During an Easter sermon, Archbishop Thabo Makgoba of the Anglican Church in Cape Town labeled online gambling as a significant evil that is not receiving enough attention. He referenced a discussion document from the National Treasury, highlighting that the annual revenue from betting in South Africa has surged by 390% over the past five years, increasing from $630 million to $3.09 billion. Notably, online betting accounts for over $2.62 billion of this annual revenue.
Makgoba pointed out alarming trends reported by Anglican bishops in Southern Africa, including instances where pensioners lose their state benefits, students squander their scholarships, and unemployed graduates borrow money to gamble. The Archbishop urged for gambling regulations akin to those for tobacco and alcohol, advocating for either a ban or strict restrictions on gambling advertisements.