{"id":45827,"date":"2026-04-13T18:02:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T16:02:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/media\/?p=45827"},"modified":"2026-04-13T18:02:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T16:02:11","slug":"virgin-bet-launches-in-south-africa-puts-responsible-gambling-front-and-centre","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/media\/gambling\/virgin-bet-launches-in-south-africa-puts-responsible-gambling-front-and-centre\/","title":{"rendered":"Virgin Bet launches in South Africa, puts responsible gambling front and centre"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">Virgin\u00a0Bet\u00a0launches in South Africa, marking its first expansion beyond the\u00a0UK and building on LiveScore Group\u2019s existing operations in Nigeria<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">The safety of our gamers is our primary priority; responsible gambling is integrated into the platform\u2019s operations, supported by player control tools and local customer support, with plans to engage in initiatives promoting safer gambling in South Africa<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">Our \u201cA Good\u00a0Bet\u201d mission &#8211; focused on gaming for recreation &#8211; is our lodestar. Our CSI initiatives will focus on ensuring the brand contributes to the education and welfare of gamblers<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Cape Town, South Africa, March, 2026:\u00a0Virgin\u00a0Bet\u00a0is proud to announce the launch of its operations in South Africa, marking the first time the brand has operated outside the UK.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Since launching in 2019,\u00a0Virgin\u00a0Bet\u00a0has grown to become a leading\u00a0betting\u00a0brand in the UK. Its entry into the South African market represents a key milestone in the brand\u2019s growth, as it enters an international market for the first time.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Virgin\u00a0Bet\u00a0is part of LiveScore Group, a global leader in sports media and\u00a0betting, comprising the world-class brands LiveScore, LiveScore\u00a0Bet\u00a0and\u00a0Virgin\u00a0Bet. The launch in South Africa strengthens the business\u2019 presence in Africa, building on LiveScore\u00a0Bet\u2019s existing operations in Nigeria.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Responsible gambling is central to the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/virginbet.co.za\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=http:\/\/virginbet.co.za\/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1776159996039000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0AMP2u73ki1wvtB-M78zu2\">virginbet.co.za<\/a>\u00a0platform, with player wellbeing a core focus. The brand offers a comprehensive suite of responsible gambling tools, including deposit limits, time-outs, and self-exclusion options for all customers, alongside rigorous age verification protocols. These measures are supported by dedicated local customer support teams, with further initiatives planned in South Africa to support safer gambling, as part of\u00a0Virgin\u00a0Bet\u2019s broader corporate social responsibility (CSR) commitments.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">In the lead-up to launch,\u00a0Virgin\u00a0Bet\u00a0has been steadily building a strong local leadership team to support its long-term ambitions in South Africa, including Gail Odgers, one of iGaming South Africa\u2019s most \u201cinfluential women in gaming\u201d, as Head of Marketing.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Virgin\u00a0Bet\u00a0is guided by its brand mission, \u201cA Good\u00a0Bet,\u201d meaning every\u00a0bet\u00a0should be both exciting and rewarding no matter the outcome, while players stay in control and\u00a0bet\u00a0responsibly.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Virgin\u00a0Bet\u00a0is also committed to rewarding its customers with exceptional rewards. Ranging from\u00a0betting\u00a0promotions to exclusive offers across the wider\u00a0Virgin\u00a0ecosystem, the brand aims to deliver standout experiences while ensuring\u00a0betting\u00a0remains safe and fun.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Gail Odgers, Head of Marketing,\u00a0Virgin\u00a0Bet\u00a0South Africa, said:<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\u201cLaunching in South Africa is a proud moment for us. At\u00a0Virgin\u00a0Bet, we believe that \u2018A Good\u00a0Bet\u2019 means delivering standout experiences for our customers, while also taking our responsibility to players and communities seriously.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">South Africans care deeply about sport. Whether it\u2019s football, rugby or cricket, sport is part of everyday conversation. That passion is what makes this market so exciting for us.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Our role is to enhance that experience responsibly, offering standout moments and exceptional rewards, while setting a high standard for responsible gambling from day one. We\u2019re focused on building trust and introducing\u00a0Virgin\u00a0Bet\u00a0in a way that South Africans can feel confident in.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">About\u00a0Virgin\u00a0Bet:<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Launched in May 2019,\u00a0Virgin\u00a0Bet\u2122 is one of the UK\u2019s fastest-growing Sportsbooks and winner of 2021 SBC\u2019s \u201cRising Star\u201d award. With access to a huge range of\u00a0betting\u00a0markets across all the top sports, as well as the nation\u2019s most popular casino products,\u00a0Virgin\u00a0Bet\u00a0delivers a top-quality experience for its customers and has the perfect line-up to disrupt the sportsbook industry.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Virgin\u00a0Bet\u00a0fuses the values and principles of the \u201cVirgin\u201d master brand with the online gaming expertise of LiveScore Group to deliver a first-class customer experience.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\u201cVIRGIN\u201d and the\u00a0Virgin\u00a0Signature logo are trademarks of\u00a0Virgin\u00a0Enterprises Limited and are used under license.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">About LiveScore Group:<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Established in 2019, LiveScore Group\u2122 is home to LiveScore, LiveScore\u00a0Bet\u00a0and\u00a0Virgin\u00a0Bet; three of the most exciting brands in the sports and gaming industries today. The Group is a fully owned and operated ecosystem that converges the most relevant sports content and engaging features with a world-class sportsbook. All served by a purpose-built, in-house tech stack delivering a frictionless customer experience.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Guided by its vision of Fuelling Fans\u2019 Passion for Sport, its model directly addresses several industry challenges. Against a wider backdrop of sports content consumption that is inefficient and uneconomical, modern sports fans are expected to navigate a fragmented ecosystem delivered by different brands and companies across various apps, platforms and devices. Completing basic and repeatable actions require managing multiple paid subscriptions and accounts.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">LiveScore Group, centred around its pioneering \u2018convergence\u2019 strategy, is improving the symbiotic relationship between the sports media and sports\u00a0betting\u00a0industries to deliver better returns and, vitally, a better experience for users.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Virgin\u00a0Bet\u00a0launches in South Africa, marking its first expansion beyond the\u00a0UK and building on LiveScore Group\u2019s existing operations in Nigeria The safety of our gamers is our primary priority; responsible gambling is integrated into the platform\u2019s operations, supported by player control tools and local customer support, with plans to engage in initiatives promoting safer gambling in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":45828,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5431],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45827","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-gambling"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45827","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45827"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45827\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45829,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45827\/revisions\/45829"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45828"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45827"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45827"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/media\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45827"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}