SA's online gambling market hits R63bn
South Africa's online gambling market is projected at R63 billion for 2026, with 84% of revenue generated domestically.Summary
According to SoftSwiss' 2027 iGaming Trends report, co-authored with WorldGaming, South Africa's online gambling market is estimated at R63 billion ($3.89 billion) in 2026, with 84% of gross gambling revenue generated onshore. The report, based on a survey of over 500 experts and analysis of more than 480,000 media headlines, identifies South Africa as one of Africa's key markets to watch.
SoftSwiss also conducted a local survey of 1,000 South African adults on player protection, finding that unemployed respondents showed 35.3% demand for spending-limit tools compared to the overall figure of 43.2%. Alexandra Kavelich, SoftSwiss' deputy-chief marketing officer, emphasized that future competitive advantage in iGaming will depend on regulatory readiness, secure payments, and intelligent risk management rather than content alone.
WorldGaming's Robin Harrison noted the industry is becoming more global yet local simultaneously, with regulation, tax, and player behavior varying significantly across markets. In South Africa, provincial licensing authorities set rules and tax online betting at 6-9% of gross gambling revenue, with National Treasury proposing an additional 20% national tax.
(Source：It-online)