Best South African online casinos 2023

Technically there are no legal online casinos in South Africa, although this can be misleading, because many sports betting sites have got live casino games. This means you can play online casino games in live format, including titles like blackjack, roulette and baccarat. The impressive Evolution Games live casino games are another popular attraction at leading gambling sites in South Africa. The betting sites with online casino games cater specifically to the Rand and will boast licensing from a provincial regulator.

Introduction to online casinos in South Africa

The top South African online casinos cater specifically to the Rand, have some great real money bonuses and boast hundreds of slots, live games and many more features. The best real money ZA casinos are based in South Africa but are restricted in the types of games you can play. South Africa only allows live casino games at licensed betting sites. There are many casino sites to avoid when looking for a safe online casino, but if you follow some simple rules, you will find plenty of good gambling sites that pay out every time.


Best online casinos South Africa

In short the best online casinos for South Africa are based overseas, but the World Gambling List chooses to only promote regulated options to local players. Players can fall foul of the laws in South Africa for playing at online casinos, with 100s of real money casino sites still targeting this market.

Best South African casinos list:


South African online casino reviews


The World Gambling List strongly recommends playing at the following gambling sites, with these South African online casinos tested and rated by our expert reviewers. Below you will find a brief synopsis of our best real money online casinos. Follow the links to read full online casino reviews for each brand.

YesPlay: A regulated online gambling brand, YesPlay features an outstanding array of real money casino games, including online slots and live dealer. YesPlay has also got Android and iOS casino apps that are available in South Africa and they sit comfortably among the best online casinos in South Africa. YesPlay review.

Casino.com: A hugely respected online casino, Casino.com has been around for years, and has some high-level licensing behind it, with a UK, Gibraltar and Malta seals. Casino.com comfortably sits at the top of the list when it comes to the best casinos online. Casino.com has a 100% deposit bonus of up to 4000R and 200 free spins.

SpringBokCasino.co.za: An RTG online casino targeting the South African market, Springbok Casino has a good reputation among players. If you’re looking for a casino site to play some good online slots, this could be the one for you.

OmniCasino.com: Boasts the full array of Playtech casino games and caters exclusively to the Rand, which makes OmniCasino.com one of the best online casinos for the South African market. You can also earn up to R20,000 free as a sign up bonus, with this deal working over several deposits.

MansionCasino.com: Is a respected brand having been online for over 20 years, Mansion Casino is powered by Playtech among other brands, and has a good reputation among players. Catering to the South African gambling market, Mansion Casino gives new players up to R50,000 free, making it one of the biggest casino bonuses available. Mansion Casino is a top casino option for ZAR deposits. Mansion Casino review.

SpinIt.com: Offers up something a bit different, with games from Net Ent, Microgaming, Play’n Go and Red Tiger among others. Is a reasonably new online casino, but caters to South Africa. Get up to R15,000 free and 200 free spins as a welcome package, with this deal working over your first four deposits. SpinIt Casino review.


Online casino bonuses and promotions

With South Africa having a population of close to 60 million people, it’s a big market for online casinos to target, meaning there are hundreds of good and not so good real money gambling options that will accept customers from this region. One of the best perks of this competitive environment is the casino bonuses and promotions that can come your way. Some of the common bonuses you will find at the best online casinos South Africa.

No deposit casino bonus

This truly is a beautiful thing, something for nothing. No deposit casino bonuses are when an online casino gives you something just for opening an account. For instance you might get 12 free spins, or 2000R given to you to check out the casino.

Matched deposit bonus

Matched deposit bonus offers are when an online casino matches your deposit amount. Often this is a first deposit bonus, or sign up bonus. We’ve seen all sorts of matched deposit bonus deals, all the way from 20% bonus right through to 300% bonus.

Online casino sign up or welcome bonus

The online casino sign up bonus is basically an attractive deal that gets you to sign up at the gambling site, but if used correctly they can be a great way to increase you bankroll. All of the top ZA casinos we promote on here have welcome bonuses for new customers.

Online casino free spins

Often when playing at online casinos you will be offered free spins on the slots, which simply means you might get a set amount of spins on select slots for free. Often a welcome package might have some free spins attached to it. For instance you might receive 12 no deposit free spins, which means you receive them simply for opening an account. Other new account free spins offers will be attached to your first or multiple deposits, with a set amount of free spins credited to your account each time you fund it. Other times free spins will be part of a promotion a casino is running, where you might enter a slots tournament, and if you finish in the money receive a certain amount of free spins as your bonus. Really slots free spins can come to you in many different ways, depending on what online casino you’re playing at.


ZA mobile casinos 2020


The beauty of online gambling is that everything is available on your mobile or tablet in 2020, with many of the best South African online casinos also having apps available to download for Android devices. Because of the state of the online gambling laws in South Africa, if you are on an iOS or Apple device you will have to play at the mobile site of your chosen online casino, with no real money apps available to download from the App store.

Mobile casinos main attraction is the slots games on offer, with the top apps and mobile sites having hundreds of real money titles. Random Number Generated table games and video poker as a general rule are also available on mobile.

Deposit options when on a mobile device can be fewer than when on your the desktop online casino, although this is changing rapidly with so many different mobile payment processors trying to edge their way into the lucrative ZA gambling industry.

One of the biggest advancements in recent times with online casinos is the advent of mobile live games, which allows you to play real money games like blackjack, roulette, poker and baccarat via a video feed on your device. If we’re being brutally honest we still find the mobile live dealer games a bit tedious to play on smaller handheld smartphones, but bigger phones and tablets are just as good as playing on your desktop computer.

If you’re like us and have all the latest gadgets, playing live dealer casino games on your tablet, but hooked into Google chrome cast is pretty cool.


Online casino games guides


There are literally thousands of different casino games available to play online in 2020, with 100s of different casino providers spitting out new games on a daily basis. While all of your casino staples, like slots, blackjack, poker and roulette are extensively covered, there are far more games available to play online, than you could possibly imagine. The good news is that the World Gambling List has got its finger on the pulse when it comes to the best online casino games, with our guides the best in the business.

Free play online casinos for South Africans


It is possible to play at free online casinos, where you can access all of the games and get a feel for them before playing for real money. It is also possible to play free casino games on social media or web 2.0 sites although as a general rule the quality of these games is much lower in comparison to gambling sites.

Many of the top free casinos for South Africans are also real money gambling sites, meaning you can visit the casino and play things like slots and RNG table games, sometimes without even signing up. You can read our casino reviews available from the table above, to find out if a certain casino has free-play available, although we really like SpinIt and Mansion Casino with plenty of functionality still available despite not being a member.

Sometimes online casinos will give you a set amount of time in the freeplay casino before they request that (if you haven’t already) you sign up, or others will make you deposit and play for real money if you want to continue playing. We stress that is not every online gambling site, but it is something to look out for if you are hunting for a free online casino.

One of the biggest drawbacks of free casinos is that you will not be able to play progressive or jackpot slots, and live dealer casino games, with these only available to play for real money.

Real money online casinos


Playing at real money casinos from South Africa is easy, with it being possible to find a casino, deposit ZAR and be playing within minutes. This section will highlight the steps it takes to play at South African real money online casinos.

  1. Finding a ZAR friendly real money casino: Advertised in this article you will find various real money casinos, which are South Africa Rand friendly. Read our casino reviews to find out more details about each online casino.
  2. Signing up at SA online casinos: The joining process is straight-forward when you are joining a real money online casino, you fill out a form with your details. Things like your name, date of birth, email address, physical address will be required. You will also have to prove your identity to withdraw, so be sure to use your correct details when signing up at an online casino.
  3. Claiming a real money casino bonus: This is up to you, but just be aware that there are online casino bonuses available. Some online casinos will credit you a bonus just for signing up, with this known as a no deposit bonus, while others will give you one automatically when you make a deposit. Just understand how the bonus works and if you need to opt in to any casino bonuses, or you may need to opt out if you don’t want the bonus being offered.
  4. Depositing real money at gambling sites: South Africans have plenty of deposit options available to them at online casinos, including SID and cards like Visa and Mastercard. Check out ZAR casino deposits section for further information about funding your casino account.
  5. Begin playing real money casino games: After you have made your first online casino deposit, you will have real money casino games available to you. Live games, slots and casual games are just some of the real money gambling options you will have.
  6. Verifying your casino account: The final step in playing at real money casino is verifying your account. This is important because you can’t withdraw until you verify your account. The casino verification process varies from casino to casino, but generally you will need to provide photo ID, something like a driver’s license or passport scan, and also something with your physical address on it, like a utility bill or bank statement.

Deposit options at ZAR online casinos


South Africans have a huge number of online casinos available to them in 2020, and they have plenty of suitable deposit methods for those of us paying in ZAR. While there are instant deposit methods at ZAR online casinos, such as Secure Instant Deposit, Visa, bitcoin, Mastercard and web wallets, other banking methods like bank transfers can take longer.

Because there are no online casinos based in South Africa, bank transfers from South Africa to an international bank account can take between 24 and 72 hours, which is why we recommend using South Africa’s own SID EFT payments. The only reason not to is that SID EFT can have a much lower maximum deposit limit, while you generally won’t have a limit on how much you can deposit via an international bank transfer.

Another important thing to note about South African casino banking is that if you deposit with a credit card, you might be required to fill in an authorisation form, which will be available from the Rand online casino. h2

Popular ways to fund ZAR online casinos:

Online casino withdrawals in South Africa

There are no instant withdrawal methods at any online casinos South Africa, with the best gambling sites generally taking between 48-72 hours for a withdrawal. Just to be clear this means you can request a withdrawal and have the money in your account, depending on the withdrawal method, within 72 hours. While the quickest ways to cash out any winnings from your online casino account will take this long, other casino withdrawal options, such as bank transfers, can take up to 20 days.

Most online casinos will have their withdrawal processing times clearly displayed in their banking or cashier section, while all of the ones we recommend on the World Gambling List have customer service that will be able to fill in any holes in their on-site information.

Popular ways to withdraw Rand from online casinos:

  • Secure Instan Deposits – EFT
  • Bank transfers
  • Neteller
  • Skrill
  • ecoPayz
  • Wire Transfer

Verifying online casino accounts in South Africa


Where an online casino is licensed to operate will determine whether or how stringent the verification process is. For instance a casino licensed in Curacao may only require you to authorise your credit card for use on the site, while one licensed in Malta or the United Kingdom might require a scan or photo of your driver’s license and a utility bill. One thing they all have in common, the fact they verify your identity, so don’t get any funny ideas about giving a false name, you ultimately won’t be able to withdraw any winnings.

Unlike at South African sports betting sites, you won’t be required to provide FICA documents to verify casino your account, with no licensed online gambling in South Africa.


Online gambling laws in South Africa


The National Gambling Board is one of the key regulators in South African gambling and probably the main agenda setter when it comes to making legislation. The key piece of legislation that technically outlaws online gambling in South Africa, is Section 11 of the National Gambling Act, which states “a person must not engage in or make available an interactive game except as authorised in terms of this Act or any other national law.”

The NGA goes on to say that it is illegal for any South Africans to gamble with overseas online gambling sites, but this is the contentious part, with 100s of real money casinos still offering their services to South Africans, with no repercussions felt as of 2020. Some software companies have abided by the laws, including giants like Microgaming, while others like Playtech remain in the ZA gambling market.

The National Gambling Board is well aware that the local laws are being flouted by International gambling operators, with the major concern being the amount of money that is leaving South Africa to overseas companies.

Complicating gambling laws further in South Africa is that each of the provinces in the country have got their own regulator, which overseas betting shops and casinos within their jurisdiction. These regulators, while not specifically written into their description, are also expected to enforce online gambling laws and stop offshore companies from operating here.

Much like Australia and other countries that have tried to stamp out online gambling, South Africa is struggling to combat the flow of money going to offshore casinos, but they are yet to really consider legalising and regulating the sector.

The World Gambling List South Africa is a firm believer that the only way to really police online gambling is to regulate it and make it attractive enough that rogue, illegal casino operators can’t gain a foothold in South Africa. Only then will everyone be happy.

In conclusion, there is next to no threat of a player being prosecuted for playing at online casinos from South Africa.

Commonly asked questions about online casinos in South Africa


From time to time the people of South Africa pose some questions surrounding online casinos and their operations. Feel free to drop us a message in the box below or email us at contact@worldgamblinglist.com if you have any questions.

How do I follow the latest developments in South African online gambling law? As a general rule of thumb the World Gambling List will have the latest developments in gambling laws in South Africa, covered on this page or in seperate articles, however South African newspaper the Daily Sun generally covers legislation changes as soon as they happen.

Is sports betting legal in South Africa? There are upwards of 30 online bookmakers in South Africa, with these licensed by the regulators in each state. Some of the features of sports betting in South Africa include horse racing and in-play sports bets. Some great bookies include Sportingbet and PlayBets.

Are online casinos legal and can I get in trouble for playing for real money? Read our section above about online gambling laws in South Africa. In short South African online casinos are not legal, but there has never been any player in trouble for playing at one. Rather the law enforcements efforts (which have been minimal) have gone towards online casinos targeting the South African gambling market.