How To Bet Online Safely in South Africa

A lot of South Africans love playing live casino games, lottery games, as well as sports betting. Online sports betting has become extremely popular in the region, and the National Gambling Amendment Act of 2008 deemed online betting to be legal or permitted in South Africa, provided that bookies register their operations to the government promptly.

While there are several betting companies in South Africa, selecting the safest online sports betting sites can be challenging, as a lot of illegal and unsafe sites are rampant. If you are not careful enough, you may come across a website that is nothing but a hoax or a scam.

Is Online Betting Legal in South Africa?

For the most part, online betting is legal in South Africa, but it comes with a lot of restrictions and regulations. Only sports betting, so far, is legal to do online. This includes horse racing betting and bookie apps that cater to a wide range of sports. However, online casinos are not yet legal under the law. Land-based casinos, though allowed, are also heavily regulated and those allowed can only operate in selected areas.

Interestingly, offshore betting is not legal in South Africa, which means that according to the law, South Africans cannot bet on bookies and online casinos operating outside the region. However, there is no clear way on how the government can detect users doing offshore betting.

How to Bet Safely in South Africa

Although there are a lot of restrictions surrounding gambling in South Africa, and the fact that fraudulent sites and apps also exist, there are ways how you can ensure a safer and secure gambling experience.

Here are some tips

Use a Trusted VPN

A VPN is usually used to mask your true IP address, spoofing your real location and providing proxy information to the site you visit or the apps you use. This can be used for several purposes.

For one, you can use a VPN to access a site that would otherwise not allow you access (since offshore betting is not allowed in South Africa). You can also use the masking a VPN provides to protect yourself from potential online attackers, especially since online gambling often involves using financial information for a site or app.

Use an eMoney Wallet

As mentioned, offshore betting is not allowed in South Africa. There is a penalty set by the government for anyone who would be caught involved in these illegal activities. Although very unlikely, the use of a debit/credit card or a bank account from a local bank may trigger alerts to the authorities.

Just to be on the safe side, consider using eMoney wallets instead like PayPal, Neteller, or any other provider that is accepted internationally. If the option is available to you, you can also consider using cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum, as more and more online bookies are starting to accept crypto as a form of payment, too.

Bet on Local Legal Bookies

This cannot be stressed enough. What are the advantages of betting only on registered and legal apps/sites? For one, you are sure that the operation is safe and they are very unlikely to cheat players out (since they can be held accountable for it). Also, legal betting sites often have security measures on their platforms, as this is one of the things that they invest in the most.

Final Thoughts

Betting safely in South Africa can be done easily, so as long as you know the right dos and don’ts of wagering online. Always remember, however, to keep betting activities at a moderate level to avoid falling into gambling problems.