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

30/10/2025 20 min
Breaking Down the Numbers – Beyond SA’s R1.5 Trillion Gambling Boom

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Episode Synopsis

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. Kaya FM

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