South African Gambling Tax Revenue Up As reported by the When South African gamblers sit down to play the sure-fire winner is neither the punter nor necessarily the house. It is the government. "This has emerged with the disclosure that the gaming industry paid R1,7-billion in taxes into state coffers in 2003/4. "And, according to a recent study, almost 80 percent of all South Africans gamble at least occasionally and a staggering 550 000 need help to overcome gambling problems. "Gambling is surging in popularity. According to National Responsible Gambling Programme research, the number of people who have never gambled has dropped from 25.6 percent to 20.1 percent. People who played the lottery regularly increased from 67.6 percent to 72.3 percent. "…Despite the increase in gamblers, a survey by the National Centre for the Study of Gambling at the University of Cape Town, on behalf of the National Responsible Gambling Programme, said the number of problem gamblers in South Africa was broadly in line with international norms…" | 
