Why Responsible Gambling Matters for South Africa’s Young Adults

South Africa’s young adults gamble in large numbers at a time when many of them have no work and little financial cushion. Responsible Gambling for Young Adults is therefore an important issue, especially as the National Gambling Board’s (NGB) latest national study found that people aged 25 to 34 gambled more than any other age group and accounted for the largest share of the problem gamblers it identified. Most of those problem gamblers were also on low incomes, with 67% earning less than R9 000 a month.

These findings place young adults at the centre of the country’s gambling debate. They also show why responsible gambling (which means playing only with money a person can afford to lose and staying in control of how often and how much they bet) matters most for the group least able to financially absorb the losses.

Key Findings

77% of adults aged 25–34 had gambled in the 12 months preceding the National Gambling Board’s 2023 survey, the highest participation rate of any age group.
55% of identified problem gamblers were aged 25–34, according to the NGB’s Socio-Economic Impact of Gambling in South Africa 2023/24 study.
34% of younger gamblers said they gambled because they needed extra money, according to the 2025 TrendER/infoQuest report, highlighting the financial motivations behind gambling among young adults.

Young adults under financial pressure

Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) defines youth as people aged 15 to 34. Its figures put the country’s population at 63.1 million in 2025, of whom 20.8 million were youth.

Work is scarce for this group. Stats SA’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey shows the official unemployment rate rising to 33.6% in the second quarter of 2026. The unemployment rate was 62.8% among people aged 15 to 24 in the labour force and 41.8% among those aged 25 to 34. The survey also found that 45.4% of people aged 15 to 34 were not in employment, education or training.

Even young people with jobs are hunting for extra income, and that search is where gambling finds an opening. The 2025 Old Mutual Savings & Investment Monitor, which surveys households earning R8 000 or more a month, found that 75% of working people aged 18 to 29 had more than one income stream, and 54% earned at least some money through social media platforms. When a side hustle is the norm, a bet can look like one more way to top up a salary instead of a form of entertainment that costs money.

Sibongile Simelane-Quntana, executive director of the South African Responsible Gambling Foundation (SARGF), told the Sunday Tribune that people aged 25 to 34 face unemployment, financial insecurity and rising living costs at a difficult stage of life. “These pressures can make gambling seem like a quick way to earn money, manage financial difficulties or improve one’s circumstances, increasing the risk of harmful gambling behaviours,” she said.

Taken together, these figures describe a generation under heavy financial strain, with little room to absorb a financial loss.

How many young adults gamble?

The NGB’s Socio-Economic Impact of Gambling in South Africa 2023/24 study surveyed 4,407 people in April 2023. It found that 65.7% of respondents had gambled in the 12 months before the survey. The NGB’s previous national study in 2017 recorded a participation rate of 30.6%, although the two studies used different methods, so the figures cannot be compared like for like.

The study recorded its highest participation among people aged 25 to 34. In a statement released in August 2026, the NGB said 77% of respondents in this age group had gambled and that the same group accounted for 53% of participants in online sports betting.

The study classified 31% of gamblers as problem gamblers, defined as those who scored 8 or more on the Problem Gambling Severity Index. Of these problem gamblers, 55% were aged 25 to 34, 52% were employed full-time, and half were women.

What they bet on and why

A survey by research company infoQuest, published by TrendER in May 2025, gives a closer view of younger gamblers. The survey covered 300 gamblers in March 2024, 139 of whom were aged 18 to 34. Among these younger gamblers, 67% bet on sports, 63% played the lottery, and 53% played online slot machines. Those who bet on sports or played online slots did so an average of 11 times a month.

Money is the main motive. A third of the younger gamblers in the TrendER/infoQuest survey (34%) said they gambled because they needed extra money and hoped to win, and 19% said a big payout would change their family’s lives. Only 12% said they gambled because it was fun. The survey also found that 39% of younger gamblers used their winnings to gamble again.

The NGB’s August 2026 statement points the same way. The board reported that 54% of gamblers used their winnings to buy basic household necessities, and 43% used them to pay debts or bills. The NGB also said that 92% of people who gambled online did so on a cellphone.

Anwar Parker, a psychologist with the youth employment programme YearBeyond, told CapeTalk that many young people who become hooked on gambling are trying to make ends meet. “Instead of thinking, ‘This is how I’ll become rich’, it’s often, ‘Maybe this is where my hope lies. Maybe this is how I can make rent this month,'” he said.

When gambling becomes harmful

Many young gamblers bet small amounts and only occasionally. The Zaka Index 2.0, which surveyed 1,544 people, about 90% of them aged 18 to 34, found that 35% had gambled in the three months before the survey. Of those, half had gambled only once or twice in that period, while 10% gambled weekly or more often. The index found that 71% of those who gambled spent R50 or less per session, and 84% spent R100 or less.

Small stakes can still cause harm when the money is needed for food, rent or transport, and when losses lead to more betting. Simelane-Quntana warned that gamblers often try to win back what they have lost. “The winnings and odds are not guaranteed, and therefore people end up chasing losses to recoup money they have lost and end up in a cycle of borrowing money and debt,” she said.

Parker said many of his young clients come to him for help with depression or anxiety and only later reveal that they are in debt from online gambling, sometimes to loan sharks. “Nobody ever comes to be referred for gambling addiction. It’s usually depression, anxiety and those kinds of issues. Then, when digging deeper, you find the anxiety is caused by being trapped in debt,” he told CapeTalk.

The number of people seeking help is growing. Sowetan reported that the SARGF assessed 5,199 people for gambling-related harm in the 2025/26 financial year, and 3,541 received treatment. Among the foundation’s clients, 2,670 were aged 18 to 35 and 198 were tertiary students. Simelane-Quntana told the Sunday Tribune that calls to the foundation’s counselling lines about bookmaker sports betting rose from 178 in 2024/25 to 1,451 in 2025/26. She noted that these figures count only people who had already recognised that they needed help.

Students and the gap in the evidence

Students are especially exposed, because many rely on a single monthly allowance to cover food, transport and rent. Daily Maverick reported in July 2026 that some students were gambling their National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) allowances and internship salaries. A third-year student at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology told the publication he had once gambled almost R600 before buying groceries. Another student, aged 23, said that after one large win, more than 40% of the money he withdrew went back to the betting site.

There is little data to show how common this is.

“We have not had studies done in South Africa to determine the prevalence among students,” Jerome September, president of the South African Association of Senior Student Affairs Professionals and Dean of Students at the University of the Witwatersrand, told Daily Maverick. Lungile Dukwana, the NGB’s acting CEO, told the publication that the board will conduct a national gambling prevalence study by the end of the 2026/27 financial year.

The NGB and NSFAS ran awareness activations on several campuses between February and May 2026, and NSFAS said a wider campus rollout would launch in July 2026. Neither body had data on the campaign’s impact when Daily Maverick reported on the programme in July 2026.

Dr Thelma Oppelt of the University of the Western Cape argued that responses starting at university come too late. She told Daily Maverick that the evidence shows a gap of about four years between a person recognising a gambling problem and seeking help, and called for gambling harm literacy programmes from the senior primary phase.

What responsible gambling looks like

Responsible gambling starts with treating gambling as paid entertainment with a fixed limit. The SARGF advises people to set a gambling budget only after essential expenses are covered, never to borrow money to gamble, and to keep gambling money separate from money the household needs. Simelane-Quntana said families should be concerned “when gambling leads to unpaid bills, borrowing, secrecy around money, chasing losses, or gambling taking priority over family responsibilities”.

The government has urged students not to gamble NSFAS allowances, bursaries, or salary money. Its list of warning signs includes borrowing money after losing, lying to family or friends about money, feeling anxious or ashamed after gambling, and repeatedly trying to win back losses.

The SARGF uses a single question to help people judge their own behaviour: “Are you gambling with an extra R50 or your last?” Anyone who answers “my last” can get free, confidential counselling through the National Responsible Gambling Programme on 0800 006 008 or at helpline@responsiblegambling.org.za. “There is no shame in asking for help, and gambling harm is a treatable problem, not a personal failure,” Simelane-Quntana said.

Conclusion

The evidence points in one direction. Young South Africans face high unemployment and stretched incomes; they gamble more than any other age group, and they make up the largest share of the country’s problem gamblers. Many of them bet in the hope of solving money problems, and that motive is the one most likely to lead to chasing losses and borrowing.

For this group, responsible gambling is a matter of financial survival as much as personal choice. Clear information about how gambling works, limits that protect money meant for essentials, and early access to help can stop a small habit from turning into debt. The NGB’s planned prevalence study gives the country a chance to measure the problem accurately and to build education and support around its findings.

Betline Writer & Research Contributor

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Responsible Gambling for Young Adults Matters

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At Betline, responsible gambling goes beyond setting betting limits. This article examines why young South Africans are increasingly exposed to gambling, the financial pressures influencing their decisions and the risks associated with treating gambling as a source of income.

The research highlights the experiences of young adults, the warning signs of harmful gambling and the importance of education, financial awareness and access to support before gambling becomes a serious problem.