South Africa

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South Africa

Very warm welcome to the ultimate book on how to gamble online in South Africa. Below is a catalog of the finest South African sports betting destinations where you can engage in “football” or “rugby” gambling.

We provide details on the best betting firms that are running in SA, guide you on how to deposit into your account and everything else needed for a start at South African betting site

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Best Betting Sites in South Africa

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Flag of South Africa

An intermingled attitude towards online gambling has been adopted by South Africa. In the year 2004, a federal law dubbed as the National Gambling Act made all games within the wider industry illegal. This incorporated the provision of games and their actual play. The situation was reaffirmed in 2010 when a High Court ruling concluded that any game provided by offshore companies were also illegal.

This ban does not include wagering on horse racing or online sportsbooks. Betting online is allowed in several firms, whether domestic or foreign and it’s within the law. Gambling and racing boards of the nine provinces are responsible for granting all online permits in South Africa, with that of Western Cape Gambling and Racing board being the largest.

Horse Racing in South Africa

Horse racing was the only legal form of betting in South Africa from 1965. Even now, wealthy South Africans go to Johannesburg and Durban for big races like the Summer Cup and the Durban July, which are held at ten major tracks around South Africa. Other forms of gambling were not allowed by law except underground ones in South Africa.

This happened in 1994, when the first post-apartheid government was elected and voted to legalize all forms of betting activities. It started on the second day of March, 2000 with the first lottery draw being done then followed by sports betting and other related activities in 2004. Nowadays there are hundreds of betting shops in South Africa and many more outlets offering pari-mutuel betting.

The National Gambling Board regulates sports betting in South Africa, like all other legal gambling activities. It recorded a 71.3% increase, the highest among gaming categories in terms of total income for 2012 and this implied an overall surge of 566% between 2008 and 2012.

Horse racing is the second largest market, behind football betting. Additionally, virtual sports saw a significant boom in 2020 when traditional sporting activities were halted because of COVID.

Only Sports Betting is Legal

No, it’s not true that sports betting in South Africa is illegal. Contrarily, numerous forms of gambling are outlawed except for sports betting which has no limitations like rugby betting as well as cricket betting.

The National Gaming Board clarified the controversy surrounding some South African casino games and made it clear as crystal that sports betting is completely legal. It was quoted saying: “The NGB wishes to make it emphatically clear that the answer to whether online or interactive gambling is legal in South Africa, is a simple and unequivocal NO with the exception of online sports betting.”

Wooden gavel and map of South Africa

Accessing the Best South African Betting Sites

While most betting sites offer English, no betting site apart from the domestic South African ones provides for the Afrikaans language. The same case applies to rand since one cannot hold balances or make bets in South Africa’s official currency in non-South African websites.

To this regard, it is essential for players (like you) to find the finest web-based gambling spots in South Africa. Among the popular destinations for live and pre-match betting are Sunbet, Betway, Sportingbet and Hollywoodbets. Here is a little more about them:

Hollywoodbets

Another name for the famous Hollywoodbets, Hollywood Sportsbook is one of the leading brands in South Africa employing more than 5k workforce, operating in the UK, Ireland and Mozambique. They offer horse race and soccer betting tips for a special touch.

Betway

Betway is another major brand globally recognised for online betting in South Africa. The leading soccer betting app on Betway and competitive odds on annual events such as Six Nations, Super Rugby betting are some of the reasons why many sports bettors choose to place their bets on this platform.

Sportingbet

Sportingbet has become one of South Africa’s leading bookmakers because of a lot of virtual games available for players, new customers benefit from bonuses on deposits, enhanced odds and referral bonuses. And if you are a mobile gambler who likes betting big time, be sure to try out the sportsbook app.

Sunbet

Sunbet, though not as internationally recognized as some of the other sites we have suggested, is a South African betting site that has a lot to offer including; rugby, horse racing and e-sport betting markets. Go to their blog for the newest cricket betting tips and football betting tips.

South Africa fan playing vuvuzela

Depositing at Sports Betting Sites in South Africa

It is possible to deposit in Rand (ZAR) and have the amount changed into US dollars or Euros or any other major currency, but the worth of your account between deposits and withdrawals may change slightly as a result of exchange rates.

In South Africa, many sports bettors find e-wallets the most convenient way of depositing and withdrawing money. That is why online payment companies such as them make it easier for you to transact both your deposits and withdrawals among various sites, so that they can be done promptly and cheaply.

NETELLER cards and Skrill are among the market leaders in South Africa today. In addition to that, visa and MasterCard are also acceptable although MasterCard does not process withdrawals sometimes necessitating cheque or bank transfers.

Here are some of South Africa’s most popular payment methods:

Credit and Debit Cards

Debit and credit payments are methods that we know to deposit our money on South African bookmaker sites. All the major South African banks such as First Rand Ltd, Standard Bank Group Ltd accept both withdrawals and deposits. E-payments take shorter time to process cash outs compared to regular withdrawals which normally last several days.

Skrill

In South Africa, Skrill is widely accepted for making a large variety of payments and transferring money. Many of the best South African sports betting sites include it in their payment options. However, you need to log in using your username and password like any other regular betting site which makes it easy and fast to deposit funds into your account.

NETELLER

NETELLER is the bigger variety of ecoPayz; most South African gambling sites are characterized by fast and easy e-payments with NETELLER. Besides, payment in international transactions is common, which makes NETELLER easily accessible whether you play at your local site or elsewhere in Europe.

Bitcoin

Bitcoin sport betting is not a new idea at all, as it has started becoming more conventional and hence available on most of South Africa’s top online sportsbook. However, apart from bitcoin, the most popular cryptocurrency in online gambling today, other options include Ethereum or Litecoin to deposit with.

The Best Sports Betting Apps for South Africans

A huge number of players in South Africa prefer to bet online these days and this is a modern trend. Due to the fact that only sport gambling is allowed with most people placing their in-play bets on mobile phones, it makes the statement true.

The Android has the more accepted product for mobile betting with nearly 90% of the customer base, so if you’re an Android user this puts you at a head start. If you are a regular visitor to the same website, it might be prudent to download a sports betting app.

However, if you fancy not having any apps on your phone, you can still access the same sites through your mobile browser. For the most part, South African betting sites have made their websites compatible with mobile devices so that when one uses his phone or tablet to visit them, they adjusts themselves to enable smooth navigation.

Taxation for South African Sports Bettors

It is as of May 2012 that winnings from betting for leisure are not liable to income tax, the safest thing always being to disclose winnings to SARS as non-taxable income. However, if you are a professional gambler, depending on whether gambling is your main source of livelihood or not, you will be taxed. But generally, you won’t have to pay taxes on any money won in gambling

Bettors are subject to a tax rate of 6% value added tax (VAT) cut off on all horse racing winnings.

South Africa celebrating 2019 Rugby World Cup win

The Most Popular Sports for Betting in SA

South Africans are a nation of sport lovers. This automatically makes South Africa’s sports betting industry one of the most thriving in Africa. Below are some of the most bet on sports:

Football

When international fans think about football in South Africa, they are reminded of vuvuzelas. The African traditional instrument that is used for the most part in South African football games really grabbed a lot of attention when South Africa hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup and managed to draw against Mexico and beat two-time world cup Champions France.

The DStv Premiership, formerly the South African Premier Division, is a competitive league which has been in existence since 1996. You can place wagers at any leading South African betting site on either the domestic competitions or the international leagues such as English Premier League and La Liga.

Rugby

Regarding placing bets on rugby in South Africa, there is a plethora of activities to choose from starting with betting on the Rugby World Cup or Super Rugby. However, it should be remembered that South African teams such as the Sharks, Stormers and Bulls have also triumphed in this tournament alongside other victorious sides from Australia and New Zealand. Furthermore, if you are interested, gambling can be done for events like Six Nations and Rugby Championship too.

South Africa won three World Cups (1995, 2007, 2019) in terms of the national team. They have Tyrone Green and Aphelele Fassi with Lyle Hendricks being the second generation of rising stars; therefore South Africa is expected to be among the leading contenders in France for Rugby World Cup 2023.

Cricket

South Africa’s national cricket team always vies for top positions in the ICC rankings, not without a good reason. The Proteas are past ICC Champions Trophy winners and have reached semi-finals eight times in all major international events like the ICC T20 World Cup, ICC Champions Trophy and Cricket World Cup.

The controversy moments have never dampened the passion for cricket in the country and therefore you can start staking on the local action of Mzansi Super League which was introduced in 2018.

Horse Racing

South African gambling sites are popular all over the world for horse racing. Horse racing has been the most preferred sport for gambling in this country up to recent past. These include Turffontein’s Summer Cup and 29 Grade 1 races held annually with eight beautiful tracks that can be seen as reasons why many of you attach a lot of significance to betting on horse racing.

To bet on the biggest races in South Africa plus international ones such as Kentucky Derby and Dubai World Cup can be done.

The Future of Sports Betting in South Africa

The Act of 2008 attempted the creation of lawful internet betting in South Africa besides encountering opposition from anti-gambling organizations and physical casinos. Furthermore, Sports gambling is allowed in South Africa as per the National Gambling Board.

As long as sports betting is legal, the country’s gambling laws dictate which companies can advertise because many international sites have interests in casino and poker. The online landscape in South Africa may change during the amendment’s passage through different legal stages, which could affect online sportsbooks.

This now seems unlikely and far away, which allows for the online sports betting industry in South Africa to develop. If you are only concentrating on online sports betting in South Africa and not casino games, then you’ve got it made.

FAQ

What’s the best betting site in South Africa?

In South Africa, there are many websites that offer exciting moments for sport gambling. This page will help you find the best of them. These ratings or reviews have been evaluated by ourselves and only the most all-round, dependable ones are included on this list.

What’s the best football betting site?

The most popular form of gambling on sports in South Africa is football betting, so if you join any site for this purpose, there will be many betting opportunities available to you. You can find the South African bets sites with plenty of markets and odds among our top picks on this page.

Can I get free bets in South Africa?

If you sign up with our approved betting websites in South Africa, as a member, you will receive several opportunities to earn free bets. Also, you may qualify for free bets as long as you are an existing client of the site or by signing up for one.

Q.Is bet365 available in South Africa?

B.Yes, bet365 is fully accessible in South Africa. If you choose to join us, you will be able to select from a large number of pre-match and in-play markets.

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