Are there legal betting sites in South Africa?
In short, yes, there are legal online betting sites in South Africa. In order for a betting site to be legal in ZA, it needs to be regulated by the National Gambling Board (NGB), which is the governing body that is responsible for giving out the ZA online betting licences.
The vast majority of online betting sites that accept ZA players are actually based overseas. Therefore, you will most commonly see the UKGC or MGA licensing stamps on the site. However, for a site to legally be able to accept players from South Africa, it needs to go through the country’s own strict regulatory requirements.
As it might not at first appear obvious what overseas sites are available in ZA, you need to do a bit of extra digging. Fortunately, we have made this easy for you here at Strafe, as all the betting sites that you can find on this page are fully legal and licensed in South Africa.
Best sports betting sites in South Africa
Finding the best betting sites in South Africa has never been easier thanks to our team of experts here at Strafe. What we have done is put together this handy comparison tool that allows you to compare the best operators. Ultimately, the goal of this tool is to help us to pick out the best possible operator for you.
What makes a good sports betting site - How we test operators
When reviewing online sportsbooks, we put each operator through a very specific and rigorous testing process. As part of this, we consider a number of specific criteria, which have been explained in more detail below:
- Betting markets: The most important thing that we look for in every sportsbook is a good variety of betting markets. As well as the most popular sports in ZA, such as rugby, cricket and soccer, the best betting sites will also have more niche sports available, including boxing, badminton and more.
- Odds: At the end of the day, value is the most important thing when it comes to placing bets, and you want to find the highest possible odds. When testing a sportsbook, we compare the odds on a number of markets against those of its nearest competitors.
- Live betting and streaming: In-play betting is quickly becoming the most popular form of online betting for sports like soccer, rugby and especially cricket, where matches are long. In addition to having a good selection of live betting markets, you should find that the best betting sites in South Africa also have streaming rights, so you can follow the action.
- Limits: The top online sportsbooks have betting limits that suit players of all budgets. Casual punters will need low limits, while the high rollers and more serious bettors among you will want to know that your high wagers are likely to be accepted.
Best esports betting sites in South Africa
Esports betting is quickly beginning to take up a massive chunk of the online betting market in ZA. More and more gaming fans are flocking to online sportsbooks to take a punt on games like CSGO, Dota 2, LoL and plenty more.
Here at Strafe, esports betting and gaming is actually at the forefront of what we do. That’s why we’ve even made a dedicated section of our website just for the best sites for esports gambling in ZA.
While the main elements that we look for are consistent across sportsbooks and esports betting sites, there are also some other things that we specifically look for in an esports site. Below, we have covered some of the esports-specific criteria:
- Games: A dedicated esports betting site should have a solid selection of games. These days, you can usually find the most popular betting games like Dota 2 and CSGO included in the sportsbook on regular online betting sites in South Africa. However, the dedicated esports operators will usually have some more niche games, such as Overwatch, Fortnite and WoW.
- Tournaments: There are thousands of esports tournaments across the world that take place each week, and you will find that the top operators cover them all. Of course, the big ones like ESL and BLAST will always be covered. However, we know that the real gamers might also want to bet on more niche tournaments, such as the Predator League Malaysia.
- Streaming: One of the big advantages esports hold over regular sports, is that there is no requirement for operators to pay big bucks for streaming rights. Therefore, operators can literally just show Twitch streams on their site. As a result, there really is no excuse for a good esports betting site not to stream the games and tournaments that you are betting on.
The best bookmakers in South Africa
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Bookmaker South Africa - The best esports to bet on
If you are completely new to esports betting but want to give it a try, there’s good news. The best betting sites in South Africa have included some of the most popular esports games within their regular sportsbooks. In this section of the article, you can find a short introduction to the most popular esports for online betting.
- CS:GO: Counter Strike: Global Offensive was one of the first sports to become professionally competitive, and is also one of the original esports betting games. The goal of each game is to plant a bomb in the enemy’s territory, which lends itself well to betting. The biggest leagues in the world are BLAST Premier and the ESL Pro League.
- Dota 2: This is a unique battle game that combines elements of role-play strategy-based games. Each team has five players, who need to work together to defeat the opponent. Understanding the game is key, and in many ways betting on Dota 2 isn’t too different from betting on team sports like basketball or rugby.
- League of Legends: Often referred to as LoL or League, this game is essentially a spin-off from World of Warcraft. It is a strategy-based team game, which again is why it has proven to be popular among bettors. Fun fact - there is actually a South Africa LoL national team that competes at the IeSF World Championship.
- Overwatch: This is a first-person shooter game that is played in teams of six. In a similar vein to CSGO, the winning team has to reach a certain point on the opponent's map. The nature of this game provides multiple betting markets, such as total kills, winning time and exact score.
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How we rank our list of betting sites in South Africa
We have already run you through the various elements of what makes a good sportsbook and esports betting site. However, there is more that goes into the process of ranking online betting sites in South Africa in order to create this list. Below, we have highlighted some of the more pragmatic and specific criteria that needs to be considered when rating an online sportsbook.
- Bonuses - All welcome promotions look good in the advert, but we go through the T&Cs with a fine toothpick to make sure everything is as good as it claims to be. We then put it through the real test by claiming the welcome bonus ourselves and testing it out in reality.
- Usability - A good online bookmaker has to be simple to navigate and have all the features that most gamblers expect. Things like bet builders and in-play cashouts used to be considered option extras, but are now essential.
- Design - As well as being user-friendly, a good online sportsbook operator should have a good brand and a website that is easy on the eye. If you can’t stand to look at a website, then you’re not going to spend much time on it.
- Mobile - Almost everyone who uses an online betting site in South Africa is going to want to wager from their phone at some point. Mobile apps are therefore as important as the desktop website in this day and age. If an app isn’t available for download, then the mobile site needs to be exceptional.
- Payments - Allowing you to make deposits and withdrawals using your credit/debit card simply isn’t enough these days. Any betting site worth its salt should offer a range of e-wallets, including PayPal, Neteller and Skrill. Additionally, prepaid cards and other alternatives are also preferable.
- Customer service - If you encounter a problem, big or small, it’s important to know that it can be dealt with swiftly at any time of the day. The best online betting sites in South Africa have 24/7 customer support available through a live chat, email and over the phone.
- Licensing - As we said near the top of this article, having a valid overseas licence isn’t enough for a site to be legit in South Africa. Additionally, all overseas-based sites need to have gone through the regulatory requirements to obtain a valid licence from the NGB.
- Security - As well as being legit, the best sportsbooks will also have state-of-the-art security features such as SSL technology and 2FA. Additionally, we also read the T&Cs, privacy policies and other important documents to ensure that your data is kept safe and used responsibly.
- Loyalty programme - Loyalty programmes and rewards aren’t only reserved for online casinos in South Africa. Additionally, most online sportsbooks also make sure that their loyalty punters are well taken care of.
Top tips for using the best sportsbooks in South Africa
As well as helping you find your ideal site, we also want you to have the best possible experience. That’s why we have provided you with some of our top tips for sports betting below. Whether you are using the top betting sites in Australia or South Africa, the tips that we have provided with you here should help to enhance your experience.
The first thing that you have to do before you register your account with an online betting site in South Africa is creating your budget. As well as coming up with your overall bankroll figure that you are going to deposit, you also need to think about your budget for each bet. Your overall bankroll should be an amount that you can realistically afford to lose, and you should use no more than between one and five percent of that for each wager.
One of the biggest mistakes that new bettors make is not knowing the difference between odds and value. Rather than simply finding a bet at high odds, you want to find a bet at odds that are better than the odds suggest. This does require a bit of study and attention to detail, but there are opportunities to beat the bookies.
One of the best ways to find value in your bets is to use your sporting knowledge to your advantage. For example, let’s say the Springboks are priced at 4.0 to beat the All Blacks, which would give them a 25% chance of winning according to the bookies. However, you might have some intel to suggest that they actually have a 30% chance of winning, which would equate to odds of 3.33. This means that the bookies' odds have more value, and you have used your knowledge to arrive at that conclusion.
If you are an intermediate or very experienced gambler, then we recommend opening an account with multiple online betting sites in South Africa. If you do so, you can then use a comparison tool in order to shop around for the best odds. You might not think so, but the odds can vary between different bookmakers. By having more than one account, you can ensure that you find the highest possible odds for each bet.
The majority of sports bettors are also sports fans - it’s only logical. However, when it comes to placing wagers, you need to be as pragmatic as possible. Betting on a team or player that you are a fan of is usually a bad idea, so we would avoid it if you can. If you are going to bet on a game involving your team, take your fan hat off and be pragmatic. Sometimes, this may involve betting against your team, so if that doesn’t sit well with you, then avoid it.
Top betting sites in South Africa - Conclusion
So there you have it, about as comprehensive an introduction to sports and esports betting online in ZA as you could possibly ask for. Now, the real fun begins, as you can take a look through all of the reviews of the best betting sites in South Africa here at Strafe. Ultimately, you can then register an account with your chosen bookie and start betting.
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Best Betting Sites in South Africa FAQ
🇿🇦 Which betting site is the best in South Africa?
We have created a comparison tool that allows you to compare the best operators for sports betting online in South Africa. Additionally, we have also covered other online betting niches, including esports betting, casinos and more. Follow the link to our site to get started today.
📲 What is the best sports betting app in ZA?
Here at Strafe.com, we have rated and ranked the best apps for sports betting in ZA. As a result, you can browse through our reviews and find the best app for your sports betting needs. Our aim is to help everyone to find their ideal product through detailed and categorized reviews.
🔐 What betting sites are safe to use in South Africa?
There are actually many betting sites that are safe to use in South Africa. However, you have to bet on a site that has a valid licence from the National Gambling Board (NGB). Most betting sites are based overseas and might not show this on their website clearly. Therefore, the best way to find safe and secure ZA betting sites is to use the comparison tool and expert reviews on our website.
📍 Where can I find the best online sports betting odds in ZA?
You can find a comparison of the best online betting sites in South Africa here at Strafe.com. What you can then do, is compare the odds on your desired markets on all of these sites in order to find the highest ones available. We always recommend shopping around in order to find the best possible value for every bet that you place.
