Best Betting Sites in South Africa for 2025

As in most of the world, football – or soccer, as it is most commonly called here – is the most popular sport in South Africa, whether you go by participation, viewing interest, or betting handle. All the top online bookmakers in Africa offer tons of markets on football betting, including the following competitions:

• FIFA World Cup: Hosted by South Africa in 2010, the FIFA World Cup is the biggest and most important football tournament on Earth. South Africa has qualified for the main tournament on four occasions, though it has never gotten out of the group stage.
• English Premier League: The EPL is the most popular domestic club league on the planet, and has a significant following in South Africa. Top clubs in the recent history of this league include Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, and Chelsea.
• South African Premiership: The top domestic football league in South Africa features 16 clubs fighting for a title that has been awarded annually since 1996. Mamelodi Sundowns has been the dominant club as of late, winning eight straight championships and 15 in total.

Widely played throughout South Africa, rugby union is nearly as popular as football here, with fans taking pride in the country’s highly successful national team. Competitions where rugby betting is widely available include the following:

• Rugby World Cup: Every four years, the top rugby nations compete for a world championship in this event that has gained significant worldwide popularity. South Africa has won the competition on four occasions, including in 2019 and 2023.
• The Rugby Championship: Formerly known as the Tri Nations, Argentina has recently joined this annual competition, which also features Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. The All Blacks of New Zealand have traditionally dominated the field, though South Africa has won the competition on six occasions.
• Six Nations Championship: Rugby fans and bettors who want to keep an eye on what’s happening in the Northern Hemisphere always pay attention to the Six Nations, which brings together the best national squads in Europe each year. England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales compete in this tournament, with all but Italy having won it in the past.

Revitalized by newer, faster formats, cricket remains a popular pastime in South Africa, both for fans and bettors. Cricket betting tends to focus on big tournaments and important test matches, including the following:

• Cricket World Cup: Held every four years since 1975, the Cricket World Cup brings together the best international cricket sides for a world championship in the One Day International format. Despite steady success, South African has never finished higher than the semifinals in this event, reaching that stage on five occasions.
• Indian Premier League: The top Twenty20 (T20) cricket league in the world, this competition brings together players from all over the world to play on its ten teams between March and May each year. Many South African legends have played in the IPL, including AB de Villiers and Jacques Kallis.
• ICC World Test Championship: A series of test matches played over a three-year span lead to a thrilling final in this testament to the traditional form in which cricket is played. South Africa won its first major international cricket title when it won the 2023-2025 edition of this tournament.

While football, cricket, and rugby are definitely the top three sports in South Africa, there are other popular sports worthy of note. Here are a few more sports you’ll see significant coverage of at betting sites in South Africa.

• Golf: Golf betting remains a popular option for South Africans, especially when it comes to majors like The Masters and the US Open. South Africa has produced more than its fair share of world-class golfers, including Ernie Els, Gary Player, and Louis Oosthuizen.
• Netball: The most popular sport for women in South Africa, netball betting is surprisingly popular, with major international competitions and the Premier Netball League getting solid coverage at online bookmakers here. South Africa has been successful internationally, finishing as high as second in the World Netball Championships.
• Basketball: As in many nations, basketball has become a much more popular sport in recent decades. The NBA is the top betting option for basketball fans, who can take pride in Hall of Fame point guard Steve Nash – the only NBA player who was born in South Africa.

Services such as PayFast, Ozow, and Peach Payments allow electronic fund transfers from major banks in South Africa to licensed betting sites. These options are fast, secure, and allow bettors to fund their accounts without providing bank details to online bookmakers.

Neteller, Skrill, and PayPal betting sites are popular options for bettors in South Africa. These e-wallets allow users to store funds as well as make deposits and withdrawals without directly connecting a funding source to betting sites, making them both flexible and safe for users who want to move money between multiple sites.

These products – with Flash and OTT Voucher being among the most popular in South Africa – allow bettors to purchase vouchers at retail outlets using cash or other methods, then redeem those vouchers to make deposits at online betting sites.

Both Visa and Mastercard betting sites are common in South Africa. Credit cards allow for easy, fast, secure and familiar deposits, but cannot always be used for withdrawals.