Gambling activities now account for more than half of all household recreation, sports, and cultural spending in South Africa. This is according to Stats SA, which released a note this month analysing the South African gambling industry.

According to the note gross gambling revenue rose 25,7% in the 2023/24 financial year marking an increase of over 100% since 2020/21.

According to StatsSA: “Betting drove the jump in 2023/24, with growth in the casino industry being flat. Casinos were once the most popular form of gambling, boasting 84% of market share in 2009/10, while betting accounted for 10%. Over time, betting expanded its influence, finally dethroning casinos during the COVID-19 pandemic to become the dominant form of gambling. Its rise has remained unabated”.

A chart accompanying the note said that at R191.5bn gambling accounted for roughly a third of all income generated from personal services rendered in South Africa.

A 2023/24 report from the National Gambling Board suggested that: “R1.1 trillion was wagered in the South African gambling industry”.

South Africa faces very high poverty and unemployment levels in an economy that has seen per-capita GDP levels dip year-on-year for the better part of a decade.

Experts who wished to remain anonymous told The Common Sense that gambling was doing great damage to the lives and living standards of especially the poorest South Africans who were in desperation turning to betting in the hope of increasing their meagre earnings.

The damage caused by gambling has been highlighted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) that warns, “Gambling can threaten health, leading to increased incidence of mental illness and suicide…drive poverty by diverting household spending from essential goods and services…[cause] relationship breakdown, family violence, financial distress, stigma, income-generating crimes (theft, fraud), neglect of children, and erosion of civil institutions via corruption and corporate political activity. Gambling is also a common way to launder money obtained through illegal activities”.

The global health body has warned that, “The rapid normalization of gambling is occurring through commercialization and digitization”.