5 Casino Player Trends in SA: What Are Locals Betting On in 2025?

The gambling industry in South Africa is booming. In 2024 alone, players wagered over R1.1 trillion, and gross gambling revenue (GGR) soared to R59.3 billion, a 25.7% jump from the year before. But with more people betting than ever before, the question is: what exactly are they betting on?

Here are the biggest South African player trends in 2025:

1. Sports betting is king

South Africans’ love for sports, especially soccer, continues to drive sports betting behaviour. In 2025, sports betting accounts for over 60.5% of gambling revenue, making it the most dominant form of betting by far. In fact, nearly two-thirds of all wagers placed in the country are on sports events, with soccer leading the pack.

Hollywoodbets, Betway, and Supabets dominate the scene, handling the bulk of these bets and offering everything from Premier League odds to local PSL action. Hollywoodbets alone is estimated to process around 40% of all sports betting transactions in South Africa, cementing its place as a top choice for local punters.

2. Live in-play betting takes over

If sports betting is king, in-play betting is the rocket fuel behind it. It lets you place bets while the game is on, from the next goal to a red card, turning a 90-minute match into dozens of rapid-fire wagers.

It’s fast, addictive, and hugely profitable: Bet365 says 80% of its sports revenue comes from in-play, while Super Group (Betway’s parent) calls it both a revenue driver and a regulatory risk.

In South Africa, it’s especially popular among mobile-first, younger bettors, blurring the line between gaming and gambling.

3. It’s all happening on mobile

Over 90% of online bets in South Africa are placed via smartphone. This is due to convenience, cheap data packages, and the rise of mobile-friendly payment methods like OTT Voucher, 1Voucher, and Capitec Pay.

Mobile makes it easy to place bets on the go, and operators are doubling down with slick apps, fast-loading games, and live odds right at your fingertips.

4. Aviator Soars

Aviator, the viral crash game from SPRIBE, is one of the most played betting games in South Africa and across Africa as a whole.

In 2024, the continent saw a 53.9% year-over-year increase in monthly active users, with South Africa leading the charge. Africa now contributes nearly 20% of all new Aviator players worldwide, according to SPRIBE’s June 2025 report.

Why the obsession? It’s fast, flashy, and fits perfectly into the mobile-first, fixed-odds betting model that dominates SA.

Retention is rising too: average bets per player grew by nearly 10%, and more players are sticking around for longer sessions, a sign that Aviator isn’t just a trend, but a long-term moneymaker for operators.

5. More players, more often

South Africans aren’t just betting, they’re doing it often. A 2025 GeoPoll study found that 83% of adults placed a bet in the past year.

• 29% bet weekly

• 16% place multiple bets a day

• Most spend between R150–R375 per month

Whether it’s sports, crash games, or live dealer action, betting is now a regular part of many people’s routines, especially with mobile making it easier than ever to jump in anytime, anywhere.

Key South African Gambling Stats (2024/2025)

💰 R1.14 trillion – Total online gambling turnover in SA for 2024

📈 550% – Growth in online gambling turnover over the past 4 years

🧾 R59.3 billion – Gross Gambling Revenue (GGR) in 2024, up 25.7% from 2023

🎯 60.5% – Share of gambling revenue from sports betting

📱 90%+ – Of online bets placed via mobile devices

🧍‍♂️ 83% – Of South African adults placed a bet in the past year

📅 29% – Bet weekly | 16% – Bet multiple times daily

💸 R150–R375/month – Typical monthly spend for most bettors

✈️ 53.9% – Growth in Aviator’s monthly active users in Africa

🌍 19.8% – Share of global new Aviator players from Africa

📈 +9.8% – Increase in average bet per Aviator player in Africa

🧠 31% – Of Betway’s global spending goes toward marketing

Sources:

• https://focusgn.com/africa/spribe-reports-53-per-cent-surge-in-aviator-crash-game-in-africa

• https://www.deloitte.com/za/en/services/tax/perspectives/south-africas-rising-gambling-phenomenon.html

• https://igamingbusiness.com/company-news/softswiss-report-south-africas-gambling-revenue-to-hit-e3-63-billion-by-2025/

• https://www.news24.com/southafrica/news/online-gambling-explosion-sas-r114-trillion-betting-industry-grows-550-in-four-years-20250703-1215

• https://www.revealdata.co.za/researches/breaking-down-a-r1-14-gambling-trillion-industry 

• https://www.geopoll.com/blog/report-betting-in-africa-2025/