Top Online Casino Games in South Africa (2023)

Online Casino Games

You will find a wide variety of online casino games at all of the casinos on BettingGuide. Generally, online casinos are split into two sections, the live casino, and the casino. You can find 40+ live casino games on some of the best online casinos and 100's of casino games using the regular online casino section.

• Online Live casino - Live casino games allow players to play with a real dealer via video. Players can experience a more life-like casino feel with live dealers on several casino games including blackjack, roulette, baccarat, and many more.
• Online Casino - Casino games that run using a random number generator (RNG) and no live dealers.
• BetGames - BetGames are live-draw games that are 100% legal in South Africa, and available on top operators such as Betway, Hollywoodbets, Bet.co.za and more.

Here are some of the main games that can be played at online casinos in South Africa.

• Slots 
• Roulette
• Baccarat 
• Blackjack 
• Teen Patti
• Live casino

Some online casinos might focus on one type in particular. As an example, slots casinos are very popular, offering hundreds if not thousands of different slots to try. Other online casino sites might be run in a more general way, giving players a range of options.

Deciding which casino game to play can be a head-scratcher for newcomers, but there are a couple of things to think about. One of them is value, which can be found by examining the house edge of casino games.

Playing Casino Games for Free at an Online Casino

If you are not sure about joining an online casino site, playing for free might be a particularly appealing option.

There are a few ways to play for free at an online casino. The first is by using one of the two types of bonuses that we talked about earlier: free spins bonuses or a no deposit offer. By using this type of promotion, players have the chance to play risk-free, enabling them to try new games.  

Various online casinos have these offers up for grabs and there is no reason not to make the most of them by joining several different sites.  Demo mode games are the other main way of playing for free at an online casino.

Many casino sites allow their slots to be played in demo mode. Naturally, when not playing with real money it is not possible to win cash. But demo mode is a good way to test a few different slots out and try to find a favourite game you might later want to play on with your own rupees. 

Slots are not the only casino game that can be played in demo mode. It depends on which online casino site you join, but there are almost always different options for playing for free.

Many people join online casinos and actually never risk their own rupees on games. But others will find it tempting to move up to real money games at online casinos eventually.

Real Money Games at Online Casinos

After playing in demo mode for a while, it is time to try real money games at online casinos. To do this, you will need to deposit into your new online casino account. If you are struggling to deposit money, we recommend reading our payment methods guide for step-by-step guides for each depositing method. Once you have successfully deposited, simply decide which game you want to play and select it, then you will have the chance to set your stake.

For newcomers, it is recommended to start with small stakes while building up confidence. Those who have more experience playing games like roulette and blackjack might be happier to bet more. But there is nothing wrong with starting small and working up to larger stakes.

Various types of real money games at online casinos are offered - let's take a look at some of the most common of them.

House Edges for Popular Casino Games

All casino games have what is known in the industry as a house edge. Put simply, this is in place to protect online casinos in South Africa.

Without a house edge, there would be no guarantee that they can come out on top against the player. While this may seem unfair to casino customers, without a house edge it would be far too risky to run a casino.

Casinos are businesses and making money is the reason that they exist. So in the same way that wagering requirements are something of a necessary evil, the same is true for the house edge. 

The good news is that not all casino games have the same house edge. Actually, house edges at online casinos can vary by a surprisingly large amount. This means those players who want to maximise their chances of winning by finding the top value can select those games with the best house edge.

Games with a high house edge can still be fun to play, but it is harder to make a profit when playing these at your chosen online casino. Let's examine the house edge of some of the top online casino games in more detail next.

Baccarat House Edge

Baccarat is one of the oldest casino games in the world, but it is still a very popular choice at online casinos. One of the reasons this is the case as baccarat has a very low house edge.

It is fair to say baccarat does not have the same public profile as other casino games. Roulette, poker and blackjack are a lot more famous in most parts of the world.

So many people may be unfamiliar with how to play baccarat, which is sometimes known by the name punto banco, even though it is very simple. Betting on a game of baccarat is actually almost comparable to gambling on the toss of a coin.

House edge in baccarat depends on the bet that is chosen by the player. If you decide to have a bet on the banker winning, then the house edge will be just 1.06 per cent. It is hard to find another bet at an online casino that has such a low house edge. 

Betting on the player to win in baccarat has a house edge of 1.24, which is still pretty good. Ties are rare in baccarat and the house edge for this bet rockets up to 14.36 per cent - very high.

Blackjack House Edge

Unlike baccarat, which is a game of pure luck, blackjack involves skill from the player. Luck is still involved, of course, due to the fact it is impossible to predict what card comes out next, but skilled blackjack players are very likely to win more money than beginners. 

House edge in a game of blackjack at an online casino depends on a couple of factors. One is the skill level of the player. Another key factor is whether a blackjack strategy is used. 

Blackjack house edge is usually around the one per cent mark. This means that blackjack is one of the best value games to choose from at an online casino. However, there are a few varieties of blackjack games that can be played at online casinos. What this means is that the house edge in blackjack can be quite variable.

How many decks of cards are in play also affects the house edge in blackjack casino games. The fewer the number of decks being used in a blackjack game, the lower the house edge. 

Types of blackjack game can also change the house edge. For example, a 6:5 blackjack game has a much higher house edge and it can therefore be a good idea to avoid this type of game.

Slots House Edge

House edge on slots is not calculated in the same way as on other casino games like baccarat and blackjack. Instead, a slot game's house edge is displayed as a percentage.

This is known as return to player - usually shown as RTP for short - with games that have a higher RTP percentage having a lower house edge as a result.

Generally speaking, players will see more value from playing an online slot with 97 per cent RTP than they will if they select a game where the RTP is only 95 per cent.

It might sound like a small difference but the higher the house edge retained by an online casino site, the harder it is going to be for a player to come out on top. RTP on online slots is key, but so is variance, which explains how often the game pays out.

Poker House Edge

House edge is also different when it comes to online poker. The house does not actually have any involvement in a game of poker due to the fact players are facing off against each other. Instead, casinos offering poker make money by taking a cut of the pot in cash games.

Poker is a highly skilled game that can take a long time to master. Some say it can take as long as three months of intense practice, with the help of a coach, to master poker. But the lack of a house edge means a lot of people will try their luck at the poker table at their chosen casino site.

Roulette House Edge

The last casino game we are going to look at here is roulette, where the house edge can vary. A typical roulette wheel has 37 spaces, with one zero slot and numbers one to 36. But on some roulette games, there are two green slots for zero. 

When this happens, the house edge on a roulette game at the online casino is a lot higher. For this reason, it is advised to only play online roulette games with a single green zero slot.

House edge on a standard wheel is set at 2.7%, which is higher than some of the other casino games we have talked about. Wheels with two green spaces have a house edge of more than five per cent, which makes it very hard for a player to come out on top long-term.

Tips for Playing Online Casino Games in South Africa

Although there are some strategies for online casino games, winning cannot be guaranteed. But there are some things players can do to improve their chances of winning when they select online casino games.

• The first is to pick games with the best house edge, as detailed above. Bad value games make it a lot harder to make a profit and come out on top against the house. Slots fans should select games with the highest RTP they can find, as this indicates it will pay out more regularly.
• For skill-based games like blackjack and poker, learning about strategy will improve a player's chances of winning at their favourite South African online casino site.

This guide should have told you everything you need to know about online casinos in SA. You will now, therefore, be ready to start playing - so good luck!