Best Live Casino Sites in South Africa

Best Online Live Casinos in South Africa

Live casino games are arguably the hottest trend in the industry right now. Many online casino sites have launched live casino options in recent years and they are set to become even more popular over the course of the next few years as technology in this area keeps developing.

Online casinos in South Africa are among those where live casino games - including old classics such as blackjack, roulette and baccarat - are available for users to try out.

There are pros and cons to playing online live casino games in South Africa, of course, while people might be unsure about which site they should choose if they want to play them.

Live Casinos Introduction

Live casinos have been around for a while now, but a lot of players in South Africa might still be unsure about what live casinos are and exactly how live casinos work.

At a live casino, players will be presented with a choice of games, with variations of games such as poker, baccarat, blackjack and roulette among those that are available to pick from.

Some of the best live casinos in the world also have modern alternatives to try out. It is often the case that these sites have live casino games based on Deal or No Deal, Monopoly and more.

In South Africa, live casinos do not always work in exactly the same way as they do in other parts of the world. This is due to the restrictive rules surrounding the online gambling world.

Instead of the live casino games that are found in countries such as the UK, South Africans may instead be offered the chance to play Betgames. While these are not quite the same as live casino games, they are as close as it is possible to get at a lot of South African casino sites.

Live dealer games run through the night, so no matter the time of the day South Africans can try their luck at the virtual tables. They are also a great choice for those people who do not live close enough to one of South Africa's bricks and mortar casinos to visit them in person.

Bonuses and promotions are also available at live casinos, making them even more appealing to South Africans who want to give something new a go at the country's casino sites.

How We Choose the Best Live Casinos

We review and compare the best legal, licensed and safe online casinos available for South African players based on several key factors, including the range of live casino games, payout percentages, customer service and more.

Safety & Licences

To start, we check to make sure the live casinos are legal, safe and trusted for players from South Africa. To ensure this, we only recommend online casinos with gambling licences from top authorities in the industry.

After checking the online live casino is legal, we then check the industry reputation for the operator including player reviews and other website reviews. If we spot anything worrying, we will not recommend joining the site.

Fair play

Secondly, we check to see if the online casinos are regularly checked by independent testing agencies such as eCOGRA, to make sure the live online casinos are safe, fair, honest, responsible, and the player's money is secure.

The best online casinos boast eCOGRA’s Safe and Fair Seal which ensures:

• Games are fair
• The operator functions honestly and behaves responsibly
• Players are protected and monetary deposits are safe

Live Casino Tables

We then test and compare the online live casino sections to see how many tables are available, the overall experience and the average payout percentages.

The best live casinos offer 100's of tables with real dealers shuffling on unique live tables covering different versions of blackjack, roulette, baccarat, craps, poker and so much more.

Banking Options

In our table below, compare the banking options available for each of the best live casinos in South Africa (for both deposits and withdrawals). This also includes any fees, the average time for each withdrawal, and the minimum and maximum deposits and withdrawals on each payment method.

The best live casinos in SA offer a wide variety of local and international payment methods.

Live Casinos in South Africa Guide

As live casinos are quite new, many people may be unsure of what they are and how they work. 

Live streaming technology is used to transport players to the closest experience of visiting a brick and mortar casino that it is possible to find online.

Casinos use a real-life studio with human dealers to bring their live casinos to reality. This means players can interact with the dealers - as well as their fellow players - while trying out their luck on a wide range of games.

The only thing players need to make the most of live casino games is an account with an online casino provider that offers this type of game, as well as a stable internet connection.

Mobile users can also get involved with playing live casino games as well, so you can even play while away from home on mobile casinos that are specifically built and optimised for your devices.

What Games Can Be Played at a Live Casino?

South African casino sites offer a large selection of games at their live casinos, including these:

• Roulette 
• Baccarat 
• Blackjack 
• Poker games 
• TV show games 
• Sic bo 
• Hi-Lo
• Poker

Random number generator online casino games can only go so far, and many punters want to experience something closer to the real thing. Nowadays, the online live casino allows interaction with dealers and other players for a much more immersive online casino experience.

Live casino games are streamed in real-time with real dealers shuffling on hundreds of unique live casino games ranging from live roulette, live blackjack, live baccarat and much more.

Casino classics from around the world are usually available too. Roulette and blackjack are among those games that regular casino players are sure to already be familiar with.

Poker is one of the most versatile casino games, so it is no surprise it is offered at the live casino too. There are plenty of poker variations that are commonly available to select here.

Online casinos have tried to offer more modern and innovative options at the live casino too. TV show games are among these, with Deal or No Deal among the games that can be played.

Dice games tend to work well at the live casino, with Sic Bo among the most famous of them. Players seeking a simple option could do a lot worse than picking Hi-Lo at the online casino.

House Edge and Payouts for Live Casino Games

When deciding which live casino games to pick, the house edge is one of the key factors.

Some games are known for having a particularly low house edge, which is good news for players, while others have a higher house edge and are therefore considered poor value.

House edge simply refers to the margin that is always retained by the casino site to ensure that, in the long run, it is almost guaranteed to turn a profit.

An example of a live casino game with a very low house edge is baccarat. In a game of baccarat, a bet on the banker to win has a house edge of around the 1% mark.

Some live casino games are a mix of luck and skill. Among them is blackjack, where the house edge varies depending on the skill and experience of the player. However, blackjack's house edge at the live casino is typically between one and two per cent, which is good value.

The other end of the scale includes games like roulette. A standard roulette wheel has one green space for zero. In this live casino game, the house edge is therefore 2.7 per cent, which is high.

However, some forms of online roulette have two zero spaces, which bumps the house edge up to over five per cent. These online roulette games are therefore particularly of poor value.

Many of the other games available at the live casino have a variable house edge. The bet chosen by the player has a big impact on the house edge that is retained by the online casino site.

How to Play Live Casino Games for Free

For a lot of South Africans, it might be daunting to start playing live casino games for real money straight away. These people might be better starting off with free live casino games instead.

Many leading South African online casino sites have a demo mode for their live casino games. What this means is that players do not need to risk any of their own money to try them out.

This is a good place to start as some users might take time to get used to how live casino games work. Playing in demo mode can enable people to work them out before deciding whether or not they actually want to spend their own money on playing the games.

Of course, there is no real cash up for grabs in demo mode either. It is just all for fun.

Another way to play live casino games for free in South Africa is to use bonuses and promotions. At almost every online casino in South Africa, there is a welcome bonus that is available for new users to claim when they sign up for an account on a site for the first time, and some even offer no deposit welcome offers which allow you to play with real money without needing to deposit.

The bonus money comes with certain terms and conditions attached - such as wagering requirements, a maximum win and a time limit - but means it is possible to play live casino games for free at online casinos in South Africa while still having the chance to win real cash. 

Users of casino sites who are new to the live casino options that are available may wish to play live casino games for free to get up and running.

Unfortunately, demo mode is not usually available at the live casino. Demo mode is typically only for other types of casino games.

However, that does not mean it is not possible to play live casino games for free, so fear not.

Playing Live Casino Games for Real Money

After playing live casino games for free in South Africa, the next step is to play for real money.

Leading South African online casinos have a range of different games that are for real money. Of course, the difference between this and demo mode is that there is real cash being risked.

The best plan of action here is to begin by playing live casino games for real money at low stakes. It is usually the case at online casinos in South Africa that players do not have to make a big financial commitment to play this type of game. It is possible to play for low stakes.

This means the amount of money a player stands to lose if they do not win at live casino games for real money does not need to be significant. Players can then decide if they want to spend more money on stakes later on. It goes without saying that the more money is staked on live casino games in South Africa, the more cash a player could be in line to win as a result.

Again, bonuses come into the picture when it comes to playing live casino games for real money in South Africa. Often, sites will have VIP reward schemes that are used as a way for them to reward the loyalty of their customers who return to play on the site regularly. Staking real money on live casino games in South Africa could result in players qualifying to earn a range of perks, which could include being given out bonus money or extra deposit bonuses.

Benefits of Playing Live Dealer Casino Games Compared to RNG Games

There are plenty of benefits of playing live dealer casino games compared to RNG games, which helps to explain why they have become so popular over the last few years.

For one, anyone who is concerned about the fairness of casino games should feel assured by live dealer casino games. The fact that there is a human dealer in charge of hosting the game is welcome, with games such as roulette featuring a physical wheel that users can see.

Even though RNG games - for those who do not know, RNG stands for random number generator - are tested to make sure they are fair, they are no substitute for seeing it live.

Live dealer games are also a lot more social than other types of live casinos. The human host encourages engagement with players able to use a live chat facility to ask questions. For a lot of people, this means the benefit of live dealer casino games when compared to RNG games is that it is closer in experience to that provided by a night out at a brick and mortar casino.

Different types of live dealer games are also offered compared to RNG games. Studios and developers in this part of the industry are getting a lot more creative about the titles they come up with. What this means is the choice of games in the live dealer section of an online casino in South Africa is often very good, with an exciting array of fresh titles offered to pick from.

Tips and Advice for Playing Live Casino Games

While most online casino games are mostly down to luck at the end of the day, players might be able to boost their chances of winning by following live casino games tips and advice.

Knowing about the payout percentage or house edge of a game is a good place to start. All games have what is known as a house edge, meaning theoretically the casino always comes out on top in the end. This might seem unfair, but they are a business that exists to make cash.

Baccarat is one of the online live casino games that is known for having a very low house edge. This means it can be a smart choice of game for those South Africans who want to give themselves the best possible chance of winning more money than they spend on a game.

On the other side of the coin, most people already know that roulette has a comparatively poor house edge. The payout percentage also depends on the rules of the specific game chosen.

For example, the house edge in roulette changes by a quite substantial amount if there are two green spaces for zero on the wheel, rather than just one. In live roulette games where there are two green spaces for zero, the house edge retained by the casino is up more than five per cent.

With baccarat and blackjack both having a house edge of not much more than one per cent, it is quite clear that South Africans who seek value from live dealer games should opt for those.