AFTER THE BELL: Sun International and the high-stakes trend defining our time

The clearest financial sign of the move from the physical world to the virtual one came in Sun International’s latest results. Group revenue rose by just over 7% in the six months to the end of June, but revenue from its online gambling business, Sunbet, jumped 35.5%. The company also said it was considering retrenching about 300 workers at casinos across the country.

The figures capture a broader shift in how people spend their time and money. Every glance at a phone pulls attention away from the physical world, whether the user is checking a WhatsApp group or doing something else online. In Johannesburg, that distraction can even mean missing the pothole directly ahead while driving.

The digital shift brings potential benefits. The virtual world could create a more level playing field, allowing people to succeed through ideas and arguments rather than access to the best transport or communications networks. People with strong commercial ideas may also be able to earn from them without first paying for an office.

But the risks are equally clear, especially with gambling. Physical casinos can monitor who enters and prevent underage people from gambling. Online operators try to perform the same checks, but the task is more difficult. If gambling harms society, online access makes it easier to place a bet almost instantly, even before starting the day.

The physical world, however, has not disappeared. Sun International said revenue at Sun City, described in the article as a strange tribute to the homelands system, grew by 10%. That increase, along with the wider resurgence of the events industry, points to a continuing appetite for actually being somewhere.