Multiple restrictions exist in all facets of life to protect people from their own indulgences.

The allure of cheap money is a sharp hook and a drive to keep a closer eye on those casting their digital lines is being pushed.  

Along with the Remote Gambling Bill soon to be introduced in parliament, a campaign to create awareness of the financial wastage in a barren socio-economic climate has been launched.

Online betting 60% of the market

Like all forms of addiction, ease of access to the vice of choice plays a major role in limiting the severity of its effects.

The Betsafe campaign was launched by BankerX founder Koshiek Karan to promote safer gambling via robust regulation.

Statistics from the National Gambling Board show that R1.1 trillion was wagered by South Africans in the 2023/24 financial year.

Online betting accounted for 60.5% of all gambling revenue – up from 9.9% 15 years ago – with 40% of all winnings being pumped back into the mobile handheld slot machines.

Since 2010, brick-and-mortar casinos dropped from representing 84.4% of gambling revenue to 29.3% this year.

Lottery tickets via banking app

To curb the rise and exploitation of online gamblers, Karan’s petition backs an online gambling age restriction of at least 21, cooling off periods between placing bets and limiting the amount a punter can wage in a given time.

Sassa grant recipients are also falling prey to the idea of quick cash, with Karan suggesting a disclosure of the player’s betting funds.

“A recent NGB survey showed 27% of gamblers are on social grants. Wagering money you really can’t afford to lose is a bad place to be,” Karan told The Citizen.

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The ability to purchase a lottery ticket without lifting a pen to scribble on an entry form is another way to throw cash into a digital black hole.

“When you incorporate lottery ticket purchases into mobile banking apps, participating becomes frictionless. Overlay extensive marketing and you have this gambling juggernaut,” he added.

The petition thus advocates for ending the sale of lottery tickets, betting vouchers and any gaming integrations from banking applications.

Sports betting

Statista shows that online sports betting in South Africa has more than doubled in revenue generation since 2019 and raked in $394 million (R7.12 billion) in 2024.

It added that sports betting was becoming a gateway for online users to access digital versions of the original casino favourites.

“Additionally, the younger generation, which is more tech-savvy, is showing a greater interest in online gambling compared to traditional brick-and-mortar casinos,” Statista stated.

“Players can now enjoy a wide variety of casino games, including slots, poker, blackjack, and roulette, from the comfort of their homes,” it added.

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The world’s wealthiest football league, the English Premier League, adopted a code of conduct on online gambling this season aimed at ending front-of-shirt sponsorship by the end of the 2025/26 season.

“The aim of the code is to ensure that gambling sponsorships are delivered in a socially responsible way by being designed to limit the reach to children and those at risk of gambling-related harm,” the Premier League stated in July.

Naturally, Karan backs the removal of shirt sponsorships for remote gambling companies.

‘The house always wins’

Karan says banning gambling outright would be a step too far as responsible gambling is good for the bottom line in the long run.

“[However], in the short run you’re able to exploit gaps in economic literacy and vulnerable members of society to squeeze out supernormal profits,” he said.

“It’s very achievable to carve out public policy which preserves personal freedoms and still protects society’s most vulnerable. Smarter regulation recalibrates this.”

Just like closing bottle stores at certain times, smoking bans and classifying potent medicines, adding what Karan calls “guardrails” could be necessary.

“You log onto social media and only see winning tickets and bet slips, believing you will be next. But ultimately, the house always wins,” Karan concluded.

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