South Africa’s annual betting revenue has surged 390% in five years, from roughly R10.6 billion to R52 billion, according to National Treasury figures. Online betting alone generates an estimated R44 billion a year. The numbers frame a debate that intensified over Easter weekend.
Why it matters: The growth rate outpaces nearly every other consumer sector in South Africa. The question is whether regulation has kept pace with an industry that now touches millions of households.
The Archbishop’s warning
Cape Town Archbishop Thabo Makgoba used his Easter sermon to call for a ban, or at least strict restrictions, on gambling. He shared accounts from a recent meeting of Anglican bishops from across southern Africa.
Makgoba cited pensioners gambling away their SASSA grants. Students losing financial aid. Graduates borrowing money to bet. Young people driven to suicide after losing everything. He called on government and civil society to treat gambling with the urgency applied to smoking and alcohol.
The industry’s position
The gambling industry argues it operates within a regulated framework overseen by provincial gambling boards. Industry bodies point to tax contributions — gambling levies fund provincial coffers — and employment across licensed operators.
Online operators have expanded rapidly through mobile platforms, reaching users who may never enter a physical casino. Regulation of online betting has lagged behind the technology that enables it.
What happens next
Parliament’s trade and industry committee is reviewing the National Gambling Amendment Bill, which proposes tighter controls on online gambling advertising and stronger protections for vulnerable users. The bill has been in process since 2024.
Whether the legislation will match the scale of the problem remains to be seen. The gap between R52 billion in annual revenue and the regulatory capacity to oversee it defines the challenge.