South Africa Apps
💡 Did You Know? Even though they’re a larger, international betting site, Mr. Play accepts South African Rand! This means you can still get some of the flashier features of a global bookmaker, without having to waste your money!
Sports betting has always been huge in South Africa, but online betting is more popular than ever before.
If you’re interested in getting started with online betting sites but aren’t sure where to start, you’ve come to the right place.
This page includes everything you need to know. Scroll down for South Africa’s best betting sites, the legal status of online betting, and how to know if a bookmaker is right for you.
Top 7 Betting Sites in South Africa
1
R25 No Deposit Bonus!
Payment methods
Accepted Players
United Kingdom
Terms&Conditions
Get a R25 sign up bonus once your Hollywoodbets account is activated.
2
100% till 1000zar
Payment methods
Accepted Players
South Africa
Terms&Conditions
Min. Deposit R50, Max. Bonus R1000, 100% of First Deposit, WR: 6x bonus amount. Odds restrictions apply. Full T&Cs apply.
3
R50 Free Bet and 100 Free Spins
Payment methods
Accepted Players
South Africa
Terms&Conditions
Min. Deposit R50 – R50 Free Bet and 100 free spins credited the following day – Wagering Requirement: 3x Bonus amount – full T&Cs apply – Gamble Responsibly.
4
100% till 160sgd
Terms&Conditions
18+, New Customers Only – Gamble Responsibly. Use promo code 1x_1694818
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Choosing the Best Betting Site for You
It’s great that punters here in South Africa have more options than ever before when choosing where to place their online bets, but how do you know if a betting site is right for you?
We obviously recommend looking at our list of South Africa’s 7 best betting sites, but even then, you still need to make a choice. Our expert betting site reviewers recommend looking at 4 key elements to help you pick a betting site that suits your needs:
Payment Methods
While there are literally hundreds of online bookmakers out there, only some of them make it easy for South African punters to move funds into and out of their betting accounts. We go into more detail about betting deposits and withdrawals in South Africa below, but your first priority is avoiding currency conversion fees.
If you stick to a bookmaker that accepts ZAR (South African Rand), then you won’t need to waste money converting your money to US Dollars or Euro and then back again when withdrawing.
Secondly, try to find bookmakers that accept payment methods you already use and have access to, like South Africa’s EFT system. Services like SiD Instant EFT, Easy EFT, and OZOW make it extremely easy to move money directly from your bank account to the betting site’s.
Safety & Trustworthiness
When you’re trusting your hard-earned cash with an online bookmaker, you need to make sure that they aren’t dodgy or untrustworthy. Because online betting isn’t as closely regulated in South Africa as it is in some other countries, shadier bookmakers can and do target South African punters.
Luckily, though, it isn’t that hard to spot the decent betting sites in the mix. For starters, online betting in South Africa is subject to laws, and there are local and international licenses to look out for.
In terms of international licenses, we recommend looking out for betting sites that have either a Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) betting license, or a Curacao eGaming license.
When it comes to local licensing, we go into a lot more detail about that below, but it’s important to know that most of South Africa’s best bookmakers are brands you already know and recognise, like Hollywoodbets. Some of our best brick-and-mortar bet shop chains have made the leap online, so you can place bets when on the move.
Sports Betting Suite
Once you know you can get your money into and out of a betting site, and that the bookmaker is trustworthy, you should take a look at the online betting features that the bookmaker offers.
The first thing to check out is whether the betting site runs bets on matches that you actually want to bet on. If you’re a huge Rugby fan, for example, but a betting site doesn’t put very much emphasis on rugby matches, or doesn’t feature a decent amount of betting markets on most rugby matches, then that probably isn’t the bookmaker for you.
Beyond that, we also recommend taking a look at their odds prices. Some bookmakers out there apply a much heftier profit margin on their prices than others, which means your winnings will be smaller than they would have been elsewhere.
Betting Bonus Offers & Promotions
The last thing to look at, if the betting site checks all your boxes so far, is their betting bonuses and promotions. Of course, a good sign-up bonus is always appreciated, and plenty of betting sites make themselves look as enticing as possible with these offers.
However, the team here at Sportsbetting24 recommends looking beyond just welcome bonuses. Promotions and offers for existing users are going to be the things that continue adding value to your betting experience over time.
Keep an eye out for event-specific promotions, especially around huge sporting events like the FIFA World Cup, English Premiere League, IPL, and more, as bookies who have plenty of these kinds of bonuses and promotions are likely to keep you happy for longer.
What Sports Can I Bet on?
Perhaps the best thing about online betting is that if you’ve heard of the sport, you can bet on it.
To be honest, though, that’s a little bit of an oversimplification. The truth is, not every betting site out there is great for every sport. Some bookmakers put a lot more resources into some sports than others, usually depending on the trends they see in their users’ behaviour.
This is why we’ve put together this list of the best betting sites for South Africa’s 5 most popular sports. If you’re looking to bet on any of these specific sports more than others, then we recommend sticking to this list:
| Sport | Best Betting Site |
| ⚽ Football | [select_bonuses object=”194″ bonus=”2123″] |
| 🏇 Horse Racing | [select_bonuses object=”193″ bonus=”2122″] |
| 🏉 Rugby Union | [select_bonuses object=”195″ bonus=”2121″] |
| 🎾 Tennis | [select_bonuses object=”174″ bonus=”2116″] |
| 🏏 Cricket | [select_bonuses object=”193″ bonus=”2122″] |
Payment Methods
We touched on this briefly when talking about how to find the right bookmaker for your needs, but punters need to be aware of all their payment options and limitations before committing to any one, specific betting site.
In some ways, betting deposits and withdrawals are easier in South Africa than in most other countries, and that’s because of the nation’s EFT (Electronic Fund Transfer) banking system. Bank transfers are much faster in South Africa than most of the rest of the world, and are renowned for being the safest payment option out there.
For example, plenty of the sites on our list of South Africa’s best betting sites accept payment methods like SiD Instant EFT, which makes betting deposits and withdrawals almost instant.
Of course, there are other options out there too, but each of them have their own pros and cons.
| Recommended Payment Methods for Betting in South Africa |
| SiD Instant EFT |
| OZOW |
| Bank Transfer |
| Credit / Debit Card |
Can I Bet in South African Rand?
This depends on the bookie you choose. Some bookies are local to SA and accept ZAR. This is the best option, in our opinion, as it’s the most straightforward and economical way to bet online.
However, a lot of international betting sites don’t accept South African Rand, so you’ll have to pay currency conversion fees. This isn’t a huge deal if you only place bets a few times a year on big matches, but if your online betting habits are a bit more regular than that, we don’t recommend throwing money away on currency conversion.
Mobile Betting Apps in South Africa
While plenty of South Africans complain that the country is behind the rest of the developed world in terms of access to technology and the internet, over 54% of South Africa’s population are currently mobile internet users. And this doesn’t include people who stick to using WiFi on their phones instead of mobile data.
Where we’re a little unfortunate is that mobile data is a lot more expensive for us than it is for people in some other countries. This is why we recommend sticking to local bookmakers if you think that you’ll be doing a lot of online betting on the go.
Local bookmakers are aware of the prohibitive cost of mobile data here, so they tend to design mobile sites and betting apps that use a lot less data than many of their more international competitors.
For example, one of the online bookmakers at the top of our list of South Africa’s best betting sites is Supabets. Supabets are based in South Africa and is run by a local team, which means they new to include a simple, but amazing feature. Supabets have a Data-Free mobile site, so punters can place their online bets without having to worry about their data limits or the cost!
💡 TIP! If you’re going to be doing most of your betting from your phone, take a look at our list of the best betting apps in South Africa!
Live Streaming on Betting Sites in ZA
If you’re into live betting, then you already know the value of being able to stream a match live as you decide on your bets. Being able to keep up with what’s going on in a match or race is the only real way to make smart, successful in-play bets.
However, there’s a catch. At the time of writing, none of the local online bookmakers have this feature. This means that your only options are international bookmakers that don’t accept South African Rand, at least for the time being.
This is how bookmakers like 1xBet, 22Bet, and Dafabet ended up being listed as some of SA’s best betting sites. While punters need to pay currency conversion fees, these international betting sites feature live broadcasts, completely for free.
Are Sports Betting Sites Legal in South Africa?
Yes, online betting is legal in South Africa, and all sports betting is regulated by the SA National Gambling Board. As long as a bookmaker is licensed in South Africa for online betting, then you have nothing to worry about.
Provincial Licensing Jurisdictions
The easiest way to see if a particular bookmaker is legal to use is to check to see if they have a South African sports betting license from one of the following provincial gambling boards:
- Eastern Cape Gambling and Betting Board
- Free State Gambling and Racing Board
- Gauteng Gambling Board
- KwaZulu-Natal Gambling and Racing Board
- Limpopo Gambling Board
- Mpumalanga Gambling Board
- North West Gambling Board
- Northern Cape Gambling Board
- Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board
International Remote Gaming Licenses
Unfortunately, not every betting site that’s licensed in South Africa is necessarily a great one. Of course, the government cracks down on certain shady practices, but there’s nothing illegal about offering a poor-value product.
This is one of the reasons we mentioned going for recognizable brands when we discussed how to find the best bookmaker for you. If you’re going to be using an international betting site, then you might also want to look at what other betting licenses they have, as this can tell you a lot about the bookmaker.
For example, if an international bookmaker has a UK Gambling Commission license or a license from the Government of Gibraltar, then you have nothing to worry about. This means that the bookmaker has to meet some of the world’s toughest conditions to keep their licenses, most of which are designed specifically to protect punters.
Responsible Gaming in ZA
One of the most important benefits of using a legal, licensed betting site (other than your personal and financial data’s safety) is that licensed online bookmakers in South Africa are required to make responsible gambling tools available for punters whose betting habits may be becoming problematic.
Betting Outside of South Africa
For those reading this outside of South Africa, we recommend finding your country (or nearest equivalent) in the table below:
Betting in South Africa
While betting online might be new to a lot of South African punters, it’s actually a lot easier than it looks! We recommend sticking to our experts’ list of SA’s best betting sites to make sure that your personal information and hard-earned cash is in safe hands, and you get decent value!
For anyone who’s brand new to online betting, we suggest you head to our South Africa betting site FAQs below.
Betting Sites in South Africa FAQs
What’s the best betting site in South Africa? 
We’re big fans of Hollywoodbets, as they know South African punters and what it is we need. However, we still recommend taking a look at our list of the best betting sites in South Africa, as we’re big believers in punters finding a site that meets all of their individual needs.
Is online betting legal in South Africa?
Yes, online sports betting is 100% legal in South Africa, as long as you stick to licensed and regulated bookmakers. The most important thing to look out for is whether betting sites are licensed by the South African government. If so, then you’re all set to get betting!
Can I bet online using South African Rand?
Yes, some betting sites accept South African Rand! Generally speaking, though, it’s mostly local online bookmakers who accept ZAR, though some international sites do too. Remember, though, it’s important to make sure you use a betting site payment method that also supports ZAR!
What’s the best football betting site?
Bet.co.za is our experts’ pick for SA’s best football betting site. Punters should always remember that betting sites focus on some sports more than others, so check out our list of the best betting sites by sport to see which bookmaker has the best offering for your favourite sport!
Can I use betting sites on my phone in South Africa?
Yes, mobile betting is available in South Africa. However, punters should be aware that some bookies have sites and apps that use up more data than others. We recommend looking at our guide to mobile betting in SA to find out which bookmaker offers a Data-Free mobile site!