Betting giant apologises after preschool gambling promotion backlash

A gambling giant learnt a lesson about marketing this week after social media users slammed a viral video of an influencer at a hyped-up classroom of pre-schoolers watching their teacher spinning a wheel of gifts.

World Sports Betting apologised, saying gambling doesn’t belong in the classroom and vowing it will never happen again.

Betting promotion at preschool sparks public backlash

.@WorldSportsBet walked into a preschool classroom, in front of young children, to promote its brand, spin a prize wheel and reward a teacher for having an active betting account. How was this approved? @tumisole @shufflesdu, please help me share this far and wide! pic.twitter.com/sX0OvaEtUQ

— Gwamanda4Mayor! (@nomsa_md)

November 2, 2026

The video of Chad Jones at the Pretoria Cornwall Hill Preschool in Pretoria promoted World Sports Betting’s Bet to the Beat campaign and rewarded the teacher – who had an active betting account – with a reward to spin the wheel while her pupils cheered along.

While the teacher won R14 000 on the day, the promotion sparked backlash from the public, with many questioning the Vegas theme of the promotion and also exposing the children to a form of gambling, while the legal age to gamble was 18.

“We’ve seen your posts and comments being shared and we want to address them directly,” World Sports Betting said.

“First and foremost, we are truly sorry. A Bet to the Beat episode filmed in a classroom at Cornwall Hill College should never have happened and doesn’t reflect the standards we hold ourselves to.

“The episode was filmed by an independent production company that ran the campaign. We were not aware of the location at the time. But it carried our name, and we own that. Gambling marketing has no place in classrooms.”

“World Sports Betting also withdrew from Bet to the Beat with immediate effect, had the content removed from social media, redirected the remaining prize funds to responsible gambling awareness and started strengthening our code of conduct for all suppliers to ensure this never happens again.”

Teachers’ union calls for increased education funding

SA Democratic Teachers Union condemned the use of schools, pupils and teachers on school premises to market products or businesses.

Nomusa Cembi said though the union understood schools or teachers approached businesses for sponsorship to make ends meet, businesses should not take advantage of that.

“We call for increased funding for education so that schools or teachers will not have to sell their souls for sponsorships or funds.”

Pre-school principal Janine Dumas-Kuchling said the visit happened because a staff member had won a radio competition.

The betting company arrived on campus without disclosing or declaring its gambling association.

Rector Greg Theron and the school leadership issued an unreserved apology to parents for exposing the preschool pupils to promotional material tied to a gambling brand.