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The best betting apps in Africa are BetKing, Melbet, and BetWay. We prioritize ones with data-free option on both iOS and Android. While PWA is a good alternative, it won’t be a good factor to rank up the top of our list.
App of the Month
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Data-Free Mode: Yes -
Push Notification: Yes -
PWA-support: Yes
18+. T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly.
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Data-Free Mode: Yes -
Push Notification: Yes -
PWA-support: Yes
- Verified today by our team
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Licensed in: NG
18+. T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly.
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Data-Free Mode: Yes -
Push Notification: Yes -
PWA-support: Yes
- Verified today by our team
-
Licensed in: NG
18+. T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly.
-
Data-Free Mode: Yes -
Push Notification: Yes -
PWA-support: Yes
- Verified today by our team
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Licensed in: ZA
18+. T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly.
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Data-Free Mode: Yes -
Push Notification: Yes -
PWA-support: Yes
- Verified today by our team
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Licensed in: ZA
18+. T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly.
-
Data-Free Mode: Yes -
Push Notification: Yes -
PWA-support: Yes
- Verified today by our team
-
Licensed in: NG
18+. T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly.
-
Data-Free Mode: No -
Push Notification: Yes -
PWA-support: Yes
- Verified today by our team
-
Licensed in: NG
18+. T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly.
-
Data-Free Mode: No -
Push Notification: Yes -
PWA-support: Yes
- Verified today by our team
-
Licensed in: NG
18+. T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly.
-
Data-Free Mode: No -
Push Notification: Yes -
PWA-support: Yes
- Verified today by our team
-
Licensed in: NG
18+. T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly.
-
Data-Free Mode: No -
Push Notification: Yes -
PWA-support: Yes
- Verified today by our team
-
Licensed in: ZA
18+. T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly.
-
Data-Free Mode: No -
Push Notification: Yes -
PWA-support: Yes
- Verified today by our team
-
Licensed in: ZA
18+. T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly.
-
Data-Free Mode: No -
Push Notification: Yes -
PWA-support: Yes
- Verified today by our team
-
Licensed in: ZA
18+. T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly.
-
Data-Free Mode: No -
Push Notification: Yes -
PWA-support: Yes
- Verified today by our team
-
Licensed in: ZA
18+. T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly.
-
Data-Free Mode: No -
Push Notification: Yes -
PWA-support: Yes
- Verified today by our team
-
Licensed in: NG
18+. T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly.
-
Data-Free Mode: No -
Push Notification: Yes -
PWA-support: Yes
- Verified today by our team
-
Licensed in: NG
18+. T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly.
-
Data-Free Mode: No -
Push Notification: Yes -
PWA-support: Yes
- Verified today by our team
-
Licensed in: NG
18+. T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly.
-
Data-Free Mode: No -
Push Notification: Yes -
PWA-support: Yes
- Verified today by our team
-
Licensed in: NG
18+. T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly.
Note: Our editorial team within Africa personally tested these betting apps since 30/08/2026.
Top 10 Betting Apps in Africa
- BetKing: Our editors’ favourite Africa betting app
- Melbet: Top preference in Cameroon, Senegal, and Morocco
- Betway: Favourite pick for horse betting on-the-go
- Hollywoodbets: South Africa premium betting app
- bet9ja: Made by Nigerians for the Nigerian
- 1xBet: Supports the most African odds format
- PariPesa: Comes with mobile-exclusive promotion
- Megapari: Most localised welcome offers, available on desktop and app
- Sportingbet: Best for AFCON betting, with mobile live-tracker feature
- Gbets: South African-owned e-sports betting app
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BetKing
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High soccer odds |
Offers betting odds 0.2x higher on average than rival apps on top soccer markets. |
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Melbet |
Bettors in Cameroon, Senegal, and Morocco |
Adapts its promotions and markets to local preferences, with French language support, alongside deep CAF football coverage, virtual sports and crash games. |
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Betway |
Horse racing betting on mobile |
Offers dedicated racecards, multiple racing markets, live odds, horse racing tips and bonuses, plus coverage of African, UK and Global meets. |
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Hollywoodbets |
Premium mobile betting in South Africa |
Combines a weekly app-exclusive jackpot of up to R50,000, data saver and 24/7 customer support. |
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Bet9ja |
Nigerian football betting |
Provides 20+ NPFL markets per match, live betting, betBOOM enhanced odds and acca boosts of up to 170%. |
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1xBet |
Bettors who prefer different odds formats |
Supports decimal, fractional and American odds formats, allowing you to choose how prices and returns are displayed. |
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PariPesa |
Mobile-exclusive betting promotions |
Offers multiple app-exclusive bonuses, including free bets and cash back. |
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Megapari |
Country-specific welcome bonuses |
Allows you to claim a welcome bonus in your local currency without FX conversion. |
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Sportingbet |
AFCON betting and live match tracking |
Its mobile tracker lets you follow match developments and place bets at the same time. |
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Gbets |
South African esports betting |
SA-owned brand with 16 different esports and virtual sports categories. |
Betting Apps per African Countries
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South Africa |
Hollywoodbets |
Betway |
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Nigeria |
Bet9ja |
PariPesa |
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Kenya |
10bet |
888starz |
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Ghana |
1xBet |
Melbet |
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Tanzania |
PariPesa |
1xBet |
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Zimbabwe |
Betway |
BC.GAME |
We ranked these African betting sites based on the different needs for each country. For example, both the best betting apps in South Africa and in Zimbabwe include the Betway app, however, for very different reasons.
Our ranking factors per country are as follows:
- Based and owned by the country: This is why Hollywoodbets and bet9ja ranked best for their countries.
- Support Local Tournaments: For example, PariPesa covers NPFL in Nigeria with deep betting markets.
- Localised Welcome Offers: 1xBet and Melbet offer welcome bonuses in local currencies, with no exchange rate applied.
Best Betting Apps per Sports
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Football Betting |
1xBet |
Hollywoodbets |
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Horse Racing Betting |
Betway |
Melbet |
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Basketball Betting |
PariPesa |
Megapari |
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Rugby Betting |
Hollywoodbets |
Sportingbet |
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Cricket Betting |
Melbet |
10bet |
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MMA Betting |
Easybet |
Mzansibet |
We’ve only selected sports that really matter in Africa. Some might be relevant in certain countries; some might be a bit niche. Nonetheless, we ensure you can find the best betting apps for football, basketball, horse racing, and more.
Our criteria are simple, but require months and years of observation:
- Quality Odds: We don’t only look at the competitiveness of the odds on soccer, racing, tennis, rugby and basketball markets; we also confirm if the apps support the format each country prefers, such as decimal, American or fractional formats.
- Unique Betting Features: Some sports betting features are only available on mobile; some are better only on the app. For example, Betway’s live market updates up to a second faster on the app compared to the desktop platform.
- Sports-Specific Promotions: The more promotions they offer for the sports, the more likely we are to recommend them to you. With the Hollywoodbets mobile app, for example, you can find over 3 different horse racing offers. For MMA bettors, consider registering with the Mzansibet bonus code for a R50 free bet.
How to select the best betting apps in Africa
Availability for multiple operating systems
This is something that doesn’t always cross the mind of punters, despite how critical it is. Basically, not all betting sites in Africa will have a supported app for multiple systems. Some will only have an Android app, some will only have an iOS app, and believe it or not – some sites don’t have a mobile app at all.
For the latter, this means you’d have to sign in and place bets through your mobile browser or add the site as a PWA. This often results in a subpar experience, such as needing multiple clicks to access markets, live betting or cash out, which is why we wouldn’t promote such sites.
In contrast, the best sites have mobile apps that are built to operate seamlessly on most devices, for several operating systems. Naturally, Android and iOS operating systems are heavily favoured, and these will even work well on tablet devices such as iPads.
Overall sports betting coverage
It helps to find betting apps that cover a wide range of sports. After all, different punters prefer to bet on different sports. So by choosing apps with wide sports betting coverage, there is a better chance that you’ll sign up and be able to bet on your favourite sporting events. The top betting apps in Africa regularly serve up a range of more than 30 sports to wager on.
As a cool tip, you can often customise these apps too by picking your favourite sports. By doing this, these sports will be displayed first when browsing the markets.
Relevant and rewarding bonuses
The first consideration for this feature is what the welcome bonus consists of. Bigger really is better in this regard, and as you’ve already seen, the best betting apps will offer incentives like deposit matches, free bets, and more. But in this sense, you shouldn’t just look at the monetary incentives to determine which is best.
In addition, you should be looking at how easy it is to get the bonus, how ‘friendly’ the terms of the bonuses are (minimum deposit and rollover conditions), and how flexible the bonuses are too in terms of what you can wager on with them.
Support of premium features
Premium features, in this sense, relate to features such as streaming, cashouts, and bet builder tools – something which the top apps in Africa do have. You don’t have to use these tools if you don’t want to, but of course, it’s helpful to have them at your disposal for when the mood strikes.
And while the best betting apps have such features, there’s another reason why punters prefer to access such features on these apps. Basically, they are easier to access and easier to use compared with average betting apps in Africa.
For example, an average site may offer cashouts for a handful of markets, whereas the best sites offer cashouts for most markets, including in-play markets.
FAQ
The best apps for betting in Africa are BetKing, Melbet, and Betway. These three bookmakers are available on both iOS and Android with data-free modes.
A data-free betting app lets you bet and access key features without spending any mobile data. This is important for players residing in areas with expensive data or limited internet connectivity.
Mobile betting apps are often faster and smoother than a mobile site, with features like push notifications, saved preferences, and easier access to your account. It may also work better on weaker connections, but a mobile site is often more convenient if you don’t want to install an app.
For bookmakers without a dedicated app, a great alternative is a PWA (Progressive Web App). You can add the mobile site to your home screen and use it like a native app without downloading from an app store.
Geoffrey has over 6 years of experience in the sports and gambling industry. He's keenly interested in Soccer and Basketball and enjoys punting in his favorite leagues. Geoffrey's broad experience in sports and gambling allows him to produce helpful content for the entire igaming audience. He has authored dozens of casino and sports betting website reviews, along with numerous gambling guides, including betting techniques, tips, and strategies for various brands.