Betway South Africa Review - Is Its Safe or a Scam? (2024)
Betway is a well-known bookmaker which launched its South Africa sportsbook in 2017. In addition to a very comprehensive product, with many sports and low betting margins, Betway offers punters the opportunity to bet without using up their mobile data. Some might still have questions about the bookie, though, and in this review we will answer those.
Expert Opinion: Betway's Overall Score
| Bonus | 8 |
|---|---|
| Sports betting offer | 9 |
| Customer support | 9 |
| Payment methods | 10 |
| Licensing safety | 10 |
| Design & usability | 8 |
| Overall | 9 |
It's safe to say that Betway is one of the best gambling sites around in South Africa, offering a very comprehensive sportsbook with many sports, a bet builder, low betting margins and a great depth of markets. The data-free feature in the app is another great touch and punters who sign up on the site will surely not be disappointed.
The welcome offer is decent, despite the 3x qualifying bets, and there are a couple of good promotions to make use of. Having said that, although Betway is a brilliant sportsbook in our opinion, there is still room for improvement. We have seen some of the competitors offering more promotions and given how Betway has handled that in other markets, the number of promotions is bound to increase in South Africa as well.
Betway South Africa Key Facts
| 💰 Welcome Offer | 100% match up to R1000.00 as a Free Bet |
|---|---|
| ⚽ Football Coverage (PL game) | 200+ markets |
| 🏇 Horse Racing Coverage | South Africa + International meetings |
| 🏦 Betting Margins (Average) | 5.1% |
| 👷 Bet Builder | ✅ |
| 💳 Popular Payment Methods | ✅ |
| 🔢 Overall Rating | 9/10 |
| 👉 Visit Site | Join Betway |
About Betway
Betway is known as one of the biggest bookmakers in the world and punters in several countries can now place bets on the sportsbook. Following its success in the UK and several other countries, Betway launched its South Africa product in 2017. Since then, the bookmaker has gone from strength to strength in this market.
In addition to sponsorships with the Premier League football clubs Arsenal and West Ham, both of which have a good following in South Africa, Betway has signed up a range of famous brand ambassadors to spread the word. Among them is the South African cricketer Kevin Pietersen, who was one of the best players in the world at his peak.
Betway is thus a well-known bookmaker in South Africa and with a great betting product on offer, one can certainly understand why. However, some punters might still have questions about the site. In this review, we will look at everything you need to know about Betway South Africa, so that you can make an informed decision about whether to sign up or not.
Is Betway Safe?
In South Africa, Betway is licensed and regulated by the Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board under the Bookmaker License Number: 10181496-007. With online sports betting only legal in South Africa as long as sites have a license, this should be enough to ensure people that Betway is a very safe and secure company to use for online sports betting in the country.
However, in the UK, Betway has sometimes fallen foul of industry rules and regulations. In 2020, the company was hit with a fine of £11.6 million - which set a new record - due to the betting company's failings in customer protection and anti-money laundering checks. This was mainly related to the 'VIP' program though, and as there is no such thing at Betway South African, there does not have to be any major cause for concern.
Betway Welcome Offer
New sports customers who sign up at Betway will get a 100% first deposit match of up to R1,000, which is credited as a free bet. In order to qualify for the offer, customers will first have to make a deposit and place bets to the value of 3x the first deposit. Essentially, if your first deposit is R200, you need to place bets to the value of R600 within 30 days of registration.
These qualifying bets must also have a minimum odds of 3.0 but there are no odds restrictions for the free bet. The latter must be wagered at once and the stake will not be returned with any potential winnings, which are capped at R50,000. All things considered, this is a decent offer for South African punters to claim, although there are several other good welcome offers around.
As for the casino, new customers will have their first deposit 100% matched up to R2,000. The minimum deposit you can make to qualify for the offer is R5, it should be noted, and this deposit must be made within 30 days of registration. The bonus will be credited immediately after the deposit, as opposed to the sports offer, but there are also wagering requirements of 30x for the bonus.
Betway Promotions
Unfortunately, punters who sign up at Betway will be disappointed to find out that there are not that many promotions to claim. Compared to one of its main rivals Betfred, it is like night and day. Aside from the welcome offer, Betway only has two promotions and the first one is a tax relief for horse racing winnings. Although the 6% government tax will indeed be paid, Betway will refund its customers the equivalent amount for the winnings.
As acca bets have become increasingly popular among punters abroad in recent years, and not just in the UK where it is most popular, Betway has also added an acca boost of up to 300% to its South African sportsbook. The boost starts at 2.5% at just two legs, but you will need to add a whopping 40 selections to the bet slip to qualify for the full boost.
For something more reasonable such as ten legs, Betway will boost the winnings by 15%. While the promotions offered on the site are good, there is no doubt that Betway will have to add more of them in the future.
Betway Payment Methods
Customers who sign up at Betway will find there is a decent selection of payment methods to choose between, although the options are many more for deposits than withdrawals. In the table below, we have collected everything you need to know about deposits and withdrawals at Betway, with everything from the minimum deposit to the withdrawal time.
| Payment method | Min limit | Max limit | Exchange fee | Proccessing time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Mastercard | R50 | R100,000 | No fee | Instant |
 VISA | R50 | R100,000 | No fee | Instant |
iPay | R10 | R100,000 | No fee | Instant |
 SID Secure EFT | R20 | R100,000 | No fee | Instant |
 OTT Voucher | R10 | R5,000 | No fee | Instant |
| Payment method | Min limit | Max limit | Exchange fee | Proccessing time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SID Secure EFT | R50 | R1,000,000 | No fee | Within 2 business days |
Bank Transfer | Not specificed | Not specificed | No fee | Within 2 business days |
How to Deposit at Betway
- Make sure you are logged in to your account
- Navigate to the 'My Account' tab
- Tap on 'Deposit Funds' in the menu
- Select your preferred deposit method
- Enter the amount and follow the on-screen instructions
How to Withdraw From Betway
- Make sure you are logged in to your account
- Navigate to the 'My Account' tab
- Tap on 'Withdraw Funds' in the menu
- Enter your bank account details
- Enter the amount you would like to withdraw and tap on 'Proceed'
Betway Sportsbook
Given just how big Betway is around the world, you would expect there to be an impressive offering in South Africa as well. This is indeed the case, as punters who sign up on the site will find that there are around 30 different sports to bet on. The big ones are soccer, horse racing, cricket and rugby, as you would expect, but there are also minor sports such as snooker, table tennis and badminton in addition to live betting.
Taking a Premier League game to determine the standard of sportsbook, as this competition is usually a good reference, we found that there were around 200 markets offered for a game. Betway is usually a very good bookie when it comes to market depth and our suspicions were confirmed during the testing. There is also a very comprehensive bet builder, with markets such as player card and player shots, while cash is offered too.
Betway can consider itself one of the best soccer bookies in South Africa, in other words, but what about the other sports? The horse racing page has sections for both fixed odds and tote betting (pool betting), which was very nice to see, and punters can bet on meetings from all over the world here. The ante-post offering is also fairly comprehensive, which is always a plus.
Indeed, it is probably the best horse racing offering we have seen among bookies in South Africa, but this will not come as a shock to must. During our test of the Betway sportsbook, we also made sure to check the betting margins. This is something that most punters tend to overlook, but excessive fees can make a big difference in the long run. Our test showed an average of 5.1%, which is indeed a great score.
Those who want to bet on esports in South Africa will find plenty of different options to keep them satisfied at Betway, with games such as Counter-Strike and Dota 2. Virtual sports also have their own section at Betway, with customers in South Africa able to pick from soccer, racing and horses in this part of the sportsbook.
To wrap up, in-play betting is an area of strength for the Betway sportsbook. The live betting interface is excellent, with users given plenty of information to help them select winning wagers. One drawback of the live betting experience at Betway in South Africa is the lack of live streaming. In a lot of markets, Betway TV provides brilliant live streaming, but this is not currently the case in South Africa.
Betway and Data-Free
Betway is the home to many special features that cannot be found on other leading sports betting sites in South Africa. Among them is the chance to go data-free. Through the Betway app, users of the site can place pre-match and live bets on their favourite sports without having to use any of their smartphone's mobile data.
Doing so also enabled Betway customers to make their selections for the brand's Four To Score offer. In the Four To Score deal from Betway, which runs through the European football season, users can win up to R100,000 by guessing which team out of each of England's top four divisions - Premier League, Championship, League 1 and League 2 - will score the first goal.
Betway Mobile Betting Apps
Mobile betting is getting very popular in South Africa, and in response to that trend, Betway has developed the Betway app that can be downloaded on iOS and Android. It is possible to bet data-free when using the Betway app, which is a top reason to download it, in addition to the fact that it is a very functional app.
All of the features that you can find on the website are present in the app as well and punters can even turn on notifications for sports events. This is something that the website does not offer, as well as the convenience of just opening the app rather than a browser. On the App Store (iOS), the Betway app has a very good rating of 4.5 out of five stars, and we even named it the best betting app in South Africa.
Those who would rather not download an app to their devices can still use the Betway mobile site. This has a smooth user experience but does not provide the same data-free benefits. The design of the mobile app and Betway mobile site is very similar, so it is easy to switch between the two for those who would like to keep their mobile betting options wide open.
How to Download Betway's Android App
The Android app for Betway is only available to download directly from the bookmaker site. Users first have to click the settings icon on their Android device, then select security. Here, they must tick the box next to Allow Unknown Sources to allow the app to be downloaded.
- Simply navigate to the Betway.co.za website through our 'Claim' link in the list above.
- Scroll down until you see the 'Betway App'
- Click "Download Here"
- Then, click 'Download Betway Android App' to start downloading the Betway app APK
- Confirm, install the app, and start playing
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Betway
Android
iOS
Betway Customer Support
Punters who sign up at Betway can feel comfortable knowing that there are plenty of customer support options at Betway. Traditional means such as email and telephone are available, with a good response time on these as well, but the most popular option is bound to be the live chat. This is available 24/7 and we found that the response times were fast. Below, we have collected everything about the customer support at Betway.
| Chat | Yes |
|---|---|
| [email protected] | |
| Phone | 0861 787 250 |
| Opening hours | 7 Days a week, 24/7 |
How to Get Started at Betway
If you are looking to sign up for an account at Betway, you can follow our step-by-step guide below. We will take you through the registration process, verifying your account and claiming the welcome offer.
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Create an Account at Betway
First things first, you have to create an account at Betway. You can use our link at the top of this page, or in the bottom banner, which will bring you straight to the registration as well as the welcome offer.
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Verify Your Betway Account
In order for Betway to credit the welcome offer free bet, you will need to complete the FICA verification. Betway will attempt to do this automatically with the documents you provide during the registration:
- Proof of age/identity with photo (Passport or Driving licence)
- Proof of address (a mobile bill, bank statements, utility bill, etc)
Should the automatic verification of these documents fail, then Betway will notify the punter in question, who then will have to send an email to [email protected]. Once the verification has been sorted, then the free bet will be credited (upon placing the qualifying bets).
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Start Betting at Betway
Once you have created an account at Betway, verified your identity and claimed the welcome offer, you can start betting at Betway. We would advise you to download the mobile app, which is the best betting app in South Africa.
Betway FAQs
Is Betway safe to use?
What is Betway?
How to withdraw money from Betway?
Who is the owner of Betway?
How to close my Betway account?
What is cash out on Betway?
Where can I buy a Betway voucher in SA?
How long does Betway take to pay out?
Is there any Spin&Win game on Betway?
What is the minimum bet at Betway South Africa?
Other Betway Articles
User Reviews
Average score of 1.0 by 2 users
Disappointed can't withdraw my money since I've been waiting for those ten digit number I did cash send it's been 3 weeks now☹️💔
12 November 2023
Withdrawal
Tracy-lee
25 April 2023
DISAPPOINTMENT!
...not worth your money or time!
Ive made multiple Deposits Daily since I signed up months ago, yet I HAVE NOT SEEN A BONUS or FREE SPINS, NO WELCOME BONUS or 1st DEPOSIT MATCH to-date.
2weeks ago, An Agent advised me... "ONLY Frequent Despositors are rewarded⁉️"
Since then I started making 3x more Deposits, DAILY
...2weeks later 🤔
Nothing.