The rapid rise of online gambling in South Africa

Business Daily

BBC

News, Business

4.4 • 796 Ratings

🗓️ 21 July 2025

⏱️ 17 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In the first of a two part series, we investigate the explosive growth of online gambling since the Covid-19 pandemic.

While betting company revenues have soared, many South African individuals and families are facing the consequences.

We hear from recovering gambling addicts and explore how economic hardship, weak regulation, and the prevalence of mobile betting platforms are fuelling a national crisis.

If you are affected by harmful gambling or are suffering distress or despair you could speak to a health professional, or an organisation that offers support. Details of help available for despair in some countries can be found at Befrienders Worldwide (www.befrienders.org)

Produced and presented by Frey Lindsay

(Image: South African businessman looking at phone. Credit: Getty Images)

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Business Daily on the BBC World Service. I'm Frey Lindsay. Today, the first in a two-part series on
0:07.7	gambling in Africa. We're looking at online gambling and betting in South Africa. It's seen massive growth
0:13.8	since the COVID pandemic, with revenues for betting companies soaring. Today, we're looking at the
0:18.7	social cost. We are sitting with a serious problem. It actually
0:23.5	has gone beyond just being a problem. It's a crisis in South Africa. And we'll also hear about the
0:28.8	efforts to bring legislation up to day. It's like it's a free for all. They can advertise 24 hours.
0:34.0	They can advertise on children. TV. It's like something that we need to deal.
0:40.1	The rise of online gambling in South Africa, all coming up on business day.
0:47.7	So what did you get up to during the COVID lockdown? If you like me, you went and bought a
0:52.5	cheap guitar and tried to learn how to play it,
0:54.6	not very successfully. Others got really into knitting or home workouts or they binge TV shows.
1:01.3	Millions of people around the world stuck in full or partial lockdown develop new hobbies or
1:06.5	they revisited old ones. But for some people, lockdown meant something else entirely.
1:12.6	Being under lockdown, these online betting platforms, I would play a soccer bet now and then,
1:20.4	play rugby bet now and then, until the online platform introduced slot machines,
1:32.7	and suddenly I found myself being duped and being dead right back in. This is Oscar Bishop. He's in his mid-50s and he's from the south
1:38.6	coast of South Africa. Before we hear the rest of Oscar's story, just a warning that this
1:43.6	program is a bit different to the usual business daily.
1:46.6	We're talking today about what's known as gambling disorder, also known as problem gambling or most commonly gambling addiction.
1:53.3	We're going to hear from people whose lives have been ruined or all but ruined by gambling, and there will be some mention of self-harm and suicidal intent. If you're affected by
2:02.6	harmful gambling or a suffering distress or despair, you could speak to a health professional or an
2:07.6	organization that offers support. Details of help available for despair in some countries can be found
	...

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