South Africa has the highest online gambling participation rate among 48 markets, with 32.3% of internet users aged 16 and older visiting a gambling or betting website or app in the previous month, according to data from GWI’s Q2 2025 survey published in the Digital 2026 Global Overview Report.
Norway ranks second at 31.2%, followed by Greece at 25.8% and New Zealand at 24.0%. Ghana is the second-highest African country on the list, ranking fifth globally at 21.5%, while Nigeria places 10th, with 18.0% of internet users engaging with online gambling platforms, ahead of the US, which ranks 38th.
The rankings highlight the growing reach of online betting across markets with different regulatory environments and gambling industries, with three African countries featuring among the top 10.
Betting industry surges
South Africa’s position comes as its gambling industry grows rapidly, driven largely by sports betting and online platforms.
Figures from Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) seen by Business Insider Africa show that the country’s betting industry expanded by more than 1,400% between 2018 and 2023, rising from R10.1 billion (about $560 million) to R152.6 billion (approximately $8.5 billion).
Stats SA data also points to gambling’s growing share of household entertainment spending. When the agency examined expenditure on recreational activities, including sports, gym memberships, games, books and tickets, gambling accounted for 54.5% of the total.
The GWI ranking measures the share of internet users aged 16 and older who visited an online gambling or betting website or app in the month before the survey. It does not measure the proportion of the overall population that gambles, meaning the figures should not be interpreted as national gambling rates.