JOHANNESBURG - When Oscar Bishop tagged along with his father at just 18 years old to the Wild Coast Casino, he believed it was nothing more than innocent fun.
A R50 note would buy him four or five pulls of the lever, turning into a R500 win.
For Bishop, the excitement and thrill of winning money were powerful, but little did he know that those early moments would spiral into years of gambling addiction.
“Every town that I visited, the first place I looked for was a casino. It was almost like a casino was my DNA.”
Bishop said the situation escalated to the point where he pawned his own vehicle at the casino.
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He eventually made enough money to get his car back the same day, but instead of going back home, the guilt and shame saw him return to another casino.
He said the next morning, the first call he made, with his last R10, was to his wife, who came to fetch him from the casino.
Despite trying to hide his addiction, Bishop said he suspected that his wife knew about it after his financial contributions towards their home started decreasing.
It was then that he knew he had to turn his life around by deciding to self-ban from physical casinos.
There was progress until Covid-19 hit, which was when he was introduced to slot machines offered by online gambling companies.
“That was another loophole where I saw myself being drawn into the very thing that broke me,” he said.
Bishop said he lived on payday loans and maxed out his credit card and overdraft.
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He reached a turning point on 12 May 2024, when he contacted the National Responsible Gambling Programme (NRGP).
“I was on a call for 45 minutes and told them I am broken,” he said, adding that this was the start of his healing journey.
On 12 February, Bishop will be 21 months clean, having paid off all his loans and is now financially free.
While Bishop's story is that of home, many still find themselves fighting their gambling addiction.
In the 2024/25 financial year, gambling surged to R1.5 trillion
The rise was driven by easy online access, weak controls, and growing participation among young people.
Regulators and gambling recovery advocates are worried.
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Among them is Sibongile Simelane Qutana from the South African Responsible Gambling Foundation.
She said they have tried every trick in the book to educate people about the harmful effects of programmed gambling, but advertising remains the biggest challenge.
“When you look at gambling advertising, it is normalising gambling in our society and exposing minors to gambling,” she said.
Qutana said that, as a foundation, they believe there is no adequate protection for vulnerable groups and the public, adding that the issue requires a multi-stakeholder approach.
Agreeing with Qutana was Lungile Dukwana from the National Responsible Gambling Programme, who noted the rise in gambling cases since COVID-19.
He said another major concern is the increase in illegal gambling, with some operations running locally and offshore.
Once it is offshore, Dukwana said, it becomes difficult because there are no safeguards.
Dukwana stressed that stronger internal controls, strict adherence to responsible gambling rules and enhanced public education would help address the problem going forward.