Sunbet

SunBet South Africa Review (2024)

Sun International has long been one of South Africa's most famous casino brands, with the company that is behind the SunBet brand having been set up all the way back in the 1960s.

South Africa is hardly short of online betting sites, with sports fans in the country having a raft of options to choose from if they want to place wagers through the internet.

Among them is SunBet, the online arm of Sun International Hotels Limited, a site that is widely regarded as being one of the very best online sports betting sites in South Africa.

Users who sign up for an account with SunBet get access to a comprehensive online sportsbook, while the site is also home to an online casino with live dealer games, plus options like lucky numbers.

SunBet, therefore, seems to have a complete package and there is also a 100% deposit bonus up to R1,000 to tempt new users into joining this sports betting site in South Africa.

That will catch the eye of a lot of sports fans in the country, but how does SunBet compare to the many other online operators out there? Some people may want to know more about the brand's history and its licenses before committing to signing up for an account on the site.

Our complete review of SunBet for players from South Africa covers all the bases and answers any questions people might have about the site, so read on for the full details.

About SunBet

Then known as the Southern Sun Hotel Company, it was created as a result of a deal that was done between South African businessman Sol Kerzner and South African Breweries. It did not take long for Sun International to become a big player in the world of tourism, running 35 hotels by 1983. A split then led to the canny Kerzner focusing more on the casino side of the business.

Sun International controls almost half of the South African casino market with the company famous around the world for its incredible Sun City Resort and other famous local SA casinos.

Sun City has four hotels, two world-class golf courses and was used as the filming location for the Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler comedy Blended in 2014.

Like many other companies in the casino hotels business, Sun International then launched its own online sports betting site - SunBet - which has become a big hit in South Africa since it was set up by the company more than a decade ago. Countless users have already signed up.

Sports betting sites in the country need a license to be legal to use. SunBet is licensed and regulated by the Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board, assuring players it is safe. But what can players expect to find if they sign up for an account at SunBet? Let's take a look.

SunBet Sportsbook Review

More than 100,000 live in-play betting options is one of the top-selling points of SunBet's online sportsbook in South Africa. The company has targeted live betting as a key area with the desktop site interface heavily based around the live markets that are up for grabs for users.

SunBet clearly displays how many markets are offered for each sport, showing off the incredible depth on its sportsbook. For example, at the time of writing there were nearly 40,000 soccer betting markets, as well as nearly 2,500 for tennis and almost 3,000 for basketball. Esports betting has been made a priority with hundreds of markets to pick from. Esports fans can bet on the likes of CS:GO, Dota 2, Call of Duty, Overwatch and even Valorant on the SunBet site.

Horse racing is also offered, which is good news for the fans of the sport of kings as this is sometimes missing at leading South African sports betting sites. Meetings in South Africa are available, as well as those around the world in areas like America, Australia, the UK and Ireland. Daily specials are also offered for racing, boosting the prices that are offered on the sportsbook.

No greyhounds betting is available at SunBet but this is a rare omission. The sportsbook has almost everything users will want, with sports such as lacrosse, futsal, chess, beach volleyball and netball offered along with the more obvious options such as golf, cricket and rugby. There are even some political markets offered, such as who will win elections all around the world, plus unusual novelty betting options such as markets for who will win the Nobel Peace Prize.

One of the most important areas for South African sports fans is promotions. The welcome offer at SunBet is a 100% deposit bonus up to R1,000 and there are a handful of top offers for various sports too. For example, horse racing fans can benefit from faller insurance as well as first past the post, which means users are paid out if their horse wins and is later demoted. For football, there is acca insurance and a SunBet promotion that offers half the stake back as a refund in the event of a team losing the match to a goal scored in the 90th minute or later.

Virtual sports are getting more popular in South Africa too, with SunBet among the sports betting sites in the country to offer this option. Players at SunBet can pick from plenty of different options such as virtual soccer, virtual horse racing, virtual table tennis and virtual keno.

Customer service at the SunBet online sportsbook is good. Users can get help at any time of the day or night as it is offered 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There is a local phone number for South Africans to use while customer support is also available via email here. A detailed FAQs section will also contain answers to a lot of questions SunBet users may have while live chat is likely to be the customer service option that a lot of customers opt to use here.

All in all, there are plenty of reasons to sign up and bet on sports at SunBet. The site is fully legal to use in South Africa and has a solid welcome bonus for new players, as well as a suite of excellent offers to convince players to keep coming back to the site. With great odds, SunBet is recommended as a result - it is for sure one of the very best online betting sites in South Africa.

How to log in at SunBet

New users at SunBet will need to learn how to log in to their account after signing up to the site.

On the SunBet online sportsbook, the button to log in can be found in the top-right corner of the screen, which is in line with its location at many leading South African sports betting sites.

Clicking it brings up a box that asks customers to enter the username and the password that they created when they signed up to bet on sports or play live dealer games at SunBet.

Those who have forgotten either their username or their SunBet password can enter their registered email address to receive a link to reset their login details on the site.

Users should make sure they never share their SunBet login details with anyone else, as this can risk their account on the sports betting site being compromised.

How to Deposit and Withdraw Money at SunBet

New users will also need to learn how to deposit and withdraw money at SunBet, though the process on this site is much the same as with other top online bookmakers in South Africa.

VISA and Mastercard can be used to deposit SunBet, with Instant EFT or EFT among the other approved payment options on the site. Users should click on the deposit button then select the payment method they wish to use to add money into their account at SunBet.

For card deposits, they need to enter the required card details and click submit and follow the relevant prompts. Those who opt for Instant EFT must pick the South African bank from which they want to transfer money into their account, then follow the on-screen instructions.

At SunBet, users will also need to email proof of payment to support@sunbet.co.za for their deposit into their account to be approved, with the funds becoming available to use. When emailing SunBet, users must include their bank name, as well as the reference and amount.

Furthermore, FICA documents have to be provided due to the fact SunBet needs to identify its customers, as well as to "verify their identities and to perform other regulatory verifications". Proof of identification - like a passport, South African Identity document/card or valid South African driver's licence - needs to be uploaded either via the Sunbet website portal or by emailing them to fica@sunbet.co.za. Users on the SunBet site also have to provide proof of residential address, which cannot be older than three months, like a municipal or utility bill.

SunBet's minimum withdrawal is R50 and they are only processed on business days, not at weekends. To withdraw money from SunBet, users should select the banking method they want to use to receive the funds, then ensure their account is verified and follow on-screen prompts.

How to Bet on SunBet

After logging in and making a deposit, it is time to learn how to bet on SunBet. The good news is that this is a very user-friendly betting site to use, with newcomers able to pick it up quickly.

Let's say users want to place a bet on a Premier League football match at SunBet. To do this, they should navigate to the soccer betting markets then pick the Premier League option from the menu. For a big game, there will be many hundreds of markets, which can be overwhelming.

Players may decide they want to place a bet on the correct score at the full-time whistle. To do this, users should click on the number of goals they are predicting each side to score, then click on the odds that then appear for this particular correct score, like 1-1. Then, their betslip will pop up in the bottom-right corner of the SunBet site with the selection made automatically added.

Here, users can select how much they would like to stake on the bet. Naturally, the bigger the stake, the more potential profit is up for grabs, though the flip side is larger bets are riskier.

After entering a stake, the SunBet site will generate the potential profit that can be made from the bet. Users have to hit the button for 'place bet' for the wager to be accepted and they will also see a prompt to confirm that they have read the terms and conditions of the betting site.

Users can also pin the betslip to the screen via the small pin icon in the top-right corner of the betslip. This is a handy tool for those who are putting together a sports bet like an accumulator.

SunBet Mobile Betting Review

Many South African sports fans now prefer to bet via mobile devices, so how do the mobile betting options at SunBet stack up when compared to other top betting sites in the country?

The mobile betting site at SunBet has a similar clean layout to the desktop site, making it easy to navigate for those who switch between the two. Icons for various sports are used to get to the relevant markets, with a variety of shortcuts in place for the most popular betting options. All of the same functions are in place here, with users also able to make deposits on the mobile site, while SunBet has also produced its own mobile betting app that many of its users will enjoy.

Lucky numbers, BetGames and live dealer games are all available on the SunBet app, as well as the sportsbook, and they can be downloaded on both iOS and Android devices. For iOS, the SunBet app is listed on the App Store, meaning it can be found in just a few clicks. Android users need to get the SunBet app from the sports betting site itself, making sure they have changed the security settings on their device to allow downloads from unknown sources.

The SunBet app is packed with features such as the cash-out option, making it a must for those South African sports fans who want to be able to place a wager while they are out and about.