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We've put together a list of the best online gambling sites in South Africa that have been personally audited and reviewed to offer you a safe gambling experience. You can either go straight to the websites or take a moment to read our full impartial reviews with bonus breakdowns and comparison of features which includes banking options, games, products, and more.
Online gambling in South Africa has become a popular form of entertainment that provides players and punters with the chance to win real money from the comfort of home. The top sites offer bingo, baccarat, blackjack, craps, online slots, roulette, sports betting, and more. Many locals love gambling, thanks to the luxurious casino resorts throughout the country. These establishments have captured the imagination of locals and allowed them to win cash by gambling.
South Africa has had a strong stance on gambling since the first Gambling Act came into effect in 1965, outlawing all types of wagering except horse races. Over the years, this led to the growth of the underground gambling scene, with thousands of illegal casinos popping up to cater to local player demand.
It wasn't until 1996 that the National Gambling Act was amended to allow gambling to become legal and regulated, including casinos and national lottery. This was when the National Gambling Board was established to oversee the regulations and ensure that gambling sites meet certain criteria. This allowed many lavish casino resorts and hotels to set up business and start offering gambling to locals and tourists.
In 2004, further changes were made to the gambling laws in SA, with amendments to include licensing sports betting operators in the region, and outlawing online gambling at casinos. Currently, the Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board is the largest issuer of ZA gambling licenses.
The country saw more changes in 2008 when the National Gambling Amendment Act was introduced, trying to legalize online gambling at casinos and regulate sites in the sector. However, this has yet to take hold, and currently, only locally licensed land-based casinos are legal to operate.
Many locals hope an appeal will eventually allow the 2008 Amendment Act to be put in place, allowing future online casino gaming to become regulated in the country. Despite local laws, there are many offshore internationally licensed gambling platforms that accept ZA customers. These websites are regulated in other regions, and allow locals to sign up to play fun real money games.
Our team of experts review each online gambling platform in detail, conducting thorough research to determine which websites are reliable, and worth signing up to from South Africa in 2023. We've outlined the main criteria we use when reviewing the top online gambling sites, so players can understand what to look out for.
We perform our own KYC on each operator, and research the business behind the platform to determine if they hold an online gambling license, and what region they're regulated in. This may include gaming licenses from Curacao, Costa Rica, Panama, SA, and other locations.
While reviewing these sites, our team looks at various security features to ensure players remain safe gambling online. This includes double checking the site has an encrypted Secure Socket Layer (SSL) connection, safe real money payment methods, and fair games and odds payouts.
The best South African gambling sites provide excellent customer support and strive to maintain a good reputation in the industry. These providers offer live chat and messaging services, making it easy for customers to get any questions answered quickly.
To make it to the top of our list, these sites must offer a wide variety of casino games and sports betting markets. We check to ensure websites offer the latest slots and table games from the best software providers, and a wide choice of betting markets for the top global sports events.
Many platforms that offer online gambling real money South Africa services reward their customers with special bonuses and promotions. New sign ups can claim big welcome offers, free spins, bonus bets, cashback, accumulator boosts, and other rewarding deals in 2023.
In 2023, many ZA players are searching for the best online casino websites to win real money in local Rand currency. International gambling authorities license these online sites, and locals can find a fun selection of games, and many special bonus deals with big rewards.
These online casino platforms provide players with the best entertainment and the ability to play bingo, cards, table games, live dealers, online slots, sports betting and other exciting activities. The platforms are safe for customers to use, with the latest secure encrypted connections, and mobile-friendly sites that load fast on smartphone devices.
The leading online gambling South African sites provide users with an excellent choice of games to play. Customers can expect to find casino classics like Baccarat, Blackjack, Poker, and Roulette, as well as the best online slots in the world from leading software providers who specialize in fair and fun games. Famous game studios who supply these titles include RealTime Gaming, Rival, Play'n Go, Slot Factory, Relax Gaming, and many others.
Slots are a huge attraction at the top online gambling real money sites, and South African players can find thousands of fun titles to play. These are online versions of slot machines, and are created by certified software providers, who use RNG systems to ensure each spin is fair. Players can win money on classic three and five reel slots, with high RTP rates over 95%, and unique features including progressive jackpots, wilds, scatters, free spins, bonus games, and big maximum wins. Some of the best online slots to play from SA include Book of Dead, Reactoonz, Thunderstrike, Money Train 2, Doragon's Gems, Meerkat Misfits, Nine Realms, and Spring Wilds.
Blackjack is a fun casino game found on the best online gambling sites. It puts players against the dealer in a battle to get the closest to 21 points. Each card is worth their value in points, picture cards are worth 10 points, and Aces are worth 1/11 points. This game offers players the chance to win real money by getting a better hand than the dealer. This title offers excellent value, thanks to rules that make the dealer hit if they are below 17 points. This means savvy players can use Blackjack strategy, make smart betting decisions, reduce the house edge to less than 2%, and improve the chances of winning money. Some fun online variations include 21, Perfect Pairs, Face Up, European, and Match Play.
Roulette provides a unique way to win real money online gambling at casinos. The game involves a wheel with red and black bays numbered 1-36 and a green bay for 0. A dealer rolls a little ball around the wheel while it spins. Players can place bets on where they think the ball will land, with single number bets paying up to 36-1, while safer outside bets like Red/Black or Odd/Even pay 2-1. There are many exciting variations of Roulette to play online, including American, European, French, Instant, Gem, and VIP.
The best South African online gambling sites provide a great choice of poker games to play. There are many types of poker available online, including table game versions where players battle a virtual dealer, and video poker titles with pre-determined payouts similar to slot machines. Locals can attempt to win money in games of American Poker, Caribbean, Turbo, Aces and Eights, Jacks or Better, Pai Gow, Tri Card, Deuces Wild, and other unique styles with fun gameplay.
Bingo has long been a popular gambling activity in Africa, and many local halls offer action across the region. The top gambling online sites provide fun games of Bingo from the best software studios. These games provide a fun online gambling experience and allow players to win money by crossing numbers off the digital board, without the need to leave the house. Some fun types of bingo available online include Bingo Soccer, Sweet Alchemy Bingo, 88 Bingo 88, and 80 Ball Bingo.
Sports betting in ZA is a massive industry that's legal and regulated under the National Gambling Act. Sports fans can find many bookmakers that accept local customers, offer hundreds of betting markets, and real money payouts in ZAR currency. The top betting sites provide 24/7 action with pre-match and live betting markets offered for the leading cricket, football, horse racing, and rugby matches.
Betting on sports allows local punters to win cash by using their knowledge of sport teams and our list of top gambling sites to get the best odds. These platforms let users bet on many match outcomes, including 1x2, Over/Under, Total Goals, Handicaps, Alternative Lines, Corners, Bookings, 1st Half, Player Specials, and more.
ZA sports fans can enjoy many locally licensed sites to bet on sports, with many offering big sign up bonuses, fun promotions, excellent odds, and unique features including early cashout and boosted odds.
The laws for online gambling South Africa can be hard to understand, and there have been many changes to the rules over the years, with the latest being made in 2018. We've outlined the main laws for ZA online casino and sports betting sites below.
The last changes to the country’s gambling laws were introduced under the National Gambling Amendment Bill 2018. The aim was to strengthen the current regulations for bingo, casino, and sports betting, place the NGB as the National Gambling Regulator, prohibit dog racing, and restrict gambling advertisements.
Mobile gambling is a booming sector, with millions of South Africans now having access to a mobile device. Betting on sports and gambling online via mobile has many benefits, including the ability for customers to win real money from wherever they can get mobile reception or WiFi.
Recent studies by Statistica show that South Africa has over 41.1 million active internet users, and mobile devices are the most popular way to access the internet in South Africa. Approximately 77% of internet users connect via a mobile phone, with the number expected to continue to rise.
The best gambling sites online have specially created mobile apps that can be downloaded onto Apple and Android smartphones, providing easy access to gambling services. Professionals develop these apps to allow customers easy access to secure online gambling with the latest technology.
While not all sites have their own app, most are developed using the latest coding languages, including HTML5 and JavaScript, to create mobile-friendly websites that are responsive and load fast on all types of devices.
We help thousands of players place safe, secure and legal bets every day across 12 countries. We do the research so you don’t have to. Our expert staff compiles and ranks lists of the gambling industry's very best sites. Explore our most popular Sportsbook, Casino and Poker sites, plus read our reviews, tips and strategies.
Online gambling sites which hold a license from the National Gambling Board in South Africa are legal and perfectly fine for locals to sign up to and use. There are more than 30 of these licensed sites that offer horse racing and sports betting action in 2023.
There are several factors to consider when judging how safe a gambling site is. The platform should have an encrypted SSL connection, be licensed by an online gambling regulatory body, and secure payment methods for South African customers to use.
Mastercard and Visa credit cards have always been a common way for ZA players to fund online gaming accounts. However, in 2023, e-wallets like Skrill are becoming increasingly popular with locals who enjoy fast transactions, low fees, and wide availability at casino sites.
The National Gambling Board (NGB) regulates the online gambling industry in South Africa, and enforces local gambling laws to ensure that each site offers fair services. This includes developing standards across the betting and racing industry that all sites must follow, to ensure players get a safe gambling experience.
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