How to Check if a Betting Site in South Africa is Reliable and Secure

As with all online activities, sports betting on your favourite teams or events needs to be approached with an air of caution. Finding reliable and trustworthy betting sites in South Africa is the first step towards that, but how does a player go about that?

A quick online search for South African betting sites will raise hundreds of results from well-established reputable no-deposit bonus betting sites to newer bookies and yes, potentially rogue ones as well.

So which are the best options to roll with when it comes to picking a betting site, and how can you tell which ones are safe and legal, and which ones are not? We look at some of the criteria to consider to check if a betting site can be trusted. 

Licencing

Seeing if an online betting site is safe can start with checking the status of its licensing. This is a fairly quick and easy first step. Not surprisingly there are many rules and regulations about betting, especially on the side of the operators to which they have to adhere.

Before doing anything else, check that a site has been validated by The National Gambling Board. The NGB regulates online gambling in the Republic of South Africa. That means that the operator has met certain security criteria to provide online betting services, such as things like following anti-money laundering protocols and ensuring fair play. But that’s not all. There are provincial gambling boards as well, such as the Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board, that betting sites also have to be in sync with. The WCGRB, for example, issues more bookmaker licences in the RSA than any other and is a good authority to look for.

A bookmaker site has to display any licensing information from such a board, and it’s usually located in the footer area. The displayed information should include the province they are licensed in. What you are looking for are the licence number and official logos.

So licensing is arguably the most important thing. But don’t just take things at face value because you see a board logo. The licensing info is in the public domain, and there should be a link to click so that you can visit and see the status of the licence at an official site.

Are Reviews Valid?

It’s common to find customer and general reviews of bookmaker sites online. These can help steer you in the right direction as to which bookie to pick, as you’ll see a lot of sites touting the same reputable bookmakers as being the best.

But still, with this, take it at face value. Don’t just read one review and that’s it, perform some deeper due diligence. Check others, and go and explore sites yourself to look for those licensing details. Even check through the help files on a site for details of what security and privacy policies they have. 

Another sound piece of advice is to stick with well-known betting sites. This doesn’t necessarily mean avoiding new sites that can offer value, security and a good user experience.

But big brands are more well-established and are part of a bigger, global online betting scene and are generally more trusted and for the most part, can offer better user experiences and customer support. The more visible, the bigger the bookmaker is, and the increased likelihood that it’s a safer destination for a new player to sign up at. 

Trust Your Gut

If a betting site smells a little fishy, then just avoid it. Fortunately, there are many strong, regulated and secure betting sites out there that you don’t have to take a risk if your gut feeling isn’t great. Move on to the next one. 

Remember that to sign up with an online betting site in South Africa, you have to share personal information and payment details. So you want to manoeuvre yourself into a position where you get the best, safest experience. Check on your browser too, so that you’re always on a secure connection to a betting site, by looking for the padlock logo.

In Summary

There is a big legal framework for online betting in South Africa.It is designed to protect the customers and ensure that they can obtain a fair gaming experience and receive the expected payouts.

Licensing and reviews are a great way to narrow your options when looking for betting sites, and also keep an eye out for ones that have received official awards, further strengthening their reliability and service. A trusted site will have a good track record of customer satisfaction, transparency, and professionalism.