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Financial strain driving consumers to bet
Saturday Star
|June 13, 2026
MOMENTUM Group Foundation has warned about gambling revenue increasing with more financially strained consumers turning to gambling.
Salem Nyati, Consumer Financial Education Specialist at Momentum Group Foundation said that most South Africans aren’t gambling more because times are good, they’re gambling more because money is tight. “South Africa’s gambling industry generated a record R75 billion in gross gambling revenue in 2024/25, while the betting segment alone had already grown dramatically from R8.8bn in 2019/20 to R23.7bn by 2022/23.
Concerningly, 39% of online punters say they are gambling more than they were a year ago according to Trade Intelligence research, while the National Responsible Gambling Programme (NRGP) recorded a 55% increase in people seeking help.”
“In an economy increasingly defined by rising food prices, mounting debt pressure, shrinking disposable income, and high unemployment – of which a large portion resides in the youth segment – online betting is increasingly being perceived as a shortcut to financial relief.”
This story is from the June 13, 2026 edition of Saturday Star.
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