Betting Sites with Welcome Bonus in South Africa (2024)

The free bet welcome offer is a highly favoured welcome bonus option among many players. Not to confuse with no-deposit offers, free bets are usually credited to users after they fulfil requirements, for example, by wagering 500 ZAR on a football match with a specific odds level. Free bets are popular because users can bet without jeopardizing their real money.

Deposit bonuses give a set percentage of a player's first-time deposit as a bonus. For example, if you deposit R500 using a 100% deposit bonus of up to R1000 on a betting site, you will get R500 in your cash balance and R500 in your bonus balance.

Another useful bonus option that betting sites provide is cashback bonuses. Bookmakers provide a safety net through these offers, making sure players aren't demotivated if they face losses while betting.

This welcome bonus gives back a certain percentage of the money that the player loses in the initial stages. This doesn't let the player experience a major setback and also motivates them to try their luck further in betting activities.

The next popular welcome bonus option is an enhanced odds bonus. The purpose of enhanced odds is to improve punters' winnings on particular bets. Suppose a player wins a certain amount while wagering on a site. The enhanced odds incentive gives them a higher amount for their winnings, making the betting experience more enjoyable for players.

Certain bookmakers occasionally offer the rare and highly sought-after no-deposit bonus. Players can acquire the offer without making any financial commitments. Simply signing up with the bookmaker enables punters to receive their no-deposit bonus. 

Wagering requirements set the amount of bonus money you need to play before you can convert it into the cash you can withdraw. Some settings sites impose the requirement on bonus money only (non-sticky bonus), and others put it on the sum of the bonus and deposit that triggered it (sticky bonus).

Given that you deposited R500 using a 100% deposit bonus of up to R1000 with a 30-time wagering requirement, you would receive R500 in cash and R500 in bonus.

• If it were a non-sticky bonus, you would need to wager R15000 (R500 times 30) with the bonus. The non-sticky bonus lets you use your cash first, so you can withdraw your winnings from the cash anytime on the condition that you will forfeit the remaining bonus.
• If it were a sticky bonus, you would need to wager R30000, i.e. the sum of the deposit and bonus (R500 + R500) times 30, using the combined balance. You cannot withdraw any winnings until you complete the wagering requirement.

The expiry date is basically the timeline given by the wagering site before which the bonus needs to be used. Every welcome bonus has a limit, and it is important to be aware of the expiry date. The bonus amount needs to be used during that period; otherwise, it can expire.

So, if a punter gets a welcome bonus that has a 30-day expiry, it means that the player will have to use the bonus amount within 30 days, as most welcome bonuses have a wagering requirement that must be met before the date of expiry.

Betting sites offer a variety of options for players to wager on. It is a known fact that all bets are not the same. In the same way, welcome bonuses can be specifically applicable to certain betting options and games only.

That is to say, some welcome bonuses may be given exclusively for sports betting. So, a player who wishes to experience casino betting will not be able to make use of the bonus offer.

This is why a player must verify whether the bonus offer is given for sports betting, casino betting, or for both of them. It is mostly advised to look for bonuses that can be used for all the betting options available.