# University of Cape Town’s academics support the National Treasury’s plan to introduce a 20-percent tax on online betting to help reduce gambling and its social harms. According to researchers, gambling has grown rapidly in South Africa, with people wagering about 1.5-trillion-rand in the 2024/2025 financial year. They warn that gambling is increasingly linked to financial hardship and social problems. The university’s Corné van Walbeek suggests the tax should apply to retail betting to avoid people switching platforms.
UCT academics back Treasury’s 20% online betting tax proposal