Best Betting Sites in South Africa 2023

Is Online Betting Legal in South Africa?

Online betting is legal and regulated in South Africa under the National Gambling Act of 2004. Each of the nine provinces in the country has its regulatory system known as the Provincial Licensing Authority. For any bookmaker to legally operate in the county, they should have a license from any of the provincial regulatory boards. This is to ensure South African players’ online experience is protected and to maintain the image of the gambling industry in the country.

Top 10 South African Sports Betting Sites (2021)

Here are the top 10 betting sites in South Africa.

1xBet

1xBet is a well-established bookmaker with more than a decade in the market. The bookie is known for its huge sports coverage and highly competitive odds across the major markets. Both new and existing customers receive generous offers to help them boost their bankrolls. This site is designed well and easy to use. 

Betway

Betway is a global brand that is very popular among sports betting enthusiasts. Its popularity follows its sponsorship of Westham United, a popular team in the English Premier League. Betway offers a solid welcome bonus to its players, along with a wide variety of sports and betting markets. Having an account with this bookie is highly recommended. 

Sportingbet

Sportingbet boasts of being the biggest betting site in South Africa. Its highlights are an attractive live betting section with hundreds of markets to choose from and competitive odds. Sportingbet offers a fantastic user experience, which makes it suitable for beginners. Exciting features like cash out and live streaming make your gaming experience worthwhile. 

Gbets

Gbets betting site has been a significant player in the South African online betting industry since 2005. The bookmaker has managed to attract the attention of many players in the country, following its easy-to-use website, generous welcome bonuses, and immense betting options. Gbets’ odds are attractive on the pre-match and live section. 

Hollywoodbets

Founded in 2000, Hollywoodbets is considered one of the most established betting sites in South Africa. If you are a Horse Racing enthusiast, this should be your next destination. Hollywoodbets’ website has a clean layout, which enables players to capture much information with a single glance. The bookie has great betting features such as live betting, live streaming, and cash out. 

Bet.co.za

Bet.co.za is a popular betting site in South Africa, known for its wide coverage of betting markets across many popular sports. Besides Soccer, South African players can count on an extensive offer on Horse Racing, Cricket, and Rugby. The bookmaker is among betting sites with registration bonus that is attractive to its new players and enticing promotions for its loyal customers. If you love betting on the move, you will appreciate the Bet.co.za dedicated mobile app for Android and iOS devices. 

Playa Bets

Playabets is headquartered in South Africa and has a great focus on the local market. The operator offers a generous welcome offer, which is one of the reasons it has gained a positive reputation among sports betting bettors in the country. Playa bets has a well-designed mobile app for Android and iOS devices that replicate the desktop version in terms of features, products, and services. South African players should expect to find more than 30 sports with tons of betting options on the platform. 

World Sports Betting

Thousands of pre-match and in-play betting markets are awaiting those South African players who opt to join World Sports Betting. This bookie is among the international betting sites and has been in the industry since 2002. This means it has had enough time to understand players’ needs and refine its products. If you are looking for a genuine platform to place Esports bets, World Sports Betting should be on your shortlist. Here, you will all the famous titles like League of Legends, Dota 2, Rainbow Six, and more. 

Supabets

Supabets has been in the industry for over a decade now and has managed to win the attention of hundreds of players in the country. The bookmaker ensures great value odds for its South African players by offering regular price boosts and odd boosts. There are other promotions for its loyal customers and a generous offer for the new players. Supabets’ range of sports and betting options is impressive, and features like live streaming and cash out are available to make your gaming experience worthwhile. 

Sunbet

Sunbet is part of the popular Sun International group, which operates Sun City. The sportsbook’s highlights are a tempting welcome bonus, a diverse range of sports and betting features like live streaming and cash out. Mobile gamers can download Sunbet’s app for free from Google Play and Apple Store.

Comparison of SA Betting Sites

The following table compares the welcome bonuses and key features of the best South African betting sites.

How to Bet on Sports Online for South African Players?

Betting on your favorite sporting events is straightforward. Here are the steps you need to follow to get started.

• Choose a sportsbook from our top online betting sites in South Africa
• Create an account on your preferred betting site
• Make your first deposit
• Get the new player sports betting welcome bonus
• Start betting on your favorite sporting events

Top Payment Methods for Betting Sites in South Africa

Payments methods vary across different betting sites South Africa. Before joining any bookmaker, you need to ensure it supports at least one banking option that is convenient for you. Here are the most popular payment methods in South African betting sites.

• Credit/debit cards like Visa, Mastercard, and Maestro
• EFT (Electronic Fund Transfer)
• Bank Transfer
• IPay
• E-wallets like Neteller, Skill, Ecopayz, Paypal and Paysafecard
• Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin

Popular Promotions for South African Bettors

There are different types of promotions offered by the best betting sites in South Africa throughout the year. Before you claim any offer, we recommend going through the terms and conditions section to ensure you can meet the requirements. Here are the most common types of bonuses for South African players.

Matched Deposit Bonuses

These are the most common types of sports betting deposit bonuses in online betting sites. The bookmaker matches your deposit amount to a certain percentage. Most deposit bonuses are given as sign-up offers.

No-deposit Bonuses

The no-deposit bonuses are among the best offers on online betting sites. Here, you do not need to fund your account to receive the bonus. All you need is to claim your bonus and place bets on your favorite sporting event.

Free Bets

Free bets are among the most sought-after offers in online betting sites since they give players a chance to wager without incurring any risks. You may be required to achieve a certain turnover before withdrawing your winnings.

Cashback Bonuses

A cashback bonus is a refund of a certain percentage of the total losses during a qualifying period. This bonus is meant to encourage players to keep betting despite their bets not being successful.

Risk-free Bets

While only a few bookmakers offer these promotions, risk-free bets are the best offers in the market. Here, you receive back your stake to a particular amount if your qualifying bet loses.

Popular Betting Markets in South Africa

The Football markets are similar in most SA betting sites, but they may differ in sports like Cricket. Since Football is the most wagered sport in South Africa, we focus on the variety of betting markets offered on this sport. Expect to find the major leagues on our top South African betting sites, including the English Premier League, UEFA Champions, UEFA Europa, La Liga, Serie A, and Bundesliga. Some of the available betting types include money lines, Totals, Over/Under, point spreads, handicaps, teasers, and proposition bets.

Sports Betting Apps for South Africa

The mobile gaming industry has been growing rapidly in recent years, and most players now prefer to bet on the move. Wagering on the go offers the freedom of accessing all the bookmaker’s features, services, and products from anywhere. As such, native mobile apps or websites have now become a must-have for online betting platforms. Our recommended bookies support mobile gaming, and players can download their apps or wager directly from their browsers. Most apps are available on Google Play, Apple Store, or directly from the website.

How we Review Betting Sites in SA

Before recommending any betting site to South African players, we must review it thoroughly to ensure legit and reliable. Here are the steps we follow when reviewing them.

• We visit the betting site to check out the information about the operator, including their licensing, security measures, their terms of service, welcome bonus terms, and all their sports betting offering. We also look at the overall usability of the website to ensure it can be used by seasoned and novice players.
• Once we are content that the platform is legit and safe for South African players, we register with the bookmaker while assessing whether the process is straightforward.
• After successfully creating an account, we make the first deposit using one of the convenient payment options available.
• The next step is claiming the welcome bonus for new players and wagering on our favorite events to meet the rollover requirements if any.
• We withdraw our winnings while taking note of the withdrawal processing time.
• We contact the support agents to gauge their professionalism, friendliness, and the time they take to respond.Round-the-clock support is an added advantage.

Once a bookmaker ticks all the boxes in our criteria, we list it as one of the best South African betting sites.

Yan Zhylinski

Best South Africa Online Bookmakers - Compare & Review

Bookmakers in South Africa are becoming more popular thanks to technological advancement which has taken a huge dive across the country. Just like the western bookmakers, the South African bookmakers have easily accessible websites with a variety of casinos, table games, and sports events. These platforms allow customers to place their bets using smartphones right from the comfort of their homes. If you are a beginner, you might find the list of online bookmakers in the country overwhelming. That’s we have compiled the best bookmakers in South Africa you can consider. Read on to learn more. 

How We Choose The Best SA Bookmakers

There are several factors that we took into consideration when we were compiling this list of the best SA bookmakers. Some of these factors include:

• Number of available events and markets
• Provides the top-level live streaming
• Welcome offers and bonuses
• User-friendly interface and mobile apps
• Decent customer service
• In-play betting options
• Betting odds

List of The Largest South African Online Bookies – Top 10

1xBet

Founded in 2007, 1XBET is considered one of the best platforms in the betting world sports. It’s currently one of the best online bookmakers in South Africa.

Betway

Established in 2006, Betway is one of the South African bookmakers licensed and regulated by the Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board. The platform has streamlined entertainment across sports like football, esports, and casino games betting.

Sportingbet

Sportingbet entry into the South African sports betting market in 2009. Currently, this online sports betting platform offers the biggest and largest sports betting line-up across more than 60 different sporting codes.

Gbets

Established in 2005 by the Gold Rush Group, Gbets has grown and become one of the household names in South Africa's bookmakers’ industry.

Hollywoodbets

Also known as Hollywood Sportsbook, Hollywoodbets is a SA sports betting company that allows you to bet on sports, horse racing, and much more.

Bet.co.za

Bet.co.za was founded by Betcoza Online (RF) (Pty) Ltd in 2010. Since then, this bookmaker has grown to become one of the best sports betting and gambling South African platform.

Playa Bets

Founded in 1990 by Brad Van Der Vyver, Playa Bets offers the most exciting sports betting experience for South African bettors.

World Sports Betting

World Sports Betting (WSB) is one of South Africa’s leading bookmakers established by Warren Tannous in 2002. This bookmaker offers national, continental, and international sports betting and horse race betting.

Supabets

Supabets is another best bookmaker in South Africa owned and operated by Portapa (Pty) Limited.

Sunbet

Sun International's premier sportsbook, commonly known as SunBet, is also one of the bookmakers South Africa is produce of. It is a premium South African bookmaker that offers a variety of exciting online betting opportunities. 

Compare Sportsbooks to Find Your Perfect SA Online Bookmaker

Online Sports Betting Laws in South Africa

The current laws in South Africa allow sports betting. Each of the country’s 9 provinces has its own sports betting and bookmaking licensing authority. All sports betting and bookmakers have to obtain licenses from the authority in their respective provinces to operate in the region under certain terms and conditions. Players have the freedom to choose a bookmaker regardless of their location.

How to Deposit at South African Bookmakers With ZAR

One of the easiest and quickest ways to deposit at SA bookmaker with ZAR is through EasyEFT. This is a Rand (ZAR)-based banking solution that allows South African bettors to transfer funds electronically from their bank account to their bookmaker’s betting account. Some of the supported banks include Standard Bank, Investec, Capitec, ABSA, Nedbank, and FNB.

Mobile Sports Betting in South Africa

Since most of the online bookmakers are mobile-friendly, the majority of South African bettors are enjoying the convenience of wagering on their favorite sports through their mobile devices. All you need is to install the bookmaker’s app on your Android or iOS device.

Best SA bookmakers: Local vs International

Many bettors in South Africa are caught in the dilemma of choosing between a local and international bookmaker. One of the important factors in choosing between the two is the type of bettor you are. For instance, if you are a casual bettor on a budget, you should choose a local bookmaker since they accept low stakes and offer more localized payment methods for both local and international bettors.

In a nutshell, there is no preference when it comes to choosing local vs international sports betting platforms in South Africa. It all comes down to your personal preferences.