Bookmakers in South Africa

When looking upon the online betting scene in South Africa, we are truly blessed with the number of unique, local bookmakers that we have to choose from.

South Africa is one of the few countries in the world where the bookmaking landscape is completely dominated by homegrown sportsbooks that truly prioritise South African players.

With that said, there are plenty of choices out there, leaving the task of choosing the best one for you pretty difficult.

That’s where we come in. We’re here to pick apart the bookmakers in South Africa, to give you a fair and honest account of who does what best.

• Take a look at the list below to view some of the best bookmakers in South Africa, as well as which features they prioritise best!

Bookmakers in South Africa

1. Betway → Best Overall
2. Hollywoodbets → Best for Horse Racing
3. Gbets → Biggest Sportsbook
4. Bet.co.za → Best Betting Interface
5. World Sports Betting → Best Range of Markets
   
6. Sportingbet → Best for Live Betting
7. Easybet → Best Odds
8. Supabets → Best Betting Games

Now that you’ve had a taste of some of the best bookmakers in South Africa, you’re most likely eager to find out a little more as to which ones prioritise which features in the best way, and which, ultimately, are the best ones for you.

Here, you’ll not only find out how we assess each bookmaker, but also how we assess each feature, and what each bookie needs to do in order to offer it well.

Once we have established each crucial feature, we will measure the top bookies against them.

You can find the metrics listed in the box below, along with how each of them will be scored. A maximum of 5 points can be earned per round, and at the end, all points will be tallied and we will present you the winner based on our own expert opinions.

• Click on the dropdown below to see which features we’ve covered in this bookmaker comparison page.

Keen to get a better idea of what we consider the best when it comes to the features we’re measuring and comparing our bookmakers against? Take a look at the list below!

• Each of the features in the list below have been expanded upon so that you have the best understanding of what to expect when you’re looking for the best.

So here we are. On the cusp of finding out which of the bookmakers in South Africa offer the best features. We felt it only natural to start with the best welcome bonus betting sites, because a welcome bonus is generally where you begin in your betting journey.

A welcome bonus can quite simply determine how fast you can get into your betting straight off the bat, and in South Africa, free bets and deposit bonuses reign supreme.

South African bookmakers are known for their generosity when it comes to their welcome bonuses!

In South Africa, there are three bookies that stand out from amongst the rest when it comes to really generous welcome bonuses. They stand out for the sole reason of offering both free bets and deposit bonuses to all new users, and as a result, they have all been awarded 5 points for this round.

Free bets alone take the second most favourable position, and the bookies offering free bets have all been awarded with 4 points. Last are the Deposit bonus bookies, who have been awarded 3 points.

• Click on the dropdown below to take a look at how we’ve scored the bookies

Based on their welcome bonuses, these are the best bookmakers in South Africa to use if you’re interested in welcome bonuses alone:

Best Welcome Bonus Bookies 💰

1. Supabets → R50 Free Bet and 200% up to R1000
2. World Sports Betting → R50 free Bet and 100% up to R10 000
3. Gbets → R25 Free Bet and 100% up to R1000

Now that you’ve been introduced to the best welcome bonus bookmakers, we thought we’d give you our assessment of who offers the best betting features out there, because while a welcome bonus is important, betting features can be utilised far more than your welcome bonus.

Betting features are things that simply ensure that your betting journey is made better. They’re also somewhat of an identity measure amongst bookmakers in South Africa, as they all offer things that are a little different.

Betting features can honestly make or break your betting experience. The more betting features the better!

Whether it’s live streaming or cashout, the most important thing when deciding between bookmakers based on features, is understanding which features you like most, and to then choose the bookie that offers that particular feature in the best way.

• Take a look at the list of dropdowns below to see which features we like the most, which we have then gone on to measure our bookies against.

• Now that you’re better acquainted with the features that we feel to be some of the most important, click on the dropdown to see how the best bookies in the country fared!

And there you have it! The bookies with the best features in South Africa can be found in the list below, along with buttons to sign up with them, and our scoreboard for you to keep track of all that’s going on!

Bookies with the Nicest Features 🎖️

1. Betway → Live Streaming, Cashout, Bet Builders
2. World Sports Betting → Live Streaming, Cashout, Coupons
3. Easybet → Boosted Odds, Cashout, Live Betting Features

In South Africa, betting games are every legal bookmaker’s answer to online casino. You see, in South Africa, online casinos are strictly forbidden, yet casino games are almost always included in a bookmaker’s repertoire.

As a result, South African bookies have had to get creative, and they’ve done just that by offering betting games. These casino-esque games are easy to play, don’t cost a lot to join in on, and give results instantly.

Betting games are taking off in South Africa! With every passing day, they become more and more popular!

Generally speaking, betting games can be categorised into four groups, that most bookmakers here in SA offer.

• Take a look at the list below to check out the most popular betting games in SA:

• Take a look at the dropdown below to see who’s offering betting games in the best way!

If you checked out the box above, it’d be clear to see that two bookies stand above the rest when it comes to their betting games offerings. It would be unwise however to ignore Betway however.

These are the Best Betting Games Bookies 🎰

1. Supabets → Live Games, Bet Games, Slots and more
2. Hollywoodbets → Spina Zonke, Aviator, and more
3. Betway → Live Games, Bet Games, Jika Games and more

If you’re new to betting, you may be unsure of what markets are. "Betting Markets" is the name given to all of the different betting options within an event you can place a wager on. There is far more that happens within a sports game beyond who wins that you can win money off of.

Generally, the more betting markets you have to choose from, the better!

If you’re a seasoned punter, betting on a range of different markets can be extremely profitable, especially if you have a strong grasp of the sport you are betting on.

Generally, the betting sites that tend to prioritise more markets are those that are more respected for their sports betting offering.

• Click on the dropdown below to view how the best bookies in SA have been awarded points for what they offer in terms of betting markets:

If you took a look at the table in the box above, you’d now realise just how good Betway is in terms of all the markets they offer.

Below you can find the three best bookies for heaps of betting markets:

Best Bookies for Betting Markets 📊

1. Betway → The most on the market
2. World Sports Betting → The Runner Up
3. Easybet → Third Place

There are little things in the betting world that carry as much importance as odds. Odds quite simply determine how much you will win, and if one betting platform offers better odds than another, you are simply guaranteed to win more money for simply choosing a betting site with better odds.

Odds have multiple functions. Aside from being directly connected to how much your potential winnings will be, they also give a gauge on the probability of a certain event unfolding.

Odds are one of the first things to consider when choosing betting sites! They can determine how much you’re able to win!

As a general rule of thumb, shorter odds (or lower odds) are given to events that are more likely to happen, like the Springboks beating Namibia in the RWC. Longer odds (or higher odds) are given to events that are less likely to happen.

Think like when Italy plays the All Blacks, they’d be given pretty long odds.

• Take a look at how each of the bookies in SA have been awarded for their offering of odds:

Based on the box that was included above, there are three betting sites that are on par with each other for offering the best in terms of odds.

You can find them in the list below:

Bookies with the Best Odds 💯

1. World Sports Betting → Amazing odds across their sportsbook
2. Easybet → Known for having some of the best odds in the game
3. Betway → Market leading odds that always compete with the best

Deposit methods are one of those things that many people overlook when it comes to choosing betting sites. A solid list of fast, and convenient payment methods can literally be the difference between a betting account credited with cash, and an account that’s empty.

The more options to deposit with, the better, because if something were to happen to your card, or if some online payment processing provider were to run into any issues, you’d be happy to know that there were more options available in order to top up your betting account.

SA bookies partner with some of the more innovative fintech companies to provide you with safe and secure ways to deposit!

Ozow, along with SiD, Visa/Mastercard Payments, and EFT’s are some of the more popular ways to credit your betting account in South Africa.

• Click on the dropdown below to see how many points we’ve awarded each betting site based on the deposit method they offer:

Based on the assessment above, the bookmakers with the best deposit methods are:

Bookies with the Best Deposit Methods 💸

1. Betway → 18 Deposit Methods
2. Supabets → 14 Deposit Methods
3. Hollywoodbets → 11 Deposit Methods

When we talk about bookmakers with the best user experience, it’s important to note that we’re talking from our perspective. User experience and how you feel when you interact with a particular site is something that is quite subjective and depends a lot on what you as an individual like.

That being said, it’ll still be interesting to present to you what we think is best. You may find it to be the best too!

User experience comprises everything from what the site looks like and how easy it is to navigate, to smaller things like text size, website load speed, and general navigation.

Since this section is rather subjective, we’ve kept it short and to the point.

• You can take a look at the scores we’ve awarded the different bookies in the dropdown below:

For us, bookies with the best user experience are characterised by having sophisticated and newer websites that are easy to use for all.

Our top 3 User Experience Bookies are 👨‍💻️

1. Betway → Best Website to Use
2. Hollywoodbets → Best New User Interface
3. Gbets → Newly Updated website

In South Africa, any bookmaker who does not include a mobile optimised website or app as part of their offering can quite simply be considered incomplete. Mobile betting is huge in South Africa; it has been one of the primary vehicles for growth in betting in the country.

Luckily, all the bookmakers in South Africa offer either mobile optimised sites, or apps. Generally the standard is pretty high among SA bookies, but of course, some are better than others.

In South Africa, mobile betting sites are more common than betting apps, but apps remain as the gold standard for betting on the go.

With regard to mobile experience, it’s again something that’s quite subjective, so our goal is to provide you with the bookies that offer the most in terms of all things betting on mobile.

• Take a look at the list below, which includes both offers, and ratings, all in one!

If you’re new to betting, you may not be aware of the fact that you’ll be required to provide bookmakers in South Africa with a number of documents so that they can verify your identity.

The process is pretty standard, but some bookies make the process a little easier than others. They require these documents from you in accordance with the law, which requires bookmakers to know who they’re doing their business with.

FICA helps in the fight against financial mispractice, and is a safety measure that ensures that betting sites are not used as locations for money laundering, fraud and the like.

While the FICA process can be somewhat of a hassle, it is an important part of the process that ensures your money’s safety.

• Take a look at the dropdown below to see which bookies are the best to FICA with, and which ones offer the most ways to FICA!

If you took a look at the box found above, you would notice that for us, two bookies stand out from amongst the rest when it comes to giving you FICA opportunities.

• They are:

Best Bookies to FICA with 📑

1. Betway → Automatic FICA Verification function
2. Hollywoodbets → 5 methods to hand in your FICA documents

Wow. If you’ve reached this far down into the page, we can firmly say that we’ve been through a lot together. Hopefully by now, you have a good idea of which bookie offers each of the important features in the best way.

We’ve included this “wild card” round, in order to give you an idea of what each of the top bookies offers in a special way.

We’ve mentioned it quite liberally through this page: each of SA’s top bookies offers something special.

In this category, we’ll introduce you to a little something that sets each and every betting site apart.

• Click on the dropdown below to view each and every one of the special offers from SA’s leading bookmakers:

• You can take another look in the list below to see what which bookmakers offer in the best way:

After a gruelling test of feature after feature, there could only ever be one winner of South Africa’s online betting landscape.

The scorecards are in, and after all that, we’re happy to present you with the final table of standings.

Without further ado, take a look at the image below to see how the best bookies lie on a points basis.

We’re happy to announce that based on our unbiased, and expert analysis, Betway really is the all round best betting operator in the country. They ranked highly on every feature, and in a lot of cases were the betting site that offered a particular feature in the best way.

• If you’d like to start betting with Betway, go ahead and click on the button below!

And that’s all there is folks! We recommend going ahead and signing up with each of the betting sites from this list that tickle your fancy, and start betting with them to see which one is in fact your favourite!

Go ahead! A whole world awaits!