Breaking Down the Numbers – Beyond SA’s R1.5 Trillion Gambling Boom

Loading player...
GUEST: Jaco van Jaarsveldt – Head of Commercial Strategy and Innovation at Experian

South Africans spent a staggering R1.5 trillion on gambling last year an amount equal to 65% of the country’s total outstanding debt. But behind that headline lies a deeper question: who is gambling, and why?

In this conversation, Gugulethu Mfuphi unpacks the data with Experian’s Head of Commercial Strategy and Innovation, Jaco van Jaarsveldt, to find out whether the surge in betting is entertainment or a symptom of financial distress. Drawing from Experian’s partnership with Vault22, the discussion explores what real-time transactional insights reveal about consumer behaviour, credit health, and financial inclusion.

From Millennials driving the online betting wave, to young professionals spending nearly half their income on gambling, the numbers tell a powerful story about money, mindset and the pressures facing South African households.
30 Oct 2025 3PM English South Africa Business News · Investing

Other recent episodes

Survey reveals that 95% of parents face financial strain during back-to-school season.

GUEST – Hayley Parry, Money Coach and Facilitator at 1Life’s Truth About Money As families prepare for the 2026 academic year, 1Life Insurance’s annual Back-to-School Survey reveals that stress and financial pressures remain a major concern for parents, despite encouraging signs of progress in budgeting. An overwhelming 95% of respondents…
12 Jan 2PM 11 min

Understanding Venezuela’s economy: where and how things fell apart.

GUEST – Prof. Adrian Saville, Gordon Institute of Business Science Venezuela sits on one of the world’s largest oil reserves, yet its economy resembles that of a country emerging from war. In this interview, Prof. Adrian Saville unpacks how decades of oil dependence, policy missteps, corruption, sanctions and institutional collapse…
12 Jan 2PM 16 min

Rand performance: Will the strength hold in 2026?

GUEST – Andre Cillier, Currency Strategist at TreasuryONE The rand has delivered one of its strongest performances in years, rallying around 13% against the US dollar to trade near R16.50 even as South Africa’s domestic economy shows clear signs of strain. In this interview, currency strategist Andre Cillier unpacks the…
12 Jan 2PM 13 min