SA Rugby has announced that it has renewed its partnership with leading global online betting and gaming brand, Betway, for a further four years, with the sponsorship extended to include not only the Springbok men and women’s teams, but also the Blitzboks and Springbok Women’s Sevens sides.

The partnership, which has been in existence since 2021, will see Betway’s logo displayed on the back of the shorts of the four teams in what promises to be an exciting year for the men and women in green and gold, beginning with the Springboks taking on the Barbarians in Cape Town on Saturday, 28 June.

SA Rugby CEO Rian Oberholzer said: “As we’ve seen over the last four years, this partnership with Betway enabled us to work together in bringing our passionate fans even closer to the game.

“We are excited to extend our partnership with Betway as this will yet again stretch beyond the four white lines of a rugby field. Betway have brought some exciting initiatives to the rugby landscape, such as the Betway Next Phase, an exciting three-year initiative that helped develop, upskill and empower coaches in women’s rugby.

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“Without sponsors, sport would struggle and we’re fortunate that we have a partner such as Betway that is passionate about growing rugby.”

Betway Africa’s Head of Marketing, Mark Rowles, said: “The Springboks are a team that have brought so much joy to South Africa and we as Betway are delighted to be behind the Boks for another four years, our journey has seen so much success for the team and that feel good feeling has certainly rubbed off on the Rainbow Nation.

“We are looking forward to playing a role in the success of both the women’s and sevens teams over the next four-year period and will be investing in the growth and accessibility of the women’s game.

“We will be launching our official Springbok campaign in the next few weeks, so keep an eye out for our billboards across South Africa, where Springbok fans have continuously shown their support by being fully behind the Boks. We would also like to take this opportunity to wish the Springbok Women’s squad all the best for the upcoming World Cup in England that kicks off in August.”

Victorian venues are putting young people at risk when they turn a blind eye to, or otherwise fail to prevent, minors entering poker machine areas, according to Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) CEO Suzy Neilan.

Australian Leisure and Hospitality Group (ALH) was fined $38,000 without conviction in the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria for offences involving 3 minors at 3 venues on 4 dates in 2024.

ALH pleaded guilty to 6 charges, having self-reported the breaches to the VGCCC, which Ms Neilan said was important to recognise as a positive step towards improving industry practices.

“Being accountable for wrongdoing demonstrates integrity, which has been a focus of the VGCCC’s ongoing work with gambling operators,” she said.

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“But it’s not enough to own up after the fact. Venues must be proactive about ensuring that minors do not access poker machine areas by ensuring they have in place appropriate systems, processes and staff.

“Operators should undertake a risk assessment and put in place controls to prevent minors from entering gambling areas. Some examples of controls could include displaying clear signage that the poker machine room is for adults only and checking the identification of anyone who appears under 25 years of age.”

Ms Neilan said it was not acceptable that any Victorian clubs and hotels – in this case, the Cramers and Excelsior hotels – were repeat offenders.

A 17-year-old was able to enter the poker machine area of Cramers Hotel in Preston multiple times without having to show ID, despite several interactions with staff and visits to the poker machine area on 24 January 2024. Staff intervened on 25 January 2024 only after the underage teen placed his belongings next to a poker machine.

Separately, a child in the company of 2 adults entered the poker machine area of the Excelsior Hotel in Thomastown on 24 April 2024. The child, who was seated with one of the adults, pressed buttons on the poker machine before they were both escorted from the area.

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And on 27 September 2024, a 14-year-old boy entered the poker machine room of the Mountain View Hotel in Glen Waverley and gambled on a poker machine before staff intervened.

Ms Neilan said the VGCCC would continue to be vigilant about prosecuting venues for allowing minors to access the gambling areas of their premises, but that “prevention is better than cure”.

“I encourage all hotels and clubs to review their operations, including staff training, and consider making any adjustments required to ensure compliance with the law.”

In addition to the fine, the Magistrate ordered ALH to pay VGCCC’s legal costs of $40,000. The Magistrate also noted that but for the guilty plea, he would have fined ALH $90,000 and recorded a criminal conviction.

Summary of charges:

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Incident 1 – Cramers Hotel:

Charge 1: Offences in respect of a minor entering a gaming machine area

Charge 2: Offences in respect of allowing a minor to gamble

Incident 2 – Excelsior Hotel:

Charge 3: Offences in respect of a minor entering a gaming machine area

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Charge 4: Offences in respect of allowing a minor to gamble

Incident 3 – Mountain View Hotel:

Charge 5: Offences in respect of a minor entering a gaming machine area

Charge 6: Offences in respect of allowing a minor to gamble.

The Romanian National Gambling Office (ONJN) has sent official notices to digital giants Meta and Google, requesting the immediate removal of sponsored advertisements promoting unauthorised gambling in Romania.

The ads, found across Meta’s platforms and Google’s search engine, violated national laws and featured websites listed on the country’s official gambling blacklist.

ONJN has called on the two tech firms to urgently investigate the presence of illegal gambling ads, suspend all related sponsored campaigns, and disclose the identities and earnings of the accounts responsible. The regulator also urged both companies to introduce preventative measures to stop similar breaches from recurring.

According to Romanian law, advertising unlicensed gambling services is punishable by fines ranging from 50,000 to 100,000 lei (€9900–€19,800), with authorities authorised to seize any revenue generated from such activity. Providing payment, promotional or IT services to unlicensed operators may also constitute a criminal offence.

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The updated list of licensed operators and prohibited websites is available on the ONJN website.