management team at 919fm, a community radio station based in Sandton.
I’ve been assisting 919fm with brand strategy and social media since it rebranded in August 2023, and with a new sales team on board, it seemed like the right time to put this idea forward.
At the time, it seemed very risky.
There’s clearly a lot of money in advertising for betting brands. As a smaller player in a very competitive market, saying no to that kind of revenue didn’t make sense.
One member of the team pointed that out, quite rightly; money is money, after all. The board backed me, though, and the decision was made.
For months, I’d been watching the national conversation around gambling shifting over the months from grudging tolerance to outright alarm.
Much of this was driven by Koshiek Karan, who began calling out the obvious red flags before many others.
The revelation on October 15 that R1,5tr has gone to gambling over the past financial year – an increase of R400m – was met with outrage.
People with a long history in advertising, an industry that has consistently fought against the banning of alcohol advertising, are now calling for gambling advertising to be banned.
I don’t have an issue with gambling per se – like other industries that are regarded as sinful in some circles, there’s a trade-off.
A part of me will always be the horse-obsessed kid who followed the Rothmans Durban July, and loves horse racing to this day (thank you, Hollywoodbets, for helping to keep this historic and important industry going. Could you maybe tone down the other stuff?).
Events and concerts
In the past, 919fm has run campaigns with Silverstar Casino, mainly for events and concerts.
Those types of activities are rooted in the community.
They employ people, including performing artists, and require physical infrastructure - unlike online gambling, which seems, more and more, to function as a giant hoover sucking up money from the South African economy and delivering it to overseas shareholders.
We are facing an onslaught, and we can’t pretend that advertising and the media it funds are not contributing to a growing crisis.
Timing of ads
Many of our competitors flight gambling ads during the school run.
Ads for gambling dominate OOH, including our airports. They’re on taxis and buses, and popping up on our social media timelines.
Gambling brands have naming rights to stadiums, and their logos are on the kits of many of our sports teams.
Our sports stars appear in ads encouraging new users to sign up. It is impossible to escape ads exhorting us to take a chance because we could win.
“Feel-good” music
Two and a half years ago, when 919 repositioned a few months before formally rebranding, the focus was on “feel-good” music.
We reasoned that if people in South Africa’s most economically important region feel optimistic, they’ll do good – focusing on their families, careers and communities, and contributing to our collective future.
Online gambling is an existential threat to us all. It has become completely incompatible with what 919 stands for.
Bad for other advertisers
So, looking at the situation through that particular lens, the decision wasn’t a hard one.
Gambling ads are bad for our listeners, many of whom have kids in the car with them during drive time.
They’re also bad for our other advertisers, who have to fight for share of voice with an industry with seemingly bottomless pockets.
What brand wants to be heard in the same ad break as a spot for an industry that Khaya Dlanga described on LinkedIn recently as “a bloody parasite”?
Calls growing louder
The calls for a crackdown on gambling advertising are becoming louder and louder, and authorities are beginning to take action.
Those media owners who staked their reputation on easy revenue will find out the hard way.
I’m betting that advertisers will want to reach some of South Africa’s most economically active audiences without being mentioned in the same breath as online gambling.
Somebody has to say “enough”.
