Online gambling in South Africa grew by 390% between 2021 and 2025, with mobile phones and a flood of gambling advertising driving the increase.

The findings are contained in a report by the Solidarity Research Institute (SRI) released by Solidarity on Tuesday 13 October, which warns that the industry’s growth is not only affecting people’s incomes but also families’ ability to put food on the table.

In the 2024/25 financial year, approximately R1,5 trillion was wagered across the entire gambling industry, with nearly three-quarters of this taking place online. Although this figure includes repeated wagers using the same funds, gambling operators retained R74,5 billion in gross gambling revenue after paying out winnings.

‘The casino is in your pocket’

Theuns du Buisson, economic researcher at the SRI and the report’s author, says the findings are a serious warning about the growing grip gambling is gaining on South Africans’ money.

“We are talking about an industry that is growing at an astonishing rate, but the cost involved cannot be measured merely in rands and cents.

“Behind these figures are ordinary South Africans losing their hard-earned money, households already struggling to keep their heads above water, and families who have to bear the consequences.

“The gambling industry wins all the way, at the expense of South African families. This is the reality revealed by this report, and it is one for which we need immediate answers,” says Du Buisson.

Users can access gambling platforms on a mobile phone within seconds.

“The casino is no longer located in a building you have to drive to; it is in your pocket. You can wager money anytime, anywhere, with just a few taps on your phone.

“What makes it even more dangerous is that gambling is increasingly portrayed as an opportunity to earn extra income,” he says.

“For someone already struggling financially, the promise of quick money can be particularly tempting. But gambling is not a way to earn an income; it can actually destroy the very money a family relies on.”

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Loans and social grants used to gamble

The report cites preliminary research by the National Gambling Board indicating that people are increasingly taking out reckless loans and even using social grants to gamble.

International research discussed in the report links online gambling to a two- to fourfold higher likelihood of problem gambling compared with other forms of gambling.

Du Buisson says Solidarity’s involvement in the issue is a logical extension of its responsibility to protect the interests of working people.

“We fight every day for our members’ jobs, their salaries, and their social security. However, it is of little use if people work hard to earn an income, only to see it wiped out by gambling losses.

“We want to protect not only what people earn, but also what they can build for their families with that income,” he says.

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Call for stricter regulation

Solidarity aims to use the report to advocate for stricter regulation of online gambling and gambling advertisements, including tighter restrictions on gambling marketing, better enforcement of existing bans on illegal online casinos, and greater protection for young people and other vulnerable individuals.

Hannes Noëth, Executive Director of Solidarity Helping Hand, says the real danger of problem gambling lies in the fact that the consequences often extend far beyond the gambler.

“When money intended for food, school fees, rent, or electricity is gambled away, it is not only the person who placed the bet who loses.

“It also affects the children who have to do without necessities and the family that must try to repair the financial and emotional damage. It impacts marriages, children, family relationships, and ultimately entire communities,” says Noëth.

Solidarity and Solidarity Helping Hand believe the extraordinary growth of online gambling necessitates an urgent review of the industry’s regulation and marketing, and are calling for stricter control of gambling advertisements, better protection for vulnerable consumers, and more effective regulation of online gambling platforms.

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