Best betting sites in South Africa: TOP 10
With new betting sites popping up almost every week, you can’t help but wonder what the best betting sites in South Africa are. As a punter, I’m always eager to know the best places to place bets. So I combed and reviewed a ton of bookmakers to present you with this ultimate list.
Best Bookmakers South Africa | Key Betting Features | Ratings | Sign up |
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Our top pick
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Stake ✔️ Live streaming and in-game stats available ✔️ Extensive cryptocurrency support ✔️ Has Bet Builder and Minute Betting markets |
5
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Sign up |
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Hollywoodbets ✔️ Extensive coverage of Horse Racing events in South Africa ✔️ Cashout and Bet Builder feature available ✔️ Educational videos to guide new users |
5
|
Sign up |
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Betway ✔️ Great for beginners with a low minimum deposit & and stake, plus easy to use website ✔️ Good range of betting markets ✔️ Cashout and Bet Builder feature available |
5
|
Sign up |
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10bet ✔️ 100% welcome bonus up to R3000 ✔️ Welcome bonus can be used for Sports, Games and/or Live Casino |
4.8
|
Sign up |
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Gbets ✔️ Best range of sports and betting markets ✔️ Cashout and Bet Builder available ✔️ Easy to use website and app |
4.5
|
Sign up |
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Supabets ✔️ 50% to 1000% losing bet refund ✔️ 250% on up to R5,000 in welcome bonuses |
4.5
|
Sign up |
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Easybet ✔️ R50 Sign Up Bonus ✔️ 150% First Deposit Match Bonus |
4.5
|
Sign up |
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Playabets ✔️ 100% welcome bonus on up to R2000 ✔️ Refer a friend and get 50 Free Spins |
4.5
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Sign up |
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YesPlay ✔️ Easy to use website and app ✔️ Minimal restrictions on welcome bonuses |
4
|
Sign up |
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Zanzibet ✔️ Accepts crypto deposits ✔️ Plenty of Virtual Sports options
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4
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Sign up |
Stake - King of crypto betting
Stake.com might just be the most popular sports betting site in the world, and it remains one of the best places for South Africans to bet. Stake’s reputation is built around its global accessibility and broad cryptocurrency support, but it’s the bookmaker’s VIP club rewards that attract long-term bettors the most.
The rewards a player can receive from Stake’s VIP Club include:
- Monthly Bonuses
- Level Up Bonuses
- Rakeback
- Weekly Bonuses
Another selling point for the stake is their humongous maximum payout of $2 million, something high rollers and punters looking for maximum profits would appreciate. And while the range of betting markets on Stake is just good enough, they also offer a bet builder that allows for more sophisticated combos.
Hollywoodbets - The house that horse racing built
South Africa has a long and rich history of horse racing. And there’s no better bookmaker to place bets on local horse racing events than Hollywoodbets. Not only does Hollywoodbets boast of having one of the largest catalogue of horse racing events in the country, but the bookmaker is also actively involved in the sport and is hosting the 2024 Hollywoodbets Durban July Horse Racing tournaments.
Besides Horse racing, Hollywoodbets still ranks as one of the best betting sites in South Africa for its range of sports and features, which include Cashout and Bet Builder.
Betway - Best for beginners
I say Betway is best for beginners because the bookmaker not only has the simplest registration process on this list, but the company also has some of the lowest minimum stake and withdrawal amounts. When you add the simplicity of the bookmaker’s design, it’s almost as if Betway was specifically designed for new punters with little betting experience and occasional bettors who prefer spending as little as possible.
On the other hand, Betway’s above-average catalogue of betting markets, exciting bonus offers, Bet Builder & Cashout feature, plus quick transactions make it an ideal place for regular bettors. In addition, Betway’s bet builder lets you combine betting markets that other bookies usually don’t allow, such as the Team To Win Either Half, Player Tackles, and Player Passes.
10bet - Loyalty pays off
Don’t let this bookmaker’s position on our list fool you. 10bet is still one of the best betting sites in South Africa. Like Stake, 10bets has an exclusive loyalty program with exciting rewards to keep long-term bettors and high rollers on their platform. And for new customers, 10bet provides up to R3,000 in welcome bonuses with minimal betting requirements.
The fun doesn’t stop there as 10bets has a multitude of other promotions for new and existing customers such as daily/weekly cashbacks, free bets and multi-bet boosters. These sports bonuses are especially appealing when you consider the bookmaker’s rich list of betting markets, including player totals for passes, tackles, total shots, and shots on goal.
Gbets - Betting markets galore
Of all the bookmakers on this list, Gbets may be one of the best betting sites South Africa to offer when it comes to sports and betting markets. The bookmaker’s range of betting markets is quite appealing, but I was most impressed when I came across several rare betting markets on their site, such as:
- First Minute (00:00 – 00:59) Throw-In (Yes/No)
- First Minute (00:00 – 00:59) Free Kick (Yes/No)
- A Substitute Will Score (Yes/No)
- Anytime Goalscorer Double Chance (eg. Christopher Nkunku or Raheem Sterling)
- Draw In at Least One of The Halves
The variety of options Gbets is offering us can boost our flexibility in making predictions to possibly give us a slight edge over the bookmakers, especially when you add the bookmaker’s Bet Builder. But that’s not all. Gbets offers the largest catalogue of sports on this list with over 40 in total.
Supabets - ACCA saviour
It’s hard not to admire the exclusive bonuses Supabets has to offer us. Firstly, Supabets offers a whopping 250% bonus worth up to R5,000 in welcome bonuses.
But the Supabets offer that caught my attention is the bookmakers Losing Leg Refund, which refunds a bettor up to 50% to 1,000% (yes, one thousand!) of their stake if a single game loses in an accumulator bet. The betting website also offers weekly cashbacks and an ongoing accumulator bonus for regular bettors.
Luckily for us, Supabets has over 29 sports and a decent range of betting markets that we can spend our bonuses on. I especially like the bookmaker’s combo betting markets which contain some rare options like:
- HT/FT & O/V 1.5
- HT/FT & GG/NG
- Half Time & Double Chance FT
Easybet - Best for juicy bonuses and promotions
Slowly but surely, Easybet cemented its place on our best betting sites in South Africa list. The bookie attracts many with its unending bonuses and promotions. For example, it offers an R50 bonus + 25 free spins for simply signing up. Then, you can get a 150% match on your first deposit which is more than the conventional 100%. It doesn’t end there, though. You can also get a match of up to R500 on your first bet, an R200 bet when you refer friends and many more.
Meanwhile, Easybet offers a data-free app. You can explore the huge catalogue of sports, casino games, bet games, lucky numbers, and horse racing events without worrying about exhausting your data. The only thing is that the live dealer games and slot options are unavailable in this mode. You’ll need to stick to the main website if that’s what you’re after.
Playabets - Multiple cashback king
Playabets is among the betting sites in South Africa offering numerous bonuses and promotional offers. New customers get a 100% bonus of up to R2000 on the first deposit. This bonus is impressive and stands among the best in the industry. But what I really like is the constant cashback you can get here.
There’s a weekly cashback of 15% on sports and casino stakes. You can also get a 1000% cashback on your multiple bets with only one loss. Not to forget, the return of your full stake if there’s a dead heat in your horse racing bet.
Besides the bonuses and cashback, Playabets has a lot to offer. One is the bet builder option, which allows bettors to flex creativity and exercise more control over their bets. Another is the cash-out feature, which helps reduce losses. With it, bettors can take a payout before the bet is settled.
Overall, Playabets is a decent bookie with admirable features, cashback, and boosts. The only downside is it lacks a standard live chat.
YesPlay - How can you say no?
If you’re looking for the best betting sites in South Africa with a large welcome deposit bonus and little limitations on which sports and games you can use it on, Yesplay may be the right option. Yesplay offers a significantly large welcome bonus of 100% on up to R3,000 and can be used on any of the bookmaker’s 19 sports and live matches, but also on Betgames, Pragmatic play games, Ezugi games, Evolution games, and Slots.
Yesplay also doesn’t limit their welcome bonus to select betting markets, meaning you can use them on markets such as Bookings, Intervals, and Corners. Another subtle but significant upside to Yesplay is its ease of use on the website and mobile apps.
Betting sites with free registration bonus
Now let me present you with the betting sites offering the best registration bonuses in South Africa:
Supabets – 250% on up to R5000 for first 3 deposits
I like that Supabets divide their welcome bonus into 3 (for the first 3 deposits), allowing players to benefit from one bonus and choose not to redeem the rest as the requirements can often be complicated. In total, Supabets welcome bonus offers of up to 250% worth R5,000. The 15-day expiration period isn’t too bad as you’ll have about 2 weeks to select games from different popular tournaments. The only downside for me is the minimum required odds of 14/10 (or 2.4), which limits you to high-odd markets.
Easybet Welcome Bonus + Deposit Match Offer
Easybet is one of the few bookies offering a no-deposit signup offer and a first-deposit match. Moreover, how often does one get a combo sign-up bonus covering both sports betting and casino gaming?
Here you not only get a R50 bonus in free bets but also get 25 free spins to play any casino game of your choice. The first deposit offer is also higher than usual. Instead of the common 100% offer, you get a 150% match up to R2000 on your first deposit.
However, you need to sign up with a valid Easybet promo code (EASAFW). If not, you’ll not get and enjoy the bonuses in full. For example, you’ll only get R25 instead of the full R50 bonus if you sign up without a promo code.
Betfred – 100% on up to R5,000
Betfred’s 100% on up to R5,000 might be my favourite welcome bonus of all the betting websites on this list. And this is not only because of the huge welcome bonus amount but also because of the minimal requirement involved. For instance, Betfred allows you to use the welcome bonus on any odds, unlike other bookmakers that set a minimum such as 1.50 or 1.90 odds.
How we choose the best betting sites: Factors to consider
Keep in mind the ranking factors you should look out for when deciding which betting site suits your needs the most:
1. Security and reliability, guarantee of payment or protection
Rare betting markets, sweet features, and super promotions won’t matter if a betting site cannot make payouts or protect personal data. So licensed bookmakers are the way to go. But even then, betting sites with little traffic and low reputation can have problems paying out large winnings or fewer checks in place for protecting important personal information such as your address, phone number, and bank details.
2. The more gaming options, the better
Bettors can significantly boost their chances of making returns with more sports, games, and betting markets to choose from. This variety allows for more flexibility in picks and betting strategies that you can implement. I know punters who specialise in football, some in specific basketball betting markets, and others who have developed personal strategies for virtual games. But for most punters, diversity is a key part of their betting approach, so betting sites with more options will always stand out.
3. Faster betting with easy navigation
The easier a betting site is to use, the more time you’ll save when betting. On Sportybet’s desktop site, the time I spend editing a bet is almost as much time as I spend preparing the bet simply because the selections in the bet slip are not interlinked with their main event page.
Likewise, on Livescore Bet, the lack of time and day filters on the match selection page means I’ll have to spend significantly more time going back and forth and manually scanning the date on events to ensure they all play within a specific timeframe.
4. Bonuses, promotions & loyalty programs
Bonuses, promotions, and loyalty programs don’t just boost your winnings but can help you minimise losses and boost betting strategies. For example, one of my favourite betting promos is the Goals Ahead, which marks an event as won immediately after a team takes a significant lead.
I’ve played a basketball bet that only won because the team I picked led by 20+ points sometime during the game despite eventually losing the match. Even in football, I’ve won several bets where my team led by two goals and eventually drew the game 2-2 and 3-3.
5. Superb mobile betting experience
The majority of bettors today use mobile devices, and even desktop users find themselves betting on their mobile more often than not. That’s why we consider sportsbooks with mobile sites or apps that are easy to navigate, fast, and secure. We also look at mobile betting apps offering more features compared to the original sites, like the Paripesa app, which has the bet constructor and odds tracking feature not available on the site.
6. Quantity and quality of key features
When looking at key betting features on a bookmaker’s site, we consider the amount of features offered and their quality. For example, if a bookie offers cashouts, we check if there are partial & auto cashouts available. On a bet builder betting site, we check how many events you can combine on a single bet builder and how many builders can be combined in a ticket. I also highlight betting sites with several unique features like Sportybet with the “Flex bet” or its new “Edit bet” feature that allows you to edit tickets even when matches have played or are playing.
7. Reliable payment options
Funding a betting account is among the most recurring problems for punters worldwide due to a betting site’s limitations on payment options. So, we consider the variety of payment options when ranking betting sites on this list. Personally, I can hardly keep track of where my ATM is, so I mostly fund my account through E-wallets like Opay and Palmpay. This seemingly minor lack of variety in payment options kept me away from betting sites like 1xbet and 22bet up until last year when they diversified their payment methods.
8. Customer support shouldn’t be stressful
Luckily, we punters don’t need customer support regularly. Still, having great customer support is essential because most bettors end up having problems on betting sites, such as understanding complicated bonus rules, settling payment disputes, and reactivating or updating crucial account details. For our review, we check for how many customer support options a betting site has, then test the speed and quality of their response.
9. Higher betting odds for more returns
Higher odds simply translate to more potential winnings, making it a crucial factor for all bettors. In a “singles betting strategy”, higher odds can make a significant difference, especially in the beginning, where bettors need to build their bankroll. In accumulator bets where odds are multiplied, even the smallest increase in odds can immensely boost the overall odds of the ticket. When it comes to strategy, the difference in odds on betting sites is the first thing arbitrage bettors look for in value bets.
10. Bet on games as they play
Betting sites with support for live betting allow millions of other punters to explore a wider range of betting options and even implement specific betting strategies. Every day, thousands of fans tune into sports events, and a good number of them capitalise on their knowledge to predict the outcome of the game as they watch it.
Even when I don’t watch live games, I still always search through live events on sportsbooks to find value bets. And sometimes, when there are only a few games left in my ticket, I wait for the games to go live, then play contradicting bets to ensure I make a profit regardless of the outcome.
Emerging stars: The new betting sites in South Africa
The best betting sites in South Africa we discussed above are well-established brands, but that doesn’t always mean they offer the best services. To prove my point, here are two emerging bookmakers that may soon climb the ranks of the top 10 betting sites in South Africa:
1. Lulabet
Remember that Lulabet is just 3 years old and is rapidly expanding its services, so don’t let the bookmaker’s humble list of 18 sports discourage you. Hop on over to any popular Soccer match on Lulabet and you’ll quickly find several betting markets that even advanced punters will appreciate.
To sweeten the pot, Lulabet offers the Bet Builder feature allowing punters to make more complex bet combinations. Lulabet can also be considered feature-rich as they offer the Cashout and Bet Generator features alongside the Bet Builder.
2. Betolimp
Betolimp is one new bookie that’s on the right path to popularity with its vast sports choices, betting markets, and bonuses. Speaking of bonuses, the bookie offers new bettors a 100% first deposit match up to R3000. What’s more, bet boosts are available for different sports including Soccer, Basketball, Tennis, and Rugby Union. You can explore as much as you want.
I especially like how the site provides dedicated sections for Statistics and Live Scores. These serve as a guide to many. You can make informed decisions instead of placing bets blindly.
Best betting sites in South Africa FAQs FAQ
Yes, online sports betting is legal in South Africa but must be done with only licensed operators. However, South Africa’s National Gambling Act 2004 prohibited interactive games such as casinos, poker, and bingo. That said, some South African bookies still legally offer casino-like games such as Vegas Games, Vegas Tables, and BetGames.
South African betting platforms must adhere to the regulations codified in the National Gambling Act 2004. In addition, South African bookmakers must stay updated with all changes made by the official sports betting and interactive regulating body in the country.
Most betting sites in South Africa allow players to book bets on their sites without making deposits. However, you can’t stake your bets without funds, so you’ll need to deposit sooner or later.
Bookmakers that offer both live-streaming and live-betting options give punters the advantage of capitalising on live games without having to switch between live-score apps.