Betway

Betway South Africa Review (2023)

Betway is one of the world's largest betting companies, with South African players among those who can sign up for an account on the site, which is home to a sportsbook and an online casino.

Known for being the shirt sponsor of the Premier League football team West Ham in England, Betway is enjoying a bigger public profile in a lot of different countries as a result. Founded all the way back in 2006, Betway has grown at a rapid rate and employs 600 people globally, offering everything from pre-game and live sports betting to esports and casino games on its site.

But those who are yet to join the online bookmaker are likely to have a lot of questions about the operator. Among them will be queries such as 'how do you log into your Betway account?', 'How do you deposit and withdraw money at Betway?' and 'How to use free bets on Betway?'

Our complete review of Betway for South African players will provide full answers to all of the above questions and more, so read on for our frank assessment of this online betting brand. 

Betway South Africa launched its product in 2018 and is now one of the leading sports betting sites in South Africa with 30+ sports, 100's of betting markets, high odds, and top-tier mobile betting apps.

About Betway South Africa

The history of Betway can be traced back to 2006 when the company was set up. It is now a member of the European Sports Security Association, as well as both the Independent Betting Adjudication Service and the Remote Gambling Association. Furthermore, Betway is accredited by the international testing agency eCOGRA, which ensures all of its games are fully fair to play.

In South Africa, Betway is licensed and regulated by the Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board under the Bookmaker License Number: 10181496-007. With online sports betting only legal in South Africa as long as sites have a license, this should be enough to ensure people that Betway is a very safe and secure company to use for online sports betting in the country.

However, Betway has sometimes fallen foul of industry rules and regulations. In 2020, the company was hit with a fine of £11.6 million - which set a new record - due to the betting company's historical failings in customer protection and anti-money laundering checks.

As well as the deal with West Ham, Betway has signed up a range of famous brand ambassadors to spread the word. Among them are the South Africa cricketer Kevin Pietersen, who was one of the best players in the world at his peak. England Rugby World Cup winner Mike Tindall has also worked with Betway in the past, as has the British National Hunt Racing champion jockey Richard Johnson and 2015 Flat champion jockey Silvestre de Sousa.

Betway hit the headlines back in 2015 when one player on its online casino site scooped a prize worth a total of €17,879,645 while playing the Microgaming online slot game Mega Moolah. The British man, a soldier named Jon Heywood, therefore took the Guinness World Record for the largest ever jackpot payout in an online slot machine. He had only opened his account at the Betway casino some 25 minutes before his amazing life-changing win on the slot game.

Betway ZA Payment Methods

Before getting into the main review of Betway South Africa, we want to make sure players can deposit and withdraw money easily. Fortunately, Betway ZA accepts a large range of local payment methods including Ozow, Visa, Mastercard, SID, and more.

Payment methods available:

• Visa credit/debit card
• Mastercard credit/debit card
• Ozow
• 1 For You Voucher
• OTT Voucher
• Kazang
• Easyload
• Blu Voucher
• MTM MoMo
• Shoprite
• SID
• Bank transfer - First National Bank, Standard Bank, Absa Bank, Nedbank
• Other Banks EFT
• USSD

Betway South Africa Sportsbook Review

Betway has an online casino for its users to try out too but we have to start with the site's sportsbook, which remains its bread and butter. South Africans logging into the Betway sportsbook will find a massive range of options to pick from across an array of great sports.

Football, cricket and rugby are the three top sports to bet on in South Africa and they are all covered in good detail at Betway. Football markets are particularly strong on the site, with Betway typically having some of the best football odds of any bookmaker in South Africa. Pre-match, there are dozens of markets to pick from including an option to build your own bet.

Esports is a big focus for Betway, with many in the industry believing esports betting is going to become dominant in the coming years. Those who want to bet on esports in South Africa will find plenty of different options to keep them satisfied, with the betting margins for esports very good as well. Virtual sports also have their own section at Betway, with customers in South Africa able to pick from soccer, racing and horses in this part of the online sportsbook site.

Live in-play betting is an area of strength for the Betway sportsbook in South Africa. Dozens of options are offered again, with competitions from around the world - as well as in South Africa - among those that Betway users have available to pick from. The live betting interface is excellent, with users given plenty of information to help them to select winning wagers. One drawback of the live betting experience at Betway in South Africa is the lack of live streaming. In a lot of markets, Betway TV provides a brilliant live streaming selection, but this is not currently the case in South Africa. Hopefully, this issue will be improved by the firm shortly.

Cash-out is among the features offered at the Betway sportsbook. South Africans can go to the My Bets section to see which wagers have the cash out option available. Cashing out is getting more and more popular as it allows customers to lock in a guaranteed profit from their bets.

Betway is also home to a great array of special features that cannot be found on other leading sports betting sites in South Africa. Among them is the chance to go data-free. Through the Betway app - which we will review in full later - users of the site can place pre-match and live bets on their favourite sports without having to use any of their smartphone's mobile data.

Doing so also enabled Betway customers to make their selections for the brand's Four To Score offer. In the Four To Score deal from Betway, which runs through the European football season, users can win up to R100,000 by guessing which team out of each of England's top four divisions - Premier League, Championship, League 1 and League 2 - will score the first goal.

Other top promotions at Betway in South Africa include an R25 sign-up bet for new users, as well as the chance to boost multi-bet winnings by up to 150 per cent. Customers can also use the Betway Money Back Boost, a deal offering up to 20x the bet refunded in cash if one leg loses. Up to 10 outcomes are included as possibilities in the Build A Bet option at Betway as well.

Sports available:

• Soccer
• Tennis
• Basketball
• Volleyball
• Esports
• MMA
• Table Tennis
• Cricket
• Baseball
• Ice Hockey
• Handball
• Golf
• Boxing
• Motorsport
• Rugby
• Aussie Rules
• American Football
• Cycling
• Snooker
• Darts
• Futsal
• Biathlon

As for the betting odds, Betway ZA has some of the highest odds available in South Africa at the moment, with betting margins of 4.35% in our tests. These are far better odds than the vast majority of bookies.

The live betting product is also far better than most betting sites, with 100's of live betting options, a cash-out feature, high odds, and free live streaming using the Betway TV!

Betway.co.za Mobile Betting Apps

Mobile betting is getting very popular in South Africa. The chance to place wagers via a handheld device such as a smartphone is very welcome as it is so much faster.

Betway has developed its own sports betting app that can be used on iOS and Android devices. It is possible to bet data-free when using the Betway app, which is a top reason to download it.

The Betway ZA betting apps offer a fantastic gambling product at your fingertips with online sports betting, casino, live casino, lotteries, virtual sports, jackpots, fantasy, Betgames, and esports.

Highlights:

• It’s simple, fast and uses less data
• Easy to bet on local and international sports, 100's of online casino games, lotteries, virtual sports and more
• You can turn on notifications for events such as goals, corners, cards, final score, etc
• The Betway Android betting app has a 4.3/5 rating with over 2500 player reviews on the Google play store.
• The Betway iOS betting app has a 4.3/5 rating with over 879 player reviews on the App Store.
• Easy to cash out bets
• Free Live streaming through the app
• In-depth stats centre and live scores

The app loads faster than the website, which means it is perfect for live in-play betting. The latest promotions and offers from Betway can also be accessed through the mobile app too.

Add in the fact that the Betway app provides notifications about fixtures, plus a great user-friendly experience, and downloading it is nothing short of a must for all customers.

Those who would rather not download an app to their devices can still use the Betway mobile site. This has a smooth user experience but does not provide the same data-free benefits. The design of the mobile app and Betway mobile site is very similar, so it is easy to switch between the two for those who would like to keep their mobile betting options wide open. 

Betway.co.za APK Android App Download

The Android app for Betway is only available to download directly from the bookmaker site. Users first have to click the settings icon on their Android device, then select security. Here, they must tick the box next to Allow Unknown Sources to allow the app to be downloaded.

How to download the Betway Betting App APK for Android:

1. Simply navigate to the Betway.co.za website through our "Claim" link in the list above.
2. Scroll down until you see the "Betway App"
3. Click "Download Here"
4. Then, click "Download Betway Android App" to start downloading the Betway app APK
5. Confirm, install the app, and start playing

Betway iOS Betting App Download

The Betway app for iOS can be downloaded through the App Store, but Android users will have to go through a slightly longer and more complicated process to download the software.

Betway South Africa Customer Support

Betway South Africa has brilliant 24/7 customer support for all players, and a wide range of contact methods including:

• Live chat
• Email - Support@betway.co.za
• Facebook - /BetwaySouthAfrica
• Twitter - @Betway_za
• Phone number - 0861 787 250
• FICA Support - FICA@betway.co.za

Betway.co.za Conclusion

Overall, Betway South Africa is one of the best gambling products for South Africans at the moment with a fantastic sportsbook that is available on all of your devices.

You will get access to some of the highest sports betting odds, 24/7 support, free live streams (select events), the best online casino, and great promotions for new and existing customers.