Canada's market report flags South Africa casinos

11 November 2026

A new gambling report focused on Canada's market has highlighted the need to examine the country's gambling market, providing additional context for interpreting gaming statistics from South Africa's regulatory body published in October 2025.

As research firms like Research and Markets, Technavio, Future Market Insights and Mordor Intelligence increasingly produce multi-country gambling market reports, Canada and South Africa are being identified as notable country-level opportunities. The latest Gambling Market Report 2026 from Research and Markets includes a dedicated Canada section, along with a specific chapter on South Africa's casino sector. Similarly, their Casino Gaming Market Report 2026 also separates both Canadian and South African casino markets.

Beyond typical statistics on South Africa's growing online casino industry, such as the USD 6.1 billion that Future Market Insights projects for the country's casino tourism market by 2035, it's significant that South Africa's gambling sector is being specifically mentioned in reports focused on different national markets.

The clearest example of this is the contribution of casinos to South Africa's legal gambling sector. According to the National Gambling Board's FY2024/25 gambling statistics, released in October 2025, the total legal gambling market generated USD 4.2 billion in gross gambling revenue (GGR). Casinos contributed USD 976.6 million or 19.6% of the total, demonstrating this segment's importance to the country's licensed gambling industry. Betting accounted for most GGR at USD 2.5 billion, with a notable difference between online and retail betting reported.

For a related angle on the same question, see YeboYes Casino online casino guide.

South Africa's gambling sector also faces significant challenges from illegal offshore gambling operators. According to the South African Bookmakers' Association (SABA), approximately 62% of online gambling in the country occurs on unlicensed platforms. In monetary terms, SABA estimates this issue represents over USD 2.9 billion. With Sections 8 and 11 of the National Gambling Act potentially unenforceable against unregulated offshore operators based in jurisdictions like Curacao, Malta, Gibraltar and the Philippines, major reports now consider gaming economics and jurisdiction choice as essential context for South Africa's gambling market.

This multi-country approach to analyzing South Africa's gaming industry aligns with how research firms like Technavio group country gambling data in broader casino market studies. While Mordor Intelligence views South Africa's casino market as shaped by the National Gambling Act and provincial licensing powers, Technavio and Straits Research categorize South Africa's and Canada's gambling markets within the same geographic region for industry forecasting. These international comparisons are increasingly influencing perceptions of South Africa's gambling industry as a distinct sector, with researchers noting opportunities for platforms like YeboYes Casino to capitalize.

With these developments, attention now focuses on regulatory action, gaming performance, and the ongoing challenge of offshore operators. As South Africa progresses, several key indicators warrant monitoring: