By Nathan Gogela.
Newly appointed Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie supports legalizing sports betting and sponsorships in South Africa.
Sports Betting and Advertisement is regulated in countries such as the UK and McKenzie has no intentions in regulating gambling and advertisement in the country.
“I’ve got an unpopular view with regards to that, that sports betting should be allowed. There are ones that say sports betting will do damage if you allow them to operate but personally I think sports betting should be allowed,” McKenzie said.
“People bet anyway, when I grew up my father and uncles used to bet on Kaizer Chiefs and Wallows [Premier Soccer League teams] so it’s not a new thing for us [South Africans]. There are many sites out there but now it is regulated.”
Support for Betting Sponsorships
A betting man himself, Mckenzie spoke on teams being sponsored by Betting companies.
“It is ridiculous it is not allowed or people fighting against it. Some say it is isn’t good when we see these [advertisement] on TV and will encourage people to get involved in gambling. There are so many kids [young sports stars] that need funding and sponsorship exposure.”
“That money can help them, there are ways where people can get help from addiction. You cannot deny people in becoming sports stars, I know first-hand what sponsorship can do and sport in the country is in dire need of sponsorship. I will be one of the people that will fight for it.”
From Alcohol to Betting
“We have got the Castle League [South African Football League], you don’t think people will become alcoholics surely? If we are honest and accept that can help keep our children off the streets and not fear. There is that saying that goes, sometimes you fear the roar of a lion and you run away unto a crouching tiger. That’s what I think is happening here.”
Budget Allocation Based on Accountability
The Sports, Arts and Culture department concluded its Budget Vote whereby the parliament discussed the budget and will formally adopt it through the department how it will distribute the funds to various Sporting Federations.
“The budget is 108 Million Rand, we will be giving it to various sports federations. For example take Netball, I am very inspired what they have managed to do. In the last financial year we gave them 5 Million [Rand], they have come back and showed us what they did with the 5 Million. Now you can’t give them 5 Million again, they are showing you seriousness and we need to give them much more of which we are going to do. That’s how we decide.
“Corporates in South Africa get a lot of flak because that they don’t want to sponsor, that is not the case. People [corporates] want accountability, people get money from sponsorships and then they buy Range Rovers instead of the money being spent on athletes. This budget we will give to people that have showed willingness and transparency, we want a bank for our buck. We want to see where our money went to.”