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: widespread financial sacrifice, informal borrowing, and loss-chasing behaviours that suggest many gamblers may be far more vulnerable than they perceive themselves to be.
The study was conducted using Yazi’s WhatsApp-based research platform and analysed 2 569 participant voice notes alongside quantitative survey responses, creating one of the most detailed examinations of online gambling behaviour undertaken in South Africa to date.
The findings form the basis of what Yazi has termed the “Self-Image Dilemma” – a contradiction uncovered in the data where gamblers overwhelmingly view themselves as responsible and in control, while simultaneously reporting behaviours commonly associated with gambling harm.
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:
- 57% of participants had sacrificed essentials such as groceries, airtime, transport money, rent, or debt repayments to fund their gambling;
- 29% had borrowed money to gamble;
- 59% admitted to chasing losses by placing another bet on the same day after losing;
- 28% were unaware that gambling operators provide limit-setting tools designed to manage spending;
- 61% of respondents were women, challenging traditional assumptions that online gambling is predominantly a male behaviour;
- 26% spent more than 10% of their monthly income on gambling; and,
- 5% said that they could not stop gambling, even when they tried to.
Taken together, the findings reveal what may be the study’s most important insight: many South Africans continue to view themselves as responsible gamblers while engaging in behaviours that suggest otherwise.
The most powerful evidence came from the stories behind the numbers, collected from thousands of direct voice notes over WhatsApp. Respondents admitted many heartbreaking truths:
- “I had my last R200 for transport for the week and I decided to play slots and I lost all of it.”
- “Last time I was playing with SASSA money. I lost all that money. I won’t forget that day. Too much pain.”
- “I am addicted to gambling. I think I need help.”
According to Tim Treagus, CEO of Yazi, the contradiction between perception and reality sits at the heart of the findings: “The real story that needs to be told here isn’t simply about online gambling. It’s 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 says: “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.”
According to Wandile Sishi, head of Insights at Yazi, the human stories behind the data were impossible to ignore. “Over 2 500 voice notes gave us something rare: the human story behind the statistics. That’s where the real insight lives. Traditional research tells you what people do. The voice notes helped us understand why they do it.”
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.