This is the only guide you’ll ever need for the best betting sites in South Africa.

Our qualified team of experts has examined the betting odds, markets, bonuses, customer service, and more to compile a definitive list of the top South African sports betting sites.

Sportingbet turned out to be the ultimate winner, having nailed each of our benchmarks to near perfection, offering some of the highest odds in the industry and an overall next-level betting experience.

That said, we have 5 more top South African betting sites for you to check out, each with its own distinctive set of features.

Ready to see who made the cut? Let’s go.

Best Betting Sites in South Africa

1. Sportingbet — Best Betting Site in South Africa Overall

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Sponsor

Pros:

  • Risk-free welcome bet up to R2,000
  • Multiple cashback promotions
  • A vast range of markets
  • Fully licensed by Western Cape Gambling & Racing Board
  • Some of the most competitive odds across the board

Cons:

  • Live chat not available 24/7

Sportingbet is our unanimous number one pick for the best South African sports betting site, boasting competitive odds, fantastic promotions, and an undeniable industry reputation.

Betting Site Features: 5/5

Sportingbet has been endearing itself to South African bettors for well over a decade now, which is a very long time in online gambling terms. It launched in South Africa with an already recognised international pedigree from the United Kingdom but has made a concerted effort to adapt to South African players and habits.

There are 33 different betting categories, each one packed with its own range of markets. One of our favourite features of Sportingbet is its collection of statistics on display to help you make more informed betting decisions. 

Along with consistently competitive odds lines and a good selection of promotions, Sportingbet is a no-brainer for our number one choice.

Bonuses & Promotions: 4.7/5

New players at Sportingbet are eligible for a risk-free bet of up to R2,000. This comes attached with modest wagering requirements of 3x and an expiry date of 30 days. Skrill deposits are excluded from this promotion.

If you like making accumulator bets, Sportingbet has an excellent insurance policy for when you get one leg wrong. If you make a five-fold or more and one leg lets you down, they’ll refund you your stake up to R500. This is valid for both soccer betting and tennis.

That being said, Sporting bet constantly changes its promotions to target ongoing events — but you can rest assured that they’re always generous and come with fair terms and conditions. So, it’s best that you visit the site and check the current promotions.

Design & Interface: 4.8/5

Sportingbet has a smart and well-designed sportsbook that’s extremely easy to use. One of our favourite features is the ability to search for events, teams, and sports, which can be an absolute God-send when you’re looking for a market quickly, or something that’s niche and buried under tons of other more popular sports.

Customer Service: 4.5/5

The first line of customer support at Sportingbet is the help section. This is a deep and well-written information aid that should solve most of the more common issues you may encounter using a sportsbook.

If you have to escalate your problem, live chat is only available between 9 am and midnight. If you’re outside these hours, you will have to send an email, which will be answered promptly.

We have no issue with the quality of Sportingbet’s customer service itself, but we do think all modern online betting sites should have a 24/7 help service. Hopefully, moving forward, they may address this.

Banking Tools: 4.8/5

  • Visa
  • MasterCard
  • FNB E-Wallet
  • Google Pay
  • Electronic Funds Transfer
  • Flash 1 Voucher
  • Ozow i-Pay

All in all, the banking tools available at Sportingbet cover the ground pretty well and should be enough to please most South African players. It’s important to know that your account must be verified before you’re allowed to make a withdrawal; with some players, this is instantaneous, while others may need to upload FICA documents to be verified.

Register at Sportingbet now to claim your risk-free welcome bet up to R2,000

2. 1xBet — Best South African Sports Betting Site for Crypto Users

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Sponsor

Pros:

  • 200% first deposit bonus up to R3,000
  • Comprehensive eSports section
  • Global partners with Barcelona FC
  • Crypto support
  • Innovative betting interface

Cons:

  • Customer service could do with some improvement

Next up is 1xBet, a top South African sportsbook that features global partnerships with huge soccer clubs and an excellent level of crypto support.

Betting Site Features: 4.8/5

1xBet is one of the most popular SA betting sites around, and it’s not difficult to see why. With monthly users in the hundreds of thousands, many South African players have made 1xBet their preferred sportsbook for all their wagering needs.

The company behind the website has a global partnership with Barcelona FC, as well as a number of eSports giants, lending validity and credibility to the company and its image. Indeed, it’s also an excellent choice for any South African player who uses cryptocurrency, as the number of altcoins supported is staggering.

Bonuses & Promotions: 4.7/5

New users are given the opportunity to claim a 200% welcome bonus worth up to R3,000. The minimum deposit qualification for this bonus is R20, and it comes with wagering requirements of 5x. 

The other important caveat here is that you must use the bonus funds on accumulators only that contain three legs or more.

Elsewhere in 1xBet, you can also find excellent promotions such as a bonus if you’re on a losing streak, a bonus for your birthday, and even a special bet insurance bonus for your accumulators. As you can see, 1xBet is pretty bonus happy. And so are we.

Design & Interface: 4.6/5

1xBet’s distinctive blue colour scheme will be familiar to anyone who’s spent a while betting online in South Africa. The home page can be a tad overwhelming at first, but there is so much content here; it’s a miracle in itself they’ve managed to fit it in semi-coherently.

If we had to nitpick, we’d say the home page could do with a bit of a tidy and a re-arrangement, but it’s no true dealbreaker. The addition of search bars throughout the different sections of this SA betting site was enough to ensure we didn’t get completely lost.

Customer Service: 4/5

There are four frontiers to 1xBet’s customer support. The first is an FAQ and help centre of sorts which is available at the bottom right of the page, inside the same app you’d use to initiate a live chat. From there, there’s a live chat option, email, and also phone number.

It’s unclear to us whether 1xbet’s live chat system is 24 hours. Furthermore, it took a long while for a customer service representative to respond to us when we made contact. For these reasons, we’ve marked down this particular benchmark.

Banking Tools: 5/5

  • VISА
  • Mastercard
  • Skrill with Skrill 1-Tар
  • Рerfect Money
  • Sticpay
  • 1XBЕT Саsh
  • ecoРаyz
  • Neteller
  • BTC
  • ETH
  • USDT
  • DOGE

Despite what we’ve listed here, there are actually a whole lot more cryptocurrency methods available. 

It has some of the widest selections of crypto we’ve ever seen on a betting website in South Africa or around the globe in general. Despite that, it also contains a multitude of useful tools for fiat currency users, too, including e-wallets like Skrill and Neteller. All around, it’s an excellent selection.

Register with 1XBet today to claim your R3,000 welcome bonus

3. Bet.co.za — Best Bonuses of all SA Online Sports Betting Sites

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Sponsor

Pros:

  • R1,000 welcome bonus
  • Sleek and modern design
  • Huge selection of promotions
  • Stellar mobile app
  • Boosted odds

Cons:

  • Support not available 24/7

Next up is Bet.co.za, sporting a classy modern design with a breathtaking amount of promotions to choose from.

Betting Site Features: 4.5/5

Bet.co.za features a range of 35 sports to bet on, each with deep markets to explore and plenty of betting options available.

Although Bet.co.za is pretty solid all around, it does have a particularly great selection of eSports coverage to wager on, including DOTA, Starcraft, and Rainbow 6, to name a few.

Bonuses & Promotions: 5/5

After registering an account at Bet.co.za, you’ll be eligible for a welcome bonus worth up to R1,000. You must make a minimum deposit of R50 to qualify, and it comes with wagering requirements of 6x. System bets, pulse bets, bet builders, and bet boosts are excluded from any contribution to the wagering requirement.

If you’re a bonus hound, then you may just want to stop reading right here and register at Bet.co.za straight away. In terms of choice, there really is no match for what this South African betting site has to offer, with over 27 different promotions to choose from.

Some of the highlights include ‘Done By a Donkey,’ in which your losing horse bet will be refunded up to R1,000 if beaten by an outsider of 10/1 or more. ‘Multi-Boost,’ meanwhile, will give you up to 50% extra on your multiple bets, and ‘One Leg Out’ will get your stake refunded as a free bet if you lose by only one leg in a multi bet.

Design & Interface: 5/5

In terms of betting sites in South Africa, Bet.co.za may just be the best looking out there. It’s sleek, modern, and easy on the eye. It doesn’t suffer any issues with overcrowding, and everything is set up in a user-friendly manner.

Customer Service: 4/5

It was difficult to score this benchmark appropriately because, on the one hand, Bet.co.za has a fantastic customer service hub. The FAQ and help centre is huge and covers almost every issue you can think of.

But, if you do need to speak to another human being, they offer no less than eight different ways to do so, even with unique support e-mails for specific problems. 

So what’s the problem, we hear you say? Well, the problem is it all closes. It’s only available during specific hours, which in this day and age of gambling online doesn’t really cut it.

Banking Tools: 4.6/5

  • Visa
  • MasterCard
  • In-Bank Transfers
  • Masterpass
  • OTT voucher
  • OZOW
  • Peach Payments
  • SID Instant EFT
  • Zapper Payments

This SA sports betting website features a number of payment methods that will be familiar to most South African citizens. If using a bank transfer method, please be aware that this could take multiple days to process. Card payments on Visa and MasterCard, however, are instant.

Register at Bet.co.za today to claim your R1000 welcome bonus

4. HollywoodBets — Best Betting Markets Coverage of any SA Betting Site

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Sponsor

Pros:

  • R25 sign-up bonus (no deposit required)
  • Lots of exciting competitions to enter
  • Excellent mobile site
  • Free to play ‘Punters Challenge’

Cons:

  • Dated design

HollywoodBets is next on our list of best betting sites in South Africa, featuring a top-notch mobile betting site and a range of awesome competitions.

Betting Site Features: 4.4/5

Hollywoodbets has just over 20 different sports to bet on, including all the most popular events in South Africa, such as soccer, tennis, rugby, and cricket. 

They feature a range of competitive betting odds across the board, so it’s easy to see why they’ve become one of the most popular sports betting sites in South Africa.

Related: Best Online Slots

Bonuses & Promotions: 4.7/5

Upon signing up, new players can claim a modest R25 welcome bonus without even depositing. There are no wagering requirements attached, but you’ll have to be quick off the market to use it — as it expires within 24 hours of activation.

Basically, you’ll need to wager the entire R25 and the winnings you get are entirely yours to keep.

Elsewhere on the promotional side of things, HollywoodBets has a fantastic amount of competitions to enter, including its free-to-play ‘Punters Challenge’, where you can win a share of R10,000 for making the right selections at Greyville and Scottsville.

Design & Interface: 4.5/5

Unfortunately for you and for HollywoodBets, this is where things become a little ugly. Literally. Hollywoodbets is a very dated-looking sports betting site, and that’s us being polite about it.

Besides being stuck in the 90s, it also seems to suffer from a ridiculously tacky and garish purple colour scheme. At least on the functional side of things, we can have no real complaints, but that’s quite a low bar to set.

Thankfully, there is an answer to this issue. They actually have a fully updated and modernised website that’s not a complete eyesore to use. Inexplicably it’s just tucked away in the sidebar and very easy to miss. We recommend you switch over as quickly as possible and never look back.

Customer Service: 4.3/5

HollywoodBets has multiple phone lines, e-mail addresses, and social media channels they are contactable on. Unfortunately, there’s no sign of that all-important live chat function. They even have a PO Box for physical mail. We think they’re investing in the wrong era here.

Still, these are just minor hiccups at HollywoodBets — the most important bases are covered in style.

Banking Tools: 4.3/5

  • MasterCard
  • Visa
  • Bank Deposit
  • PayFast

Hollywood Bets only supports a few payment methods, which isn’t exactly ideal in terms of inclusivity. 

As always, the quickest methods here will be MasterCard and Visa. Although, according to the website, they do have a deposit team working 24/7 — so even if you elect to choose a bank deposit option, it should only take 15 minutes for your account to update. Not exactly bleeding edge technology, but it does the trick.

Register at HollywoodBets today to claim your R25 no-deposit welcome bonus

5. GBets.co.za — No.1 Betting Site in South Africa for Prop Bets

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Sponsor

Pros:

  • R1,000 welcome bonus
  • Bet Builder feature
  • Statistics tab
  • 24/7 live chat + phone line

Cons:

  • Loading issues and dated design

GBets is next on our list, featuring a unique bet builder feature for soccer bettors, as well as a high-quality customer support hub.

Betting Site Features: 4.4/5

This SA sportsbook was founded by the Gold Rush Group in 2005, and it’s been online and entertaining South African punters ever since. That makes it one of the longest-running online betting sites featured in this article and just another reason to sign-up and give them a go.

One of our favourite features of the GBets sportsbook was the introduction of the ‘Build a Bet’ feature. 

This is one of the fastest-growing bets in terms of popularity across the globe, and it’s not available at many other betting sites in South Africa. Basically, it allows you to build an accumulator bet made up of props from the same event. It’s especially popular with soccer fans.

Bonuses & Promotions: 4.5/5

GBets features a welcome bonus of R1000. It comes with a wagering requirement of 6x and has a maximum win cap of R10,000. The terms and conditions don’t seem to state any expiry date, but we wouldn’t risk it. Use it or lose it, as they say.

There are a ton of other excellent promotions available at GBet as well. You can find a wealth of money-back offers on F1, soccer, and even golf. If you’re a fan of insurance policies for your wagering, you’ll definitely enjoy betting at GBets.

Design & Interface: 3.7/5

First impressions of GBet’s design aren’t bad. But the longer you stick around, the worse it gets to look at. There’s a lot to complain about here, but we’ll try and keep it brief. The graphics look dated, and on certain pages, a lot of the images don’t seem to line up properly.

There’s cause for concern on the functionality side as well. We encountered a lot of loading issues that stifled our enjoyment from the get-go. It’s especially annoying when it comes to live betting, putting a significant strain on our ability to place bets quickly and efficiently.

The mobile site, however, doesn’t seem to suffer from any of these issues.

Customer Service: 4.9/5

Crucially, GBets passes the 24/7 live chat test. As we’re sure you’re sick of reading by now, having a customer service team accessible 24 hours a day really is an almost minimum requirement these days for online betting sites.

Beyond the live chat function, you can also email them, and there’s a phone number for customer support which is also staffed 24/7. All in all, this is one of the stronger benchmarks GBets has going for it.

Banking Tools: 4/5

  • Visa
  • Mastercard
  • Vouchers
  • American Express
  • Celbux
  • TicketPro
  • Ozow
  • SiD
  • PayGate
  • Direct Deposit
  • EFTSecure

There’s a solid amount of banking tools available at GBets that most players in South Africa will recognise. EFTSecure, otherwise known as CallPay, is not an option you’ll see often, but definitely a solid pick regardless.

Register at GBets to claim your R1,000 welcome bonus

6. Winabet365 — Best Online Betting Site in South Africa for Virtual Sports

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Sponsor

Pros:

  • $100 welcome bonus (ZAR equivalent)
  • 50+ sports to bet on
  • Offers two different versions of the sportsbook
  • Good virtual sports options

Cons:

  • No iOS mobile app
  • Bonuses not displayed in ZAR

The last out of our top six is Winabet365. If you’re after a wider range of sports selection or even some virtual sports action — this may be the best sports betting site in South Africa for you.

Betting Site Features: 4.5/5

Winabet365 has over 50 different sports to bet on, with a wealth of markets to go with it. They also feature a comprehensive live betting section, with real-time live odds updates and extensive in-game statistical information.

They offer two different designs for the sportsbook, which isn’t something we’ve seen before. The two flavours offered are ‘European’ and ‘Classic’. 

From what we can tell, the ‘European’ version was a lot more minimalist and stripped back, while the ‘Classic’ skin seemed to offer more information first-hand. While we’re not entirely sure why the distinction between the two was needed, perhaps it’s just nice to have a choice.

Bonuses & Promotions: 3.5/5

Winabet365’s welcome bonus offers you up to $100 (up to R1,750). It comes with a wagering requirement of 11x, and you must wager it on odds of at least 2.0 for the wagering to qualify. All in all, it’s not the worst bonus around, but there are plenty better on offer.

First off, the wagering requirements are almost double than our better-ranked picks, and quite frankly, we’re a little bit offended they didn’t take their time to list the bonus in ZAR.

Design & Interface: 4.3/5

While Winabet365’s core design scheme is fine or good even, the overall composition of the website is a bit confusing. Considering you can also access online casino games from the main page, it’s not at all clear where to go if you’re looking for the sportsbook.

Related: Best Blackjack Sites

Once you do manage to locate the sportsbook, things will start getting easier, and you’ll probably need 5 to 10 minutes of browsing around to get used to the site.

Customer Service: 4.5/5

Winabet365 pretty much nails the art of customer service for a modern online bookmaker, having three different support options, including the all-coveted 24/7 live chat service. The other options are, of course, email and phone line.

Banking Tools: 4.2/5

  • Visa
  • Mastercard
  • ClickToPay
  • RunPay
  • Bank Transfer

There’s not exactly an abundance of choice here at Winabet365, but it’s got the basics covered, at least. 

As always, card transactions will process instantly, whereas bank transfers may take a small while longer.

Register at Winabet365 today to claim the $100 (R1,750) welcome bonus

The Benchmarks: How We Evaluated the Best Betting Sites in South Africa

Betting Site Features:

Although most sports betting sites in South Africa are largely set up in the same way, we’ve paid attention to any distinguishing features that may give one sportsbook the heads up on a rival.

Furthermore, we’ve analysed all the usual important stuff like the selection of sports available to bet on, how many betting markets there are, what types of bets you can place, etc.

Bonuses & Promotions:

Bonuses aren’t always what they seem, which is why we aim to add transparency here by breaking down the often confusing terms and conditions. A good bonus featured by South African betting apps should add value to your online gambling experience, not take anything away.

Design & Interface:

As evident by now, aesthetics aren’t much of a priority for the developers of sports gambling sites. In our opinion, it’s often a missed opportunity to get one over on the competition. So, if a betting site does end up looking a little snazzier than usual, chances are we’ll be marking it up gratuitously.

Another more important aspect we examine in this benchmark is functionality. South African betting sites should be easy to use and navigate. The best examples will provide an intuitive browsing experience that’s simple and stress-free; the worst may have issues with loading, poor page composition, and a litany of other issues.

Customer Service:

Customer service isn’t important until you have to use it; then, it turns out to be the most important thing in the world. We’re exaggerating a bit, of course, but good customer service really is paramount. If you don’t provide a way of getting in contact 24/7, that’s already a negative point. The bar is set quite high here, but for a good reason.

Banking Tools:

Perhaps the most straightforward benchmark there is. We’ve listed all the banking tools made available to you at the SA betting sites on our list. We’ve also provided a mini analysis for any stand-out payment methods. What we’re looking for here mostly is a wide selection that covers all bases. The more variety, the better.

Learn more about crypto gambling:

Guide to Online Betting in South Africa

Can I win real money on South African betting sites?

Yes, all the South African betting sites that you can see in this article are equipped to take real money wagers. If your bets go through, you can easily withdraw your winnings once your betting account is fully set up and verified.

Is it safe to gamble on sports betting sites in South Africa?

Yes, you can be sure that all the South African betting sites featured in this article are 100% safe to bet at. We’ve checked their licensing information, in addition to how reputable they are among South African bettors.

Is online sports betting legal in South Africa?

Yes, online sports betting in South Africa is legal so long as you’re placing wagers with a licensed online betting site.

Do South African betting sites accept rand?

Most of our top-recommended betting sites like Sportingbet accept rand. However, there are also a few other betting apps in South Africa that’ll convert your rand into dollars once you deposit. One such example is Winabet365.

Is live betting available at South African sports betting sites?

Yes, live betting is available at most South African online sportsbooks. Each betting site you find on our list supports live betting, with Sportingbet featuring an advanced interface with early cash-out options and great odds.

What’s the best South African sports betting site?

We crowned Sportingbet as our number one South African sports betting site. But you may feel differently, so we suggest you take another look at our reviews to make an educated decision.

What is the most trusted online betting site in South Africa?

In South Africa, Sportingbet and 1xbet are considered to be among the most trusted betting sites you can join. 

Do South African betting sites offer free bets?

Yes, you can find numerous free bet bonuses at each betting site in this article. Sportingbet, 1xbet, Bet.co.za, and Hollywoodbets all feature a great deal of risk-free and free bets for their most loyal players.

Comparison of the Top 6 South African Online Betting Sites

Here’s a quick comparison of our top 6 South African sports betting sites, including their stand-out features.

  • Sportingbet: Sportingbet’s stellar online sportsbook and prestigious industry reputation made it our easy pick for the number one sports betting site in South Africa. Here, you’ll find some of the most competitive odds and possibly the best live betting interface. Register at Sportingbet today to claim your R2,000 welcome bonus.

  • 1xbet: 1XBet’s extensive eSports betting markets and cryptocurrency compatibility make it an intriguing option for South African sports betting fans. It’s not too shabby with its bonuses, either, considering you can claim a 200% match bonus up to R3,000 on your first deposit.

  • Bet.co.za: If you’re looking for a range of different bonuses and promotions to sink your teeth into, then Bet.co.za may be one of the best online betting sites in South Africa for you. Register at Bet.co.za today to claim your R1,000 welcome bonus and further benefit from tons of offers.

  • Hollywoodbets: This SA betting site’s fun competitions and extensive betting markets make it a must-visit for anyone looking to bet online in South Africa. Register at HollywoodBets now to claim your R25 welcome bonus — no deposit required.

  • Gbets.co.za: GBets’ robust customer service features and the new addition of a build-a-bet feature make it another SA sports betting site that’s worth your time and attention. It’s especially suitable for bettors looking to wager on proposition bets. Register at GBets to claim your R1,000 welcome bonus.

  • Winabet365: If it’s virtual sports betting services you’re looking for, as well as a range of niche sports to punt on, then Winabet365 could be right up your street. Register now at Winabet365 to claim the $100 (R1,750) bonus.

How to Sign Up at a Top South African Betting Site

We’ve prepared a sign-up guide (using Sportingbet as an example) to help you create an account and start betting at South African sports betting sites.

Step 1 – Register an Account at Sportingbet

Step 2 – Validate your account

  • Check your email inbox for a validation link.
  • If it’s not there, check your spam box.
  • Once you’ve located it, click the link to complete the validation process.
  • You’ll also need to fully verify your account before you’re allowed to request withdrawals, so we suggest you do it right away.

Step 3 – Deposit and Play

  • Open the deposit section at Sportingbet.
  • Deposit using your chosen payment method.
  • Opt-in for the bonus.
  • Start betting and have fun!

Ready to Bet at the Best Betting Sites for South African Punters?

Congratulations on making it to the end of the article! If you weren’t before, you should now be an expert in South African sports betting sites. 

In terms of the best sports betting sites out there, we named Sportingbet our number one choice for South African bettors. Even if you disagree with our assessment, there are five other options right there waiting for you to try out, so why not give them a try? 

Each betting site will have a range of different features that may suit you better than another. Plus, there are always bonuses to go after.

Ultimately, wherever you end up placing your wagers, we only ever stress two simple things — have fun and gamble responsibly!

Related reading: Best South African Sports Betting Sites

DISCLAIMER: We don’t need to emphasise that gambling is risky and should not be used to resolve financial difficulties. The saying “the house always wins” is worth keeping in mind.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, we firmly advise you to call the National Problem Gaming Helpline to speak with an expert about getting assistance and making gambling safer for you or your friends and loved ones. Remember that all gaming websites and instructions are intended for people aged 18 and above.

Some of the casino sites featured on our site may not be available in your location. Check your local regulations to see if internet gambling is permitted in your area.

If you suspect you’re becoming addicted to gambling, visit Gamblers Anonymous for info on gambling addiction.