About Best Gambling Apps
Best Gambling Apps compares the betting apps South Africans can actually install and use, with the licence number for each one printed where you can check it.
What we cover
- Licensed South African operators only. Every app we write about holds a bookmaker licence from a provincial gambling board.
- How the whole app works for you. We cover which phones it runs on, what it costs in data where the operator publishes it or we have measured it, how you get money in and out, and what it offers beyond sport.
- Aviator, Lucky Numbers and casino games, and how South African bookmakers offer them as fixed-odds bets under a bookmaker licence.
The licence number
- South Africa has no national bookmaker licence. The nine provincial authorities issue them under the National Gambling Board’s compliance oversight, and a large operator can hold more than one. Betway, for example, names two companies in its footer: one licensed by the Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board under licence 10181496-012, and one by the Mpumalanga Economic Regulator under licence 9-2-1-09658.
- The board that issued the licence is the body you complain to if something goes wrong with your account, and if the board cannot help, you can take the complaint to the National Gambling Board in writing at info@ngb.org.za.
- We print every licence number we can read, with the province and the issue date where the operator publishes them, such as Betway’s Western Cape licence, first issued on 1 December 2016. A number we cannot find is reported as missing.
How we work
- Facts come from the operator’s own pages, read on a phone over a South African connection.
- Nothing is taken from a rival comparison site. Offers, licence numbers, ways to pay and download routes come from the operator itself.
- Where we cannot confirm something, the page says so instead of filling the gap.
- Every app is judged on the same five things, set out on our how we rate gambling apps page.
Who we are
The site is written and checked by one editorial team, with no outside contributors, and every page is published in the team’s name. How we work is set out in our editorial policy.
The apps we cover
Our guide to the best gambling apps in South Africa compares eight licensed operators: Hollywoodbets, Betway, Supabets, World Sports Betting, Sportingbet, YesPlay, Gbets and Sunbet. Each of the eight appears as a bookmaker on the National Gambling Board’s verified operators list, which the board builds from the provincial licensing authorities’ records. Our reviews go further into single brands, such as the Betway app, and our LottoStar app review explains how to use LottoStar in your phone’s browser, since it has no app of its own. LottoStar holds a Mpumalanga Economic Regulator licence, number 9-2-1-09467, and is on the same verified list.
The ground rules
- 18 and over. Nobody under 18 may gamble in South Africa, and the National Gambling Board says online betting is only legal when you are over 18 and the bookmaker holds a provincial licence.
- Bet what you can afford to lose, and use the tools your app offers. Betway, for example, lets you suspend your account for a minimum of 24 hours, exclude yourself for at least six months or close the account for good.
- Free, confidential help is on 0800 006 008 through the National Responsible Gambling Programme, 24 hours a day and seven days a week, or on WhatsApp at 076 675 0710, and our responsible gambling page lists more.
About us FAQ
Does Best Gambling Apps run any of the apps it covers?
No. The site compares the apps and has no say in how any operator runs your account. Links to operators can earn us a fee, as our affiliate disclosure explains, but no operator sees a page before we publish it.
Can I place a bet through this site?
No. Every bet, deposit and withdrawal happens in the operator’s own app or site, under its terms, and our pages help you choose which one to use.
Who is the site for?
Adults in South Africa who bet on their phone and want to compare licensed apps before they sign up, whether they use Android, an iPhone or a Huawei.
How do I tell you about a mistake?
Email info@bestgamblingapps.co.za with the page and the detail you think is wrong. Our contact page lists what we can help with and what your operator handles.