Gambling | Companies profit as users go for broke

Gambling | Companies profit as users go for broke Ntandoyenkosi… Sun, 10/26/2025 - 13:00 JOHANNESBURG - Hard financial times and easy accessibility are combining to make companies billions in gambling revenue. According to authorities, many people are trying to use gambling to supplement their income but the losses far outweigh the gains.eNCA reporter Hloni Mtimkulu takes a look at the massive rise in gambling, and the social costs linked to the industry.The National Gambling Board reported gross gambling revenues of 23-point-three billion rand in the 2020/21 financial year. By 2024/25, that number had grown to 74-point-five billion rand. You will realise that pre-covid, casinos were quite higher in terms of revenue compared to sports betting, however due to lockdown and Covid, people explored more of the sports betting”, says Lungile Dukwana, from the National Gambling Board.According to the National Gambling Board, South Africans spent one-point-five trillion rand gambling in the 2024/25 financial year. Once enamoured by slot machines, reformed gambler Colin, speaking to eNCA reporter, Hloni Mtimkulu, says that he is not surprised by the numbers. In terms of accessibility, it’s so easy. That’s why the figures are rising. Sadly, there’s nothing that’s there as an alarm bells to say guys be mindful, yes, there’s a little, but not good enough in my opinion.” says Colin. Further, Colin says, Alcohol, yes, it’s an addiction. You have excess alcohol , you go to work, you get identified, drugs, likewise, you get identified, this one, you could lose millions, go to work as if nothing happened and the good thing is, whenever a win occurs, the whole company hears about it, but nobody hears about the losses The role of advertising and sponsorship in this increase in gambling are also being questioned. In fact, there is proof that some people, they have got in to the gambling space because it is glamourised, but also, it doesn’t advertise the full impact of gambling on their side , says Dukwana. However, he also stresses that while they work on measures to regulate advertising by gambling companies, it’s also up to individuals to self-regulate.Dukwana explains one of the measures that they are working to mitigate the harmful effects of gambling. Once you are over 18, there’s no real control one can do, because it’s your personal space that one would have made, but one of the issues the department and ministry are busy with is the self-exclusion registrar, where you should have the capacity to., when you see it’s out of control, you fill the self-exclusion form, you complete it, all those operators know you cannot be able to access them because you have self-excluded.” says Dukwana.

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