More than 1 300 gambling help-seekers were flagged at high risk of suicidal thoughts in 2025/26, with debt and financial distress compounding the mental-health toll.
The South African Responsible Gambling Foundation (SARGF) identified 1 345 people with a high suicide-ideation risk profile. Of those assessed, 83% had debt they could not manage, while 36 required psychiatric evaluations and 20 were admitted for 21-day inpatient treatment. A further 33% reported a family history of gambling.
It is explained that the figures do not mean that 1 345 people attempted suicide or that gambling was the sole cause of their distress, but highlight the complex relationship between gambling-related harm and mental health.
Sibongile Simelane-Quntana, executive director of the South African Responsible Gambling Foundation (SARGF), said the distress experienced by those seeking help often stems from several interconnected factors.
“What we consistently see is a complex interplay between gambling-related harm, unmanageable debt exposure, financial distress, substance use, relationship and family strain, and underlying mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression,” she said.
Simelane-Quntana said the emotional burden of secrecy, shame, hopelessness, social isolation and deteriorating relationships could compound financial losses and increase vulnerability to suicidal thinking.
For some people, gambling becomes a way to supplement income or escape immediate financial pressure. Simelane-Quntana said individuals might use savings, loans, overdrafts, and retirement funds to recover losses, creating a cycle in which growing debt deepens anxiety, depression, and hopelessness.
“Debt can often be both a consequence and a driver of distress due to excessive gambling,” she said, adding that people could become trapped in the pursuit of recovering money they had lost.
The foundation’s treatment programme provides confidential counselling, psychosocial support, financial literacy and debt counselling. People identified as being at elevated risk are referred for clinical assessment to determine whether they need outpatient counselling, urgent psychiatric evaluation or inpatient treatment.
Simelane-Quntana warned that access to specialist mental-health services remained a concern, with shortages of practitioners and dedicated beds potentially delaying care.
“Reducing stigma around both problem gambling and mental illness remains critical. People are far more likely to seek help when they know support is available without judgment,” she said.
The pressure also extends to students, who may face gaps between allowances and living expenses while dealing with household financial expectations.
The Ikusasa Student Financial Aid Programme (ISFAP) warned that financial pressure could push students towards online betting in the hope of supplementing their income, but losses could worsen their financial difficulties and jeopardise their academic progress.
ISFAP Chief Executive Werner Abrahams explained that students struggling to meet living expenses while facing pressure to support their households could be particularly vulnerable.
“Financial stress remains one of the most significant disruptors of student focus and well-being in our universities.
“When students face mounting household expectations or gaps between allowances and living expenses, online gambling can appear to offer a quick solution. However, when losses occur, the resulting financial and emotional pressure can significantly disrupt a student’s academic journey,” Abrahams said.
He further explains that their support model combines financial literacy and budgeting assistance with counselling, mentorship and early intervention, arguing that student mental health must be addressed alongside financial support.
At industry level, Sun International launched its Responsible Gambling Charter this month, setting out commitments to player education and protection, ethical marketing, and staff responsibility and training.
“Our promise to you is simple: we will give you clear guidance on responsible play and tools that help you stay in control,” the company said.
The charter is overseen by the company’s Board Social and Ethics Committee, reviewed annually and reported on through its Sustainability Report. Sun International said it was working towards independent responsible-gambling certification.
The government is also considering further regulation. During Wednesday’s Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana said consultations were continuing on a proposed national online gambling tax.
“The submissions received generally recognised the need to address the growth of online gambling and its associated harm,” Godongwana said.
He said the final design would be announced in the February 2027 Budget, with consultations covering the tax structure, its relationship with existing regulation and implications for provinces and the regulated market.
anita.nkonki@nationalmg.co.za