Are looking for a secure online casino in South Africa? If so, keep on reading and you’ll get all of your questions answered, from online gambling regulations over bonus incentives available for South African players to the banking methods supported.
Although once strict on the matters of online gambling, the South African government has somewhat liberalized gambling several decades ago which is regulated via several bodies and organizations depending on the province.
However, a situation when it comes to online gambling activities is a tricky one, which we'll cover thoroughly in this article.
Overview of Regulations
The National Gambling Act that has been placed in 1996 has changed the way the South African government treated land-based gambling activities; however, online gambling activities have remained illegal.
Prior to that even land-based gambling activities, besides the horse race wagers, which were considered a sports activity rather than a gambling one, were illegal in the country and prohibited by the National Gambling Act.
South African Department of Trade and Industry (DTIC) has allowed land-based casinos and online betting actions to be legal, but as of now, most of the online gambling offers are still not incorporated.
What does it mean for South African iGaming activities? Well, the situation is complicated when it comes to online gambling legislation in the country, however, there are ways for South African punters to find a welcoming online casino.
An Overview of Legality by Categories:
- Horse racing bets and sports betting are legal
- Land-based casinos are legal, as long as they are regulated by the authorities related to the particular province
- Online casinos situated on South African soil are illegal, however, many South Africa-inclusive casinos from other countries are available on the market
When it comes to online horse race betting and online sports gambling progress has been made, and there are few doyen South African online sports betting platforms, including Betway, YesPlay, and SportingBet.
Despite this move in the direction of online gambling prohibition being lifted entirely, virtual table games, bingo, and video slots have not yet been legalized.
Gambling Review Commission has voiced the need for legalizing online gambling activities in South Africa, but as of now, this has not been done.
However, as the National Gambling Act only prohibits gambling activities within the borders of the country, interactive gambling on the internet by the use of a computer or tablet does not fall into that category, and it is legal to play at most foreign online casinos.
How to Find Reputable South Africa-Friendly Site?
With such a massive and ever-growing number of online casinos available, it is reasonable to assume that there are many iGaming platforms out there that support players from South Africa.
As such, there is a majority of offshore online casinos, most of which are regulated under the jurisdiction of the government of Malta and Gibraltar allow clientele from South Africa to join in and participate.
However, simply being allowed to participate does not mean you should jump into the action without prior consideration. Many online casinos out there are either illegal, lack proper regulations, or deem certain restrictions for punters from specific countries.
What you should always check out before joining is if the online casino in question fully supports players from the country you are from.
Some of the most important factors that you should keep your eyes on consist of:
- License and regulation
- Banking methods that support your country without demanding a high fee
- iGaming providers that are available for your country
- Bonuses and promotions
- An available loyalty program
- An accessible customer support
To help you filter through the thousands of online casinos out there, we provide you with a way to compare online gambling platforms as their most important factor and incentives will be displayed, allowing you to get a full picture.
Bonuses for South African Players
The vast majority of online casinos that support punters from the territory of South Africa offer a wide variety of bonuses to players from this country.
Although no-deposit bonuses are not that common for South Africa-inclusive online casinos, there are many bonus incentives and promotions that are available.
Welcome bonuses, which most online gambling platforms provide are rarely exclusive for players from particular locations, and most of those include a certain number of extra spins, a bonus that provides an initial advantage when playing video slot releases.
Regular weekly bonuses, such as cashback bonuses are also generally available for all of the players the particular casino accepts.
Of course, there are many other bonus incentives to be looking forward to, including special advantages if cryptocurrencies are used when it comes to crypto-friendly online casinos.
Also, a great number of contemporary iGaming platforms have some sort of loyalty program that rewards regular players that return often with all sorts of prizes and rewards and rarely exempts puters from a specific country.
However, before deciding on joining in you should always check out the T&C and promotions page to familiarize yourself with the factors and requirements demanded for available bonuses, such as:
- The minimum wagering requirement for a welcome bonus
- Maximum betting limit
- Minimum withdrawal limit
- A rollover that is required before winnings with an active bonus can be withdrawn
Banking Options for South African Players
The currency used in South Africa is South African Rand, and as long as an online casino accepts this currency it will include several banking methods available for depositing and withdrawing.
By far the most popular international banking service for the player that uses the currency of ZAR is Skrill.
This is not by chance, but because Skrill offers very quickly processed payments and demands the minimum fee for the transaction.
E-wallets are not the only option available, of course. Credit and debit cards, such as Visa are fully supported for the players from South African soil.
If you are prone to using a particular cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin, it is worth noting that crypto-friendly online casinos rarely make exceptions based on their client's location, so this is always a viable option for this type of gambling parlor.
As for specifically South Africa-oriented payment services, we will mention SwiftlyEFT and EasyEft, both of which require only an active bank account and stands as reliable and fast methods for depositing and withdrawing.
Several things you should pay attention to when depositing and withdrawing are:
- A transaction fee – as some banking methods incur a higher fee than others and are often dependent on the country the player is from
- A fee for currency conversion – should you opt to play at an online casino that does not support South African Rand
- Processing time – depending on the banking method and depending on the country, transactions can take from a few days up to more than a week to be fully processed
- Additional procedures – many online casinos require a KYC procedure before depositing is allowed, however, some may ask for an additional identification process whenever a withdrawal is required
Further Reading
59.43%
Online Casinos
accept South Africans players
Online Casinos in South Africa – A Guide for South African Players
