Daily Maverick

Daily Maverick

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  1. When Betting Is All You Have Left: Inside South Africa’s R1.5 Trillion Gambling Industry

    10/22/2025

    When Betting Is All You Have Left: Inside South Africa’s R1.5 Trillion Gambling Industry

    South Africa’s gambling industry just hit R1.5 trillion and it’s not just for fun anymore. Behind the flashing lights are stories of poverty, desperation, and survival. In today’s episode of The Readiness Report, Redi Tlhabi talks to Wendy Knowler, Consumer Journalist at News24, about how gambling has quietly become one of the country’s biggest social and economic fault lines. This episode is brought to you by global investment manager Ninety One:  https://ninetyone.com/en/south-africa  Produced by Emilie Gambade, Joel Seboa & Bernard Kotze  Original Theme Music & Design by Bernard Kotze  You can listen to the podcast everywhere, including Spotify!  Support journalism that protects democracy.  Become a Maverick Insider. https://tinyurl.com/SupportDailyMaverick 00:42 Personal Stance on Gambling  01:20 Gambling in South Africa: A Growing Crisis  01:59 Shocking Statistics and Research  02:45 Interview with Wendy Nola: Consumer Insights  03:38 The Impact of Advertising on Gambling  05:45 The Rise of Online Gambling  06:13 Personal Stories of Gambling Addiction  06:50 Economic Desperation and Gambling  10:28 Regulatory Environment and Accountability  11:15 Behavioral Engineering and Advertising  12:28 The Role of Banks and Self-Imposed Blocks  14:26 The Need for Legislative Action  25:04 Addressing the Gambling Crisis Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    27 min

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