South Africa betting websites

How popular is betting in South Africa and is it legal?

During the financial year 2023/24, revenue from gambling hit an all-time high in South Africa. The revenue was up by over 25% on the previous financial year, and placing bets on sports events generated the most gambling revenue. Sports betting was up more than 50% on the previous year.

Sports betting is only legal in certain areas of South Africa. These are Mpumalanga, the Northern Cape, Limpopo, the Western Cape, and the provinces of the North West. There is strong interest in online casino betting as well but the revenues from this have remained fairly flat.

The NGB (National Gambling Board) is responsible for the regulation of betting in South Africa. This includes the regulation of online websites. All betting operators must comply with the strict regulations imposed by the NGB so that consumers are fully protected.

The most popular payment methods for South African bettors

Always check to see if your preferred payment method is accepted by any South African betting site that you are considering registering with. Acceptable payment methods for deposits and withdrawals will vary from one betting site to another. Here are some of the most popular payment methods used by online gamblers in South Africa:

• OZOW – the use of electronic funds transfer (ETF) is popular in South Africa, and a service that most South Africans are comfortable with is OZOW. This is a very secure service and can be linked to different accounts.
• EasyEFT – a lot of people in South Africa do not have credit cards or do not want to use them for gambling. A good alternative is EasyEFT as it is supported by the major banks and offers low-cost transfers.
• iPay – bettors in South Africa can link their MasterCard or Visa credit cards to iPay which uses MPesa. This is a reputable service that offers quick and secure payments which is favored by bettors and the betting sites alike.
• SiD – they offer a popular service known as Instant EFT. This links to the bettor’s bank account for instant online payments. No card is required with SiD and the transactions are very secure.
• 1Voucher – this is a prepaid voucher where the user can purchase using cash rather than credit cards or their bank account. Some gamblers in South Africa have concerns about online payments so 1Voucher is the ideal solution for them.
• Other payment methods – these include popular e-wallet systems such as Skrill and Neteller and credit cards.

Conclusion

Online betting on sports and at online casinos is very popular in South Africa. The growth in sports betting has been significant over the last couple of years. Betting is heavily regulated in the country and all operators must abide by the strict rules or risk having their licenses revoked. There are several payment method options available to South African players.