POLITICALLY AWEH: South Africans wagered R1-trillion last year — but who’s regulating the betting industry?
In case you couldn’t tell from the billboards and athletic sponsorships, online betting is booming. In this video, the team at Politically Aweh asks the question many can’t seem to answer: Who’s actually profiting, and who’s paying for it?
In South Africa, the online betting industry saw a significant surge in activity last year, with citizens spending over R1-trillion on gambling. This figure primarily comes from digital platforms, which now constitute approximately 60% of the entire gambling market. The growth of the industry is attributed to several factors, including the accessibility of gambling options through banking apps and the government's Social Relief of Distress Covid-19 grant, which allegedly aided the boom in online gambling.
A study by the South African Responsible Gambling Foundation revealed that nearly half of grant recipients, including Sassa and National Student Financial Aid Scheme beneficiaries, gambled with funds intended for survival and education. The issue is compounded by the industry's aggressive advertising, which breaches the National Gambling Act's restrictions on targeting minors.
The government's National Gambling Board has raised concerns, but the human cost of this betting frenzy is evident in the increasing number of calls to the National Responsible Gambling Programme's helpline, which rose from 65,000 in 2022/23 to over a million in 2024/25. The industry, however, continues to reap substantial profits, with Super Group's Africa segment generating a profit margin above 35% in 2025.
Written by urgent.news from Daily Maverick's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
