SPORTS BETTING IN SA
For the latest news on Sports betting in South Africa see below where we review the very best sports books have to offer.
BEST SPORTS BETTING SITES IN SOUTH AFRICA
South African sports betting is 100 percent regulated and therefore legal.
South Africa has 9 substantial provinces, each with its own regulatory board for racing and sports betting. Sports betting brands need to get a license from one of these regulatory boards before offering sports betting services to South African citizens. Depending on the betting laws of each province, punters may have to pay taxes on their winnings.
HOLLYWOOD BETS
Hollywoodbets are clearly an all-time favourite bookie of many South Africa Punters with their progression from brick and mortar-based services to online betting.
They now offer online sport besting features with a valid license from the Gambling and Racing Board. Their online interface may not be the most polished of sites but let that not fool you, as the mobile betting experience is vastly superior to their desktop site.
They provide a fast user experience with a wide selection of sports, market options at highly competitive odds. Still on entertainment value, they provide several promotions including a R25 sign-up bonus for no deposit at all. It, however, falls short of some bonus offerings by major bookies in South Africa.
Other than that, the banking options are very wide, providing the punters with options such as VISA/Mastercard, EFT, instant EFT, Holly Top Up Voucher and 1 Voucher.
BETWAY
With a huge international footprint, Betway continue to impress and woo fans across the country. They are legally registered presently operates under the license of the Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board since their operation in 2017.
They offer a solid user experience by giving a well-designed interface with ease of navigation. They also offer a handful of promotions including the Betway R25 welcome bonus with favorable wagering terms among other promos on offer. Betway also offer an excellent variety of both sports and casino games, so there is something for everyone.
The banking options are also quite wide, offering the user the option of using Vouchers, EFT, MasterCard or VISA enabled cards and even the option of receiving withdrawals via e-wallet! One of the most popular deposit methods at Betway is 1Voucher, 1Voucher allows punters with out a bank account to make deposits and then request a voucher withdrawal.
SPORTINGBET.CO.ZA
It is a marvel to navigate through Sportingbet’s well-developed site using both desktop and mobile devices. There is a generous welcome bonus offer matched at 100% of the deposit amount up to a maximum of R2,000 with minimal wagering on the bonus.
The market and sports options are equally wide, and the punter will have enough choice. Likable features include the Build a Bet feature which allows players to combine some markets on the same match to build odds for a single match, and a cash out facility to settle bets before the matches finish. When it comes to money matters, Sportingbet offers a wide selection of options including 1Voucher, EFT, Instant EFT, and card options.
Sportingbet are also one of the first bookmakers in South Africa to offer fully legal online roulette games. These are a load of fun and a good addition to the Sportingbet Dream Catcher and the various other Betgames on offer.
SUNBET
Another big name in the local sports betting industry comes in the form of Sunbet. The bookmaker has a backing of the Sun Entertainment group and is legally registered with the Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board.
Sunbet are currently offering an exclusive bonus through Best Sports Betting, new punters who use promo BSB will get up to R1000 in free bets on their first deposit of R50 or more. You can claim this offer with the 100% deposit match bonus, which we discuss further below.
The bookie’s page features a blue and white colour palette, with remarkable user experience and well-designed features. The sports and market options are very wide, spoiling many punters with a good choice. Additionally, they provide a cash out feature to minimize on losses in the event of changing game circumstances.
Additionally, both android and iOS applications are available for download from the app store. Coming to bonuses, Sunbet also offer reasonably good bonuses with the top one being the 100% welcome bonus up to a maximum of R1,000.rd options
In terms of banking, the bookmaker offers the options of EFT, Instant EFT, Mastercard and VISA cards for making deposits and withdrawals. Sadly, the use of vouchers is not yet available with the bookie but is in the pipeline.
SUPABETS
The user interface is basic but nonetheless is very fast to browse through. The sports and market options are also very wide, giving punters much-required choice. The welcome bonus is where Supabets get superior over other bookies – they offer a whopping 100% matched bonus up to a maximum of R10,000.
Looking at banking, Supabets offer a reasonable amount of options for making transactions including options such as EFT, Instant EFT, vouchers, debit and credit cards
Licensing Conditions for South African Sport Betting
Each of the 9 licensing authorities for sports betting in South Africa were created to oversee the different aspects of online and land-based punting in their respective provinces.
The 9 boards were tasked with the functions of:
- Issuing gambling licenses to prospective licensees and renewing existing licenses
- Collecting revenue accrued through taxes, if any, from gambling
- Ensuring conformance by licensees to the regulations laid down
For an operator to obtain a sports betting or bookmaking license from a licensing authority, there are certain conditions laid down by the licensing authority that the operator must fulfill.
An operator looking for a license from a Gambling and Racing Board, must comply with extensive terms and conditions, some of which are listed below:
- Any operator needs at least one of a few kinds of licenses – route operator license, site license, supplier license, etc. – to be able to launch sports betting or bookmaking operations.
- Prospective operators have to prove qualification for license approval before he can be granted one.
- Any permit, licensing, approval, registration, or authorization by the Gambling board is revocable subject to the terms and conditions laid down by the gambling board. These include providing of false information, failure to furnish full and accurate information, breach of conditions laid down by the board, and more.
- Prior to approval of license, the Gambling boards ‘s CEO will publish specific information regarding the prospective licensee in the Provincial Gazette or one of the many other approved print media houses for comments/objections. The license may be granted only if no objections are received. A copy of this is also provided to the relevant local authorities. Any objections or comments have to be sent to the board within 21 days of publication of the notification.
- The board may, at its discretion, provide a specific period of time in which to rectify any circumstances in his application that may have been cause for disqualification.
- An operator may submit for withdrawal of the licensing application only prior to the approval of the said application.
- Once an operator receives an approved license, they have to mandatorily pay the taxes attached to operating a bookmaking or sports betting operation in the province under the laws of the Gambling board.
- The board may, at its sole discretion, terminate an existing license of an operator if he is found to be in contravention or breach of the terms attached to using the license provided for sports betting or bookmaking activities.