Online sports betting boom deepens financial strain on South Africans – BER

A NEW REPORT by the Bureau for Economic Research (BER) released on Monday has warned that while online sports betting remains highly profitable, it is having a growing and troubling impact on consumer finances across South Africa.

- YOGASHEN PILLAY

The BER found that online betting has become the "national norm," driven by the convenience of mobile apps and online platforms. "This has fuelled record gambling turnover - R1.5trln was wagered in 2024/2025 (up from R1.1 trillion the previous year) - 0.8% of SA's GDP," the report stated.

"The concern is that South Africans are betting money meant for food and education, and getting deeper into debt, in an online frenzy that has swept this and many other parts of the world."

However, the BER clarified that while the overall figures appear alarming, most of the R1.5trln turnover was not new money.

"Gambling turnover of R1.5trln constituted an eyewatering 31% of total consumer spending last year, but 95% of this money was consumers' recycled winnings that had been bet again. Gambling operators took home only 5% of this as Gross Gambling Revenue (GGR)."

That 5%, however, still represents a surge in real profits. GGR rose from R52.3 billion to R75 billion over the past year - a 26.2% increase, following a 25.7% jump the year before.