South Africa
Thanks to the betting-friendly legislation, sports lovers in South Africa can access a broad portfolio of betting apps and sites. For quite a long time, online sports betting has been legal, and thus, several online sportsbooks have been established to offer wagering options to South Africans.
🇿🇦 Legal sports betting apps in South Africa:
Online sports betting in South Africa - Legal & booming
Gambling and sports betting have gone through multiple levels of legalization in South Africa. At first, all gambling was illegal until 1965, when the government legalized horse racing betting. During the late 1970s, retail casinos were introduced in the country but were insufficient to cater to all players, leading to the establishment of over 2000 illegal casinos.
In 1994, a change of government led to the legalization of all betting forms, though some specific restrictions remained in place. With this change, the market saw an influx of physical casinos established nationwide, where gamblers had easy access.
As the Internet started to penetrate the gambling industry, among other things, South Africa had to update its legislation yet again. The National Gambling Act, passed in 2004, prohibited online gambling in South Africa with the exemption of online sports betting activities, and this same act still applies in SA today. In a nutshell, it means that sports betting is the only online gambling type available in the country as, for example, online casinos and other forms of iGaming are all still forbidden by law.
However, the 2004 act allows sports betting in SA only via online operators licensed by one of the nine SA provinces and their gambling boards. So, if a sportsbook acquires a license from one of the provinces, it can legally offer online and mobile sports betting services in all parts of South Africa.
However, even with such a licensing system in place, tens or even hundreds of offshore sportsbooks and online casinos still accept South Africans as customers. Even though the NGB has warned its citizens of gambling on offshore gambling sites, there isn't really any legal prosecution or even blocking access to such platforms.
In 2008, the regulatory body published an amendment to the act, finally seeking to legalize other types of online gambling services. However, this act has not yet been enacted, citing internal objections from, for example, the country's retail casino industry.
Sports betting legislation in South Africa
| Is online sports betting legal in South Africa? | Yes |
| Is in-person sports betting legal? | Yes |
| Is daily fantasy sports legal? | Yes |
| Is horse racing betting legal? | Yes |
| Is political betting legal? | Yes |
| Is eSports betting legal? | Yes |
| How many legal sports betting apps are there in South Africa? | 30+ |
| Legal age for sports betting in South Africa? | 18+ |
| South Africa's tax rate for betting/gambling winnings | 0% |
| Who regulates sports betting in South Africa? | The National Gambling Board |
Just as long as South Africans wager on properly licensed betting apps within the country, each individual can access online betting markets basically without any restrictions or categorial exclusions. Therefore, SA betting enthusiasts can wager on pretty much every sports league, tournament, and event nationally and internationally. All this includes horse race betting, which has enjoyed massive popularity in South Africa ever since the 1960s.
In addition to the vast number of online sports betting apps and platforms available, the retail wagering business is booming in SA, as there are hundreds of local betting shops around the country. For example, Betway alone operates over 80 shops in SA, and the same amount sits at 50ish for another UK-based sports betting brand, Betfred.
While the actual DFS is still a much smaller market in the country, multiple fantasy sports sites offer the same type of entertainment for South African sports fans.
Recent updates from the SA sports betting scene
July 30, 2024: Swimmer Tatjana Smith secures South Africa's first gold at the 2024 Olympics after winning the 100m breaststroke final and beating China's Tang Qianting only by 0.26 seconds. Smith's outright odds of winning the gold in this event were +650.
July 24, 2024: The Premier Soccer League (PSL), the top-level soccer league of South Africa, will be called "Betway Premiership from now on after the premier division announced Betway as its new title sponsor.
July 7, 2024: A sprinter, Akani Simbine, and a gymnast, Caitlin Rooskrantz, are named South Africa's flag bearers in the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics.
June 22, 2024: Golden Matrix Group subsidiary Meridianbet receives a bookmaker license from the Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board, granting the sportsbook operator to offer its sports betting products to the SA bettors legally.
June 4, 2024: African gambling operator Sunbet signs a partnership with Scout Gaming Group, bringing Scout's vast selection of Fantasy and sports betting products available for Sunbet's customer base in the South African market.
All legal gambling options in South Africa
| Are online casinos legal in South Africa? | Yes |
| Are retail casinos legal? | Yes |
| Are social casinos legal? | Yes |
| Is online poker legal? | Yes |
| Is the lottery legal? | Yes |
In addition to sports betting, South Africans can access other legal wagering activities. Interestingly, the national lottery, run by The South African National Lottery and established in 2000, is the most popular type of gambling in the country based on the numbers alone. Bingo is also quite popular among South Africans, and Galaxy Bingo alone operates 23 retail bingo sites spread across six provinces in the country.
Further, casinos are prevalent in the country and can legally offer their services. However, SA gamblers must note that they can only participate in land-based retail casinos in their provinces, as online casinos are still illegal in the country. The same prohibition applies to online poker.
Other gambling-related news & stories from SA
August 5, 2024: Online casino gaming provider Play'n GO enters the South African gambling market after partnering with Betway. With the deal, all Betway customers from SA can exclusively access Play'n GO games on its casino platform.
June 7, 2024: Casino game provider BetGames brings its brand-new card game "Shova 52" to South Africa through a partnership with HollywoodBets.
May 7, 2024: A newly signed partnership brings the casino games provider 3 Oak Gaming products available for all Supabets South African customers. With this deal, Supabets is the first SA gambling site to feature 3 Oak's games.
April 22, 2024: The official opposition to the ruling African National Congress in South Africa, The Democratic Alliance, introduces a new gambling bill seeking to properly regulate online gambling in the country. These reforms include, for example, the creation of a licensing system and strict advertising rules.
March 18, 2024: South African gambling operator Sun International reports a 5.5% year-on-year income increase in the 2023 calendar year. The operator's income in 2023 was ZAR12.10bn (€590.4m/$643.3m), with Sun City Casino and the online sportsbook brand SunBet delivering the best numbers.
South Africa - Some commonly asked questions (FAQ)
What is the current legal status of sports betting in South Africa?
Sports betting is legal in SA in retail and online forms without notable restrictions. Online casinos remain still prohibited, but some new gambling bills have been proposed in the country lately, which could open the market even more.
How lucrative is the South African sports betting market?
The annual NBG report shows that sports betting is the most popular form of gambling in SA, with ZAR 23.7bn in posted revenue, compared to the retail casino sector's ZAR 17.3bn. The whole gambling market generates ZAR 4.1bn tax income for the country.
How much do South Africans bet on sports?
According to the data, South Africans spend a total of ZAR 431bn on sports betting and horse race wagering. This means every South African wager on average ZAR 7197 ($395,57) on such sports annually.
Can I get jailed for gambling at online casinos in SA?
Online casinos are still deemed illegal in SA, and the NGB has previously stated that participating in such gambling is a criminal offense. Such actions can lead to a $600,000M penalty fine and even jail time.
