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The list of betting companies in South Africa is long, meaning that you may find it difficult to find the best one. You want to be on the lookout for an online operator that offers you plenty of betting options and great odds and is entirely safe to use. Some of the most trustworthy operators available are offshore bookies like Betway and Sportingbet.
However, the country has excellent online sportsbooks, including Sunbet, Easybet and Hollywoodbets. These online operators can be found to be entirely trustworthy and legitimate while also providing their customers with a top-quality betting experience.
Popular Bookmakers | Categories |
---|---|
⭐ Vave | Generous welcome offer |
⭐ Looselines | Great range of betting markets |
⭐ Picklebet | Convenient live streaming options |
⭐ WagerWeb | High payouts |
⭐ Kineko | Wide choice of bonuses and offers |
⭐BetNow | Many Esports betting offers available |
⭐ Stake | Perfect design, structure and usability |
⭐ Intertops | Solid reputation and history |
⭐ BetWinner | Unique crypto betting options |
⭐ 21Bets | Decent extra features |
As is the case in the rest of the world, South African bettors can enjoy a wide range of promotional offers. A local bettor should continuously lookout for a promotion that suits their particular betting style. As most online operators give out promotional bonuses frequently, you should regularly check back with an operator to ensure that you take full advantage of their offers.
Some popular betting bonuses include free bets, no deposit bonuses, and matched deposit bonuses. Betting offers can often be found under the “Promotions” tab on many online bookmaker sites.
📅 Sports Betting Legal Since: | 1994 |
🏢 Regulatory Body: | The National Gambling Board |
⚖️ Legal Acts: | The National Gambling Amendment Act |
🧾 Taxation: | Winnings are not taxable |
⚽ Favorite Sports to Bet on: | Cricket, football, and rugby |
🏅 Widespread Tournaments\Competitions to Bet on: | The Athletics Championship, the Badminton Championship, and the local SA Premier Division |
🎰 Other Popular Gambling Markets: | Lotteries and online casinos |
⭐ Most Popular Sportsbooks: | Rabona, Wazamba, SpinBetter |
The sports betting SA market is fairly broad. Many of the best South African bookmakers will let you bet on various local sports and events. For example, many sites allow you to bet on popular sports and teams. Similarly, many sites let you bet on individual players. The best bookies will ensure you have plenty of home betting options, with some giving you additional betting opportunities like the national lottery or casino-based games.
While legal sports betting can revolve around practically any sport in the world, the betting public has been seen to focus their betting practices on three sports in particular. Cricket, football, and rugby are the most popular sports betting options for punters.
Fortunately, operators tend to have excellent odds and plenty of betting options for these three sports. The majority of good South African bookies will still give you plenty of sports gambling options on top of these three, though, such as golf options, tennis, motorsports, MMA, and even fantasy sports.
The country has its fair share of national sports competitions. It seems as though with every month that passes, a new sports competition is starting. Because of this, sports contests are a popular option on many betting sites.
The Athletics Championship, the Badminton Championship, and the Premier Division are all given time to shine in the local betting market. These sports competitions, and many others, can usually be found in the “Featured” section of many online bookies' sports betting areas.
The sports betting market is a wide one. Many online sportsbooks allow you to bet on your favourite sports and wager on your favourite teams.
The National Cricket Team, the National Rugby Union team and the National Football Team, are all popular betting choices for international betting. On the local front, the Cape Town Spurs, Orlando Pirates, and the Moroka Swallows are famous football teams that are incredibly popular betting options.
The best sportsbooks will widen the already vast sports gambling market by allowing you to bet on individual sports personalities and players. Some of the most popular players to bet on are cricket players.
Dale Steyn, Imran Tahir, Quinton De Kock, and Kagiso Rabada commonly bet on cricket players due to their popularity. Of course, football players are also heavily bet on, with names like Peter Shalulile, Frank Mhango, and Lebogang Manyama frequently featured in South African bookies.
There are plenty of online bookmakers to choose from. There might be too many. Choosing from the extensive list of betting sites can be a somewhat daunting or intimidating task for those new to the online betting scene who don't know exactly what they should be looking for. If this is the case for you, then follow our brief step-by-step guide below to get some useful pointers on what to look out for from an online sportsbook operator:
When looking for an online bookmaker that is best suited to you, you need to find a betting site that offers good odds. Ideally, it would help if you searched for a website that provides the best odds on a specific sport or event that you are likely to bet on. For example, if you know that you will bet on horse racing and soccer a lot, you should search for an operator with excellent horse racing odds and soccer odds.
In general, the betting odds in SA are relatively decent, but there is one standout operator. Betway is one operator consistently found to have excellent odds that are continuously updated and well-researched.
The best South African betting sites will give you plenty of payment options when depositing on their website. Some of the most popular deposit methods most SA bookies provide are PayPal, bank transfer options, and credit card and debit card options from popular providers like VISA and MasterCard.
The best method for depositing cash is essentially up to the individual and their financial circumstances and preferences. Any of these options will see the money be deposited into your account within a few hours at most.
Withdrawing your funds should be fast and straightforward. Thankfully, many local bookmakers completely understand this and give their customers plenty of withdrawal methods to choose from should they require various options. Popular withdrawal methods include PayPal, VISA and MasterCard payments, and bank transfer options.
The best withdrawal method is probably either PayPal or card payment options, as the withdrawal time with these methods tends to be significantly lower than if you used bank transfer payment options.
The world of online betting is continually changing and evolving. In recent years, online betting has shifted focus to a new platform: the mobile market. Mobile betting is often used now as many bettors' primary form of betting. It is because using a mobile device to bet with is incredibly easy, convenient, and comfortable.
The best mobile betting apps in South Africa tend to come from leading operators like Betway and Sportingbet. A betting app will let you continue your regular betting practices on the go, allowing for a much more convenient and less time-consuming experience.
The best betting sites will offer additional betting features. These features can come in many forms, such as lotteries, virtual sports, or casino-based events. Still, the best other betting feature the bookmakers here use is live betting and live streaming services.
Live betting in South Africa is what many people would consider the pinnacle of the modern betting experience. Nothing matches the thrill of placing a bet on a live, in-play game or race and watching the event unfold through a live stream.
The legality of sports betting, particularly online forms of sports gambling, has had a fairly tumultuous time. Since 1673, gambling has been heavily restricted. In 1965 the government allowed its citizens to bet on horse races but no other sports. By 1994, all gambling forms became legal, with institutionalized casino establishments popping up around the country.
Regarding the online betting landscape, it is generally considered legal across the board. However, each province within the country has a gambling agency that dictates whether a sportsbook can operate within its region. Once betting companies become fully licensed by the respective gambling authorities, they can accept local bettors. Unfortunately, even some of the leading betting sites around the world, like Bet365, are still not legally allowed to operate within here.
Generally speaking, online betting is much more popular than visiting a local bookmaker brick-and-mortar store. Perhaps the biggest reason for this is convenience. Using an online betting site or app on your phone is much more comfortable than going out to your local store and waiting in line. Similarly, online betting is simply more accessible to the general public. An online bookie's informal and friendly setting is much more appealing to new bettors than a dingy old betting shop.
Here are a few global corporations and organizations that may offer aid and support if you are facing challenges with gambling in South Africa.
While the South African betting market may be very accessible to newcomers, it is not necessarily easy. It will take a lot of practice for new bettors to learn how each online bookmaker works and how to make consistently successful bets. There are, however, a few strategies that can help out new players. The first of which is to know your sport inside out. Ideally, you should stick to one sports gambling option if you want to succeed truly.
You will need to know all about the sport's general trends, who usually wins, what teams are the best, what competitions will earn you the most, etc. You should also use the odds effectively and learn exactly when to place your bet and when you shouldn't.
Betting tips can be beneficial, especially for those not entirely knowledgeable about the subject they are betting on. In basic terms, a betting tip is when a third-party source predicts a particular event. This prediction is likely accurate as they know more about the subject than the betting site you are using.
For instance, if you were betting on football matches and News24 makes an informed prediction about a game. Still, your betting operator had that prediction at a lower chance; you could place a profitable bet by using the odds to your advantage.
Matched betting in SA is a popular form of low-risk betting. Essentially, a bettor needs to use a site's promotional offers, mainly free bet offers, to ensure a winning bet. Bettors must place both a back and lay bet on the fixture, using a free bet for one of them. It ensures that one of the wagers is successful and guarantees a profit, as half of the stake has not cost the bettor any real money, only a free bet.
The section below acts as a summary of the betting landscape in South Africa. Many of the main talking points in this article have also been condensed into the list below:
The South African betting market shows no sign of stopping anytime soon, with many sportsbook sites available to the betting public. If you are currently living here and looking for your next online betting experience, head to one of the sites recommended by our BetZillion bet hub today to get started.