It is really hard to find anything more popular than rugby in South Africa. Although some will argue that soccer is the most popular sport, rugby in South Africa has more than 430,000 registered players and around 10 million followers in a country with a population of almost 50 million people. While other popular sports in SA include the already mentioned soccer, cricket, cycling, and golf, rugby is the sport in which South Africa competes and regularly beats the world's top teams, making it a source of national pride for many South Africans.
The country's national team is the Springboks, also colloquially called the Boks, Bokke or Amabokoboko, and they have been representing SA in the international rugby union since 1891. The team colors are green and gold, with the emblem being the springbok antelope. South Africa had a crucial importance in the formation of the Rugby World Cup competition, but the Springboks competed for the first time only in 1995, when the newly democratic South Africa hosted the Cup.
This tournament is considered a historical event for SA sports and is, therefore, no wonder that it contributed to making rugby one of the main sources of pride for South Africans: this was the first major international sports event to be hosted by the post-apartheid SA; the Springboks played under the slogan “one team, one country” getting the support of both black and white communities, and, best of all, they won the cup! By being victorious also at the 2007 and 2019 Rugby World Cup, they made sure that rugby stays one of the country's sports obsessions.
What About Gambling?
As much as South Africans love rugby and sports in general, they are also very much into betting and casinos. With their love for sports, sports betting comes naturally. According to several studies conducted by the South African government, around 50% of the country's adult population often places stakes in sports.
Besides sports and sports betting, other forms of gambling in live and online casinos, in general, are some of the South Africans' most beloved forms of entertainment. The South African casino industry witnessed one of the world's biggest growths in gambling & online betting players can find all sorts of online casinos available on the market.
One great example is Yebo online casino that has been operating in the country since 2014, gaining popularity among the SA players. Besides being saturated with great promotions, games, and bonuses for the players, its catchy name – Yebo stands for “YES” in the Zulu language – plays a big part in its popularity. It is, however, important to notice that the other online casino operators on the market don't lag behind. You can read more about this particular casino on the playcasino page: Yebo casino review.
It is no wonder that online casinos and gambling became very popular in South Africa in recent years. For those who already love gambling, online casinos have a lot more to offer. There are several external factors that contributed to the growing interest of South Africans in online gambling, but also those related to the South African online casinos' growing quality and variety.
One of the most obvious external factors is the world pandemic. Firstly, the pandemic prevented people from visiting land-based venues, making online casinos a safer and more convenient option. Secondly, the pandemic left many people without opportunities for working and earning money, drawing more and more people to alternative ways of earning, such as gambling.
This is true for most of the world, but there are some additional local specifics. According to the existing data, including United Nations data, South Africa has a dominantly growing and young population, with almost 60 million persons around the median age of 27.
Additionally, Trading Economics reported that the SA unemployment rate has grown up to 32,5% in recent years. Since many young people cannot find a steady income, and as the youth is generally easily drawn to technology, it is easy to conclude why online gambling is so popular in South Africa.
Even besides these external factors, the popularity of online casinos in South Africa has risen also thanks to the growing quality of the services themselves. Online casinos are a dynamic industry in South Africa, as its top-rated gambling platforms continuously improve their quality in order to offer the best services. South African online casinos are famous for offering a wide range of games – from traditional casino games to more contemporary innovations fit for players with different levels of experience. Furthermore, online gambling in South Africa is safe. The gambling laws enacted by the government to regulate the market are friendly both to the companies and the users.
This attracts many global companies to South Africa and subsequently increases the number of licensed online casinos. Therefore, if you register at a licensed online casino in South Africa, you are sure that your money and confidential personal data are secure. Online casinos are also easily accessible in South Africa as most platforms offer both browser versions as well as mobile apps. Finally, these casinos offer a variety of bonuses to their players – welcome, no-deposit, contests, cashback, etc. – making it really hard to resist venturing into the world of online gambling.
Both gambling and rugby are a passion for South Africans and are both constantly developing and growing. While gambling provides great entertainment with a great additional possibility of earning money, rugby continues to be the source of national pride for South Africans from all walks of life.
