Compare the best new online casinos in South Africa for real money gambling using ZAR.
South Africa has an interesting history with gambling and the country still has some of the most restrictive rules and regulations in the world for certain parts of the industry, even to this day.
Regardless of that fact, the popularity of online casinos is certainly booming in South Africa. Players are embracing the chance to play classics like roulette, blackjack and baccarat.
They also have the opportunity to try their luck with a large range of different types of games. Among them are live dealer games, which many experts believe are the future of this sector.
Deciding which online casino to join has always been tricky for South Africans. Some sites aim to cater directly to a South African audience while others are targeting a more global appeal.
Selecting an online casino does not have to be a choice people make on their own, though. We are here to help and we have put together the following overview of new SA online casino sites.
Defining what counts as a new online casino is a matter of some debate. While some think a casino has to have been launched within the past few months to qualify, others think a new South African casino remains in that status for a couple of years after it has been founded.
New online casinos have pros and cons, which we will cover in full a little later on. Players have to decide for themselves whether the advantages of joining a new online casino outweigh the downsides. Many people prefer to play their favourite online casino games at sites that are more established due to having a long history, with these operators enjoying a solid reputation.
There is no right answer, but broadly speaking the more new online casinos there are in South Africa, the better it is for customers. The choice is always seen as being a good thing and there is a high level of competition within what is already a very crowded market.
In order for new online casinos in South Africa to be able to make a splash, they often either have to offer something very different from the norm or provide particularly generous signup bonuses to users instead.
We will have reviews of each of these sites later, but here are some top new SA casino options:
So what do we look at when we are reviewing the top new online casino sites? Let's take a look.
A number of important factors are taken into account when we review and pick the best new online casinos in South Africa. Here are eight of the key areas that we closely assess:
Joining new online casinos in South Africa has pros and cons, just as established sites do. One of the top advantages of opting for a newer online casino site is that they might have better bonuses.
This is as it is so hard for them to stand out in a crowded market, with South Africans already having a lot of choices to pick from if they want to play casino games via the internet.
Welcome bonuses vary a lot in the industry and some users might find it hard to judge whether or not they are good value. Often, there can be a maximum win limit attached. While this helps to protect online casinos from sustaining large losses, it could put users off from joining.
The joy of a jackpot win would soon subside in the event of learning that only a small payout would be made as a result of the spin coming from bonus funds that were given out as a welcome bonus. New online casinos in South Africa commonly have better bonuses, but this is not always true. It is also worth pointing out that new online casinos in South Africa have to try fresh ideas to give users a reason to sign up.
This means they can often be more innovative than some of the country's more established online casino sites, which can sometimes be too keen to stick to the same formula that has been tried and tested by them over an extended period of time. New online casinos might be able to offer unique games to their players or give them a fresh twist.
It is hard to tell which of South Africa's newest online casinos will hit the big time and which of them might flop, ending up going out of business after a relatively short period. But there is no doubt that it is fun for players to join new online casinos and then watch them rise into big hitters.
Most new online casinos in South Africa these days are mobile-first. This means they might launch as an app or mobile site, with desktop PCs not able to access them. An increasing number of South Africans prefer to play on mobile, making new online casinos a good choice.
While the pros of joining new online casinos in South Africa are plentiful, there are cons too. For instance, players might be unwilling to put their personal and financial information in the hands of a new operator that might not have a lot of experience in ensuring quality security standards.
New online casinos are often considered to be risky. It is harder for players to judge whether or not they are safe. This is partly due to a lack of information out there. While established sites will have been reviewed by industry experts time and time again, this is not the case for new sites.
Older online casinos will also have lots of feedback from their customers available online. Again, this will be harder to find for South Africa's newest online casinos, which is why they are riskier.
Some of the country's new online casinos are actually launched by operators who already have other brands. This can mean new online casinos are built into a formula and just have a slightly different colour scheme. Those who are new to online casinos might not notice this, but after spending time on a few different sites it becomes quicker to spot which of them might be linked.
More importantly, if a new online casino is part of a company that runs several brands, it might mean players are only able to claim a welcome bonus on one of them, rather than on them all.
Even if they are not owned by a big operator with lots of other sites, new online casinos may be created through what is known as a white-label solution. This means that the operator has purchased the building blocks of the casino, which will be similar to many others as a result.
As we mentioned above, new online casinos in South Africa are sometimes launched on a mobile-only basis. This is fine for South Africans who are comfortable using a handheld device such as a tablet or a smartphone to play online casino games.
But for those who do not want to play these games on a small screen as they instead prefer to use a desktop computer to play, then if a casino is mobile-only it could put them off from registering for an account on the site.
The pros and cons of new online casinos in South Africa must be balanced by players themselves. What they want to get out of an online casino site will have a major impact on the importance that they place on the respective pros and cons of South Africa's top new online casino sites.
With all that in mind, let's have a look at some of the top new online casinos in South Africa.
South Africa has plenty of new online casinos to consider joining, but some of them have a stronger set of reasons for people to register for an account than others can boast.
Here, we have picked out five of the best new online casinos in South Africa to join right now:
The CasinoDays site in South Africa is home to all types of online casino games and titles are offered from many of the biggest providers in the business, like NetEnt and Play'n GO.
One of the top reasons to pick this new online casino is the fact users can deposit using cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin, as well as having the chance to use Litecoin and Ripple too.
Live dealer games such as poker, keno and roulette are available here, as well as the likes of baccarat, backgammon and there is a range of live lottery games to pick from too.
Genesis Global Limited is one of the top names in the iGaming world, with Casino Masters one of the newest online casinos the company has launched. Available in South Africa, the site combined a full range of live casino options with various other types of online casino games too.
Casino Masters has a 100% deposit match bonus available with up to 30 free spins also on the table for those who register for an account at this new South African online casino site. Monthly bonuses are up for grabs at Casino Masters as well, which users will welcome.
The welcome bonus at Africasino is among the biggest at any South African online casino, let alone at sites that are new to the market. Customers who sign up for an account here can get a 350% deposit match bonus when they join, with the deal spread over three deposits.
Other reasons to join Africasino over other new South African online casino sites include the chance for users to get up to 15% extra real cash on their daily deposit. Even better is the fact there is no wagering or game restriction for this particular bonus.
Next in our picks of the top new online casinos in South Africa is Yebo, which has a 150% welcome bonus for players. Weekly free spins are offered to users here as well.
Yebo Casino's main selling points over other South African online casinos include that it has big jackpots up for grabs in its games.
They are optimised for mobile too, so Yebo Casino customers are able to log in on a handheld device and enjoy their favourite casino games.
At Yebo Casino, the customer service call centre is open 24/7, which is more good news.
Punt Casino aims to stand out from the competition by describing itself as a premium online casino in South Africa. Up to R10,000 in casino welcome bonuses are available here.
The ZAR currency is accepted and this will be welcomed by South African players, who have access to a decent range of deposit and withdrawal options.
Blackjack, roulette, baccarat and poker are among the range of games at Punt Casino, which also has progressive slots like Aztec's Millions and Jackpot Pinatas. Customer service is offered 24/7, 365 days a year at the Punt Casino in South Africa too.
Elizabeth Marole is responsible for content on BettingGuide ZA. She has prior experience as a math teacher and plays poker professionally when not writing for BettingGuide. Please contact her for any inquiries regarding gambling in South Africa.