KOPANO MONAHENG
MANY people who live in South Africa and the rest of the world have betting challenges.
Every day, rain or shine hundreds of people walk to and from gambling outlets to place a bet. Some prefer betting online provided that they have internet data and a voucher.
Dikeledi Sekwale (54), from Pimville in Soweto, has been a gambler for almost her life. She explains why betting has changed her life.
“I used to work as a domestic worker but since I was introduced to gambling by my friend, I never wanted to return back to the kitchens,” explains Dikeledi.
“I would make winnings of R2 000 or more a week and that made me to want to quit my job as a domestic worker,” explains Dikeledi.
But Michael Mkhonza (41) from Vereeniging in Vaal says a different story about gambling. He bets online only:
“I don’t win and the last time I won was more than seven months ago,” he said.
“Gambling is bad because now you have to take your kids money in a hope that you will win and be able to buy all things you need for your home. Gambling doesn’t work like that. You must expect to lose more than you win.”
They would walk to the mall almost every day during Dikeledi’s lunch and place a bet of numbers. She likes playing UK lottery numbers and that has brought a difference in her family’s life. But not all days were rosey, sometimes she would take five days without winning anything. But she doesn’t lose any hope, she doesn’t change her numbers she repeat the same numbers daily.
Timothy Treagus, CEO of Yazi, said nearly three quarters (72%) of South African online gamblers describe themselves as being in control of their gambling. Yet a new national study by Yazi reveals a more troubling reality beneath the industry’s rapid growth:
“More than half the participating gamblers indicated that they were sacrificing daily essentials to keep betting, while 29% are borrowing money to gamble and almost 60% are chasing losses,” said Timothy.
“Yet 72% still believe they’re fully in control. The contradiction in lived reality and consumer behavior indicates that far stronger guardrails and easier access to support are desperately needed.”
The South African Gambling Impact Study, conducted in May 2026 among 1 028 South Africans who had gambled online in the previous 30 days, aimed to understand the hidden human cost of online gambling and found that:
According to Treagus, the real story that needs to be told here isn’t about online gambling. But about what happens when you give people a space to tell the truth.
“That is what our research unlocked today. The technology we’ve built is helping us understand human behaviour more accurately, while measuring the human impact more effectively – specifically in sectors of our economy where such data was not previously available.” Treagus says the Self-Image Dilemma highlights the need for a deeper understanding of how South Africans are navigating financial pressure, risk and gambling behaviour.
Khaya Dlanga, former Coca-Cola South Africa marketing executive, former CMO of Rain, and award-winning author, has become an outspoken advocate for greater accountability in the gambling industry following the loss of his brother to suicide after an online gambling addiction. Commenting on the findings, Dlanga said: “What concerns me most is not that people are gambling. It’s that so many appear to be gambling while under financial strain. When people start sacrificing essentials, borrowing money, or believing the next bet might solve a cash-flow problem, we’re no longer talking about entertainment. We’re talking about vulnerability.” The broader significance of the study extends far beyond the gambling industry itself. Yazi believes the findings demonstrate the growing importance of conversational research methodologies in an increasingly mobile-first world. Many traditional surveys continue to struggle with declining response rates and limited qualitative depth, particularly when exploring sensitive or emotionally complex topics. By combining WhatsApp conversations, AI-assisted interviewing and large-scale qualitative analysis, organisations can access richer insight without sacrificing speed or scale. The company hopes the report will contribute to broader discussions among regulators, policymakers, financial institutions, researchers and civil society organisations about the realities of online gambling in South Africa. More broadly, Yazi sees the study as evidence that there are important stories hidden across South African society that are not being measured today, stories relating to financial stress, mobility, healthcare, education, consumer behaviour, energy, public policy and social impact. The company believes those stories can only be uncovered when research is designed around how people actually communicate, rather than how organisations expect them to respond. To download the full report, click here. A condensed version of the report, with graphs, is also available here. ENDS For media enquiries or interview requests, contact Nicole Mirkin via 084 552 3122 or nicole@auraforbrands.com About Yazi: Yazi is a South African founded, AI-powered, consumer research platform that enables organisations to conduct large-scale research through WhatsApp. Combining conversational surveys, AI-assisted interviewing, voice-note analysis and real-time reporting, Yazi helps brands, research agencies, NGOs, regulators and enterprises uncover deeper customer and audience insights than traditional survey methods typically allow with +70% completion rates. The platform is used across more than 25 countries globally and supports market research, customer experience, public policy, social impact and behavioural research programmes
