Sports Betting Bonuses for South African Players
Bonuses are one of the best parts of online sports betting in South Africa. Whether you’re just signing up or already have an account, there’s almost always a promotion waiting for you - if you know where to look. From deposit matches to free bets and cashback offers, South African bookmakers offer a wide range of bonuses to keep things exciting. Here’s a breakdown of the most common types, how they work, and what you need to watch out for.
South African Betting Bonuses Worth Your Attention
Deposit Bonuses for Bettors
South Africa’s top bookmakers will reward you for every deposit with a bonus. It is usually expressed as a percentage of your deposit , something like 100%, up to X, X being the maximum amount you can claim. The percentage depends on the bookmaker. Deposit bonuses come in many flavours:
- Welcome bonuses are usually hefty, designed to give you a warm welcome right after you register your account. These bonuses often come with extra benefits, like free bets, and free spins at casino games.
- Reload bonuses are usually not as spectacular as the welcome bonuses, but they are still decent. As their name suggests, you get these when you top up your account.
Some bookmakers offer extra deposit bonuses linked to major events or holidays. You’ll need to keep an eye on their website - and your inbox - to not miss any of them.
Best South African Deposit Bonuses for Bettors
Free Bets
Free bets are among the best bonuses you can claim because they are simple and straightforward. This is perhaps one of the reasons why we love them so much. Bookmakers offer free bets as no-deposit bonuses, as part of welcome packages, and sometimes even as cashbacks.
Free bets usually come with strings attached:
- They usually come in fixed amounts, e.g. R50 or R100 in free bets
- They can be used on a single event at specific odds
- They can be used for a limited time
- They are non-cashable
How do free bets work? Here it is in a nutshell:
- You get the free bet, say, R50 - the bookmaker lets you know of all the conditions and limitations
- You bet your R50 bonus on an event, at odds of 1.50
- You win R75 - the original R50 free bet and R25 in winnings
- Since the bonus is non-cashable, you’ll be left with R25 - your net winnings. The part of your stake that’s the free bet is not returned.
- Even if your winnings are subject to wagering requirements, they are usually low - you need to play through them a couple of times only.
South African Bookmakers with Free Bets
Cash Out
The possibility to cash out before the event you’re betting on is over is an extra way to keep you in control of your bets. By cashing out, you can take a payout before the match concludes, locking in your profits - or minimize your losses if things are not going your way.
Let’s suppose you bet R100 on a soccer match at odds of 2.0. With cash out, you can:
- Recover part or all of your bet before the start of the match - this in case you change your mind
- If the odds change, you can take a smaller win or limit your losses:
- If the odds are in your favour, you might be offered a cash out of R130 - your original R100 + R30 in profits - before the end of the match. You can take it or hold until the end of the game for your full win of R200
- If things don’t look good, you may be offered to cash out R70 - take a loss of R30 instead of losing the entire amount.
Bookmakers can have cash out offers both for single bets and multi bets. For the latter, the cash out offers might be available across all of the events on your betting slip.
Boosted Odds
The boosted odds bonuses are meant to capture your attention. This doesn’t mean that they don’t offer added value. Bookmakers offer special odds on sometimes risky markets to attract bettors. While not all offers represent true value, they can give you the thrill of a high-risk, high-reward bet. Some of them can, in turn, represent true value for bettors, which makes them worthy of keeping an eye on.
Cash Back Betting Bonuses
You win some, you lose some - and losing can leave a bitter taste in your mouth. Cashbacks are there to sweeten it, though.
Cashback bonuses are exactly what they sound like: the bookmakers give you back part of your losses as a bonus, usually as free bets.
Cashbacks come with their share of strings attached, of course. The conditions change from one bookmaker to another, offering different terms, conditions, and wagering requirements. But most of them have the same basic structure for cashbacks.
Mobile-Exclusive Offers
South Africa’s top betting apps often run mobile-only promotions. These include deposit match bonuses, boosted odds, or free bets you can only claim through the app or via SMS.
- Some app bonuses are better than web-only ones
- You may receive SMS or push notification promos not listed on the site
- Using the app regularly can unlock loyalty rewards
- Make sure to download the official app of your bookmaker and opt in for promotional messages if you don’t want to miss out.
Insurance, Multi-Bet, and Other Sports Betting Bonuses
Bookmakers often have their own flavours of bonuses for their players. Some of them are similar but with slightly different terms and percentages.
- Insurance - when you have an accumulator that loses by a single leg, you may be eligible for a cashback. Depending on the bookmaker, this can be anywhere between 10x and 100x your stake, as a free bet.
- Multi-Bet Bonuses - seasoned bettors will give you the advice to keep your accumulators short to reduce the risk. Bookmakers will often do the opposite: encourage you to make them long with bonuses. The longer the betting slip, the higher the bonus - some bookmakers will go as high as 400%.
- Bookmaker-specific Bonuses - Some bookies have their own specific bonuses for their players. EasyBet, for example, will give you a chance to win R100,000 if you successfully predict 7 to 10 soccer results. Gbets will give you a refund worth up to R1,000 if the match you bet on ends in a goalless draw. Check out your favourite sports betting website for their unique bonus flavour.
Check Out the Betting Bonuses Here, Too:
Terms, Conditions, Requirements
All bonuses, however small they might be, come with conditions, terms, and sometimes wagering requirements. These separate average bonuses from good ones. Before you redeem a bonus, make sure you take a look at the terms, conditions, and wagering requirements to make sure you won’t be surprised.
Terms and Conditions
All bonuses come with conditions under which the bookmaker offers them to you:
- Eligibility: are you eligible to redeem this bonus?
- Minimum deposit: in the case of deposit matches, there can be a minimum amount that you need to deposit to be eligible for the bonus.
- Maximum bonus amount: how much bonus can you redeem? The bookmaker will specify not just the percentage of the bonus you can claim but also the maximum amount.
- Cashable or not? Some bonuses are non-cashable, meaning that when you decide to withdraw your winnings, the bonus amount will be subtracted from your balance.
- Time limit: how much time do you have to use the bonus? Most bonuses come with a time limit - once it passes, the unused portion of your bonus will be void.
- Excluded payment methods: quite often, payment methods like e-wallets are excluded, so if you plan on depositing using them, you may not be able to redeem a sports betting bonus.
Wagering Requirements
Most betting bonuses come with wagering or playthrough requirements. What do these mean? In short, they tell you how many times you need to play through the bonus you receive before you can cash out. But it’s not simply playing through the required amount - it’s playing through the right amount at the right odds, at specific markets or sports. Casino bonuses come with similar wagering requirements
Here’s an example:
- Playa Bets offers you a 100% match on your first deposit, up to R5,000. This means that if you deposit R1,000, you’ll get an R1,000 bonus - 100% of your deposit. If you deposit R6,000 or R10,000, in turn, you’ll only get R5,000.
- The bonus comes with:
- An 8x playthrough requirement for your bonus amount, and a 1x playthrough requirement for your deposit. This means that you’ll have to play through your R1,000 deposit once, and your R1,000 bonus 8 times before you’re in the clear. That’s a total of R9,000 in bets.
- The wagering requirements come with extra terms:
- You need to wager the deposit amount at odds of 2.0 (1/1)
- You need to wager the bonus amount at odds of 3.0 (2/1)
- Only pre-match and in-play bets made on sports will count toward the wagering requirement
You have 7 days to complete the wagering requirements, and your winnings from the bonus funds are limited to R5,000.
Sports Betting Bonuses FAQ
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Can I withdraw my bonus money?
Not directly. Most bonuses come with wagering requirements you need to meet first.
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Do free bets return the stake?
No. If you win, you’ll only get the profit. The free bet amount itself isn’t returned.
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What happens if I don’t meet the wagering requirement?
Your bonus and any winnings tied to it may be forfeited once the time limit expires.
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Are these bonuses available to existing customers?
Yes. Reloads, boosted odds, cashbacks, and multi-bet bonuses are often for existing users.