South African authorities sound the alarm as gambling industry creates social and criminal crisis

South Africa’s gambling industry is in the midst of a $61.6 billion crisis, which some political forces have described as a national emergency. There are growing concerns that organised crime groups are profiting from the boom in gambling while regulators are severely under-resourced and lack the capacity to regulate effectively.

The industry generated $3.36 billion in 2024, with the biggest growth in online gambling coming from low-income earners, who are now spending money they could use to buy essentials on gambling. The impact of this growth has been horrifyingly widespread, with the number of people seeking help for gambling addiction increasing almost eightfold from 375 in 20/21 to 2,997 in 23/24. “We are facing a gambling crisis. It is not a minor issue, it is an emergency,” warned Makashule Gana, Rise Mzansi’s National Assembly caucus whip, during the Budget Vote 39 debate on Trade, Industry and Competitio
The Rise Mzansi party has taken a key role in addressing the issue. It says it is an emergency that is destroying vulnerable sections of society while regulators are doing nothing.
While Rise Mzansi has criticised the government’s inaction, the Democratic Alliance (DA) has identified serious problems with the provincial control system. According to Michael Waters, the DA’s Campvale constituency representative, the Gauteng Gambling Board is understaffed, which significantly limits its ability to effectively tackle illegal gambling.

“The Gauteng Gambling Board has only three law enforcement inspectors instead of the required 10. Seven of the positions are vacant,” Waters said. “All three of these officers have received death threats, obstruction, or intimidation while carrying out their duties and are forced to work in pairs, which impacts the number of inspections they can carry out.”