The Best Online Bookmakers in South Africa

What Are Online Bookmakers in SA?

Online betting sites are platforms where bettors can place wagers on all kinds of sporting events or competitions. The bettors can choose from a variety of sports betting markets, most of which cannot be found at land-based sportsbooks. Most betting sites are quick and easy to use, and the registration process takes no more than a couple of minutes to complete.

Sports betting has become a very popular gaming activity around the world, and it is constantly evolving to satisfy bettors in different ways. Bettors from South Africa are also fond of sports betting, as there are many who place sports bets on a regular basis. South African punters can place pre-match bets or use the live betting option provided by the betting sites to bet on sports.

These betting sites offer up-to-date information about current sporting events and their betting odds. Every online sportsbook is always making sure to provide competitive odds to their bettors, as a way to stay ahead of the competition. Another way to be more competitive in the betting industry is to offer bonuses to their bettors. The best betting sites make sure to include a welcome bonus with free bets, as well as some other bonuses in their offer.

Top 5 Online Betting Sites in South Africa

Finding a decent sports betting website in South Africa can be quite challenging, which is why we are determined to help you with your search. Our team of experts makes sure to list only the best betting sites in the industry, based on many features. The listed betting sites come with numerous great attributes, which are very important for players who are into sports betting. Read further and you will find out everything you need to know about the top attributes that can be found in online sports betting sites in South Africa.

• Hollywoodbets
• 10bet
• Fafabet
• YesPlay
• Cobra

How Can You Recognise a Decent Online Bookmaker?

There are countless betting sites on the market and some of them can be scam sites while others may be lacking in certain important areas. Experienced bettors will almost instantly recognise a good betting site while beginners may struggle with this task. Certain online bookmakers will hide their bad features from their bettors or use marketing tricks to make their platforms look better. These factors can be easily discovered if you know which features to check. Below we will mention and describe some of the key factors that are crucial for you to check on a betting site, in order to recognize whether it is good or not.

Licence From a Reputable Regulator

The gaming licence is the single most important feature of any betting site, since without it they wouldn't be allowed to offer their services legally. All of the best betting sites are licensed and regulated by respected regulators such as the National Gambling Board of South Africa, the UK Gambling Commission, the Malta Gaming Authority, and the Kahnawake Gaming Commission. All the online gambling regulators that we've mentioned above are always making sure that betting sites are following the appropriate rules. Licensed betting companies must ensure they have a safe gaming platform and offer fair services to players to obtain a gaming license. It is worth noting that all betting sites have their licences displayed at the bottom of their websites.

Excellent Selection of Sports

Any betting site that wants to be known as the best betting site must feature a wide selection of sports in its sportsbook. Although online football betting is the most popular activity in the world, having options for other sports to bet on is a crucial feature to also have. Some of the best betting games, aside from football, that can be found at the best betting sites are basketball, tennis, rugby, baseball, American football, ice hockey, volleyball, virtual sports, motorsports, boxing, martial arts, horse racing, and many more. But, it's not just about having all the major sports, South African bookmakers must also offer a variety of competitions and events from other sports that may not be so popular.

Diverse Betting Options

Apart from the featured sports, the SA betting sites must also provide their bettors with diverse betting options. The more betting options the online bookmaker offers, the better the sports betting experience will be. Every experienced player tends to want to make a bet slip with a variety of betting options, which may include betting exchanges, so the best betting sites must provide them with these options. Otherwise, they risk losing some of their biggest bettors. In addition, offering the best odds for the featured betting options is also crucial, since no bettor wants to place a bet at a betting site with low odds. The better the competitive odds, the better the betting site.

Great Customer Service

All betting sites offer customer service to their valuable bettors, but some of them do it poorly. Great customer service should always be there for customers, regardless of the time of day or night. The best betting sites feature a highly knowledgeable and professional customer service team that every customer can reach through email, live chat, or phone. If the customer service team sorts out the bettors' issues as soon as possible, it shows that they care greatly for them. Additionally, the top online bookmakers in South Africa tend to include a FAQ section on their site. There, the players can find quick answers to their questions or concerns.

Player-Friendly Terms and Conditions

Another very important factor that shows whether a new betting site is a reputable one for wagering are the terms and conditions they offer. Great betting sites tend to have more friendly overall terms and conditions. The terms and conditions of an online bookmaker are very important because, through them, their bettors can learn about the ways their betting site operates. Some of the things that can be found in this include, the minimum and maximum limits for deposits and withdrawals, the country restrictions, accepted currencies, fees and taxes, and much more. It is worth noting that every bonus and promotion that features at the betting sites in South Africa comes with additional T&Cs as well.

Variety of Payment Methods

Checking the available payment methods is another way to find out whether a bookmaker is good or not. There should be a variety of withdrawal and deposit methods to choose from. These methods should include credit and debit cards, e-wallets, and cryptocurrencies. At this stage, it is also very important to check the minimum and maximum limits for your desired payment method and to check if the processing time is fast. E-wallets tend to have a much faster processing time, so a decent sportsbook in South Africa will have several of them on its list. Additionally, always make sure to check whether the online bookmakers are charging additional fees for the transactions.

Reliable Mobile Experience

All the bookmakers nowadays tend to optimise their gaming platforms for mobile devices. This allows mobile betting on their platform from any mobile device, regardless of the operating system. If you like to bet online from a mobile device, make sure to open the mobile site to check whether it is easy to use and navigate. Some reputable betting sites have developed their own betting apps that are usually available for Android and iOS mobile devices. Nevertheless, some of the best betting apps allow their bettors to enjoy live streaming as well as in-play betting on popular sports like football and horse racing on their mobile devices.

How We Choose the Best Online Betting Site

Before we decide to list a bookmaker on our website, we make sure that the featured site is worth mentioning. This fact  is decided by our team of experts, who carry out  thorough research about every betting site just to make sure that they have  every important feature needed for a good sportsbook. Our method of selecting the best sportsbooks is based on strict rules and evaluations, so you won't end up opening a betting account at a bad bookmaker. Below, we will analyse the key steps we take when evaluating the best betting sites that are listed on our website.

Bonuses You Should Expect at the Best Online Bookmakers in South Africa

Every top betting site makes sure to add a variety of bonuses and promotions to their offer, as a way to attract new players and keep the existing ones satisfied. We mention and describe the most common bonuses that you should expect to find at the best sportsbooks below.

• Welcome Offer: The welcome bonus is the most common type of bonus that appears in almost any top sportsbook. Only newly registered players are allowed to claim the welcome bonus, and they can do it just once on the gaming platform. This bonus will reward bettors with bonus funds or free bets that they can use on the featured sports events.
• No Deposit Bonus: A no-deposit bonus is a type of bonus that doesn't require bettors to make a deposit in order to place a bet on their favourite sports. Almost all no-deposit bonuses that feature on online bookmakers sites give out free bets, but some of them may also reward bettors with a certain amount of bonus funds. They are also a great way to get a bet boost, which is something a lot of bettors are fond of.
• Free Bet: Free bet offers are very common in the betting industry, as almost any sportsbook rewards free bets to their bettors. New players can claim free bets from the welcome bonus, while loyal bettors can receive free bet bonuses from all kinds of promotions. Usually, the free bets are provided after a player makes a certain deposit and the free bet stakes won't be included.
• Reload Bonus: Bettors who have already made a deposit at the sportsbook in the past are eligible to apply for a reload bonus. This bonus is either given out as bonus funds or as a free bet, which can be used in casino games or betting games. But, whatever the prize, it will certainly come with a minimum bet limit, as well as with some other terms and conditions.
• Crypto Bonus: Crypto bonuses are special types of bonuses that are given only to bettors who make their deposits using cryptocurrencies on the crypto betting sites. Once again, the rewards from this bonus will be in the form of free bets or bonus money that can be used on certain sports. This is a very popular bonus, as many bettors have used cryptocurrencies for sports betting.
• Cashback Bonuses: Cashback bonuses are unique promotions that give a portion of the bettors' losses back to them. They are either given on a weekly or monthly basis as a percentage of the losses suffered during the featured period. Bettors can use the cashback for football betting or any other specified type of betting.
• VIP Loyalty Programme: Lastly, we have the VIP loyalty program, which is featured in every top sportsbook. The bettors who are part of a VIP loyalty program can enjoy some special benefits and bonuses that are only offered to them. They can receive occasional free bet offers, cashback, better withdrawal limits, and much more.

Conclusion

Apart from wagering on online casino games, many bettors from all around the world are also fond of placing sports wagers on popular sports. In South Africa, sports betting is a very common practice, where bettors regularly bet on horse racing, football, rugby, and some other sports. Many sportsbooks haved to appear because of the massive popularity of sports betting in this country. Whatever game or sports you are into, there is most likely a bookmaker that offers it to you so you can make your wager. This makes it quite a rewarding betting experience for a lot of people, which is why it continues to grow more popular across the world. 

However, choosing a top bookmaker is a challenging task that may take a longer period of time to complete. There are so many sites with different offers if you were to do a quick Google search, and this can be confusing to you, especially if this is your first time learning about betting. That is why we are here for you. Our purpose is to help you understand what to look for and where to find it. We’ve revealed everything that you need to know about the betting sites in South Africa, so you know what to look for. The choice is yours in the end, but our review is here to serve as a guide for you. Make sure to check out our list of online sportsbooks as all of them come with numerous amazing features. And more importantly, make sure you are gambling or betting.