Fewer South Africans take to gambling

Johannesburg - Fewer South Africans are gambling now compared to 2001, Professor Peter Collins, executive director of the National Responsible Gambling Programme, said on Friday.

The percentage of citizens who never gamble has risen from 30 in 2001 to over 50 this year, he told parliament's portfolio committee on trade and industry, according to a statement from the programme.

"The number of problem gamblers in the country has also declined from 3% in 2008 to 1% in 2011."

The committee is holding public hearings into gambling as part of a review of South African gambling legislation.

"This figure is similar to that found in European and other English speaking jurisdictions and considerably higher than the number in Asia," Collins said.

"However, in South Africa, poor people are disproportionately likely to gamble too much on cheaper forms of gambling such as the lottery and illegal games such as iFafi, dice and cards, which is commonly played in and around township shebeens."

Collins said South Africa's gambling laws and regulations were as good as those found anywhere in the world.

The committee held public hearings in response to a gambling review report written by a commission established by Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies in December 2009. The report was tabled in parliament in June.

I guess just stepping out onto our roads has become enough of a gamble for most of us. That's one thing I like about my trips to PE, nice highways and almost no traffic. Bliss.

That said, I still nearly got taken out by a flying mattress on my way to Fairview last Sunday. Who the fcuk loads a mattress onto a trailer and doesn't tie it down properly? Thank heavens that despite the light traffic PE has the slowest drivers on the planet.

Probably coincides with the problems horse racing faces,betting shops in UK are empty ,your betting shops are still to hit the skids

I wonder how betting shops in bookie-less countries are faring?

Well Magic if you did crash it would have cushioned the blow ()

Lol, Dave. For me or for Avis?