South Africa, April 29 -- Hitting the spot

It's sad in two ways: First that South Africans believe there are fabulous shortcuts to success and wealth and second, that many people are so desperate for money, they see gambling as a way out. and end up worse off.

This dark side of betting is acknowledged in the small print somewhere at the bottom of print or video ads or in the hurried stream of words at the end of a radio spot.

I am not going to moralise about that reality. Gambling may be an addiction and may destroy lives and families, but I am not here to sermonise, I am here to recognise effective marketing. And whatever you may think, the ads for online gambling are certainly hitting the spot.

They don't appeal to me because I reme...