Johannesburg – More South Africans are now placing their bets online than walking into a casino or betting shop, with new data showing a dramatic shift in how people in the neighbouring country engage with gambling.
Discovery Bank’s SpendTrend26 report, compiled in collaboration with Visa, analysed card transaction data from 2025 among Discovery Bank’s clients and the broader South African public. The bank also surveyed over 1,000 South Africans during the same year to better understand their spending behaviour.
Of the 75% of survey participants who said they bet in 2025, 52% placed their bets online compared to just 15% who only bet in person, with a further 7% doing both. One notable finding was that the most common age group for in-person betting was 18 to 25 year olds. 
The data also painted a picture of how South Africans manage their betting budgets. Some 43% of respondents said they set a sports budget and stuck to it, while 15% admitted they sometimes spent more than they were comfortable with. A further 7% said they had cut back on other entertainment to fund their betting habit. Of all respondents, 46% said they were spending less on betting, 31% said they spent the same amount, and 24% said they were spending more.
When asked why they gambled, 46% said they participated mainly for entertainment, while 44% said they bet around sporting events or major occasions. “Taken together, these findings suggest that while online betting is clearly mainstream within the betting category, it is often event-led and, for many consumers, consciously managed,” Discovery Bank said.
Statistics South Africa’s Personal Services Industry report estimated that online betting already accounted for 80% of the country’s sports betting activity. The broader gambling industry has also grown sharply, with gross gambling revenue climbing from R26.3 billion in 2015 to R74.5 billion in 2024.
Sports betting’s share of overall gambling revenues grew from 12.4% in 2013 to 69.8% in 2025, while online betting alone accounted for roughly 85.5% of total betting revenue in 2025, with its real value jumping from R29 billion in 2024 to R44 billion in 2025. Over the same period, traditional casinos saw their share of gambling revenue collapse from 78.4% to just 22.3%.
Casinos remain the only legal venues in South Africa for traditional gambling games such as poker, roulette, slots and blackjack. However, sports betting platforms have been using their bookmaking licences to offer similar games, arguing that they are offering bets on the outcomes of casino games rather than hosting the games themselves.
The surge in online betting has drawn sharp criticism from economists, politicians and civil society. Economic and policy analyst Dr Frans Cronje has described those behind online gambling in South Africa as “evil,” saying they were causing enormous financial hardship and societal damage. Despite being a strong supporter of free markets, Cronje said the issue of online betting was more complex. He compared its addictive nature to hard drugs. “It is like letting heroin run wild in the streets,” he said, accusing betting companies of exploiting impoverished South Africans who desperately hope to improve their finances through gambling.
Political parties Build One South Africa and Rise Mzansi have both called for urgent government intervention to protect vulnerable South Africans. “Our cell phones have become portable casinos targeting the most vulnerable, including grant recipients, students, and minors,” Rise Mzansi said. “Many are using credit to gamble. This is dangerous for South Africans’ financial situations and the economy as a whole,” the party added.
