South African Archbishop Calls Gambling Economic Self-Treatment

The Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Cape Town, Thabo Makgoba, said on December 24 during a Christmas sermon at St George’s Cathedral that gambling is a “form of economic self-treatment”, according to SABC.

Statement by Archbishop Thabo Makgoba

According to the archbishop, online betting accounts for around 60% of the country’s entire gambling industry.

He estimated the total size of the gambling market in South Africa at approximately $90 billion.

Impact of online betting

Thabo Makgoba noted that online betting draws millions of people into a cycle of gambling addiction.

In his view, for many citizens gambling becomes a way to cope with financial hardship.

Social reasons behind the rise in problem gambling

The archbishop linked the growth of problem gambling to high levels of unemployment, poverty, and failures in national governance.

He stressed that economic pressure pushes people to seek quick solutions through gambling.

Reaction on social media

The archbishop’s remarks sparked a mixed reaction on social media.

One user compared gambling to church donations, noting that “in gambling you at least sometimes win, while in church you pay tithes every Sunday and everything goes straight into the priest’s pocket.”