Since there is no legal provision in South Africa that prohibits bettors from gambling at offshore betting sites, most punters go looking for the leading bookmakers they can wager with. But due to the high number of global gaming sites available to them, South African punters find it somewhat challenging to choose the best bookies.
It’s primarily for this reason that we have decided to review the international bookmakers that bettors from the nation can bet with and recommend the leading ones. This will help mitigate the risks our readers could face when wagering at global betting sites, given that the government can’t be held accountable for any loss of funds or personal information on these gambling platforms.
We used multiple criteria to pick the international bookies contained in the list below, and the ranking is updated from time to time to include emerging betting sites. The main factors we consider when examining online betting sites include the operating licenses, the supported payment methods, the communication methods of contacting customer support, and the sportsbook offerings.
Notably, we only recommend bookies that have met our rating standards to make sure that our readers only gamble at the best wagering platforms.
Why Trust Our Ranking
You can trust us because we are a team of both local and international gambling experts with extensive experience reviewing foreign bookies. We, hence, know what to look for in a foreign betting site to determine its legitimacy, authenticity, trustworthiness, ease of navigation, fairness, and adherence to international gambling standards.
We are also impartial in all our investigations to make sure we give our readers honest opinions about international bookmakers, including those we have partnered with.
What’s more, we advocate for responsible gambling practices because we know the repercussions of uncontrolled betting behaviours on individuals and their loved ones.
At face value, all reliable bookies, whether local or offshore, have many things in common. But a closer look at their characteristics reveals significant differences between local and international bookmakers, as demonstrated in the table below.
| Parameter | Foreign Bookmakers | South African Bookmakers |
|---|---|---|
| License | Some of the internationally recognised licensing authorities comprise the Curacao Gaming Control Board (GCB), Malta Gaming Authority (MGA), Gibraltar Regulatory Authority, UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), and Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission | All local bookies are licensed by the National Gambling Board of South Africa (NGB) in accordance with the National Gambling Act (NGA) no. 7 which was enacted in 2004 |
| Payment methods | The most common payment methods include e-wallets (Skrill, Neteller, AstroPay, PayPal), cryptocurrency (Bitcoin, Tether, Ethereum, Litecoin, Dogecoin, Ripple, USD Coin), debit/credit cards (Visa and Mastercard, mobile wallets (Apple Pay, GPay, Samsung Pay), and internet banking | The most popular payment methods offered by local bookies comprise bank transfer, Ozow, Zapper, PayU, SnapScan, OTT Voucher, and 1Voucher |
| Sports selection | International bookies mostly focus on the major tournaments and leagues played across the globe, as they offer betting services in multiple jurisdictions | Local bookmakers often give priority to the sporting events taking place in South Africa and the international competitions where teams from the country are involved |
| Odds | International bookmakers can present odds in fractional, decimal, or American (Moneyline) format | Odds are presented in the decimal format, which is easier to understand for South African bettors |
| Mobile features | Most global bookies offer betting through mobile browsers and apps that can be installed on mobile devices that run on both Android and iOS operating systems | South African punters are able to bet through SMS, mobile apps, and mobile browsers. However, a majority of bookmakers only offer Android mobile apps |
| Customer support | Customer care teams can be contacted mostly via live chat and email, and in some cases, through a phone call. And you must use the English language | You can reach out to customer support through phone, email, live chat, and socials using either English, Zulu, Xhosa, or Afrikaans |
Before trying to register with an international bookie, you must first check whether you can access it from South Africa and be at least 18 years old. You should then follow the steps explained below to create a gaming account.
You shouldn’t open more than one account at a given betting site because you will eventually lose all of them once you are caught.
Global bookmakers care about the well-being of bettors, and that’s why they implement several measures to ensure responsible betting. The most common measures include:
But if you are already addicted to betting, you can seek professional help at GamCare, GambleAware, Gamblers Anonymous, or the National Council on Problem Gambling.
