behavioural addictions<\/a> are so widespread, and the ripples they create in families and communities can be intense,\u201d Stokes explains. <\/p>\n\u201cWhat helps people whose lives are impacted by addiction is to gain an understanding of how addiction develops and the brain reward pathways that drive compulsive behaviour.\u201d<\/p>\n
Addiction is not weakness. It is brain science.<\/p>\n
Online betting platforms are designed to trigger dopamine, the same reward chemical involved in substance addiction. \u201cNear-miss\u201d features keep the brain hooked. Fast-paced games mimic slot machines. The cycle becomes predictable and painful: win, lose, chase, lose.<\/p>\n
The emotional and financial fallout<\/p>\n
In South Africa\u2019s fragile economic climate, the consequences are devastating.<\/p>\n
People lose their salaries and social grants. Jewellery is pawned. Loans are taken from mashonisas at crippling interest rates. School fees go unpaid. Food budgets shrink.<\/p>\n
Families begin to unravel.<\/p>\n
Stokes outlines the warning signs families cannot afford to ignore:<\/p>\n
Borrowing money frequently without explanationHiding betting slips or lying about lossesUsing grocery or transport money for gamblingBecoming secretive, irritable or defensive about financesChasing losses with the belief, \u201cI\u2019ll win it back\u201d<\/p>\n
The mental health toll is equally severe. Anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts are increasingly linked to gambling addiction. The South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) has reported a rise in gambling-related distress calls.<\/p>\n
And yet, many still see gambling addiction as a moral failure instead of what global health bodies like the WHO recognise it to be: a diagnosable behavioural addiction that responds to treatment.<\/p>\n
Why this should concern all of us<\/p>\n
The accessibility is unprecedented. Gambling is no longer confined to casinos.<\/p>\n
It’s in our pockets, in taxis, in classrooms, and in workplaces. It’s even in our bedrooms late at night, when stress is overwhelming.<\/p>\n
Stokes emphasises that education is key.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese psychological skills have become essential life skills in a society so deeply affected by addiction,\u201d she says. \u201cAt SACAP, we believe that a more psychologically skilled society is better equipped to face its challenges and move towards a healthier future.\u201d<\/p>\n
But skills must be matched with action.<\/p>\n
Government regulators must enforce stricter advertising controls, especially targeting youth platforms and social grant payout cycles. The gambling industry must make responsible gambling tools, such as self-exclusion, time limits, and visible helplines, impossible to ignore.<\/p>\n
Communities must talk openly about money and mental health without shame.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re struggling, you are not alone<\/p>\n
Help exists, and it is confidential.<\/p>\n
National Responsible Gambling Programme (24\/7): 0800 006 008WhatsApp \u201cHELP\u201d to 076 675 0710Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0800 567 567Department of Social Development Substance Abuse Helpline: 0800 12 13 14 (SMS 32312)<\/p>\n
This is not just about betting apps. It\u2019s about children growing up in households strained by debt. It\u2019s about parents carrying silent shame. It\u2019s about a country already under economic pressure being pushed further by a billion-rand industry built on risk.<\/p>\n
South Africa is not just placing bets. It is betting with its well-being.<\/p>\n
And the time to confront this honestly, urgently and together is now.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s no longer just a flutter on a weekend match. It\u2019s rent money. It\u2019s grocery money. It\u2019s school…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":484286,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[195351,49,48,195345,22046,195350,195349,195347,195339,84,195348,195340,393,394,195341,195344,107145,70446,195338,195346,195342,137247,5685,195352,195343,14052],"class_list":["post-484285","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mental-health","tag-567-567department-of-social-development-substance-abuse-helpline","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-crisis-helpline","tag-emergency","tag-explanationhiding","tag-financeschasing","tag-gamblingbecoming","tag-grocery-money","tag-health","tag-lossesusing","tag-mandy-stokes","tag-mental-health","tag-mentalhealth","tag-national-responsible-gambling-programme","tag-nrgp","tag-perpetua","tag-platforms","tag-rent-money","tag-responsible-gambling-programme","tag-sacap","tag-social-worker","tag-south-africa","tag-south-african-depression-and-anxiety-group","tag-south-african-gambling-board","tag-who"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/484285","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=484285"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/484285\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/484286"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=484285"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=484285"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=484285"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}