The number of patients being referred for gambling-related treatment rose 40% in the past 12 months.
Amid the current gloom and doom about the impact of US tariffs on our economy, there is one sector where they couldn’t care less, because they’re laughing all the way to the bank.
But, as we report today, the multibillion-rand gambling industry also has the potential to ruin lives when having a flutter becomes an addiction.
The South African Responsible Gambling Foundation (SARGF) – which is funded by the industry and provides free counselling to gamblers struggling to break their habit – raised the alarm as the year-on-year treatment figures took a considerable jump.
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SARGF executive director Sibongile Simelane-Quntana said the number of patients being referred for gambling-related treatment rose 40% in the past 12 months.
She noted that men are more susceptible to gambling addiction than women, but what is worrying is that most patients are employed full-time.
For many, gambling is not a harmless pastime – it is a way out of financial trouble or a road to riches.
The multiple online gambling platforms, as well as credit and debit card payments on the internet, make it far easier for a wager to be placed than it ever has been.
What, then, to do? You can’t ban gambling and you can’t change human nature.
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