South Africa's Digital Economy Fuels Rapid Growth in Online Gaming Market

South Africa is rapidly becoming one of Africa's fastest-growing online gaming markets. According to a Grand View Research report, the country's online gambling market generated around $1.54 billion in 2025 and is expected to grow at 7.6% annually through 2033.

The country has a well-established gambling industry, with the National Gambling Board recording R59.3 billion in gross gambling revenue for 2023/2024, with betting responsible for 60.5%. South Africa's strong mobile infrastructure is also driving growth, with nearly 83 million smartphone subscriptions and 4G/LTE population coverage reaching nearly 99.5% of the population by 2025.

Mobile payments are another key factor in the market's growth, with Payshap processing over 40 million transactions in just two years. While crypto is slowly making its way into the picture, it is not a game-changer for online gaming in South Africa yet.