The Gambling Habits of Young People in South Africa: An Exploration

South Africa is a country on the up. With a highly developed economy and advanced infrastructure, it has the potential to be a major player on the world stage, and it’s increasingly moving towards realising this ambition.

For young people living in SA, ours is now a country filled with opportunities, not just in a professional sense, but a personal one too. With most of us having access to more disposal income than our parents did at the same age, and our retail, hospitality, and entertainment sectors thriving, there’s plenty of room for having fun.

For lots of South Africans, this involves occasional gambling, and the casino industry is currently going from strength to strength. Having seen a huge surge in interest, particularly among a younger demographic, its appeal appears to have grown exponentially.

This leads to an obvious question: why are we gambling more, and where, in particular, do our interests lie? We’ve taken a look both at the ways we’re entertaining ourselves in the casino and where we’re choosing to spend our money.

The growth of the online casino industry

Across the world, the online casino industry has boomed in recent years. That’s because, while internet gambling has existed since as early as 1994, it has seen an especial surge in interest in the last decade.

This has been driven by a more widespread societal trend, which has seen us increasingly moving our lives online. Drawn by the enhanced accessibility and flexibility this affords, people of all ages are using the internet as a portal through which they can connect, shop, learn, and enjoy themselves.

As a result, young people, in particular, are now turning to online casinos such as OnlineGamblingSA when they fancy a flutter. Allowing them to game around the clock, these offer the same extensive array of products as their more-traditional counterparts, but with the added boon of being able to access them without leaving one’s home. This sense of convenience, married to our desire for instant gratification, is making online casinos especially popular among the younger generation, with more than half of those who gamble now aged under 35.

While online gambling is especially popular among younger South Africans, one type, in particular, has snowballed in recent years. We’re talking, of course, about mobile gaming. While many explanations have been put forward to explain this phenomenon, the most widely cited and obvious is that it’s due to the increasing amount of time we spend on our smartphones.

With between 20 and 22 million smartphone users scattered across South Africa, it’s no surprise that the younger generation is turning to their mobiles when they’re bored and in need of entertainment.

This, naturally, is something that online gambling can deliver, and it’s estimated that around 54 per cent of 17 to 35-year-olds in the country have engaged in sports betting. It’s expected that not-dissimilar proportions have indulged in other forms of internet gaming too, such as slots and card games.

When it comes to understanding the gambling habits of young people in South Africa, it’s no shock to learn that these, as with most things in modern society, are dominated by two overarching trends: the internet and smartphones.

Providing two unparalleled platforms for enjoying all that 21st-century entertainment has to offer, this technology has defined, and will continue to define, not only the way the genre has evolved, but how we’re enjoying it too.

With continual innovations and many more exciting developments now in the works, we look forward to seeing what else the online gambling industry can deliver given enough time and user interest.

Source: youthvillage.co.za

About Post Author

Szarlot

I am a fan of casino games especially roulette and blackjack. After that I analyze current events in the gambling industry.

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Szarlot

I am a fan of casino games especially roulette and blackjack. After that I analyze current events in the gambling industry.