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African states hike gambling taxes as addiction soars, and industry fights back
The proposed 20% tax aims to double sector revenue to 10 billion rand and reduce problem gambling, with helpline calls up over two thirds last year, officials said.
- This year, the National Treasury proposed a 20% national tax on online gambling profits, projecting revenues to more than double to 10 billion rand from 4.8 billion, with a final proposal due in February 2027.
- Rising online use has led to a surge in distress calls to a national helpline, with over 4,600 treated last year, Sibongile Simelane-Quntana said.
- Betting firms are lobbying against the proposal, with the South African Bookmakers' Association urging a crackdown on illegal sites instead of the levy; Hollywood Bets has not commented while Betway will respond through the association.
- The Treasury said the national tax would raise total gambling tax rates to up to 29%, and several political parties supported the proposal, while Lonase did not respond.
- Regionally, debt-ridden Senegal added gambling taxes last year, but support groups for betting addicts warn taxation alone won’t help without supportive policies.
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African states hike gambling taxes as addiction soars, and industry fights back
As a boom in online gambling across Africa gathers pace, governments are hiking taxes to contain addiction risks and fill depleted state coffers. In by far the biggest market of South Africa, the industry is pushing back.
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African states hike gambling taxes as addiction soars - SABC News - Breaking news, special reports, world, business, sport coverage of all South African current events. Africa's news leader.
A boom in gambling and particularly online gambling is sweeping Africa. The biggest market in the continent is South Africa, where the industry regulator estimates that two-thirds of adults engage in online gambling. That’s up from 30% in 2017. Statistics from the National Gambling Board show South Africans wagered a record 1.5 trillion rand, more than $93 billion, in the 2024-25 financial year. And alongside that surge is an alarming rise in ga…
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