Best Sports Betting Sites in South Africa
Demand for sports betting sites has increased tenfold in South Africa. This is unsurprising, given that revenue from betting in South Africa grew by 2 billion ZAR between 2016 to 2021 and shows no signs of slowing down. It’s now estimated that more than 50% of South African adults bet on online sports betting sites.
There’s no doubt that the introduction of sports betting sites has led to the jaw-dropping figures above. With so many online sportsbooks in South Africa, it is easier than ever to bet on your mobile phone and win big.
In this guide, we look at the best sportsbooks in South Africa, examining each one’s bonus offers, betting markets, payment methods, customer service, and much more. Stay on this page to learn more about sports betting in ZA and find some great sportsbooks to gamble at.
Most Popular Sports Betting Sites in South Africa 2023
What are Sports Betting Sites?
Sports betting sites are online bookies that take bets on the outcomes of sporting events. If you predict the correct outcome, the sportsbook pays you, and the size of your winnings depends on the bet odds. Bets with low probabilities pay out higher winnings than bets with high chances of occurring.
Since everything today is digital, online bettors in South Africa are no longer restricted to one or two betting sites. Hundreds of sportsbooks are available, with both new and established sites accepting bets from South African players.
No two online sportsbooks are the same, and it is essential that you choose a safe and licensed one to make bets at. This will guarantee you get your money if you’re lucky enough to win.
How We Rank The Best South African Betting Sites
Ease of Use
A sportsbook needs to be easy to use with a user-friendly design. It should also load fast, and there should be a convenient section explaining betting terms and different types of sports bets clearly and concisely.
Safety and Security
The best online sportsbooks have top-notch security standards that protect bettors’ personal and financial information from fraudulent activity. Security measures include secure sockets layer (SSL) encryption, which protects credit card details and other sensitive data, regular testing of the site’s software and applications and intrusion detection systems that monitor the network traffic around the clock. Sports betting sites that use sufficient encryption technology are usually certified, and you can find information about their certificates on their sites.
Bonuses and Promotions
A sports betting bonus is highly beneficial to new customers because it allows them to get a feel for the sportsbook and how it works without spending their own money. Even regular bettors prefer sites that offer exciting bonuses and promotions. Sportsbooks are perfect for promotions since they can be tailored to current tournaments and exciting upcoming events. The best betting apps deliver bonuses that have clear conditions.
Reputation
There are plenty of ways to gauge a site’s reputation. You can read reviews and comments, visit trust websites, and speak to other sports bettors who bet online. At BestSouthAfricaCasinos, we look at the whole picture when we analyse a site’s reputation. We consider the capacity of the sportsbook to pay out big wins, the reputations of other online gambling platforms linked to the sportsbooks, and the betting spreads they offer.
Odds
Anyone who places bets wants to win money, and the profit should be as big as possible. The odds indicate the payout potential of a bet. In the simplest terms, you multiply your bet by the odds to calculate your winnings. The higher the odds, the less chance you’ll win, but the higher your winnings will be if you do. Online betting odds differ from one sportsbook to the next. We choose the best sportsbooks based on their betting odds across popular South African betting markets.
Fast and Easy Payment Methods
What good is a sportsbook if depositing or withdrawing your money is a hassle? We only recommend betting sites that offer quick and easy payments via South African’s preferred payment providers. Sportsbooks that support Visa, Mastercard, EFTs, virtual wallets, and cryptocurrencies top our lists of recommendations. We also examine any fees that sites apply to popular payment methods to determine whether they are reasonable or not.
Customer Support
When money is involved, you want world-class customer service. You can be sure that we test the customer support service at each online betting site before we rate them. The sites deliver support on various communication channels, including live chat, email, and phone. Most have them supply detailed FAQ and Sport Help sections that answer many sports betting-related questions.
Mobile Compatibility
Most South Africans have access to a smartphone or tablet. The world of sports betting is now more mobile than ever, making it easy to place our bets wherever we are. We test the mobile compatibility of each online sports betting site on various mobile platforms. Since most mobile devices use the Android or iOS operating systems, we focus mainly on these. We pay close attention to mobile sportsbooks' design, user-friendliness, and functionality.
Unique Features
A superior online sports betting site usually offers live betting and unique features. Live betting, also known as in-play betting, is the ability to place bets during an event, taking the thrill up a notch or two. The 'cashout' feature, supported by a few sites, allows bettors to cancel their bets and secure their winnings ahead of time. Another feature offered at some of the best sportsbooks in SA is live streaming. At these sites, you can watch the game in real time as it unfolds as long as you are a registered, active user.
Licensing and Legislation
Whether online betting sites offer good odds and sports betting bonuses doesn’t make much difference if they aren’t correctly licensed. You must always check a sportsbook’s licence to ensure it is safe and trustworthy. We cross-reference the licences of all sportsbooks with the gambling authorities that regulate them to ensure that the licences are legit. Fraudulent sites don’t make it past our checks.
How To Choose The Best South African Betting Site
How to Sign Up at the Top Sports Betting Site in South Africa
To place bets with online South African betting sites, you need to register with the site. Fortunately, the best sportsbooks don’t make you jump through hoops when signing up for an account; the registration process is pretty simple.
- Find a casino from our list of the best sports betting site and click on the link to visit the site.
- Select ‘sign up’ on the homepage.
- Enter your details and click enter.
- You should now have an account! You may need to enter further details such as ID to prove your age and residence. Once you’ve done that, you can start betting!
Most Popular Betting Markets in South Africa
The demand for South African betting sites is high. This is especially true when major sporting events are on the agenda, such as World Cup events, major Champion’s Leagues, and global sporting events like the Olympic Games.
Once you’ve decided the event you want to bet on, you can choose a betting market. A betting market is a category of bets within a specific sport or event. For example, suppose that South Africa plays a rugby match against New Zealand. The betting markets will be all betting possibilities related to this match: the winning team, tries scored, conversions, final score, the number of yellow cards, and the number of penalties conceded, to mention a few.
The same is true for any sporting event. You can bet on almost any outcome that you can imagine. So, it’s up to you to bet at online sports betting sites that cater to your preferred betting market.
Sports betting sites don’t just limit you to betting on sports events. You can bet on the outcome of many different events at the best betting sites, such as the Oscars, political elections, and reality television series winners.
Rugby
In SA, the most common Rugby Union games to bet on are Super Rugby, Six Nations, and Pro 14. Since the Springboks were added to the United Rugby Championship line-up, betting on these matches has also become popular. These are some of South Africa’s favourite betting markets for Rugby:
- Match Result: bet on which team wins or loses.
- Halftime/Fulltime: this is a double bet that lets you bet on the winning team at half time and the winning team at full time. You need to get both correct to win the bet.
- Over/Under: bet on the total points scored.
Football
Most South Africans who bet on soccer follow overseas teams in addition to our very own Bafana Bafana. Famous tournaments include the FIFA World Cup, UEFA European Championship, Copa America, FIFA Club World Cup, UEFA Champions League, EUFA Europa League, the FA Cup, and the African Cup of Nations. Bettors tend to choose one of the following betting markets, although there are many more:
- Match Result
- Overall Winner
- Over/Under
- Both Teams to Score
- Goal Scorers
Horse Racing
Horse racing is huge in SA. Two of the South African calendar's most prestigious events are focused on the sport: The Durban July and the J&B Met. But for most horse racing enthusiasts, the sport isn’t about getting glammed up for glitzy events – it’s about making money on your favourite horses. Ways to bet on horses include:
- Winner: bet on a horse to finish first.
- Place: bet on a horse to finish first or second.
- Show: bet on a horse to finish in the top three.
- Each Way: bet on a horse to win or finish in the top 3.
Cricket
Cricket has been one of the most highly acclaimed sports in SA for as long as anyone can remember. We can usually count on the Proteas to do us proud in internationals. Betting on the Indian Premier League has also become common amongst SA bettors. The most popular types of bets for international and local cricket events are:
- Match Result
- Tie result
- Team with Top Batter
- Top Bowler
- Any Player to Score a Milestone
- Coin Toss
Golf
Some of the most famous tournaments you can bet on in Golf are The Masters, Travelers Championship, the PGA Championship, The US Open, PGA Championship, the Ruder Cup, Open Championship, and the US Masters. The most prominent bet in golf is to bet on an outright winner. Most sports betting sites will show you your possible winnings for any given bet size.
Esports
In the case of Esports, the term betting market refers to individual tournaments. Do individual players or teams play against each other? Are there direct duels? Are there multiple rounds? The answers vary from one eSports game to another, and each additional element adds a betting market to the fold. Here are a few Esports that get plenty of betting attention:
- Counter-Strike: GO (CS: GO)
- Dota 2
- Call of Duty (COD)
- League of Legends (LOL)
- StarCraft
- Rainbow Six
Common Payment Methods at Sportsbooks
There are many different ways to deposit money for bets at the best online betting sites since most accept a selection of payment methods. The most conventional method is bank transfer, but other popular deposit and withdrawal methods include credit cards and debit cards. E-wallets are also gaining notoriety, as is cryptocurrency.
We recommend using cryptocurrency or e-wallets like PayPal for the fastest withdrawal times. Using these will ensure money from your winning bets is yours within 48 hours.
Credit and Debit Cards
Credit and debit cards are still the most popular methods of payment for online transactions in South Africa. SA bettors are familiar with card payments and recognise them as safe and secure. Visa, Mastercard, and American Express are the most commonly used credit and debit cards in SA. The fees are typically low to zero, deposits are instant, and withdrawal timeframes range between one and five business days.
E-Wallets
It’s not every day that you come across an online betting site that doesn’t support at least one of the most popular virtual wallets in SA: Skrill, Neteller, PayPal, or ecoPayz. Virtual wallets, or e-wallets, are popular because they have high transaction limits and fast deposit and withdrawal timeframes. Virtual wallets also offer additional levels of privacy: betting transactions don’t reflect on your bank statements, and you don’t have to supply online betting sites with your debit or credit card details. Fees for deposits and withdrawals to and from sportsbooks are typically free. However, be aware that there are fees for depositing and withdrawing funds to and from your e-wallet.
Google Pay
Google pay, also known as G Pay, is a convenient type of e-wallet that lets you make and receive payments with only a few clicks while providing high-level security. To use Google Pay, you need to connect it to other payment methods, such as debit or credit cards. You can then use the G Pay application on your phone to make payments from those accounts. While this method isn’t prevalent in SA, it has a decent following in some other countries because of the extra security layers that Google Pay adds to online transactions.
Apple Pay
Apple Pay is similar to Google Pay; you need to link it to your existing financial accounts to use it for deposits and withdrawals. Additionally, you must be a registered Apple user and own an Apple device such as an iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch. The Apple Pay application is convenient for many users familiar with Apple products because it allows them to make transactions without memorising login details or passwords. They use their Touch ID fingerprint to process secure online payments.
Cryptocurrency
Some of the best online betting sites in SA now support cryptocurrency deposits, withdrawals, and bets. Transactions with cryptocurrency are similar to transactions with an e-wallet. You top up your crypto wallet with cryptocurrency and then use the crypto to deposit at betting sites. You can also withdraw your crypto winnings from the betting site to your crypto wallet. The main difference is that you’re betting with cryptocurrency instead of fiat currency. Popular cryptocurrency wallets in South Africa are Coinbase, Exodus, Luno, Nano X, and Trezor One.
Pros and Cons: Sports Betting Sites
Online betting is excellent because you can bet whenever you want and wherever you are, as long as you have an internet connection. Online betting is fast and easy, and since in-play betting has become commonplace at many sites, it has overtaken land-based betting. However, there are advantages and disadvantages of online betting to consider, which you can find below.Pros
- You can bet on sports any time of the day since online sports betting sites are always open
- Large sports betting sites offer higher payouts thanks to the number of bettors
- You don’t have to visit a physical sports betting venue or bookie to place bets
- Online betting sites offer some of the best odds and margins available in sports betting
- You can bet on a wider range of sports and betting markets online
Cons
- You need to be in an area with an internet signal to place sports bets online
- There may be transaction fees on deposits or withdrawals to or from the betting sites
- Your winnings may not be transferred to your bank account, credit card, or virtual wallet instantly
- You need to be vigilant to avoid getting scammed by fraudulent betting sites
- The betting site could have hidden terms and conditions
Sign Up at the Best South African Sportsbook Here
Now you know everything you need to know about sports betting sites in South Africa, all that’s left to do is sign up at one of the best. Fortunately for you, we’ve gathered all of the top sports betting sites in one place, and you can choose the one you like the look of from the list above.
So, what are you waiting for? Sign up, make a bet, and cross your fingers that you win! Good luck!
FAQs: Sports Betting Websites in ZA
What are the top betting sites in South Africa today?
Top betting sites in SA include Betway, Sportingbet, 1XBet, and many more. You could play at any betting sites recommended on this page and enjoy a secure experience. These sites offer competitive odds and margins on a wide range of sports and events. However, the best betting site for you will depend on the sports and betting markets you prefer. For instance, site 'A' may offer higher cricket odds but site 'B' might offer higher soccer odds. A cricket fan should bet with site 'A' while a soccer fan should bet with site 'B'.
Is online betting legal in South Africa?
Online betting is legal in South Africa if you are betting at an online sportsbook operator licensed by the National Gambling Board (NGB) or one of its regional offices. A licensed operator has to apply for a licence with the NGB to operate in South Africa and pay a board fee for the licence.
How does online sports betting work?
Online sports betting works the same way as betting on sports at a land-based venue or with a regular bookie. You predict an event's outcome and stake real money on your prediction. If you predict the outcome correctly, you get your bet back plus additional winnings. If you don’t predict the outcome correctly, the online betting site will keep your bet and use it to pay the bettors who did predict the correct result.
Is online sports betting safe?
Yes, online sports betting is safe if you take proper precautions. You should only bet at online sportsbooks with stellar reputations and reputable licences. Trusted sports betting licences come from respected gambling regulators such as the Malta Gaming Authority and the UK Gambling Commission.
Can I bet on sports online?
Yes. Sports betting is becoming more popular in South Africa every day. To bet on sports, you must choose a site, sign up, deposit some money into your sportsbook account or claim a bonus, and start betting. Choose any sportsbooks recommended on this site to begin your betting journey.
How long before an event can I place a bet?
This depends on the sportsbook. Every sportsbook sets its own window periods for betting to take place. Some sports betting sites open the betting window a month before an event takes place and let you place bets up until the last second before the event begins. If the site supports in-play betting, you can continue placing bets while the event is in full swing.
Can I win real money on betting sites?
Yes, you can. The betting sites that we recommend only deal with real money bets. Whenever you place a bet at these sites, you will win real money if you predict the outcome correctly and lose real money if you predict the incorrect outcome. The higher the odds are, the more real money you can win.