Zaka Index 2.0 finds 70% of respondents encountered scams or risky financial activity, while about half reported benefiting from online money guidance.
A R50 bet can look small. But when the same R50 is also needed for food, data or taxi fare, its real cost is much bigger. The new Zaka Index 2.0 shows that the true cost of a bet comes down to what that money could have covered today, and the opportunities it may postpone tomorrow.
More than a third (35%) of respondents had gambled at least once in the previous three months. Among the subgroup of 500 respondents who had gambled, around a third spent R50 or more per session. Half had gambled once or twice during the period, while 10% gambled weekly or more often.
Focus-group participants gave the pattern a striking name: being ‘impatient with poverty’. They described the appeal of putting down R5, R12 or R30 and imagining it becoming thousands overnight. In an environment of limited income and uncertain opportunity, the wager can offer what one participant called ‘a form of daydreaming’ permission to imagine a sudden escape.
Released by Blackbullion South Africa in collaboration with the Sanlam Foundation, the study surveyed respondents across all nine provinces and included two focus groups with youth ambassadors. Ninety per cent of survey respondents were aged 18 to 34.
Blackbullion South Africa is WaFunda‘s youth-focused digital financial education platform, funded by the Sanlam Foundation.
“What concerns us is that gambling is not seen as entertainment. Young people described it as a possible route out of hardship,” says Leana de Beer, Founder and CEO of WaFunda. “When social feeds repeatedly show the winning ticket but hide the losses, a bet can start to resemble a legitimate hustle. A small stake then feels harmless, even when that money has another essential job like paying for food, transport or data. We need to help young people recognise the probability, promotion and opportunity cost behind the promise before they place the next bet.”
The bookmaker has moved onto the phone
Online casino games were used by 65% of respondents in the gambling subgroup, sports betting by 46% and Aviator-style games by 25%; respondents could select more than one format. Participants said betting slips and supposed winning codes circulate through social media and WhatsApp groups, while advertising appears around the sports and personalities they already follow.
One participant described a university computer room becoming an informal sports-betting venue during major football matches. Another said social-media posts encouraged her to try betting. After losing repeatedly, she began to see the R50 stake differently, and as money that could have bought food.
The report warns that this visibility can make gambling feel social and routine rather than risky. Wins are public; losing tickets and cumulative spending usually are not. The bookmaker now sits on the same phone used for banking, studying, job hunting and financial guidance.
“The findings from the Zaka Index reinforce that financial decisions are shaped by far more than income alone. Young people are navigating financial pressure, digital influence, social expectations, and an ever-growing volume of information, all before they make a spending decision. This is why financial education has to keep pace with the digital environments young people engage with every day. It is not enough to tell someone that gambling is risky. Young people need the knowledge, confidence and practical tools to assess probability, question paid promotions, identify misinformation and understand the trade-offs behind their financial choices. By supporting initiatives such as BlackBullion South Africa, the Sanlam Foundation is committed to helping young people build the financial capabilities needed to make informed decisions and unlock greater financial confidence,” says Ray-ann Sedres, Head of the Sanlam Foundation.
When a small bet competes with essentials
The gambling findings sit against a wider picture of scarcity. Eighty-two per cent of respondents received less than R6 000 a month, seven in ten (71%) said their income only just covered or did not cover everyday needs, and fewer than one in four (24%) could cover an unexpected R1 000 expense from savings. Most (71%) had eaten less or skipped meals because they lacked money for food.
The double-edged impact of digital financial content
Seven in ten respondents (70%) reported at least one exposure to a scam or risky-finance activity in a combined measure covering fake jobs, betting-tip groups, forex or crypto schemes, fake online shops, difficult debt, pyramid schemes and loan sharks. At the same time, about half had acted on online money guidance and said it helped.
The same feed can therefore teach, sell hope and expose a young person to harm. Digital access has lowered barriers to financial information and participation, but it has also made it harder to distinguish qualified guidance from a persuasive social media personality, paid promotion or ‘sure win’ promise.
The response cannot stop at warnings. This is how you can make a more informed decision:
- Make the maths real. Financial education should use familiar choices and amounts – a stipend, groceries, taxi fare, data or a bet – so probability and opportunity cost are visible before money moves.
- Make influence visible. Betting influencers and other paid financial content should be clearly disclosed, while claims about wins should carry honest context about odds, losses and repeated spending.
- Get help early, and know where to look. If gambling, debt or a “quick-win” mindset is starting to affect your budget, speak to a trusted financial adviser, counsellor or support service before it becomes harder to manage. Young people also need accessible, credible financial education and support before any harm has already occurred.
What financial breathing room could unlock
Asked what they would do first if their income increased, young people described ambitions that could strengthen their own futures and those of their families. Some would save or invest, while others would start a business, support family members or further their studies.
Their responses suggest that the opportunity cost of repeated risky spending can extend beyond today’s meal, taxi trip or data bundle. With greater financial security and trusted guidance, more money could instead flow towards assets, education, enterprise and economic participation.
“Young people do not need another lecture about money, and the answer cannot be to judge them for wanting a faster route out of financial pressure,” says Tshepo Kgapane, Product Lead at Blackbullion South Africa. “Our role is to make the risk visible before the next decision, to show what the odds mean, how digital promotion shapes behaviour and what that R50 could otherwise cover. Trusted financial education can turn a glimpse of striking it lucky into a more informed choice.”