New Betting Sites in South Africa (2023)

New Betting Sites (2023)

Sports fans in South Africa already have plenty of betting sites to pick from, but more continue to be launched all the time, giving them even more choice if they want to start somewhere fresh.

As with any online gambling operator, the newest sports betting sites in South Africa often have big welcome bonuses available to claim.

Free bets and deposit match bonuses widely available, it can prove lucrative for people to sign up for an account at a newer betting site.

Joining new sports betting sites in South Africa can be beneficial compared to the older, more established brands in the industry. But there are downsides too, so people might need to weigh up the respective pros and cons before deciding which sports betting sites they want to join.

In order to help out, we have put together this full guide to the newest sports betting sites in South Africa. Read on for complete details about how we review the newest betting sites in South Africa, as well as answering all of the frequently asked questions about how they work.

New Sports Betting Sites in South Africa

The gambling industry is big business these days, so it is no surprise to see that a wide array of new operators are constantly arriving in a bid to secure themselves a slice of the pie.

Defining what counts as a new sports betting site is not always straightforward. Some people might think an operator only qualifies for this definition if they have launched their site within the past few weeks or months. However, others believe that even if a site is still building a reputation having been set up a couple of years ago it can be classed as a new sports betting site.

Standing out from the crowd is difficult for the newest sports betting sites in South Africa. They may therefore need to offer something completely different from their competitors in a highly congested market if they are to be able to thrive by signing up plenty of users to play. Unique features could be offered or they may simply be more generous with big bonuses and offers.

South Africa's gambling rules are also far tighter than in many other countries around the world. While online sports betting has been legal in the country for some time, not all forms of gambling through the internet have been given the green light. Lots of online casino games, for example, are still illegal to play in South Africa despite the gradual legalisation that has seen in the sector.

New sports betting sites still need to make sure that they stick to the rules. Unless they secure a relevant licence to operate in South Africa from one of the country's gaming boards, they will not be legal to use. It will also be difficult for players to know whether they can be trusted or not.

Licences are just one part of how we review new betting sites in South Africa. Up next is a guide to the various different areas that we look at when we are compiling our reviews of betting sites.

How We Review New Betting Sites

Reviewing new betting sites is an important job. Players need to feel reassured that the sites are legit to use and will protect their data properly through the use of tight security policies.

Before joining one of the newest sports betting sites in South Africa, users will also need to be given a full picture of what they are signing up for.

Here are some of the key areas that we always assess when we review any new betting sites that are released onto the market in South Africa:

• Licences and safety: South African sports fans need to know any betting site they join is both safe and legal. In order to be legal, new sports betting sites need to have the right licence from a relevant gaming board. Without this, they are not going to be 100% legal to use. We also check out a site's security standards, looking into what type of encryption is used to protect customer data during financial transactions, such as when they make deposits or withdrawals.
• Sign up offers: Naturally, it is promotions, offers and bonuses that are a high priority for South Africans who want to join new sports betting sites. Many fresh sites have to put together more generous welcome bonuses to try to attract new users in a highly competitive marketplace. This could mean a larger deposit bonus, or a greater number of free bets are available to claim. These offers are not always what they seem on the surface, though. Buried in the small print of the terms and conditions might be a maximum win limit, or the wagering requirements might be hard to reach. We do not just detail a signup offer, we judge whether or not it is good value.
• Payment methods: South Africans now expect a wide range of different banking options to be available. These might include the likes of debit cards, Easy EFT and e-wallets. Some of the newest sports betting sites in South Africa might even offer slightly different payment methods. This could include allowing cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin to be used to make deposits. Bitcoin is growing in popularity as a payment method for online sports betting in South Africa as well as around the world, partly due to it being deemed safe and users being able to stay anonymous.
• Customer support: It goes without saying that players who join sports betting sites in South Africa will need to access customer support at one point. Newer sports betting sites sometimes have more limited options in this department compared to their more established rivals. Ideally, customer support will be offered on a 24/7 basis so that users can get help at any time of the day or the night, but this is not always the case. There should also be a local telephone number for South Africans to join, as well as the choice to use alternative options like email or live chat.
• Sports and betting markets available: There is not much point in a new sports betting site having a great welcome bonus and market-leading customer service if the sportsbook is not up to scratch. We check the number of different sports that are available to bet on and make sure that there are no notable omissions, such as horse racing, soccer, rugby, cricket or golf. Then, we go deeper by assessing the range of betting markets themselves, including live and in-play. Tied into the sports and betting markets that are available in the value provided by a site's odds. It is surprising just how much the price of the same bet can vary across different sites, so it can pay off to spend a bit of time shopping around for sports betting sites that will have the top odds.
• Mobile betting site and app: With in excess of 20 million South African adults now owning a smartphone according to recently published research, operators are increasingly placing a strong focus on producing a mobile betting site and betting app. Some established betting sites in South Africa, like Betway, even allow their customers to use their mobile betting app data-free, which means players do not have to worry about racking up large internet bills when they bet online. New betting sites might not be able to match this, but they still need provision for mobile players.

Advantages of Joining New Betting Sites

Just as is the case with all of the most established betting brands that are available to use in South Africa, there are a variety of pros and cons to playing at the newest sports betting sites.

Among the main advantages of joining new betting sites in South Africa is the fact they tend to have fantastic welcome bonuses. It can be hard to stand out in crowded markets, so top sign up offers are one of the main ways that new betting sites try to make a splash in the industry.

As a result, their deposit match bonus might be higher or there could be more free bets offered. Keep in mind they will also need to provide promotions, bonuses and offers to their existing users too.

New betting sites sometimes have other things to make them stand out as well. This might be a fresh feature that is not in place on any of the older betting sites in South Africa. Innovation is often at the heart of new betting sites that are trying to do something different with the industry.

For example, previously operators have launched social betting apps that try to bring friends and family together to enjoy their sports betting hobby. It is likely that new betting sites will have to give users something a bit different from the norm if they are to be able to thrive in this sector.

Payment methods are one of the areas where new sports betting sites often have something different on offer. As an example, many South Africans have started to use cryptocurrencies over the course of the past few years. Bitcoin is now a household name in the country.

Some new sports betting sites now allow Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency options to be used to make deposits, which can give them an edge over more established brands that are yet to offer this.

A more personal experience is often up for grabs at the newest sports betting sites in South Africa. While bigger brands might try to prioritise customer service, it is hard for them to provide a special experience in this area due to the sheer number of players the company may be trying to keep happy at any one time.

While customer service budgets at new sports betting sites in South Africa might be lower, the chances are that they will work harder to retain a user's loyalty.

South African sports fans might also simply enjoy the feeling of being part of something new. There is a chance that the new sports betting site that launched in South Africa will become the dominant gambling company in the country over the coming years. It is impossible to say for sure.

However, signing up for accounts with South Africa's freshest online sports betting sites always offers people the opportunity to get in on the next big thing at the ground floor level.

Disadvantages of Joining New Betting Sites

The flip side is that as well as the above advantages of joining new betting sites, there are some pros that need to be taken into account as well. Players need to decide for themselves whether the pros are enough to make up for the downsides of joining new South African betting sites.

It is fair to say the major disadvantage surrounds the reputation of a site. When players join a company that has been around for a number of years, they are naturally likely to feel assured that this is a safe place to play. There will be a lot of reviews around that they can check out, both from industry experts and those who have spent a lot of their time playing on that site.

Safety is of course of paramount importance when considering new sports betting sites, so it is a lot harder for operators of these brands to convince their potential players of legitimacy.

With newer sports betting sites, there are often some early teething problems. For example, withdrawal speeds might be slow as a result of issues with their verification process. It can take a little bit of time to iron out these issues, but problems may convince users to head elsewhere.

New sports betting sites in South Africa often launch with a fairly basic sportsbook that they build up over time. For example, they might have some important sports or markets missing when compared to the biggest online sportsbook sites that have been built over a long period.