One in three South African men under the age of 44 are gambling online at least once a week. This is just one of the disturbing trends that the latest Roots consumer survey has uncovered following its poll of online gambling habits.
Roots is South Africa’s longest running and most comprehensive independent local consumer research survey. It is conducted at community level, and surveys the behaviour of economically active South Africans.
Gauteng townships top the list
In 2022 it questioned respondents around their online gambling behaviour and again this year, revealing an increase in online gambling, particularly within some of South Africa’s most vulnerable communities.
The percentage of people who gambled rose from 51% in 2022 to 53% in 2025. The percentage who gambled more than once a week increased from 10% to 12%, and those who gambled once a week or more grew from 21% to 22%.
The three communities with the highest number of respondents who gambled weekly were Alexandra, Soweto (Diepkloof) and Mamelodi, all of which came in at 34%.
“What we’re seeing here is people who can’t really afford to lose money taking a chance with what little cash they do have to try win more money to put towards paying their weekly and monthly expenses. They’ll be taking that money from things like lay byes or store card payments in the hope they might win more than what they lose,” says Lynne Krog, head of research at Spark Media.
Millennial men are SA’s biggest gamblers
When comparing the gender split, the research showed that more men (27%) than women (17%) gambled online weekly or more, sometimes with significant differences between the two. In Mamelodi, for instance, the percentage of men gambling weekly or more came in at 43% compared to 23% of women in that community.
Millennials aged 29 to 44 were most likely to be the biggest gamblers (26% gambled weekly or more) followed closely by Gen Z aged 18 to 28 at 24%. When combining this data with the gender statistics, these figures rose to 32% and 31% respectively for male gamblers in these two groups.
“Many of these gamblers are earning a decent income and gamble for fun. But there are others who are gambling out of desperation and as a result of gambling addiction. A large portion of millennial men are fathers, providers and breadwinners, so this behaviour is going to affect households, and the women and children in those homes,” adds Krog.
Sports betting takes the lead
With men having such an affinity for gambling, it’s hardly surprising that sports betting was the number one form of gambling among these two groups. Roots data showed that of men who gambled online weekly or more, 57% played sports games, 43% played slots, 42% played Aviator, and 39% played lotteries.
Women gamblers preferred playing slots (50%), lotteries (45%) and Aviator (32%). Only 24% of women bet on sports.
This data reflects that of the National Gambling Board, which revealed last that year that South Africans had spent R1.1tn on gambling between April 2023 and March 2024. Sports betting led the charge, contributing approximately two-thirds of total gambling revenue for that period.
Online gambling a regular monthly expense
One of the most startling findings from the Roots data was where online gambling ranked among these groups’ monthly expenses. When plotted against necessities (in order of highest % of individuals paying the expense monthly) like funeral cover, ADSL/fibre, medical aid, life insurance, car insurance, school fees, rent, credit card fees, and cellphone contract costs, online gambling came in at fourth position as a monthly expense.
“Between medical aid payments and life insurance premiums sits online gambling. It’s an expense that gets added to the monthly bills, right at the top of the list of priorities, above school fees, rent and event mobile contracts. When we drilled down into the data at community level, we saw a high percentage of individuals gambling online each month, particularly among the young, average wealth communities,” says Krog.
This paints a concerning picture, as South Africa continues to battle rising food and living costs. Krog says gambling offers hope in desperate times for some, and an element of fun for others who might not be aware just how much they’re spending on a non-essential item that adds no real value to their, or their families’ lives.
Community media a vital role to play
Roots data is used to provide brands and their marketers with insights at community level of how South Africans are spending their money. This in turn is used to inform advertising campaigns in local community newspapers.
When it comes to online gambling, Krog suggests that industry players use this data a different way: not to advertise their services, but to educate communities and drive awareness of the downside of gambling.
“Some of the most vulnerable communities are affected by the negative side of online gambling. It would be remiss of the gambling industry not to use community media for CSI efforts that bring attention to this and provide solutions where families need help,” she adds. “An extraordinary amount of money is spent on gambling. Some of that should be ploughed back into communities, and local media provide the ideal platforms to do that.”
Note: Roots 8.1 was commissioned by Spark Media, undertaken by India-based Borderless Access and published by Caxton Media. It surveyed 25,000 adults aged 18+ representing 10.8 million adults and 4.5 million households in 107 communities. Interviews were conducted via an online panel with supplementary face-to-face interviews in communities where digital connection was limited.
