Hollywoodbets South Africa Review - Is It Safe or a Scam? (2024)

About Hollywoodbets

The history of Hollywoodbets can be traced back all the way to the 1980s. The company started life as a small South African-based publisher named Winning Form. That firm distributed race cards in South Africa and it still does to this day, despite the growth of Hollywoodbets.

In 2000, the Hollywoodbets brand emerged as the first betting shop opening its doors in the city of Durban, where the flagship branch of the company now is located. In recent years, an increased focus has been placed on the online betting operation in South Africa by Hollywoodbets, and some great strides have been made.

Like a lot of the top betting brands all over the world, a variety of partnerships and sponsorships have been agreed upon by Hollywoodbets in a bid to build its profile. The company has sponsored the English football team Brentford, as well as the Phaka rugby show on Supersport, and it's clear that this has helped increase the visibility.

Although Hollywoodbets operates in South Africa, Mozambique, Ireland and the United Kingdom, some might still have questions about the site. In this review, we will cover everything you need to know about the bookmaker, from the terms of the welcome offer to the payment method options.

Hollywoodbets Welcome Offer

New customers who sign up at Hollywoodbets will be happy to hear that there is a no deposit offer to claim, which also includes 50 free spins on Habanero games. To qualify, punters just have to create an account on the site, after which the R25 free bet and 50 free spins will be credited. The former must be wagered once at minimum odds 5/10 (0.5 decimal) to be withdrawn, but it appears that the stake will be included.

As for the free spins, they must be wagered 3x on the games Hot Hot Hollywoodbets, Lucky Durian, and Rainbow Mania before potential winnings (capped at R1,200) can be withdrawn. Both the free bet and free spins must be used within 24 hours of being credited, otherwise they will be forfeited. This is the biggest caveat of the offer.

All in all, though, Hollywoodbets certainly has one of the best welcome offers in South Africa. Who does not love a no deposit free bet? The wagering requirements are also rather low for the casino free spins, which is nice to see as this is not always the case.

Hollywoodbets Promotions

Those who sign up at Hollywoodbets will find that there are quite a few promotions to use. In addition to increased jackpots and bonus winnings on specific games, such as the Aviator game, there is also a free-to-play predictions game for horse racing punters. Essentially, the latter have to predict the outcome of South Africa, Hong Kong and Singapore meetings daily, with a R1,000,000 jackpot being the main prize.

In addition to an acca boost of up to 30% for football punters, the latter can get up to 10 times their stack back if an acca loses on the last selection. At least 15 markets are needed to get 10 times the money, though, while 8+ selections get you double back and 11+ selections get you five times back. In short, the sports promotions are decent, but we would have liked to see a bit more.

Hollywoodbets Sportsbook

It will not come as a surprise to anyone that Hollywoodbets has a very comprehensive sportsbook, with around 30 different sports to bet on. Soccer and horse racing are the two most popular sports, which also allow live in-play betting, as you would expect, but there is also a decent amount of less prominent sports. Snooker and futsal are two examples of these, so punters will find everything they might be looking for at Hollywoodbets.

Using a Premier League game as a reference for the soccer offering, we found that there are around 100-200 markets available for each game. The number is always a bit higher once you get closer to the game, which is worth keeping in mind. There is a bet builder feature, which is good, and most markets are eligible for it as well. In short, this is on par with the best soccer betting sites.

Moving on to horse racing, Hollywoodbets is considered to be one of the best horse racing bookies in South Africa, offering meetings from all over the world. The Punters Challenge game, which we spoke about in the 'Hollywoodbets Promotions' section, is a nice addition that many punters likely will play. However, we could not find any ante-post markets and that is indeed a bit disappointing.

In our test of Hollywoodbets, we also made sure to check the betting margins, as this is something that many punters tend to overlook. Even slightly excessive fees can make a big difference in the long run, though, so it is important to point out. The result was a mixed bag at 7.6% in average, as it is certainly not great but also not horrendous either.

Away from horse racing and soccer, cricket and rugby are also two popular sports on Hollywoodbets. But even the smaller sports are getting some love from the bookie, at the very least featuring the important markets even if the depth is not always fantastic. On the other hand, Esports is currently missing on the site.

While other leading South African sports betting sites such as Betway have embraced esports betting in a big way, this is a step that Hollywoodbets is yet to take, and it could be left behind as a result. eSoccer is available to bet on, in fairness, but this is significantly less popular than betting on video games such as Counter-Strike and Dota 2.

There are not a ton of special markets either, with only the US presidential election currently offered. Overall, therefore, we believe that Hollywoodbets is behind its main competitors Betway and Betfred. The site will certainly suffice for most punters, especially those who only bet on big sports, but versatility is not Hollywoodbets' biggest strength.

Hollywoodbets Casino

Many online sportsbooks aiming to attract South African users also have a casino section and Hollywoodbets is no different. Live games by developers such as Ezugi and Evolution Gaming are at the heart of the casino offers from Hollywoodbets. Crazy Time and Lightning Dice are two of the top games to play live at the Hollywoodbets casino, with plenty of options for fans of roulette and blackjack too.

Spina Zonke is the section of the Hollywoodbets casino for those who want to play online slots. There are dozens to pick from, with the pick of them including the likes of Wild Trucks and Hot Hot Fruit, but the range of games offered here is still quite slight when compared to the biggest online casino sites in the world, which often have thousands of titles available for their users to pick from.

The library at the Hollywoodbets casino site is quite good, though, and there are more than enough games here to keep South Africans entertained for a long time.

The range of minimum bets at Spina Zonke also varies by quite a lot, ranging from 10 cents. So, the choice is good news for customers who want to play Spina Zonke slots that allow a minimum stake of 10 cents. Those who prefer to stake a low amount can opt for games such as Knockout Football Rush and Christmas Gift Rush. High rollers with more cash to splash on slot games at Hollywoodbets can instead opt for games like Arcane Elements and Super Twister.

Users can also enjoy games such as Grand Wheel and Dream Catcher to spin and win real money on Hollywoodbets.

Lucky Numbers betting is also available at the Hollywoodbets casino. The site's version of lottery betting draws from South Africa are among those available to bet on, along with those from other nations such as the United Kingdom, Russia, France, Greece and many more.

Hollywoodbets Customer Support

Hollywoodbets offers quite a few different customer support options, with email, telephone and by letter being the more traditional options for punters on the site. However, the most popular option is without a doubt the live chat, which is available 24/7 and is located in the bottom left corner of the site. In order to access the live chat, you need to be logged in. Below, we have collected all the customer support options at Hollywoodbets:

How to Get Started at Hollywoodbets

If you are looking to create an account at Hollywoodbets, you can follow our step-by-step guide below. From the registration process to verifying your account, we have you covered.