SOFTSWISS survey 2026 exposes a gap in South Africa’s player protection demands

The survey examines South African adults’ expectations around responsible gambling tools and player protection.

Press release.- A new survey of 1,000 South African adults commissioned by SOFTSWISS reveals a disconnect between personal financial pressures and player-protection expectations. The survey findings arrive shortly after Africa Safer Gambling Week (September 7–11), the continent’s first coordinated player-protection campaign organised by the African iGaming Alliance under the banner #PlaySafeAfrica.

Unemployed South Africans represent the category most likely to say they would use a financial windfall to pay off debt, at 22.1 per cent. However, demand for spending-limit tools among such unemployed respondents drops to just 35.3 per cent, nearly eight percentage points below the overall average of 43.2 per cent.

The survey also covers attitudes towards underage gambling protection. Current bettors are more likely than people who have never used an online betting service to want stronger protection against underage gambling, 65.7 per cent against 54.5 per cent.

Mariia Halaida, head of business development in Africa at SOFTSWISS, said: “Operators usually hear from the customers who are already engaged enough to ask for something. This survey suggests that people who may have the greatest need for spending controls are not necessarily the ones most likely to ask for them. Responsible gambling tools such as deposit limits and self-exclusion are built into our platform to support regulatory requirements and safer gambling practices. The findings reinforce why we believe player protection requires a proactive approach, rather than relying solely on players themselves to request responsible gambling tools or safeguards.”

The full findings, including methodology, margin of error and demographic breakdowns, will be set out in SOFTSWISS‘ full survey report, to be published in the coming weeks.

Putting more focus on the African continent, SOFTSWISS is hosting a dedicated LinkedIn Live panel discussion exploring the financial landscape of entering African igaming sectors. Scheduled for 14:00 CET on September 23, the live session, titled “Not a Cheap Bet: The Economics of Launch in the African iGaming Market”, will feature expert insights from the Mpumalanga Economic Regulator, Jabula Bets, Legends Gaming and Management Solutions, alongside SOFTSWISS specialists, focusing on South African operations as a real-world benchmark.