Gambling-Related Financial Trouble Almost Doubles Among South African Workers

Gambling to pay the bills

Overall gambling participation barely moved this year, at 53% compared with 52% in 2025. What has shifted is why people bet and what it is costing them.

Across the whole sample, 42% of working South Africans say they often gamble, online or otherwise, to help cover expenses or debt. That is up from 40% in 2025. Set against a 53% participation rate, it suggests that for most people who gamble, the hope of a payout is tied directly to their monthly budget.

The pattern is sharpest at the bottom of the income range. Among workers earning R8,000 to R15,000 a month, 52% say they often gamble to cover expenses or debt. Men (47%) are more likely to do so than women (37%), while those aged 50 and over are the least likely, at 28%. 

Financial harm almost doubles

The most alarming shift in this year's report is the rise in gambling-related financial difficulty. Measured across all working South Africans, 22% say gambling has left them in financial difficulty, up from 12% in 2025.

Looking only at people who gamble, the picture is starker. In 2026, 41% of gamblers report financial difficulty caused by their betting, up from 24% a year earlier. The share who say this happens often doubled, from 8% to 16%. Old Mutual says the increase has been alarming, and that it rises dramatically among frequent gamblers and lower earners.

Among the lowest earners who gamble, more than half have been pushed into financial trouble, and one in four say it happens often. Younger gamblers are also more exposed: 45% of 18 to 29-year-olds and 44% of 30 to 49-year-olds report difficulty, compared with 23% of those aged 50 and over.

At the launch briefing, Old Mutual head of brand Vuyokazi Mabude said the share under pressure had doubled to 26% among people earning less than R30,000 a month.^[2]

Sports betting still leads, but lotto and slots are catching up

Sports betting remains the most popular form of gambling in South Africa, used by 61% of gamblers in 2026. But lotto (53%) and slots (52%) have closed the gap sharply, rising from 42% and 46% respectively in 2025. Casino table games fell from 26% to 20%, and horse racing from 11% to 9%.

Each format draws a distinct crowd. Sports betting is used by 83% of gamblers earning R60,000 or more and 75% of male gamblers. Lotto skews older, played by 61% of gamblers aged 50 and over. Slots skew towards lower earners (54%) and women (57%).

The rise of slots among the lowest-paid gamblers is worth watching, given that this is the same group reporting the highest levels of gambling-related financial difficulty.

How often South Africans bet

For many gamblers, betting is a weekly habit. In 2026, 10% of gamblers bet every day or nearly every day, and a further 32% bet two or three times a week. That means roughly four in ten bet at least a couple of times each week, up from about 37% in 2025.

Another 23% bet about once a week and 24% once or twice a month. Only around one in ten bet less often than that.

Old Mutual found few demographic skews in frequency. Its notes indicate that the more frequent gamblers lean towards sports betting and horse racing. That matters because the report links frequent gambling with a sharper rise in financial difficulty.

Why people start: money first, fun second

Asked what first drew them to gambling, 53% of gamblers say they were looking for ways to make extra money. Among those earning R8,000 to R15,000 a month, that rises to 61%. Entertainment comes a distant second, cited by 31%.

Word of mouth plays a big role, with 29% saying a friend or colleague recommended it. One in five (20%) say gambling is common practice in their community or friendship group, rising to 35% among gamblers aged 50 and over.

Operator marketing also features clearly in the data:

The growth in direct messaging stands out. Among the lowest earners, 19% say they were drawn in this way, and 27% were offered a starter voucher. Those figures are likely to interest regulators weighing tighter rules on gambling promotions.

Who gambles

Men are more likely to gamble than women, at 58% compared with 47%. Participation is highest among 18 to 29-year-olds (58%) and those earning R15,000 to R29,999 a month (58%). It is lowest among people aged 50 and over, at 40%.

The income split is telling. The lowest earners are not the most likely to gamble, but they are by far the most likely to gamble out of financial need. In that group, the share gambling to cover expenses or debt (52%) is slightly higher than the share who say they gamble at all (51%). Each figure comes from a separate question, so the two do not line up exactly, but together they suggest that almost every low-earning gambler is betting with their bills in mind.

The debt picture behind the bets

The gambling figures sit within a wider squeeze on lower-income households. Half of working South Africans always or often worry about debt, rising to 64% of those earning R8,000 to R15,000 a month.

Borrowing is climbing fast. The share holding any personal loan rose from 54% to 64% in a year. Loans from mashonisas, or informal moneylenders, rose from 12% to 19%, and borrowing from family and friends jumped from 18% to 28%. Among people with a personal loan, 21% took it out to pay off other debt.

Other signs of strain are just as clear: