Best sports betting sites in South Africa for sign up

Getting acquainted with the best online sports betting sites on Takebet South Africa

Each sports bettor has priorities depending on their experience, goals, and sports preferences. The team of Takebet South Africa spends countless hours researching online bookmakers with the goal of finding the best sites for betting on sports so that our readers can easily choose an ideal bookie.

In our reviews, you will find comprehensive information about each featured bookmaker. There are both foreign betting sites and local market sportsbooks in our ratings:

• Betwinner review
• 1xBet review
• Hollywoodbets review

When ranking a bookie, we rely on both essential characteristics and additional features:

• Variability of sports events: the number of sports you can bet on and the number of tournaments and matches provided.
• Betting options: singles, accumulators, system bets, or super jackpots — you name it. The quality of a betting site highly depends on the types of bets offered.
• Odds and betting margins: for experienced players, the best online sports betting site is the one with the highest odds. The odds are a crucial criterion.
• Reliability: bookmakers are licensed and certified to prove they are reliable, with strict KYC and privacy policies for identifying and protecting personal data. They should have an excellent reputation, confirmed by years of work and customer reviews.
• Bonuses and promotions: great bookies often offer their customers welcome gifts, deposit bonuses, free bets, and other rewards. Some of them regularly organise tournaments and lotteries with large prize pools.
• Deposit and withdrawal options: even the best bookies online may not suit you if there are no ways of payment that you can easily use in your country.
• Support service: if you have questions or problems with a sports gambling site, it is vital to have a quick and convenient way of contacting technical support.

Using the recommendations on this page, you can find an online bookmaker that will meet all your needs — and register with such a company online.

Advice on choosing the best sports betting site

The industry does not stop growing, and each gambling site has its strong and weak sides. So we suggest a few pieces of advice you should follow to avoid getting lost among the abundance of bookmakers — and choose one that is right for you.

Check licenses

Licensed sports gambling sites are required to follow specific rules. For example, there are requirements to verify the identity and age of customers, their financials, and to pay winnings. The practices may differ depending on the licensing authority.

The best online bookie must obtain a license for international or local operations before accepting the first bet.

Among the most authoritative licensing organisations for bookies are:

• Curacao eGaming
• Cyprus National Betting Authority
• Malta Gaming Authority
• UK Gambling Commission
• Gibraltar Betting and Gaming Association

There may be a local licensing body for online bookmakers in your country. Like in Africa, where all major betting markets have a state structure governing sports betting:

• Nigerian National Lottery Regulatory Commission
• Kenyan Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB)
• South African National Gambling Board
• Ghanaian Gaming Commission
• Ugandan National Gaming Board
• Tanzanian Gaming Board
• Zambian Betting Control and Licensing Board
• Zimbabwean Lotteries and Gaming Board (LGB)
• Ministry of Trade and Industry of Rwanda

The best online betting sites are licensed and comply with all the requirements, which makes such companies reliable and safe and allows Takebet South Africa to recommend them.

Choose bookmaker that fits your needs

Before choosing a bookmaker, decide what is crucial to you.

For example, if you are after horse racing only, the best online sports betting sites in South Africa for you are those that heavily cover horses, even with average odds and a lack of other sporting events.

Or, you are in the game of betting for immense odds and never mind only five possible outcomes you can choose from in a match. Or vice versa!

Think about payments too. If only PayPal or some local mobile payment wallet suits you, then it makes no sense to pay attention to bookies who do not support these methods.

Expert tip:
remember you can’t have it all at once. The highest betting odds usually don’t go hand in hand with the most extensive selection of bets or a rich in-play platform. If you are a new player, choose a gambling website with a moderate level of everything mentioned.

If you are still unsure of your desires, don’t worry. You don’t have to choose one bookmaker! On Takebet South Africa, select a few of the best betting sites rated in our online reviews and bet on sports. This way, you will understand your needs better to find a perfect match.

Mind betting odds

Professionals bet on the highest odds only, period.

If you visit two or more of the best sports betting sites rated by Takebet South Africa, the first thing you will see will be the odds on most of them. They determine how much you can win.

Naturally, choosing top odds would help to earn top wins. Strive for a margin starting from 1.5-2%. However, the bigger the odds, the fewer betting markets you will usually get.

Compare the rates of bookmakers yourself or trust the choice of Takebet South Africa. In our list of the best bookies and betting sites online, there are sportsbooks with some of the highest odds.

Seek fair terms and conditions

By choosing the best site for online sports betting, you can expect fair terms and conditions of bet settlement, bonuses, and promotions.

On any website, you can read the T&C at any time, both before and after registration. A link to such information is often at the bottom of a page.

The following are the basic terms and conditions:

• Clients must be of legal age (usually 18 years old or over).
• Players cannot have more than one account on a betting site.
• Before placing bets or withdrawing money, a player must verify his identity.
• Bettors can’t include bets on the same event to an accumulator.
• All account data is confidential.

The rules are numerous. It will help if you familiarise yourself with them at least once. A bookmaker who values its reputation and customers always abides by these rules.

Aim for reliable 24/7 support

When choosing the best bookies for online betting, pay attention to technical support. You must be sure that they will provide you with help on time. It is ideal if a bookmaker offers 24/7 customer service. It means you can contact operators whenever you need.

The best sporting betting sites provide 24/7 support with multiple ways to make contact. The most common channel is email, but this is the slowest method. At the very least, the betting site of your choice should provide one more way: either live chat or a phone line (or, better, both). Using the latter two methods, you will quickly get answers.

Follow reputation

When drawing up the rankings of the best South African betting sites, the reputation of a bookie is what we always consider. If a gambling firm has been working for a long time, this is a good sign, but it’s still not enough to get into the list of our recommended bookmakers.

We check the company’s attitude towards clients, its sponsorship deals in sports, such as soccer club partnerships and charitable activities, and its reputation among die-hard bettors. The rep is an important indicator of whether you can trust a bookie.

Check for additional features

Cash out, immense jackpots, bet construction options — dozens of additional sports betting features are not mandatory but will enrich your experience. We will most often describe them in our reviews of the best online bookmakers in South Africa.

Also, if you want to take an occasional break from sports, pay attention to online casino products. Some companies in our list of best betting websites combine sports and casinos. It is very convenient since you can place bets, play slots and poker, and use other online gambling features from one account.

Fundamentals of betting on sports

Before determining which online sports betting sites are the best, please find out how they work. It will help you make the right choice. Of course, experienced bettors can skip this section, but if you are a sports fan who understands little about betting, you can learn a lot.

How do online betting sites make money?

There are always winners and losers in sports wagering. Bookmakers are consistently profitable, as they include a margin in all their odds, usually from 5% to 7%. As a result, bookies receive a commission for every bet their customers make.

The simplest example is when two customers stake the same amount of money on two possible outcomes with even chances. In this case, a winner would double his stake with the 2.00 odds. If a bookmaker is involved, the odds will be reduced (for instance, from 2.00 to 1.87). The remaining 0.13 is the bookie’s profit or margin.

Most popular sports to bet on

Each country has its favourites, but judging by statistics of the best sportsbooks online serving players from all over the world, there are several sports more popular than others:

• Soccer: the most popular sport globally, with roughly 3.5 billion fans all over the globe, which is about half of the world’s population. Soccer is increasingly popular in Africa, topping the betting volumes of all states except South Africa, where cricket and rugby create a robust competition.
• Tennis: convenient for betting, fast-paced — tennis provides dynamic gambling activity even for not die-hard game fans.
• Basketball: powered by the NBA, basketball is among the 3-5 most wagered sports.
• Horse racing: betting on horses has been popular for over a century worldwide, especially in the United Kingdom, South Africa, and some other countries.
• Cricket: beloved in South Africa and India in particular, cricket has billions of fans all over the world who place bets on this sport. The Indian Premier League is one of the most viewed championships in sports.
• eSports: an increasingly popular type of sporting event, which is now available on almost all the best sports betting sites. Dota 2, CS: GO, and League of Legends have the biggest fandoms while betting on FIFA and PES events, NBA2K and NHL simulators accumulate even more significant wagers than classic eSports.

Focus on sports that you know the best to yield the biggest possible winnings.

Is it safe to bet on sports online?

Today online bookies have almost wholly replaced offline companies due to their high accessibility. Some modern bookmaker sites are well-known world brands. They sign sponsorship contracts with famous leagues and soccer clubs to boost their reputation. You can be sure that all the bets will be settled fairly on these sites, and if you win your gamble with such a bookie, you will indeed get paid.

On Takebet South Africa, you will find the list of the best online sportsbooks in South Africa, all properly licensed, which will take great care of your personal and payment information using encryption technologies.

Reasons to register and try out many bookies at once

Having an account with multiple bookmakers is a widespread practice among experienced gamblers. This strategy allows one to choose the highest odds for selected outcomes. Some online bookies use their algorithms to calculate betting coefficients, while others get the odds from suppliers, and the difference between them can be quite noticeable. Even the best online betting sites with many sports may offer lower odds, so having a fallback is a good idea.

For new customers, this approach may seem inconvenient. In this case, you will have to go through several registrations and identity verification procedures known as KYC. Therefore, it may take some time. In addition, you will have to make several deposits. However, if you look for the highest odds and the most decadent bet selection, this will justify the effort.

Quick starting guide to placing a bet online

Even if you don’t have an account on any betting site, you are always a few clicks away from placing a bet. Pick one of the best sports betting sites in South Africa on this page and push the BET NOW button, which will take you to the bookie’s website.

The following steps are more or less the same on every gambling website:

1. Click on the registration button.
2. Fill in the form with your details.
3. Make your first deposit — and bet!

You can immediately go through a verification procedure to withdraw money afterward, but usually, you can start betting on sports without completing KYC at all.

As a rule, players can find desired events by filtering sports and tournaments on the site. Then, you select one or more bets in the matches of your choice and set the stake.

Optionally, you can combine separate bets on different events into an accumulator. Such a bet is available on all the best sport betting sites. As opposed to single bets, accas (or multi bets) allow you to get a more significant win from a smaller stake.

Things to look for when exploring best bookmakers in South Africa

Researching bookies can be daunting. Use the reviews of the best online bookies on Takebet South Africa to select a gambling site that will suit your requirements instead.

The following short guide will help you choose a bookmaker!

Registration

Regardless of the bookmaker, registering an account is the first step you will need to take. On the best online betting sites, this simple process should take no more than 1-5 minutes. In most cases, you must click a button to register and enter personal data in the fields. Then you provide some of the following basic information:

• Username and password
• Email address
• Phone number
• Full name
• Date of birth
• Country and city of residence
• Preferred currency

Depending on the bookmaker, you may need to provide more or less information. Some betting sites offer several registration options, for example, through social networks and instant messengers. Even if you sign up for an account using them, later, you will still need to specify basic information about yourself on the site to make withdrawals.

Ensure you enter correct and accurate data when creating an online account for gambling so that you don’t have any problems with your payments in the future. All the best online bookmakers have responsive technical support if you get puzzled.

Payment methods

The second step you must take immediately after mastering the registration process is funding your betting wallet. Ensure that the site you have chosen for betting has at least 1-2 payment methods convenient for you.

There are a few popular ways of depositing and making a payout:

• Credit or debit card: use a plastic or virtual card connected to your bank account. Probably the most common method of funding an account in Europe, the USA, and Canada, though not so standard in African and Asian countries. Note that card data must match the information you provided during registration.
• Wire transfer: pay directly from your bank account — a relatively slow method, usually characterised by the highest minimum and maximum limits.
• Mobile payments: top up your betting account or withdraw money using a mobile wallet, usually provided by major telecom operators. This method gained the most significant traction in African and Asian countries, with a vast prevalence of mobile phone users over people with access to banking services.
• E-wallets: move money quickly and securely online through Skrill, PayPal, Neteller, and other online payment services, depending on your country.
• Cryptocurrency: pay and get winnings anonymously and in minutes with a bitcoin wallet or other cryptocurrencies.

The best online betting sites in South Africa always offer a variety of transaction methods specifically adapted to each country the company covers. Therefore, you are guaranteed to find a convenient payment method for yourself to make deposits and withdraw profits.

Expert tip:
to withdraw winnings with a specific payment method, you should make a deposit the same way beforehand. Differences between deposit and withdrawal sums are also taken into account by bookies to prevent money laundering.

Be sure to read the rules for deposits and withdrawals. If you are used to high stakes, find the maximum payment limits. If you are going to play with small stakes, check out the minimum restrictions. You can find all the necessary information in the reviews of the best online bookies on Takebet South Africa or in the terms and conditions of your gambling site.

Bonuses and special promotions of best bookies

Another advantage of the best sites for betting on sports over ordinary online bookmakers is their numerous promotions letting you get some extra money:

• Welcome bonuses: a gift for new customers usually provided as a bonus on the first deposit, though it also may come as a small free bet for registration.
• Deposit bonuses: regular or one-time promotions that guarantee a reward equivalent to the deposited amount of money with some rollover requirements.
• Boosted odds: players get higher odds for bets on selected sporting events and betting markets to yield more significant winnings in real money or free bets.
• Betting tournaments: competitions where you can get impressive winnings by placing real or virtual bets on sports events.

In addition, there may be special offers such as weekly free bets, cash-backs, ensured bets, etc. The best sports betting sites often have a loyalty system for regular players.

Always read the terms and conditions of a bonus before claiming it.

Prematch bets and live betting feed

When choosing a bookmaker, pay attention to betting options and sporting events available. If you prefer to predict outcomes in advance, explore prematch.

However, be sure to try out live betting, too: it constitutes more than 80% of a betting site handle. You bet as the match unfolds, getting your winnings almost instantly after predicted events happen during the game. You may place a winning bet if you react quickly and correctly to odds, which constantly fluctuate depending on events happening.

Security

You shouldn’t choose a bookmaker if the company experiences security problems. In this case, you put your money and personal information at risk. The best betting sites in South Africa use different encryption methods (at least an SSL certificate), which are necessary to prevent the theft of client data. In addition, various technologies provide reliable protection of personal information and payments. By choosing platforms with a good reputation, verified by players and Takebet South Africa, you do not have to worry about the security of your data and funds.

Design and usability

Ease of use is the king, especially on mobiles. You don’t want to stumble on every step. The choice of the best online sports betting sites is pretty broad nowadays, so do not inconvenience yourself. Even if the bonuses attract you, why would you stay with the company if it takes an eternity to find the right sporting match and place your bet?

Register and interact with the betting site. Pay attention to the following points:

• how easy it is for you to navigate sections of an online betting site;
• how quickly pages load (after all, every second is vital in betting);
• whether events and rates are displayed conveniently;
• whether there is a convenient sorting of sports.

If you enjoy the designs of a gambling website and feel as comfortable as possible using it, then your bets will probably be more effective. And if you are nervous about inconvenient navigation, good results will be hard to reach with pages loading slowly.

Mobile application and mobile site

If you wish to place bets on the go, look for an online bookmaker with a convenient mobile version. With such a bookie, you can bet anytime and anywhere.

An online sportsbook should have a user-friendly mobile version to be included in the list of the best sport betting sites in South Africa. In addition, it should automatically adapt to a phone or a tablet and provide complete functionality.

Most bookmakers develop betting apps for Android and iOS, which you can download either from their websites or the official app store.

FAQ

If you still have questions about choosing a great bookie, look no further than our list of the most frequently asked questions we have compiled below.

Which are the best-rated sports betting sites online?

Those are legit sportsbooks with a history of incredible customer service, profitable enough odds, a wide range of sporting events, betting options, and a convenient choice of payment methods for every country of operation. On the current page of Takebet South Africa, you will find the list of the best online bookmakers with reviews and ratings from our experts.

Should I use a local or an international online betting site?

International gambling sites usually provide more promotions. In terms of design, the websites and applications of the world-renowned bookies are often state-of-the-art. However, the best online sportsbooks locally may offer a top line of bets on local sporting events and are guaranteed to accept stakes in your local currency and with regional payment methods.

How do I register on a betting site?

To create an account, you must follow a few simple steps. First, choose the best bookie for yourself and hit the BET NOW button on Takebet South Africa to access their site. Next, find a REGISTER/SIGN UP button. Tap on it, fill out a form, and complete your registration!

How do I deposit money to an online bookmaker?

The best sport betting sites always offer plenty of deposit options, including those expected in the countries where they operate. The most widespread ways to fund an online betting account are bank cards, e-wallets, and bank transfers. Though in Africa and Asia, mobile money wallets are the way to go.

To replenish your account, access the online betting website, log in, and choose a payment service. Make sure you have enough money and then send it via the website.

Is it possible to make money by gambling on sports?

Making money from sports betting is not guaranteed, but it is possible. Analyse upcoming events carefully, follow the advice of professional players and develop your strategies. Always remember that betting on sports is fun in the first place, and not a paying job.

What’s next?

Now you understand what to look for when choosing a decent bookmaker and are able to pick one. Alternatively, save time and read our reviews of the best betting sites, making your choice much more straightforward and boosting your chances of winning. Pick among the most significant bookies we have carefully studied and gathered here. Register, play, and have fun!