South Africa’s National Gambling Board (NGB) has urged consumers not to treat betting as a way to solve financial difficulties, pointing to worsening unemployment and evidence that gambling is increasingly tied to household spending pressures.
The warning follows Statistics South Africa’s latest labour data, which showed the country’s official unemployment rate rising from 32.7% in the first quarter of 2026 to 33.6% in the second. Around 8.5 million people were unemployed, an increase of 345,000 quarter-on-quarter, while employment slipped by 16,000 to approximately 16.7 million.
Against that economic backdrop, the NGB said gambling should remain a form of entertainment rather than be considered a substitute for employment or a source of dependable income. The regulator stressed that essential expenses, including housing, food, transport, education and debt repayments, should take priority over betting expenditure.
Young South Africans are a particular focus of the regulator’s concerns. Stats SA reported that 36.4% of people aged 15 to 24 were neither employed nor participating in education or training during the second quarter. Meanwhile, the NGB’s socio-economic gambling research found particularly high participation among people aged 25 to 34, with 77% of respondents in that group reporting gambling activity. The same research found that 55% of identified problem gamblers were in the 25-34 age bracket.
Financial reliance on gambling winnings also featured prominently in the NGB’s findings. Around 54% of gamblers surveyed said winnings were used to buy basic household necessities, while 43% used gambling proceeds to cover debts or bills. The wider study found that 65.7% of respondents had participated in some form of gambling during the previous 12 months, including both regulated and unregulated activities.
The regulator also reminded consumers to use only operators licensed in South Africa. Its Verified Gambling Operators portal, launched in April, allows the public to check whether a gambling business holds a valid local licence before depositing or placing bets.
The NGB said the combination of high unemployment, financial stress and widespread gambling participation increases the need for stronger consumer awareness, particularly among younger adults and households already struggling to meet essential expenses.