The streets of Johannesburg recently turned purple — not from blooming Jacaranda trees, but from a 10km race sponsored by Hollywood Bets. The sports betting giant has become almost inescapable across South Africa.
A few years ago, this scene would have been unimaginable. Yet today, the South African gambling industry is booming, driven by the rapid growth of sports betting and online gambling.
The gaming sector is now one of the fastest-growing industries in the country — and if current trends continue, gambling will take an even larger share of household budgets, with devastating social consequences.
A Growing Crisis in South Africa’s Gambling Industry
According to the National Gambling Board, South Africa’s gambling sector generated R59 billion in gross gaming revenues, with R1.1 trillion spent on wagering in the year ending March 2024.
The Old Mutual Savings and Investment Monitor 2025 revealed that 52% of working South Africans gamble. Even more concerning, 70% of gamblers said they bet primarily to supplement their income, while nearly half gamble to cover essential monthly expenses.
This trend reflects the country’s harsh economic reality — a cost-of-living crisis, rising malnutrition, and persistently high unemployment. More than half of South Africans live below the upper-bound poverty line.
The Overlooked Harms of Gambling
While some argue that gambling creates jobs and contributes tax revenue — the South African Responsible Gambling Foundation reported R4.8 billion in taxes for 2023/24 — the industry’s social harms cannot be ignored.
Research shows that gambling-related harm extends far beyond the gambler. A study from Australia found that for every person with a gambling disorder, six others are negatively affected — often family members and non-gamblers.
A Lancet Public Health Commission report confirmed that gambling harms ripple through entire communities.
As gambling companies profit, South African households bear the cost — from financial strain to broken families and declining mental health.
A Legacy Rooted in Inequality
The rise of South Africa’s gambling sector is deeply connected to its political history. The first legal casinos were built in the former “homelands.” One such place was Bophuthatswana, where casino mogul Sol Kerzner held exclusive gambling rights.
I know this history personally. My mother worked at Molopo Sun, part of Sun International, between 1988 and 1991. Growing up, I often heard stories about gambling’s dangers — families losing everything, people misusing money, even suicides.
As an adult, I realized those warnings were not exaggerations. Casinos are designed to keep people inside — with no clocks, bright lights, and constant stimulation. Today, this manipulation continues in the casinos and betting shops that line the streets east of Johannesburg’s inner city.
From Casinos to Clicks: The Rise of Online Gambling
Traditional casinos may be declining, but bookmakers and online gambling platforms have taken their place. Across South Africa, sports betting sites and mobile gambling apps are now the dominant forms of play.
The change is visible everywhere: cityscapes, spaza shops, and even airports are filled with gambling advertisements. Disturbingly, schools have become marketing channels too — with operators donating branded merchandise to learners.
How Gambling Advertising Took Over South African Sport
Big spending on advertising isn’t the only tactic. Sports sponsorships have become a powerful marketing tool for betting companies.
- Hollywood Bets sponsors the Comrades Marathon.
- Betway sponsors the Springboks and is the title sponsor of the Premier Soccer League, now called the Betway Premiership.
This deep integration into sport normalizes gambling and hides its harms. The same trend has been seen in European football, where gambling has become entrenched in professional sports culture.
Lessons from Other Countries
Other nations have recognized the dangers and acted decisively.
- United Kingdom: In 2020, the UK updated its Gambling Act to better regulate online gambling. The reforms included marketing limits, stake caps, and affordability checks. The Premier League will remove gambling sponsors from team shirts by the 2025–26 season.
- Canada (Ontario): The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario banned algorithm-driven gambling ads, as well as celebrity or influencer endorsements. The rules even prohibit using minors or individuals who appear to be minors in promotional content.
These countries demonstrate that with strong regulation, gambling-related harms can be curbed.
What South Africa Must Do
South Africa’s Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) has expressed concern about the rising gambling problem, but action has been slow.
To reduce gambling harm, South Africa must:
- Restrict gambling advertising, including billboard and social media promotions.
- Ban sports and education sponsorships by betting companies.
- Implement affordability checks and enforce responsible gambling standards.
- Invest in public awareness campaigns and addiction support programs.
The strategies used by gambling operators are normalizing harmful practices and worsening inequality. Without intervention, the human cost will only grow.
Source: https://allafrica.com/stories
