North West Gambling Board launches responsible gambling soccer tournament
The initiative forms part of the board’s responsible gambling efforts, with particular attention on preventing gambling among school-age children.
South Africa.- The North West Gambling Board (NWGB) has launched its first Responsible Gambling Soccer Tournament, bringing together high schools from across the province as part of an awareness campaign against underage gambling.
The tournament, organised under the North West Provincial Government’s Department of Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism, is aimed at using football to promote responsible gambling, discipline, teamwork and fair play while educating young people about the risks associated with gambling.
Acting NWGB CEO Boitumelo Qalinge announced the tournament, which features high-performing schools from the province’s four regions. The competition will culminate in a provincial showdown on October 9, 2026.
The initiative forms part of the board’s responsible gambling efforts, with particular attention on preventing gambling among school-age children. Its campaign message is “Gamble Responsibly and Don’t Gamble Your Future Away.”
The Bojanala District leg has already produced its first champion, with Meriti Secondary School finishing top of a three-team competition. Thabane Commercial School and Boikagong Secondary School were the other participating teams. Meriti won both of its matches to finish with six points. The school scored six goals and conceded two, giving it a goal difference of four.
Meriti’s two wins secured the district title and a place in the next stage of the competition in Mahikeng, where it will face winners from the other three districts.
The tournament is also continuing in other parts of the province, with the knockout stage taking place at Mmabatho Stadium as teams compete for places in the final stage.
The district winners will meet in the provincial competition on October 9, with the overall winner set to emerge as the first champion of the NWGB Responsible Gambling Soccer Tournament.
The board said the tournament provides an opportunity to combine sport with responsible gambling education, allowing schools to engage with the message in a setting centred on teamwork, competition and sportsmanship.
