South
African Gambling Tax Revenue Up
As reported by the When South
African gamblers sit down to play the sure-fire
winner is neither the punter nor necessarily
the house. It is the government.
"This
has emerged with the disclosure that the gaming
industry paid R1,7-billion in taxes into state
coffers in 2003/4.
"And,
according to a recent study, almost 80 percent
of all South Africans gamble at least occasionally
and a staggering 550 000 need help to overcome
gambling problems.
"Gambling
is surging in popularity. According to National
Responsible Gambling Programme research, the
number of people who have never gambled has
dropped from 25.6 percent to 20.1 percent. People
who played the lottery regularly increased from
67.6 percent to 72.3 percent.
"…Despite
the increase in gamblers, a survey by the National
Centre for the Study of Gambling at the University
of Cape Town, on behalf of the National Responsible
Gambling Programme, said the number of problem
gamblers in South Africa was broadly in line
with international norms…"
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