Is South Africa Really Spending R1.5 Trillion on Gambling? Breaking Down the Numbers

South Africa’s gambling industry recorded more than R1.5 trillion in turnover during FY2024/25. That figure has drawn significant attention, but understanding what it means requires knowing how gambling turnover is measured and how it differs from what bettors actually spend. This guide explains the distinction, breaks down gross gambling revenue, and puts gambling spending in South Africa in the context of total household expenditure.

What “Turnover” Actually Means in Gambling

Gambling turnover is the total value of all wagers placed across the industry over a given period. It counts every rand staked, regardless of whether that money came from a bettor’s pocket or from winnings collected on a previous bet.

This is where the R1.5 trillion figure comes from. According to the National Gambling Board (NGB), total gambling turnover in South Africa reached R1.5 trillion in FY2024/25 (April 2024 to March 2025). The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) shows that this represents growth from R358 billion recorded in 2015, a fourfold increase in under a decade.

The critical point is that turnover accumulates through repeated wagering. When a bettor wins and places that money on another outcome, both the original stake and the new bet are counted in total turnover. The same money can pass through the system multiple times. Turnover, therefore, tells you how much activity is happening in the market, not how much money bettors are actually losing.

Reporting the R1.5 trillion figure as “what South Africans spent on gambling” conflates two different concepts. Spending implies money that is permanently left in someone’s hands. Turnover does not work that way.

What Is Gross Gambling Revenue (GGR)?

Gross gambling revenue is the more meaningful measure of what the gambling industry actually earns and, by extension, what bettors actually lose in aggregate.

GGR is calculated by subtracting total winnings paid back to bettors from total wagers placed:

GGR = Total Amount Wagered (Turnover) − Total Winnings Paid Out

What remains after winnings are returned is the net revenue retained by operators. That is the money that has genuinely left bettors’ hands and entered the industry.

The difference between GGR and turnover in South Africa is substantial. According to the NGB’s FY2024/25 Annual Report, GGR reached R74.9 billion for the period. That is less than 5% of the R1.5 trillion turnover figure recorded in the same period. The vast majority of money wagered is returned to bettors as winnings before being staked again.

For anyone trying to understand the real scale of gambling spending in South Africa, GGR is the correct starting point.

Actual Gambling Spend in South Africa

To understand gambling’s place in the broader economy, it helps to look at how GGR compares to total household expenditure and GDP.

According to the NGB, GGR represented 0.83% of South Africa’s gross domestic product in FY2024/25. Household expenditure statistics, as tracked by the SARB, classify gambling under “games of chance.” According to the SARB, games of chance represented 1.1% of total household spending in 2015, rising to 1.3% in 2024. GGR as a share of total household spending increased from 0.9% to 1.6% over the same period.

Both figures confirm that gambling is growing as a share of what households spend. They also confirm it remains a small portion of overall expenditure. Essential categories such as food, housing, transport, and healthcare account for a far larger share of household budgets.

Framing the R1.5 trillion turnover figure as equivalent to household spending would produce a very different picture. Turnover as a share of total household spending would appear to exceed 20% of GDP, a comparison the SARB explicitly describes as misleading. GGR as a share of household spending, at 1.6%, is a more accurate representation of gambling’s actual weight in South African household finances.

How RTP Influences Turnover

Return to player (RTP) is the percentage of total wagers that is paid back to bettors as winnings over time. It is the inverse of the operator’s margin.

RTP (%) = (Total Winnings Paid Out ÷ Total Amount Wagered) × 100

A high RTP means a large proportion of each wager is returned to bettors. Those returned funds do not exit the system. Bettors frequently re-stake their winnings, adding to total turnover without reflecting additional losses. The higher the average RTP across an industry, the more pronounced this recycling effect becomes.

This is one of the structural reasons why gambling turnover in South Africa can grow rapidly without a proportional increase in actual losses. The same pool of money circulates repeatedly within the system, accumulating in the turnover count each time it is staked.

The Post-COVID Shift to Online Betting

According to the SARB, GGR growth picked up after the COVID-19 pandemic, driven largely by increased online betting activity. This shift reflects broader changes in how South Africans engage with the betting industry.

Physical access to betting venues was restricted during lockdown periods. As a result, a portion of the market moved online and has remained there. Mobile-accessible platforms made it easier to place bets at any time, leading to a higher frequency of wagering and, consequently, higher turnover.

The NGB’s FY2024/25 Annual Report confirms this structural shift, recording betting as accounting for 70% of total GGR during the period, up from 60% in the previous financial year. This expansion is part of why gambling statistics in South Africa look so different today compared to a decade ago.

Why Accurate Reporting Matters

How gambling data is reported has real consequences. Turnover figures presented without context can distort public perception of how widespread problem gambling is, how much household income is at risk, and how urgently additional regulation is needed.

This matters in both directions. Overstating the scale of gambling losses through inflated turnover figures can drive disproportionate policy responses. Understating the growth of gambling by ignoring GGR trends can result in insufficient regulatory attention.

South Africa’s gambling industry is regulated under the National Gambling Act 7 of 2004, with oversight divided between the National Gambling Board and nine provincial licensing authorities. Informed policy decisions at both national and provincial levels depend on an accurate interpretation of gambling revenue in South African statistics. Regulators, researchers, and journalists all benefit from using the correct metrics.

Using GGR rather than turnover as the primary reference point for household impact is supported by both the SARB and NGB data. It is consistent with standard practice in the gambling industry.

Final Perspective

Data on gambling spending in South Africa shows a real and sustained increase over the past decade. According to the SARB, GGR stood at R26.3 billion in 2015. According to the NGB’s FY2024/25 Annual Report, that figure reached R74.9 billion by the end of March 2025, representing year-on-year growth of 26.2%. Online betting activity has grown significantly, and gambling’s share of household spending has risen.

None of that changes when the R1.5 trillion figure is contextualised. The industry is growing. The GGR data shows that clearly. What the turnover figure cannot show is the actual financial impact on bettors, because it counts the same money multiple times.

For South African bettors, the practical takeaway is straightforward. The money you lose on a bet is what you staked minus any winnings you received. That is your actual cost. It is far smaller than any turnover headline suggests, and it is the figure that should inform decisions about how much to spend.

Betting should remain entertainment, funded only with money you can afford to lose.

References

1. South African Reserve Bank. Data Story: How Much South Africans Actually Spend on Gambling. March 2026 Quarterly Bulletin. https://www.resbank.co.za/en/home/publications/publication-detail-pages/quarterly-bulletins/Stories/gambling
2. National Gambling Board. Annual Report FY2024/25 (1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025). National Gambling Board of South Africa. https://www.ngb.org.za
3. South African Government. National Gambling Act 7 of 2004. https://www.gov.za/documents/national-gambling-act