Online Casinos
Online Casino Guide
Is online gambling in South Africa legal?
Despite the prevalence of online gambling sites in South Africa, the question about their legality never really goes away. And for good reasons too. That there are many operators in the country doesn’t mean that they are all operating legally. So, it’s imperative that players fixate on the legal status of any operator before taking their business there.
But how do you decipher this legal status? Easy. A South Africa online casino is legal when it is licensed by one of the gambling boards in the country. This license is what places the operator under regulatory oversight from these boards, ensuring that they engage in safe practices and only offer safe services to their users.
There are nine different gambling boards in the country, and South Africa betting sites are free to pick any of them for a license and still operate legally in the country.
Mini reviews: Our top SA online gambling sites picks
For this review, we have put together three of the best online gambling sites in South Africa. Here they are:
Playabet
Playabet: Pros and Cons
- Fair sports market odds
- Pro sports leagues markets
- Great welcome offer
- Live betting on eSports
- Little live betting sports markets
This operator isn’t part of the crop of ZA new betting sites, having been established in 2014, although its operations in the industry suggest it’s been around since the 1990s.
With this much history and experience, it’s no surprise that Playabet is one of the leading sports and eSports casinos for South African players. The operator has also kept things well-rounded, including a casino section and enough generous bonuses to rival a sweepstakes casino.
Their diverse, round-the-clock customer support system is another major talking point for the casino, allowing players to resolve issues easier and faster.
Hollywoodbets
Hollywoodbets Pros and Cons
- Quick withdrawal times
- Widely-recognized brand
- Great horse racing market
- Excellent mobile app
- Not enough payment methods
As of July 2023, Hollywoodbets was the most visited site for online gambling in South Africa. This shows the sheer popularity of this operator in the country.
On further investigation, we found that more South African players have access to this operator from their website and local bookies, who serve as the operator’s affiliates or agents.
This widespread presence is further backed by oversight and licenses from six of the nine provincial gambling boards in the country. Not only does that prove the legitimacy of the brand, but it also shows their commitment to ensuring player safety.
In terms of the casino itself, the operator fields a large selection of bonuses and a straightforward betting system that most players could get the hang off easily.
Supabets
Supabets Pros and Cons
- Multiple deposit channels
- Great welcome offers
- Interesting features
- Interface could be better
We found the Supabets experience widely satisfactory. For starters, the operator starts off new players with a welcome bonus, after which they can check out a range of unique promotions.
For its games library, the operator offers casino games and sports betting, with regulatory oversight from one of the nine gambling boards in the state.
While its customer service left more to be desired in the past, the operator listened to users and has improved it, showing a willingness to grow and become even better.
How we rank SA online gambling sites
When deciding the sites for online gambling in South Africa that made this list, we looked at a variety of factors outside of their betting services they offered. Given that these factors make up the rest of the player experience, it’s imperative that we thoroughly vet them.
Here are said factors and why they matter:
Welcome bonuses are the first line of contact between a casino and new players. They typically come in two forms: deposit-matched and no-deposit offers. The former means that the casino will reward you with a bonus that matches your first deposit to a certain amount.
Conversely, the latter doesn’t require you to make any deposit, and will typically be credited to your account after sign-up. Welcome bonuses are important to us, because it gives us insights into how operators treat players from the jump, and what to expect of their other bonuses.
Players are entitled to a safe and fair playing environment, and deserve to have their data protected. We ensure that every casino we review and recommend adheres to this requirement, with the right tools and solutions in place. Key pointers of said tools and solutions include certificates of data protection from independent auditors.
Another key factor for us is how the site performs in general. A SA online gambling site could have all the games and betting markets in the world and still have poor loading times and laggy animations. That’s not going to make for a pleasant playing experience if players have to wait long for pages to load or refresh.
The general layout of the site also matters to us. While it’s not necessarily a deal breaker, we prefer sites with a clean, organized layout, as this makes navigation easier.
Game functionality and software providers
It’s important for players to have a good time with the games they choose to play. Our team of expert researchers try to test as many games as possible on the SA online gambling sites we recommend for our readers. The goal is to get first-hand experience and report our findings.
To that end, we can confirm that the operators covered in this piece followed this due diligence, so we can vouch for their software providers, games, and betting markets they offer. We also looked into how the operator and its games hold up across different platforms, typically mobile and desktop. We want our readers to be able to find and play their favorite games in situ and on the go.
The final determiner in our rating of SA online gambling sites is customer support systems. This is a core part of the betting landscape, and it’s not unusual for casinos to rope some of their processes into customer support, like claiming bonuses, responsible gambling, and queries in general. To meet these needs, casinos must have an agile customer support unit and a range of options for contacting them.
Common contact channels include telephone, social media, live chat, and email. We rate these sites based on the available contact channels, response times, and their duration of service: is it round-the-clock or between specific times? Bookies with limited time availability are poorly rated in this regard.
Online gambling in South Africa: Conclusion
All in all, there is enough variety when it comes to finding the right operator in South Africa. Players just have to be willing to do a little due diligence to ensure the operator is legal and offers all the perks they are due. This piece does a good job of pointing out noteworthy elements and how they apply to players.
That said, players can always keep abreast of the situation and learn about the best casinos in their area by visiting our website and seeing our reviews.
Check out these top gambling bonuses
Online Gambling in South Africa FAQs
🎰 Is online gambling in South Africa legal?
Yes. Online gambling is legal in South Africa. We only recommend that you take your business to a licensed casino operating in the region, who are regulated and overseen by any of the nine provincial gambling boards.
💰 Do online casinos in South Africa pay real money?
Yes. You can play and win real money on online casinos in South Africa. To find out the best casinos in the area, their bonuses, and the games they offer, visit our website today.
❓What is the most popular online casino in South Africa?
As at July 2023, Hollywoodbets was ranked the most visited online casino in the country. The operator continues to make big strides thanks to its online and local presence in the South African market.
