Best Live Betting Sites in South Africa (2024)

In South Africa, watching live sports each year is getting more complex. With big companies like BT, Sky and now even Amazon bidding for rights to the Premier League, you would need to spend hundreds of pounds monthly on subscriptions.

Betting sites can't do much for the English football issue, but in other leagues, you can stream football live on many different betting sites for free.

You can watch various free live streams covering various sports, from tennis to baseball to basketball.

Here at BettingLounge, we believe live streaming or at least watching the event live is very important for betting. It is one of the main advantages of pre-game betting. You can see how a player/team performs and make an informed decision when browsing for a good value bet.

Also, betting should never be seen as an excellent way to make money because, let's face it, it isn't. Very few people make money while betting, but it is a perfect tool for enhancing sports, especially when watching live.

Firstly, the best live betting sites must offer all the events or sports you want to bet on. Almost all bookies will have significant sporting events, and the live betting sites in our top list will have 20+ marks for you to choose from.

Depending on the sports you are interested in, check out our horse racing recommendations as well as our tennis ones, or perhaps the football page where we have listed the top ten betting sites for the sport.

If you want to choose a site that isn't on our list, we recommend checking out their in-play section before you sign up. During a major sporting event (World Cup), you will see plenty of live betting options, but it is best to decide this to get a "real" look.

You are likely to find more markets for pre-game betting than in-play. This is primarily due to how hard it is for betting sites to keep up with all the different needs and change odds during an event. But you can still find a great range of markets in play and sometimes a lot better value.

Say a favourite goes behind early on; the odds for them to come back and win are much better than their pre-game odds.

In football, you can also find decent in-play bets with great value in their more obscure markets. Often, their Asian Handicap odds are very decent or even their "Fast Markets".

In the fast markets, you can find great value in even the most minor decisions in a game. Say a team is extensive and piling on the pressure; you could bet on a corner in the next 1 or 5 minutes for some pretty tasty odds.

You can also find a "Your Odds" type feature like the one at William Hill. This service lets you tweet the betting site with your bet, and they can give you odds.

Say both teams to score, and each team over four corners at 6/1 in the England vs Croatia game. You can bet pre-game and in-play in this market. All the live betting sites in our list will have a wide range of needs, including fast markets and other unique features.

It is essential to get the best value for your money. You can ensure this by comparing odds, ensuring a cash-out option and taking advantage of their promotions.

Comparing odds - You can do this by simply checking similar markets. For example, if you are betting on over 2.5 goals, check the standard and the Asian markets to see which has better value.

The same applies to cards, corners and other similar markets. Always compare odds and look for the best value bet.

Cash-out - Firstly, check out our Cash Out Guide if you are unsure of this feature. All the sites have cash-out features in our list, and for good reason.

You can quickly cash out for a profit if your bet wins but feel it could go wrong at any minute. This is also why it’s essential to have access to a live stream.

Promotions - During a major sporting event, you will find an abundance of upgrades to get the best value for your money.

For example, Betfair claims to have the highest odds on several football leagues, including the Premier League,

Two or more betting sites - To truly make the most of your money, it is best to use more than two different betting sites.

You can use your favourite for most of the bets, but other sites will often compete with potentially better odds, features, and promotions for you to choose from.

You can find the best promotions and unique features on the latest betting sites in SA. This is mainly because the new betting sites must offer something different to attract new customers.

Almost all live betting sites offer basic stats during a live event. For example, you will see the score, possession percentage, corners, free kicks, throw-ins, and more in football.

If you cannot watch the game live, these stats are all you can use to understand what’s happening in the game. It's crucial when you are picking a bet.

The best betting sites will offer live score updates & stats that you can use for pre-game and in-play betting. These stats can include the player's/team's form, table position, goals scored, and more. Again, this is crucial when deciding on a bet. If you want further help, check out our betting guides!

Many people now use betting apps on their phones or tablets, with a vast majority using their devices to bet in-play. All the best apps and mobile sites are designed to make betting in-play easy, fast and fun.

Again, most of the promotions and features are aimed at the live betting market. Like the cash-out, live streaming and fast markets all being accessible on your devices.

Most of the leading online bookmakers for SA also provide good sports betting apps. Many people find these to be the fastest way to bet live and in-play, with the apps usually also offering all the same features of a full desktop site, such as live sports streaming and cash out.

Sometimes, a live in-play bet might be a problem, and sports fans might need to contact a customer service agent to resolve the issue.

Most of the top sports betting sites for SA now provide 24/7 customer service via live chat, but agents must respond quickly to any problems. Some people prefer to use email or telephone support here too.