In South Africa, illegal operators control 62% of the iGaming market

South African Bookmakers Association (SABA) published Yield Sec South Africa 2023/24 Report, in conjunction with the South African Banking Risk Analysis Center (SABRIC), which found that offshore operators control the majority of the local online gambling market. The iGN editorial highlights the following key findings:

Key Market Indicators:

• 62% - share of illegal operators in the online gambling market
• 38% - share of licensed local operators
• $2.9 billion - annual losses to the economy from outflow of funds
• 2084 - number of unlicensed sites active with South Africans
• 16 million people - played at illegal operators in the last year (27% population)

Top 5 operators by traffic in 2023-2024:

• 17,46% - «1xBet» (unlicensed)
• 17,17% - «Stake» (unlicensed)
• 16,26% - «Hollywoodbets» (licensed in South Africa)
• 13,61% - Betway (licensed in South Africa)
• 3,29% - «Europa Casino» (unlicensed)

SABA head Sean Coleman said illegal operators do not pay local taxes, do not participate in responsible gaming programs and do not provide self-exclusion mechanisms. Most operate under licenses from Curacao, Malta, Gibraltar and the Philippines.

According to the National Gambling Council of South Africa, the domestic market's GGR for the 2024/2025 financial year was $4.35 billion, an increase of 26% from a year earlier.