Sportsbetting South Africa – Best Online Sports Betting Bookmakers

We want to welcome you on our page packed with info related to South Africa Sportsbetting. If you have any questions about online sports betting we have all the answers for you. It doesn’t matter if you are new or a regular player, on this page you find the best bookmakers, bonuses, step by step info and all betting options in South Africa.

All international sport events started again after a crazy COVID-19 period. And South African sports betting sites want to welcome you to bet on your favorite sports. This could be the best time to start betting on sports because we have some great bookmakers with generous welcome bonuses waiting for you.

All Licensed Sportsbetting sites in South Africa 2024

We want to give our visitors a full gambling and sports betting guide. That is why we also give you a full list with all licensed sportsbetting sites in South Africa. We only show you the sites that have a valid license in the Rainbow Nation.

Do you want to try a few sports bets?

Choose a sportsbetting site from underneath overview. Click on the button or bookmaker logo and we open the bookmaker for you. When you open an account we activate the available sports betting bonuses for you. Within a few minutes you are ready to place a first sports bet.

Table of content

  • Introduction
  • What is sports betting?
  • How to choose a betting site
  • Legislation
  • Licensing
  • How does it work?
  • How to get started

Introduction Online Sports Betting SA

Across the world millions of people bet on sports. In South Africa sports betting is also very popular. A huge amount of players bet on sports on a weekly base. There are betting shops all over the country but now you can also bet on the internet. And online sports betting is 100% legal in South Africa. Ok, there are only a few sites that have a sportsbetting license but these sites are reliable and easy to use.

Want to play casino games? In that case we recommend you to choose a South Africa online casino here.

Still a lot of South Africans bet in local stores. But why would you travel to a betting shop when you have all betting options available on the internet. Online sports betting is safe because you don’t have to walk the streets with a lot of money when you hit a winning bet. And online you find a lot more betting options than at local betting shops.

Online sportsbetting is a bit the same as online shopping. You visit a site, you choose a bet and you deposit money in order to settle the bet. When your bet is correct you win your bet value multiplied by the odds you have chosen.

Payments are easy to make and at online bookmakers you don’t have to pay any transaction fees. This is sportsbetting in a nutshell. Now it is time to give you more detailed information.

What is Online Sportsbetting?

Online Sportsbetting is exactly what i says. At an online website you can place bets on sport events. Bets can be placed on a desktop, smartphone, tablet and even on a smart tv.

You have to place bets with a certain bet value. When your bet is correct you win an amount of money.

The win amount depends on your bet value and the odds. You accumulate the odds with your bet value. When all bets are correct you win all the money.

Online sportsbetting includes a lot of betting options. A lot more than you can find at local betting shops. Odds are often better online because online bookmakers have lower cost.

How to choose a betting site in South Africa

At the moment there are only a few licensed betting sites available in South Africa. So it is not that hard to choose a betting site that fits your needs. The industry is growing but the number of licensed bookmakers is still relative low.

For you as a player there is not a lot to choose from. This should not be a problem because the available bookmakers are reliable and they offer you all kind of betting options.

Each betting sites has advantages and disadvantages. It is up to you what you are looking for. You can look at a few key points when you have to choose between a few different betting sites. Important things you may have to look at are:

  • Available bonuses
  • Sports you can bet on
  • Payment options
  • Customer service
  • Does the bookmaker also offer casino games?
  • Available betting options
Don’t play at unlicensed bookmakers!

There are a number of online sportsbetting sites in South Africa without a license. Don’t play at these betting sites because we can’t guarantee you safe and reliable betting. Unlicensed betting sites often give you interesting bonuses but when you want to withdraw your money you are not able to do it. Or you might lose your winnings because of unacceptable bonus terms and conditions

We recommend you to look at the following considerations when you decide you want to bet on sports on the internet

  1. Are there bets available on a wide range of sports world-wide?
  2. Can you bet on your favorite event, competition or players?
  3. Is there an interesting bonus available for new players?
  4. Does the website of the bookmaker run smoothly on a mobile phone and tablet?
  5. Is there a 24/7 customer support desk available?
  6. Is the bookmaker reliable and trustworthy?
  7. Are my favorite payment methods available?

Legislation & Legal Situation related to online Sportsbetting in South Africa

The legal situation in South Africa is a bit complicated. Gambling has been legalized in 1994. This doesn’t mean that all forms of online gambling are legal in South Africa. It is a bit vague to which law each section belongs to.

Maybe underneath timeline can help us a bit in the confusing situation in the Rainbow nation. The last 30 years a lot changed in the country. These are the main changes.

  • 1965 –> All gambling, except horse betting, banned by the Gambling Act.
  • 1994 –> Most forms of gambling legalized
  • 1996 –> The SA Gambling Act brings national lottery and casinos and new regulations to the country
  • 2004 –> Online slots and casino games banned, Online Sports betting is still legal
  • 2010 –> Sites that are not located in South Africa are now prohibited. Still online sportsbetting stays legal in the country

Sportsbetting is still fuly legal as you can see in the above timeline. Or let’s say it a bit different. There is no law that prohibits South African players from online sports betting. A site fully focussed on sports betting is legal in the Rainbow nation, sites with casino games and sports betting are prohibited.

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Gambling License South Africa

In South Africa the main authority for online gambling is the National Gambling Board. they try to regulate the countries gambling industry in a proper way. Each province in the country has its own sub division of the National Gambling Board.

All South African citizens are able to place legal bet on sport events on the internet. They are allowed to do that when a betting site is registered for a license under any of the 9 sub divisions.

At the moment the following 9 gambling boards are active in South Africa

  • Eastern Cape Gambling Board
  • Free State Gambling and Liquor Authority
  • Gauteng Gambling Board
  • KwaZulu-Natal Gaming and Betting Board
  • Limpopo Gambling Board
  • Mpumalanga Economic Regulator
  • North West Gambling Board
  • Northern Cape Gambling Board
  • Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board

Does a betting site have a license of one of these gambling boards? In that case you can place safe and reliable bets at the betting site.

How Does Sportsbetting work?

Not everyone is familiar with how sports betting works, but the basics are fairly easy. During sportsbetting people place a wager (a bet in money) on the outcome of a sports event. This can be a football match or a tennis tournament, but also a non-athletic event such as national elections, horse racing or local events in Souh Africa.

Depending on the sport or event people will be able to bet on a few things, tens of factors or maybe even hundreds of things that can happen during an event. For example; during football you can bet on the winner, the standings during the break, the amount of cards, the amount of goals, the first corner or the first goalscorer. There are over hundred betting options for each event or game.

When you have a good prediction you win money at the betting site.

In South Africa betting on sports is super popular. Millions of people place sportsbets every week. The average bet value is relative low in South Africa, when we compare it with countries from Europe.

What are odds and how do they work?

When you want to bet money on sports then you need to find a bet you like, and have a look at the odds. The higher the odds the higher your return (winnings) will be. Most of the times high risks bets have high odds. With these bets you have a smaller chance of winning, but when you win, the amount of money you win will be a lot higher.

When for example a very good team plays against a less good team then the odds of winning will be in favour of the good team. When you bet on that team, you have a good chance of winning. But when they win, the return will not be very spectacular.

When you place a bet you can most of the times also combine multiple bets in one betslip. By doing this you can turn a few bets with low odds into one bet with a higher risk profile, but a way higher return rate.

Most events have different odds at different bookmakers. Because of this it can be interesting to have an account at multiple bookmakers. Why? Because then you will be able to place a bet a the bookmaker that offers the best odds for your bet.

While browsing odds at an online bookmaker you will most of the times see a decimal odds (European) or fractional odds (United Kingdom). Decimal odds are the ratio of the full payout in reference to the stake, in a decimal format. When you place a bet at odds of 2.00 you will place an even bet. Why? You will win 1 time your stake when the bet holds up. When you bet R200 you will win R400 when your bet is correct. Yout bet value needs to be deducted from the win, so you win R200

If you find fractional odds on a website you will need to work a bit different. Fractional odds are British and show the ratio of the amount won to the stake. This means a 1/1 bet means you are placing an even bet. When you bet a 3/1 bet you will win R300 for every R100 you bet.

How to get started with sportsbetting in South Africa

When you decided you want to bet on sports you can make the next step. There are a few relative simple steps you have to take before you can place your first bet. Of course there are also a few requirements for sportsbetting in South Africa. Before I am going to give you a step by step guide through the world of sportsbetting you need to look at the minimum requirements:

  • Are you 18 years or older?
  • Do you have a valid address in South Africa?
  • Is your device suitable to bet on sports? You need to have Windows/MAC/Linux or a mobile phone with iOS or Android
  • Do you have an internet connection?
  • Is there money available on your bank account? And can you transfer this money with online banking?

When you meet these requirements you are ready to make the next step. In order to get started you have to follow underneath steps:

  1. Choose a licensed sportsbetting site
  2. Register a free account
  3. Make a real money deposit
  4. Choose a sport or event
  5. Place your first bet
  6. Wait for the result
  7. Withdraw your winnings

Step 1 –> Choose a licensed sportsbetting site

Before you can place bets you have to choose a betting site with a valid gambling license in South Africa. Please do choose a licensed bookmaker because we can only guarantee reliable gambling when you choose a bookmaker with a South African Gambling license.

All bookmakers listed on this page have a valid license.

Step 2 –> Register a free account

Without an account it is impossible to place bets in South Africa. So before you are able to place a real money bet on sports you need to register an account. It is pretty easy to register an account. It only takes a few simple steps. I think it will cost up till 5 minutes before you are ready to place your first bet.

Follow these steps when you want to register an account at a sportsbetting site in South Africa:

  1. Open an internet browser
  2. Visit the sportsbetting site (or click on a link on our website to open the site of your choice)
  3. Find the “Register” or “Sign up” button on the website. Click on this button
  4. Enter your personal details. Provide correct deals because you are not able to withdraw winnings when you use fake information. And the bookmaker will close your account.
  5. Create a unique password and username. You have to use this info in the future when you want to login on the betting site.
  6. Accept the terms and conditions before you are able to register the new account
  7. Verify your registration by email or text message. Click on a validation link and your account will be activated.
  8. Login to your new account.

Step 3 –> Make a real money deposit

There are bookmakers that offer you a No deposit bonus in South Africa, when you use this bonus you don’t have to deposit money in to your account. In most cases you do have to deposit money in to your account before you are able to place a bet on sports.

It is easy to deposit money in to your new account. Choose a payment method you are common with and decide how much money you like to deposit. Popular payment methods at South Africa are:


  • Instant EFT

  • Mastercard / VISA

  • Wire Transfer

  • Kazang

  • 1Voucher

Of course there are more payment methods available at most bookmakers. The most used payment method in South Africa is Instant EFT. It is safe, fast and free of charge. This payment method works with 99% of all South African banks.

It is pretty easy to deposit money in to your casino account. Follow underneath steps:

  1. Login to your betting account
  2. Open the “deposit” or “banking” section (in your account)
  3. Choose a payment method
  4. Enter your deposit amount
  5. Select a bonus (when available)
  6. Finish the payment
  7. The money is added to your account instantly
  8. You are now ready to place a bet
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