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Podcast: The Daily Discourse
Episode: Gambling: a crisis in our communities
Description: According to the Statistics South Africa, gambling has become South Africa's dominant leisure expenditure, accounting for over half (55%) of household spending on recreation, sport, and culture. In the past 12 months, reports of people seeking rehabilitation has shot up by 55%. There is also human and social cost of gambling:Â broken families, financial ruin, mental health issues, and increased crime. Despite R75 billion in gross gambling revenue, operators paid only R6 billion in direct taxes last year. Only a small fraction (R74 million) went to rehabilitation and counselling for gambling addicts, leading to accusations that the industry's social costs o...