Gbets

Gbets.co.za South Africa Review (2023)

South African sports fans who want to bet through the internet have plenty of sites to pick from, with Gbets among the top options that are catering directly to local players from the country.

Gbets is also much more than just a sports betting site, with users who sign up for an account here also getting access to a variety of live bet games such as roulette and baccarat as well.

With an R25 no deposit free bet up for grabs for new players, Gbets will be hoping that its welcome bonus is strong enough to attract plenty of attention from those seeking a new sports betting site.

Anyone considering joining Gbets, however, might have some questions that they want to be answered before they decide to commit to signing up for an account here.

Among them are likely to be about its licences for SA players, as well as its betting margins and whether or not there are any special features that potential players need to know about.

For all the details you need, read our complete guide to Gbets for players from South Africa.

About Gbets

Gbets bills itself as being on the list of South Africa’s premium sports betting companies but it is fair to say that there is an awful lot of competition in a crowded market for that particular title.

Part of the Goldrush Group, which has its fingers in a lot of different pies within the gambling industry, Gbets was founded back in 2005 so it has been around for 15 years now. This means it is one of the more established online sports betting companies in South Africa, which may be preferred by some South Africans who like to avoid newer operators until they have a reputation.

Gbets holds licences in a couple of countries as well as in South Africa, namely Lesotho and Mozambique, so it is a familiar name to a lot of Africans who use the internet to bet on sport. In South Africa, Gbets is licensed and regulated by the Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board. This means it is 100% legal to use in South Africa, with Gbets players likely to be assured that it is a very safe place for online betting on sports as a result of its SA license.

Sports sponsorships are used by many top South African sports betting sites to build their public profile. While Gbets has not secured as many sports deals as rivals in the South African online betting sector such as Hollywoodbets, back in 2018 the company did lend its name to the Gauteng Summer Cup horse racing meeting which was held at the Turffontein Racecourse.

Gbets has a reputation as one of the industry's more innovative names. In 2019 it sealed a deal to move its betting platform to one provided by BetConstruct, while it also claimed to be the first South African sports betting company to offer Live In-Play Multiview on its sportsbook as well.

Gbets Sportsbook Review

While there are plenty of different good betting options at Gbets, the site is still dominated by its sportsbook so we will start in that section for our complete review of this sports betting site.

New players who join Gbets can get a R25 free bet. The stake of the free bet is not paid as part of the winnings, which is standard for similar welcome bonuses offered at online bookmakers around South Africa. There is also a maximum win limit of R500 in place for the welcome bonus too.

Various other sports betting promotions are also offered at Gbets as well. Those placing multiples bets on the Gbets sportsbook can get up to a 30 per cent boost on the odds offered. Golf specials include double winnings up to R2,000 if a user's pick leads a tournament through all four rounds, while winnings on F1 races are tripled if a driver completes the clean sweep. Users also get an R50 free bet on their birthday, so there are lots of great bonuses offered here.

In terms of the Gbets sportsbook itself, the choice of bets is very good. Soccer is one of the top sports to bet on here and big games in high-profile competitions commonly have in excess of 500 different bets to pick from. With some other online sports betting sites in South Africa failing to offer even 100 markets for the same games, it is clear that Gbets has a lot more depth.

Everything from chess, handball and hurling is available to bet on at Gbets, as well as other minor sports such as lacrosse, snooker, speedway and even surfing. There are some political betting markets too, including giving users the chance to bet on elections in France and the US. Esports betting fans will be able to find markets for the likes of Overwatch, Valorant, CS:GO, Call of Duty, Dota 2, League of Legends and StarCraft II, so the options here are good as well.

Live in-play betting continues to get more popular at Gbets, which places these markets front and centre to make it quick and easy to put wagers on for the top action ongoing right now. For tennis, for example, there is some data and statistics offered for live games but some other top South African sports betting sites have a slightly more impressive offering in this department. Although there is a button to filter live events by those with streaming available, at the time of writing this complete guide to Gbets there were over 100 live events to bet on, but no streams.

Many South Africans love to bet on virtual sports too and there is a decent provision in this department at Gbets as well. Virtual cycling and virtual drag racing are two of the more unusual options offered, while there is even the chance to bet on the outcome of a virtual penalty shootout. Standard virtual horse racing and virtual football are available on the Gbets site too.

Special features include the chance to edit a bet even after it has been confirmed. Users who join Gbets can cash out their bets on the sportsbook too, with a partial cash-out also available for those who want to take a proportion of their potential profits and let the rest of the bet ride.

Gbets offers close to a total package for any South Africans seeking a new online bookmaker to join. With special promotions for various sports, great deals are always offered on this site too and the range of betting markets that are available makes this a very impressive place to play.

Gbets Casino Review

Gbets has a great sportsbook, but users who sign up for an account here will also get access to its casino site, which has a fantastic variety of different types of games to pick from as well.

Among them are live dealer games, with Gbets offering titles from studios and developers with big reputations in the industry such as Evolution Gaming, BetConstruct and Ezugi. This is handy as many other sites in South Africa only have games from a single operator available to play, which restricts the number of choices users have when they login to play.

Blackjack, baccarat, craps and roulette are among the casino classics offered in the live dealer section, but this is just scratching the surface. Games such as Dream Catcher, Football Studio and Mega Ball are likely to be very popular among Gbets players, who can also opt for live poker too.

Lotto instant win games make up another section of the Gbets site that is sure to get a lot of attention. Over a dozen different games are offered in this department so there is plenty of choices, a story that is the case for most of the areas that are offered at the Gbets casino.

Many South Africans like to play Betgames and they will find Gbets to be a good choice for this as well. A wide array of Betgames are offered but the selection is essentially the same as those offered at other rival sports betting sites in South Africa. Some of the different Betgames that can be played by South Africans at Gbets include baccarat, Bet on Poker, Lucky 5 and Rock Paper Scissors, as well as War of Bets, Andar Bahar, Speedy 7 and Dice Duel as well.

Of course, it is promotions that tend to attract the majority of players to online casino sites in South Africa. At Gbets, new users who sign up for an account can get a 100% deposit boost when they join, though it only runs up to the value of R1,000. The minimum deposit that can be made to claim the Gbets casino welcome bonus has been set at just R20.

Players considering joining Gbets due to the welcome deposit bonus need to be aware of the 3x wagering requirements that are in place. However, this is a lot lower than similar deals elsewhere.

It does state in the terms and conditions of this particular Gbets bonus, though, that "the maximum withdrawal of winnings generated from real cash that has been solely converted from bonus money is equivalent to the bonus money issued by Gbets", which is key to know.

One thing that users may notice is missing from Gbets is online casino slot games. While other similar sites in South Africa do have these games, Gbets has likely opted to steer clear as a result of them being illegal under the current online gambling laws in place in South Africa.

Help is available through a detailed FAQ section and anyone who has an issue with their Gbets account can also get in touch with customer service agents through a live chat facility too. With live dealer games and more on the Gbets casino site complementing an excellent sportsbook and a top welcome bonus, it is clear this is for sure one of the top sites in South Africa right now.

Gbets Mobile Betting Review

Mobile betting is growing at a rapid rate in South Africa, with in excess of 20 million adults in the country now owning a smartphone. This has placed betting right in the palm of their hands. All of the South African online betting sites, therefore, need to make sure they have a solid provision for anyone who prefers to bet via a handheld device, so what does Gbets have to offer?

Gbets previously had a mobile betting app available to download, but this does not currently seem to be available. South Africans who want to play on mobile should keep an eye out for Gbets announcing a new mobile app, but for now, they can use its mobile site instead.

The mobile site at Gbets has essentially the same design as the desktop site. At some other top sports betting sites, there is a big difference between them and it can be tricky to adapt for anyone who wants to switch between the two, but this is definitely not the case at Gbets.

Pages are fast to load so the mobile site is a fine option for anyone who wants to place live in-play wagers while out and about. It does mean that users with Gbets accounts might have to keep an eye on their mobile data being used up if they place bets while they are on the move.

While competitors such as Betway and World Sports Betting have a data-free mobile app or mobile site, this is not the case at Gbets just yet. It might be something for Gbets to look into providing for its customers in the future as lots of South Africans value data-free apps highly.

All the same functions are offered by those who use the Gbets mobile site instead of the standard desktop option. This means that as well as the Gbets sportsbook, players can also try out live games and virtual sports, as well as lotto instant win games and everything else too.

Managing an account is simple through the app too. Players can add funds into their Gbets account or process a withdrawal by logging in via a handheld device such as a smartphone.

With SSL encryption having been put in place as part of the security measures that are enforced, users who log in on a phone can feel assured the Gbets mobile site is safe to use.

While a Gbets app would be a handy addition - especially if the company followed WSB and Betway in making it data-free - at the moment the Gbets mobile site is more than adequate.