The Tithe and the Ticket, Betting Slips Left at the Altar

In the quiet hum of Sunday service, tucked between leather-bound hymnals and tattered Bibles, there’s a folded piece of paper that doesn’t belong. It’s not a prayer list. It’s not…

The Last Casino Bus, Portraits from South Africa’s Overnight Betting Journeys

The sun has long since set by the time the last casino bus pulls out of a half-lit rank in Germiston or Bellville. These aren’t the slick, branded coaches you…

What Happens to Luck When the Signal is Lost

It’s 2:47 a.m. Somewhere between hope and hesitation, you’ve got a live bet open, a finger hovering just above the confirm button. The screen flickers, spinning, buffering, then nothing. Your…

The Night I Discovered My Phone Could Change the Game

It began on a mild evening in Gauteng, the kind of night lined with possibility. I had just settled in at a plush table in the main gaming room, smartphone…

When Slot Sounds Follow You Home

There’s a sound some people swear they still hear, long after the screen’s gone dark. A little digital chime. A spin. A jackpot jingle that never quite ends. It flutters…

The Thin Line Between Luck and Logic

There’s something about gambling that slips into conversations the way smoke drifts through an open window, quiet, persistent, a little dangerous. You can talk business, politics, music, and still, somewhere…

When Betting Covers the Bills

You wake up to an SMS that reminds you, not that you need reminding, the rent’s due in three days. You check your bank app, hoping maybe something shifted overnight.…

What Abandoned Online Casinos Tell Us About Internet Gold Rushes

The homepage still flickers. Somewhere on a forgotten domain, deep in a back alley of the internet, a neon jackpot spins in a loop. The “Play Now” button glows, untouched.…

When the Machines Started Dreaming

There’s a moment somewhere between midnight and the early hours where everything feels quiet but your mind. You check your phone. Maybe you tap into a betting app. Maybe your…

Portraits of South Africa’s Traveling Lotto Agents

In a world where everything moves through phones and apps, where money is tapped, swiped, or sent in a few seconds, there are still small moments that feel like they…