SA’s teens in the grip of sports betting industry

South Africa’s teenagers are in the grip of the country’s burgeoning sports betting industry, and their parents are doing little to stop their growing gambling addiction.

Betting their lunch money and spending their winnings on everything from pizzas to fridges, pupils at top private schools to former Model C schools and beyond are stopping at nothing to place their bets.

News24 interviewed six teenagers aged between 16 and 18 from six top private and former Model C schools in Gauteng and the Eastern Cape. They all said they began sports betting on their smartphones when they were around 14 years old. 

‘I just played until I lost it all’: Teens bypass age limits for gambling fix

Sports betting among teens is paving the way to costly online-gambling addictions.

An 18-year-old matric pupil from a top private school in Pretoria, who spoke to News24 on condition of anonymity, said Betway was his introduction to gambling.

Online gambling ‘rife’ at some private, wealthy public schools, say child protection activist 

Reports of online sports betting among pupils have highlighted concerns about accessibility through smartphones and a potential rise in compulsive gambling.

While many SA schools have well-crafted electronic device policies, these don’t specifically warn pupils against using cellphones for sports betting and online gambling.

The National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of SA and the Governing Body Foundation have advocated for gambling education, stricter cellphone policies in schools, and parental responsibility.

The Association of Public Boys’ Schools of South Africa said there was a significant lack of South Africa-specific data on gambling among teenagers and stressed the importance of further studies.

Legislative limbo: Online gambling legislation gathering dust 17 years on

As online sports betting tightens its hold on South Africa’s children, legislation passed 17 years ago to regulate “interactive” gambling and protect the most vulnerable among us from its dangers is gathering dust.

In 2008, new legislation regulating online gambling and sports betting was passed. All these years on, it has yet to be brought into effect. In the interim, the sector has been left in a legislative vacuum.