Here is our article outlining the best sports betting sites in Africa. We will take a look at a number of operators in search of the best one and will give you a detailed look at each one of them. For example, you could use Betano using their very own promo code Betano.
Which are the best African betting websites?
The list below contains our top choices for the following countries: Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ghana. These operators will provide you with the finest service and will likely even give you something extra. Not all platforms are only sports betting related. Some of them also feature bingo games and casinos.
| African Betting Sites | Welcome Offer | Sign-Up Link |
|---|---|---|
| BETKING
| Over 20,000 agents across Nigeria Secure deposit methods Great promotions Acca Boosts | GO TO BETKING > |
| BET9JA
| Leading site in Nigeria 170% Multiple Boost Promo Code: BETMAX | GO TO BET9JA > |
| MELBET
| Friendly user interface Multiple banking options Valid in Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia and more Promo Code: MBMAX | |
| SPORTINGBET
| Excellent payouts Live streaming service | GO TO SPORTINGBET > |
| 1XBET
| Largest Live Streaming Portfolio Exclusive boosted accas Generous offers for African players Promo Code: CASHMAX | |
| 22BET
| €122 for new players Native Android app Suitable for French speakers PROMO CODE: 22MAX | |
| FRAPAPA
| 300% Welcome Bonus Up To 10000NGN weekly Freebets Responsible Gambling Tool availabl | GO TO FRAPAPA> |
| GBETS
| Great Sportsbook coverage First deposit matched 100% | GO TO GBETS > |
| BETWAY
| Regular promos and giveaways Ideal for Ghanaian users Betting, casino & live casino PROMO CODE: BETMAX | |
| HOLLYWOODBETS
| Amazing horse racing betting options Get Registration Bonus of R25 | GO TO HOLLYWOODBETS > |
Contents
- 1 Which are the best African betting websites?
- 2 Hollywoodbets – Reputation and Popularity
- 3 Gbets – Recommended for bonuses
- 4 Sportingbet – Live Sports Streaming Specialist
- 5 An overview of what 1xbet : our top choice for Nigeria
- 6 Melbet: the outsider you should bet on
- 7 Bet9ja and their sports wagering product are also very popular in Africa
- 8 22bet is making its way on to the African stage as well
- 9 How has Betway been holding up in Africa?
- 10 Choosing a betting site: How it should be done and what to look for
- 11 How do you typically open an account at the best African betting sites?
Hollywoodbets – Reputation and Popularity
Hollywoodbets is one of the oldest online bookmakers in the world. This is especially the case when it comes to popularity in South Africa, where it has been operating since 2000. Over the years, Hollywoodbets has been able to improve and perfect many of its features.
Bonuses, offers & promotions at Hollywoodbets
Hollywoodbets is incredibly rich and diverse in terms of bonuses. There are bonuses and offers available for individual sports like horse races, soccer, and more. The campaigns would range anywhere from a full refund of the stake to a bonus depending on the number of legs that are successfully in an accumulator bet. You can even use a Hollywoodbets referral code when you register.
Overall experience of the platform
Hollywoodbets can be regarded as well as one of the best betting sites in South Africa courtesy of a platform that excels in terms of coverage. The sports covered on the side is primarily the top options that one would find anywhere in a sportsbook. The likes of soccer, American football, basketball, horse racing, and a few others are covered. The odds available from the brand are also very competitive. In terms of the interface, though, Hollywoodbets is let down quite drastically, as there are many other sites that have a modern and intuitive interface.
Experience on mobile devices
For those who are keen to access Hollywoodbets on a mobile device, they would be strictly restricted to just one variant – mobile site.
Closer look at the mobile app
Sadly, Hollywoodbets does not provide a mobile app. This has to be one of the biggest disadvantages of the platform. This situation might change in the future given the growing importance of mobile apps.
Looking at the Mobile Site
The mobile site is a stripped down version of the desktop site and it is designed to fit within the small confines of the display. Apart from this disadvantage, there are no major sacrifices on the mobile site.
Summarising all key features
Hollywoodbets – Excellent platform for betting on horse races
Hollywoodbets is one of the best online betting sites in South Africa when it comes to betting on horse races. The choices cover every top race from all corners of the globe and the user also gets the advantage of being able to bet through multiple types.
Gbets – Recommended for bonuses
Gbets is a platform that has been around since 2005. Despite having been around for close to 2 decades, the brand still offers a healthy list of bonuses and promotional offers for its players. A signup offer R25 is available as a free bet. For those who are looking to go even further in terms of the bonus value, there are multiple bonus boosts that will provide a nice increment of 30% depending on the number of legs in an accumulator bet. Gbets recognises the importance of many other sports other than soccer in South Africa. This is seen by the promotions available on sports like horse races, Formula One, and golf. The football promotions are not the only option available on this platform.
Bonuses, offers & promotions provided by Gbets
The strong reason to consider Gbets would be a free bet offer upon signing up. The user might also get a 100% match on the first deposit based on the welcome offer at the time of signing up. Compared with the casino bonuses available from other brands, Gbets is more focused on outstanding sports bonuses. The offers would often extend to individual sports like F1, soccer, golf, and more.
Overall experience of the platform
Gbets uses a very sophisticated layout that could be one of the strengths of the brand. It is very easy to navigate and most of the elements can be found within a few touches. This makes the process of placing a bet a pleasure on this platform. Even when the brand does not have a lot of opportunities to wager, the interface makes up in good numbers.
Gbets and its operations on mobile devices
Availability of Gbets mobile app
A free app is given out by Gbets for users who want to make use of this betting platform without the need to go through the mobile browser every time. The app is fairly functional and it saves a lot of data as well.
Gbets mobile site review
Gbets is rightly regarded as one of the best online betting sites in South Africa courtesy of the many modes available for access. One among them would be the mobile site, which takes a lot of cues from the desktop site and pushes the content into a smaller screen.
Summarising all key features
Gbets – Best for promotions
Gbets is a sportsbook that offers a decent coverage of many sports from around the world. The star of the show on this platform would be the promotional offers, which are extremely generous. The user will find everything from multi-post specials to birthday bonuses.
Sportingbet – Live Sports Streaming Specialist
Sportingbet is one of the older sports betting platforms in South Africa. It has been around since 1997, but the experience gathered over the years have allowed the brand to constantly evolve and introduce many new elements.
Bonuses, offers & promotions offered by Sportingbet
Sportingbet is not huge when it comes to welcome bonus or bonuses for existing users. However, users can still expect a decent R2,000 in welcome bonus along with a ton of cash prizes that are available for existing players. Still, the bonuses issued by Sportingbet may not be on par with some of the competitors and this is to be expected from such a reputed brand.
Overall experience of the platform
The years of experience accumulated by Sportingbet means that there is not a dull moment when using this platform. There is an extended set of sports and racing action that is available to bet with this brand. This includes the likes of soccer, cricket, Formula One, golf, horse racing, and more. The bet types provided on these sports are also quite extravagant in many instances. Apart from pre-match options, users also have much more choices in the live segment.
Experiencing Sportingbet on mobile platforms
Mobile app experience of Sportingbet
The app is easily one of the best ways to use Sportingbet, as it is optimised for any mobile device. It is not a surprise that the enjoys a very high rating on the App Store. For getting the app on an Android device, users might have to do some additional steps. At the end of the day, the app is a pleasure to use with all features found on the desktop site.
Mobile Site Experience of Sportingbet
Just like the desktop site, Sportingbet’s mobile site is very professional and easy-to-use. The interface works very irrespective of the device quality. The mobile site can run quite well even when the device on which it operates is mid-range and cannot handle a lot of processing quality.
Closer look at the live Streaming Service
A strong feature of Sportingbet would be the live streaming service. There are not many bookmakers who provide live streams on sports events. As one of the established names, Sportingbet will be able to provide betting opportunities alongside the live streams. This makes it quite versatile for betting on live games.
Summarising all key features
Sportingbet – Excellent Live Streaming Platform
Sportingbet has a lot of positives going in its favour. This is crucial in getting to the status of being considered as one of the best betting sites in South Africa. One of the top features available on Sportingbet would be live streaming, but it is not the only star feature. It has plenty of positives like superior coverage and a professional interface.
An overview of what 1xbet : our top choice for Nigeria
1xbet is an experienced bookmaker with over 10 years of experience internationally. It is also one of the most prominent ‘’players’’ on the African market. The company is the official sponsor of a number of sporting events around the continent.
The 1xbet welcome bonus is nothing we haven’t seen before, but it is still pretty nice. You can get up to €100 in deposit bonus or the currency equivalent in your country. If you happen to be located in Nigeria, for instance, you can get a deposit of up to around N600,000 Naira (NGN) when you accomplish the 1xbet registration.
Such a bonus alone makes 1xbet one of the best, if not the best betting site in Nigeria. The operator is also available in some parts of Europe and Ghana.
Melbet: the outsider you should bet on
With a strong presence all over Africa, Melbet is slowly but surely becoming a competitive bookmaker. Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Zambia, Uganda, Congo DRC, Ethiopia, Burundi… No matter from where you want to create an account at Melbet, you'll be able to do it.
Also, the website offers nice bonuses to its new players. In fact, you'll be able to get up to 300% on your first deposit. Moreover, feel free to enjoy our Melbet promo code MBMAX when registering.
On Melbet, you'll find attractive odds on a range of many sports.
Thanks to its sharp and efficient design, Melbet is sure to please both new customers and experienced bettors. This betting site is definitely worth a try.
Bet9ja and their sports wagering product are also very popular in Africa
Here is a full-range online entertainment company with not only a sportsbook but also a casino and many virtual sports. This is also one of the most popular operators in Nigeria and it features over 30 sports that you can bet on.
What’s interesting here is the fact that Bet9ja is pretty big on Esports. Once you visit the website, you can see all the various Esports listed in the left pane. The 170% Multiple Boost is also something that will make your playing time even more enjoyable. The only downside is that the ceiling of the bonus is somewhat low as it stands at N100,000.
22bet is making its way on to the African stage as well
The minimum deposit here is N400 and the 100% deposit bonus that 22bet offers its new customers can go to N100,000. This is definitely not the best deal judging by what the competition has but an operator is still a viable option for new customers.
With the casino, you get a better bonus as your initial deposit can be up to N130,000 meaning that after you double it, your balance will stand at N260,000.
All the big European leagues are available to bet as well as the most popular African competitions. Since the operator is Nigeria-based, you can bet on the Nigerian top league as well. Let’s also not forget the fact that 22bet is also one of the sponsors of PSG. The site is 100% and you can register today. All of that makes 22bet one of the best African betting sites.
How has Betway been holding up in Africa?
The main concerns we have for this operator are related to the interface of the website. Users are used to seeing a list of sports and leagues in the left pane on the home page. Instead, with Betway you see matches that they think are the most relevant. While this may be viewed as a convenience, we should mention that the main body of the page is also occupied by those very same highlighted matches. The number of sports you can wager on is not as impressive as what the other bookies in Africa and Nigeria have.
The Betway sign up code offer is not a deposit bonus but is a free bet instead. You cannot withdraw that bonus unless you place a winning wager using it.
Choosing a betting site: How it should be done and what to look for
These are questions that every bettor asks themselves prior to opening an account somewhere. We can’t play at every website, and this is why we choose the ones we like the most. Apart from the cosmetics and ease of navigation, there are other essential factors that affect our decision. Our team of experts will highlight the most crucial ones now.
- Welcome offers and bonuses
- Good mobile betting app (working in Africa)
- Betting options
- Hold percentage
- Live streaming
- Banking options
Without a doubt, this is the most important thing we have to take in mind when choosing an online sports wagering platform We want to always get a jump start and the best way to accomplish that is to start with some else’s money in hand.
In that sense, the 100% deposit bonus is perhaps the best thing you can get. That is unless an online operator offers you 200% or 300% but this almost never happens – at least not with African bookmakers. As you can see, 1xbet is the leading name on that market and they stick to the 100% welcome bonus.
Everything else such as free bets, increased odds, etc. is inferior to the 100% deposit bonus.
- Range matters but it are also true that the majority of bettors go for the big and popular events. Still, almost all bookies offer the same sports so it’s hard to differentiate between them.
- This is important as it will allow you to always find the best possible odds but very few players actually bother to do it. Knowing what the hold percentage of your bookie is can affect your decision to wager or not. The fair hold percentage is 5-6%.
- Let’s face it, very few people will actually stream matches from their bookie’s websites. First of all, you don’t have the ‘’full screen’’ option because they want you to look at the odds. Also, you have to have a positive account balance to access this feature. In 1xbet’s case, you can stream all the top leagues along with the Euro Cup matches.
- Banking options matter a lot. Many people use various e-wallet services nowadays and you want a versatile bookmaker. The days of the bank transfers are over.
Sportingbet has been around for more than two decades. It is not a surprise that the brand has evolved as one of the best betting sites in South Africa during this period. It is able to provide a higher category of betting options compared with many other options in the country. The betting coverage is matched very well by the feature set, which is highlighted by the live streaming service. This is able to meet the expectations of punters who go with pre-match and live markets alike.
How do you typically open an account at the best African betting sites?
- Enter names, addresses, and other personal info
- Come up with a username and password
- Enter promo code or choose a welcome offer
- Verify your account
The 4th step is the one that matters the most as legal bookies such as 1xbet will not allow you to withdraw any winnings unless they can verify your identity. For that to happen, operators will ask for photos of your ID card along with some proof of address (electricity bills, bank statements, etc). You can definitely expect this from all the best African betting sites.
