The New Casino Economy: How despair became South Africa's most profitable commodity

The New Casino Economy: How despair became South Africa's most profitable commodity

There was a time when gambling meant neon lights and cigarette smoke. It lived in casinos, in places you had to dress up to enter, where security guards checked your shoes and your ID. It was a leisure class sin, something whispered about, maybe even admired from a distance. Now, it lives in your pocket. It pings when you get paid. It flashes “deposit bonus” when you are broke. It knows when your NSFAS allowance lands, when your grant clears, wh…