What's the online gambling situation in South Africa and how do you determine the best online casino in South Africa? Unfortunately, these are not easy questions to answer thanks to the difficult and constantly changing laws in the region.
However, don't worry! Right here you'll find everything you need to know about South African online casino sites in terms of the current situation and what's expected in the near future.
You'll also get some excellent tips and advice on how to pinpoint the best South Africa online casino for you by checking out important factors like welcome offers, range of games, mobile compatibility and more.
Read on to learn more about the top casino sites available for SA players.
| Rank | Casinos | Rating | Bonus | Safe Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
There are legal restrictions in place, but that doesn't mean that there aren't any online casinos that serve new players in South Africa!
Which is the best paying online casino South African residents can play at? Look at our list of top South African online casinos and see which one suits you best:
Want to learn more about online casinos in South Africa? Read our comprehensive coverage of everything there is to know about the South African online casino industry, and you'll be fully clued up about the current legal situation, how to play at online casinos as a South African resident, what kind of games you can play, and much more.
We've taken the hassle out of trawling through hundreds of online casinos. Instead, we list legitimate casinos available to South African residents, offers an excellent welcome bonus, hosts loads of quality games, presents players with rewarding promos and allows deposits using your favourite payment methods.
Please look at the legitimate and respectable online casinos that have made our coveted list. We've scrutinised these casinos thoroughly to ensure they are trustworthy places to play. Take your pick from any of these, and we're confident you'll have a positive casino experience:
| 🎰 Best for online slots | Springbok Casino |
| 🎲 Best for table games | Silver Sands Casino |
| 💎 Best live casino | Yebo Casino |
| ⚡ Best for payout speed | Europa Casino |
| 💳 Best for banking method | Zar Casino |
| 🤵 Best for support | Thunderbolt Casino |
| 📋 Best for security | Punt Casino |
| 🏆 Best mobile casino | Tusk Casino |
| ✔️ Best for beginners | White Lotus Casino |
| 🚀 Best for our team | Rich Casino |
If you want to learn a little more before you get stuck, keep reading for more info on payment methods, the legalities of online casino gaming in South Africa, top games as judged by South African players, and much more.
While welcome bonuses, ongoing offers and game selection tend to be the top factors in everyone's mind when looking for a suitable online casino to play, the availability of compatible payment methods is one of the most important. After all, what good is an online casino if you can't deposit at it?
As a South Africa resident, you'll probably be looking for online casinos that allow you to deposit using the payment methods with which you are most familiar. You'll be pleased to know that online casinos are indeed out there that accept payment options commonly used in South Africa, with all the benefits players have come to expect anywhere else.
Perhaps the most common payment method in South Africa and Johannesburg, as in other parts of the world, is Visa, followed closely by Mastercard. These are commonly accepted at online casinos. Several payment methods found worldwide are widely used in South Africa to play online casino games, including Entropay, Skrill, Neteller and ecoPayz. The size of your bankroll is important when playing online casino games because it determines how much money you have to work with, so being able to deposit is critical.
In terms of more South African-specific payment methods, you'll find online casinos offering EasyEFT and SID Instant EFT, which allow you to quickly and easily transfer funds from your South African bank to your online casino of choice.
You can complete your casino withdrawals when you make a big win with the same payment method you deposited.
PayPal is a fast and convenient ewallet, available in many different countries worldwide.
Paypal is supported by 314 casinos
Apple Pay lets players make deposits and withdrawals using their bank account on their Apple device.
Apple Pay is supported by 121 casinos
MasterCard and Visa cards are the easiest, widely used direct payment method for online deposits.
Debit Cards is supported by 400 casinos
Bitcoin is the payment method of choice for the tech-savvy among us who want fast & safe payments.
Bitcoin is supported by 400 casinos
South African online casino sites offer a wide variety of top-quality games from some of the biggest providers in the industry. These range from vibrant video slots with multiple paylines and reels and an abundance of themes, to traditional table games with outcomes determined by RNGs, to the most exquisite live streaming real dealer games. Bet on these top games to benefit from plenty of rewards if you win!
Here are a few of the favourites enjoyed by South African players:
So how do you go about finding the best online casino in South Africa? Firstly, you have to consider what makes an online casino the best. Some will say it's the range of games on offer, while others will claim it's the most generous welcome bonus determining an online casino's reputation.
It comes down to a combination of several factors, each of which may sway you one way or the other. Please take a look at the following factors we think you should consider when deciding whether or not to try an online casino. You may find that some of these are more important to you than others, but an online casino that scores highly in these areas should make your shortlist.
One of the factors that people tend to give a lot of weight to is the range of games on offer at the online casino site in question. This might be tricky at first, but a good start is to check the bottom of the website for the intro text, as that will usually mention how many games are in their collection.
However, it's not all about quantity! Having tons of games to explore is all fine and well, but not great if those games are all of poor quality. One way to prevent signing up at an online casino with masses of poor-quality games is to look for the providers that contribute their creations to the games collection.
You want to see a good range of well-known providers such as NetEnt, Evolution, Pragmatic Play, Playtech, Microgaming, Play'n GO, etc. Their games are top-notch, guaranteeing you an excellent gaming experience.
Also, look at the types of games on offer. Slots are usually the most common games available. Still, a sign of an excellent online casino operator is the presence of classic table games, too, not to mention a live dealer games collection. You may find other games such as bingo, keno, dice, and virtual sports.
Support is one of those things that only tends to come into sharp focus when you run into difficulties, so it pays to check out the standard of support on offer before you sign up at an online casino. But what should you look out for?
Support can come in many forms, but the first step that most players take is consulting the site's FAQs section to find answers independently. Look for a detailed set of questions and answers in various categories, including deposits and cash out, and check you agree with them before signing up.
No one wants to contact customer service, but sometimes it's inevitable. If the need does arise, it's essential to reach someone in a way and at a time that best suits you; therefore, most casinos offer customer support 24/7. Should you need to contact the customer support team, there are multiple ways of doing so:
You can find out which customer support methods your preferred casino offers on the contact us/ customer support page.
One downside players in South Africa will find is that casinos in multiple languages are not often available. Players will most likely find English-language casinos only, with very few available in any of the other official languages of ZA. As a result, customer support is generally offered in English and other major world languages.
Online casinos tend to focus on their welcome bonus or package, which is a good reason, as this can be the deciding factor when joining an online casino. Welcome bonuses come in all shapes and sizes. Some consist of a bonus amount as a percentage of your first deposit, others offer free spins, and others present a combination. You might even be lucky enough to find an online casino in South Africa with no deposit bonus offer, where you don't even need to deposit to get funds to play with!
When it comes to welcome bonuses, you need to consider what type of bonus suits you best. For example, if you prefer to play with a live dealer casino, a welcome bonus that gives you free spins on a deposit will not be of much use to you! On the other hand, a welcome package offering a bonus and free spins might be perfect if you're into playing a wide range of games.
As you consider a site's welcome offer, be sure to also pay close attention to the terms and conditions, as these will tell you important information, such as wagering requirements on bonuses, the rules regarding earning loyalty points, how bets are managed, and more.
How do you determine if an online casino is running good quality software providers? It can be tricky, but there are a few ways to find out. Firstly, look at the bottom of the site in question and see if the name of the platform provider is featured there. Though it often isn't, the platform provider can offer you some insight into the performance of the games.
Another way to judge the performance and quality of an online casino is to play the games! This may seem like a no-brainer, but many players sign up before even trying to see if they play as expected.
To help you test the site's software, many online casinos allow you to play the games for free without signing up first. Use this to your advantage by playing several games in demo mode and observing how they work, from how long they take to open to how the gameplay performs.
Also, take note of any difference between desktop and mobile casino versions of the site.
Do I need to download any software, and can I play for free? No, you don't need to download any particular software to play at most online casinos. At many of them, you simply register a deposit and get playing - however, if you want to use a casino's app, you should make sure to install it from the trusted software store. Playing free is possible, as many casinos allow you to use a demo mode to practise your gameplay. As a result, you can establish your favourite game before you play.
Speaking of mobile gameplay, the ability to play online casino games on your smartphone or tablet is becoming increasingly more common due to increased demand. Both game developers and online casino platform providers have worked hard to keep up with changing trends in this respect.
As a result, you'll find that nearly all modern online casinos allow you to access the site and play the games directly from your mobile devices simply by visiting the website. Responsively designed websites give you optimal performance based on the device you're visiting without the need to download anything.
On the other hand, if you prefer a standalone app that you can download and install on your Android or iOS mobile device, many online casinos do have that option. Standalone apps tend to have mobile-friendly designs with larger buttons and are more accessible to access menus for a more streamlined experience.
Many titles are supported when playing the games on smaller devices, thanks to developers creating their games in HTML5 and other mobile-supported formats. You can even access all the banking features on your mobile devices so you can quickly deposit, play and withdraw all in one place.
In 1965 South Africa's Gambling Act was passed, officially banning all forms of gambling except betting on horse racing, which was regarded as a sporting activity. Of course, an outright ban drove the industry underground, and by 1995 an estimated 2,000 illegal casinos were operating in the country.
In an about-turn, the new government 1994 legalized all forms of gambling, with licensed casinos and a national lottery (SA National Lottery) arriving in 1996 under the National Gambling Act.
This led to establishing of the National Gaming Board to oversee gambling regulation. Amendments to the 1996 legislation were made in 2004 and 2008, with the latter promising online casino activity would be made legal. Though it was passed, it was never enacted, leaving the issue of online casino gaming something limbo.
Despite the 2010 amendment ruling that offering and playing online casino games at online casinos outside of the SA jurisdiction was also illegal, there is hope that the 2008 Act could still come into effect after a high court ruling appeal is heard.
So here's the big question! Is it legal to play at online casinos in South Africa? When you consider that gambling at land-based casinos in South Africa is perfectly legal, it is easy to assume that online casinos would be accepted in equal measure. However, this is not the case, as online gambling is illegal within the borders of South Africa.
However, this wording has resulted in a few offshore online casinos, those not based in South Africa, offering the ability to play in Rand and accepting players from South Africa. It should be noted that following a 2010 amendment, this was also deemed to be illegal by SA. The SA government has threatened to take action against offshore online casinos that accept South African players, but it hasn't happened yet.
On the plus side, an amendment to allow online casino gaming was passed in 2008. Still, it was never enacted, which leaves many players feeling hopeful that the freedom to choose will be available shortly.
Safety is paramount when playing at online casinos to prevent your sensitive data from falling into the wrong hands and potentially resulting in loss of money. There are several ways to avoid this, ensuring a safe and enjoyable online gaming experience!
The first thing to check is the law in your country, specifically regarding online gambling. We'll take a closer look at this about South Africa in a separate section later. Still, it's recommended to brush up on the legal aspect of top online casinos in South Africa so you know where you stand and exactly what the law dictates. Becoming a member at an online casino requires a level of knowledge of the details of the laws local to your area to ensure that you can play legally.
Various other factors can help you ascertain the safety of an online casino, including whether the site in question holds a legitimate license from an issuing authority, if they offer trusted banking options, such as e-wallets, accepting south African rands, whether or not they carry out player ID checks to prevent fraud and if they have a proper set of T&Cs, a Privacy Policy, and a complaints procedure. In addition, many casinos will allow you to set deposit and loss limits, ensuring better player safety and stopping you from losing too much.
It's important to ensure that your software is safe and secure. This means checking to see if the site has a valid SSL certificate, if the site is on a secure server and if the site is using encryption. SSL certificates can be checked by looking for the green padlock icon next to the gambling website's URL. This ensures they have the latest security certificates on the site, including those that keep your data securely encrypted. This means your payment information is safe and secure, as well as your details.
Responsible gaming frameworks are there to keep players safe. Experts working in this field ensure that the legal frameworks governing casinos prioritize player safety. Many casino websites implement good tips and tricks to ensure players and their budgets can play well.
In addition to the measures introduced by casinos above, if the gambling experience becomes stressful for players, they can get in touch with dedicated charities and organizations that help with problem gambling. Players in South Africa can get in touch with the South African Responsible Gambling Foundation.
There are 29 land-based casinos in South Africa. Click on read more to find the complete list.
Is it legal to gamble in South Africa?
Unfortunately, it's not a straightforward answer! The National Gambling Board of South Africa currently oversees the regulation of 40 licence holders across the various provinces of the country, which were issued following the National Gambling Act in 1996. However, it's important to note that a distinction is made between sports betting and other forms of gambling such as casino, poker and bingo, with sports betting being a legal form of gambling in SA while the rest are not.
Which is the best South African online casino?
The best South African online casino is the one that ticks all your boxes! Look for an online casino that offers a wide variety of quality games from a healthy selection of top games providers. You'll also want to make sure that the online casino in question holds a proper authority issued licence. Make sure only trusted payment methods are accepted and that the casino makes efforts to check player ID to prevent fraud.
Can I play with real money at South African casinos?
Many online casinos offer you the chance to test their games for free, but of course, if you want the chance to win real money, you need to be able to play with real money! A good South African casino will allow you to deposit in Rand using payment methods with which you are familiar and let you play the games with real money too.
Which games pay real money in South Africa?
Some of the best games you can play for real money in South Africa are online slots, online roulette and blackjack games.
Is Springbok casino legal in South Africa?
Springbok is not only legal but one of the most trusted South African online casinos.
What are the deposit and withdrawal options at online casinos?
Generally players will have access to card and eWallet payments in every single online casino. You can always check the banking methods page to check what options you have for both deposit and payout methods.
How much is a gambling license in South Africa?
The licensing fee for a gambling license in South Africa is is R120.000, while the fee for license renewal is R80.000.
What games are available at online casinos in South Africa?
Any decent online casino with have a good range of games for players to pick from, Slots with high quality graphics and 3-7 reels, table and card game options like blackjack, poker (and sometimes tournaments!), live casino games, and sometimes sports betting all make for a good selection.
What are the odds of winning at South African online casinos?
This is a question that many people ask, and it is not an easy one to answer. Many factors can affect the odds of winning, and it is important to understand all of them before you make any decisions. The South African casinos state the winning odds on their website.
