South Africa has seen a surge in online betting since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Responsible Gambling Foundation, in the financial year 2023/24, it saw an increase in referrals for gambling disorder.

The Foundation says it received 2 662 referrals, of which 1 473 were males.

The National Gambling Board has raised concerns about the increase in illegal online betting platforms. The board has warned players using illegal online services that their winnings will be forfeited to the state.

The gambling industry in South Africa contributes 0.1 % towards the GDP. According to the National Gambling Board, the industry generated over R40 billion in turnover in the previous financial year.

The Gambling Foundation says with regards to referrals for gambling disorders, 45% of them were employed while 15% are social grant recipients.

“The 60% that we are talking about, I will say that about 45% of them are actually employed and the remainder are people that are either dependent on social grants or social grant recipients and or are being supported by their family members. Now what should actually concern us are those that are social grant recipients because they are depending on government to actually sustain themselves, but now we see that 15% of them, they actually use those monies to gamble,” says Executive Director for Responsible Gambling Foundation, Sibongile Simelane-Quntana.

The National Gambling Board says the industry is showing some growth in online betting and is attracting the youth, many of whom are tech-savvy.

“It does appear that young people are interested in sports, so they would like to take bets on this. They follow all the European leagues and others. They increased the volume of gambling and as a result when they are exposed to this betting, then they can actually play a rollet game because it will pop up as you are playing and it will say you can actually win 10 million on this and as a result, they get into that as well. The more people stay longer now gambling on this, the more the problems are because you will gamble even when you are at work and your productivity will go down,” says Chief Compliance Officer at National Gambling Board, Nkoatse Mashamaite.

The Board says gambling is meant to be for entertainment but gamblers tend to go overboard.

One wagerer, Basani Rikhotso says when she started betting online five years ago, it was meant to be for entertainment.

“First of all, it was for fun, I was like seeing my friends doing it not knowing it was for fun at first but the more I started betting, I was winning so that’s where I started to enjoy the betting. And the biggest I got was I remember it was R13 500, it was my first, my biggest.”

Rikhotsho says after her first big win, she started chasing another big win.

“I did go back, I said…I can do this, if I got R13 500 it means I can win more than this. I started to bet more than R20, I said R100 and since I got that 13.5, I’ve never had that amount, same amount.”

The Gauteng Gambling Board says gamblers should practice responsible gambling.

“As the regulator, our job is also just to also manage the dangers that can come with gambling because we know like any game the activity that we embark on gambling there will always be those people that actually do it irresponsibly or excessively, which is a problem. There obviously still a very small number of people compared to the bigger population. Last time the figures were about 5%  or 6% of people that gamble that would pick up a problem,” says Themba Ngobese, Executive Regulatory Services and Operations at Gauteng Gambling Board.

In South Africa, online gambling is illegal and should one be found with proceeds from online gambling, the winnings will be confiscated by the bank.

However, online betting is permitted and South Africans are urged to bet responsibly.