Sports betting has become the dominant force in South Africa's gambling industry, accounting for R761 billion of the sector's R1.14 trillion turnover during the 2023/2024 financial year, according to consumer analytics company Reveal's latest gambling industry analysis. The figures underline how dramatically the market has evolved since legislative changes in 2004 expanded legal betting beyond horse racing and created the framework for online gambling.

According to Reveal, online gambling has become firmly established in South African consumer spending. The company's dataset, which includes more than 640,000 unique South Africans, identified 204,289 individuals who made deposits with online betting operators between August 2023 and January 2025, representing almost 30% of the users included in the analysis.

Reveal noted that this figure is likely conservative because it excludes voucher-based payment methods, including FNB's 1voucher system, as well as cash deposits made at betting outlets. Based on the dataset representing roughly 2% of South Africans with bank accounts, the company estimates participation in online gambling could extend to as many as 10 million people nationwide.

Strong Year-On-Year Growth

Reveal's analysis found the industry's expansion continues at a notable pace. Comparing December 2023 with December 2024, the country's 10 largest online bookmakers recorded a 32% increase in deposit value and a 43% rise in the total number of deposits.

For comparison, Reveal reported that the National Lottery recorded a 13% year-on-year increase in total deposits over the same period, highlighting that online bookmakers are growing considerably faster than traditional lottery gambling.

Lottery Leads Customer Numbers, Online Betting Dominates Activity

According to Reveal, the National Lottery remains the country's largest gambling product by customer reach. More than 33% of gamblers within its dataset purchased at least one Lotto ticket during the analysis period, giving it 48% more unique customers than Betway, which attracted almost 23% of gamblers. Hollywoodbets ranked third with a 21.7% share of unique users.

However, Reveal's transaction data presents a different picture.

Hollywoodbets accounted for 40% of all gambling deposit transactions recorded during the study, comfortably leading the market. Betway followed with just over 24%, while the National Lottery represented only 19.2% of all deposits despite attracting the largest customer base.

The figures suggest Lottery participants generally gamble less frequently than online betting customers.

Different Customer Profiles

Reveal's analysis found National Lottery players earn some of the highest average monthly incomes, approaching R21,000, yet they make the smallest average deposits at just R48.85 per transaction. Easybet recorded the next-lowest average deposit at R146.22, almost three times higher than the Lottery.

According to the report, Lottery customers generally wager relatively small amounts and do so infrequently, contrasting with the larger and more regular deposits seen across online bookmakers.

Reveal said that distinction represents a potential opportunity for betting operators seeking to convert occasional Lottery participants into more active online customers.

Income Segmentation Across Bookmakers

The research also highlights clear differences in customer demographics across betting operators.

According to Reveal, SunBet attracts the highest-income customer base, with average monthly earnings of R21,229. Its customers also record the largest average betting volumes, suggesting the platform has successfully attracted higher-value bettors, potentially including customers transitioning from traditional casino gambling to digital wagering.

Reveal found this becomes particularly evident when comparing average and median monthly betting figures. While the average SunBet customer spends R3,111 per month, the median customer spends only R200. The report says the substantial gap indicates a relatively small number of high-value customers significantly influence overall betting volumes.

The report identifies those larger customers as an important revenue source and points to the introduction of SunBet's Sun MVG Loyalty Programme as a strategy aimed at retaining them. The programme rewards betting activity with points redeemable for experiences across Sun International's casino and hotel portfolio, linking its online platform with its established hospitality business.

Hollywoodbets Sets The Benchmark

According to Reveal, Hollywoodbets and Yesplay attract customers earning less than R16,000 per month, with those bettors generally making smaller deposits more frequently.

While both target similar income groups, the similarities largely end there.

Reveal's analysis identifies Hollywoodbets as the market leader across most performance measures. It recorded the second-highest average monthly customer spend at R3,092 while also producing the highest median monthly spend among all bookmakers analysed.

Significantly, Hollywoodbets' median monthly spend exceeded that of its nearest competitor, Lottostar, by 28%. According to Reveal, this points to a customer base spanning both recreational and higher-value bettors rather than relying disproportionately on a relatively small group of major gamblers.

Based on Reveal's findings, South Africa's gambling landscape continues to evolve, with online sports betting driving growth, attracting diverse customer segments and reshaping spending behaviour across the industry.

Data from Reveal

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