Best betting sites in South Africa
Often referred to as the Rainbow Nation for its cultural diversity and richness, South Africa has no less of 11 official languages and is no stranger to sports. Home of the world-famous Kaizer Chiefs football team and one of the world’s leading countries in terms of mineral reserves, this nation managed to get over its turbulent past and provide an example of prosperity for all the African nations.
One of the many effects of cultural diversity is betting and gambling and when it comes to online betting sites in South Africa, there’s plenty to choose from. And from a legislative point of view for the top betting sites South Africa is a very welcoming market as they regulated this product for quite some time now. Actually, sports betting and lotteries are the only legal gambling activities in the country and can be enjoyed by all citizens above the age of 18. The National Gambling Board is the authority making sure that all the best online betting sites South Africa hosts are following the rules and punters get top-class services.
Top bookmakers in South Africa
How Betting Takes Place in South Africa
The first law to address gambling in the country was the South Africa Gambling Act of 1965 and it officially banned all forms of gambling with the exception of horse racing. Some of the most important horse racing competitions like The Summer Cup or the Durban July were a reason for celebration for punters all around the country. Of course, that early on we can’t speak about sports betting sites in South Africa, however, horse racing being legal meant a positive foundation for the entire industry that developed in modern days.
Then, in 1994 when the first post-apartheid government came to power, the intention to legalize more forms of gambling started to take root. This movement materialized through the National Gambling Act of 1996 and it represented an important step forward towards a free gambling market. This is also the moment when the National Gambling Board is established and given full control over all forms of gambling in the country.
10 years later the situation of sports betting sites South Africa got even better through the amendments brought to the National Gambling Act that set clear rules about applying for a license, taxation and even how the domains of online bookies should function. All the licensed betting sites have to offer a .co.za domain and the ones that already got a license, such as SportingBet, NetBet or Betway are fully-compliant to this rule as well as all others.
Even though the matter of online gambling has been a reason for controversy between various political parties in South Africa, sports betting was able to develop unbothered and South African punters are able to enjoy the services of top online bookies with more and more interest towards the market. Things Every Betting Site in South Africa Must Offer
Since there’s a licensing system in place, all bookies targeting the South African market really need to up their game to stand out from the crowd. To do so, the best online betting sites in South Africa offer ZAR currency as well as high odds for an extended number of betting markets on horse racing, cricket and football. Besides English, online betting sites South Africa should also support one of the other official languages such as Αfrikaans, Χhosa or Ζulu and the very best betting sites in South Africa also offer 24/7 support in these languages. Of course, to ensure a pleasant experience for punters, all the cricket betting sites in South Africa need to focus on providing plenty of deposit and withdrawal options and pay withdrawals as fast as possible.
Can Punters from South Africa Access Foreign Betting Sites?
One interesting thing about the online sports betting sites in South Africa is that the domains of such unlicensed bookies are not blocked. Instead, the National Gambling Board focused on making sure they provide punters with top-class licensed alternatives so that they won’t feel the need to go and play on illegal websites. There were some talks on this subject, however, the opinions on how effective it would be are shared and it lead to stopping any initiative in the tracks. As a result, some of the best betting sites in South Africa are available to local punters, including non-licensed brands like 22bet that are currently holding the lion’s share.
What Payment Methods Can I Use on South African Betting Sites?
None of the betting laws included any restrictions when it comes to payments towards online bookmakers. This means that punters are free to choose the payment methods that fit their needs best. However, one obstacle for some South African citizens is not having a bank account. This, of course, limits the access to sports betting sites in South Africa that only take payment by card or bank transfer, however, there are some cash payment solutions being implemented to overcome this. The ones that do have a bank account can pay through EasyEFT straight from their bank account or use Skrill, Neteller or EcoPayz ewallets since all sport betting sites South Africa offer these payment options.
Are Betting Exchanges Available in South Africa?
At the moment, there are no betting exchanges that have a license to function in South Africa or are in the process of obtaining such a license. Even more than that, some of the biggest betting betxchange sites in South Africa, Betfair and Smarkets, decided they will no longer accept players from this territory. However, as long as you have the possibility to fund an ewallet account in pounds, euro or dollars, you can still use a VPN to access online sports betting sites South Africa and betting exchanges alike. The lack of any legal betting exchanges does not create a lot of discomfort for punters since the top 10 betting sites in South Africa provide high enough odds on a wide selection of sports and markets.
Where Can I File a Complaint About a South African Betting Site?
The NGA provides contact details for any punter that wishes to get in touch regarding a licensed betting website. Since the rules and regulations are clear, you should not hesitate to contact them whenever you have an issue. Alternatively, if you’re playing at a bookmaker licensed by the UKGC, MGA or Gibraltar gambling authorities, you can contact these institutions directly to complain about any of their licensees. Of course, since we’re dedicated to providing you with a complete service, you can let us know of any trouble you’re having with any of the bookies we recommend and we’ll make sure to do our best and get to the bottom of things.
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