Online Gambling in South Africa – Independent Guide & Information

Examples of recently reviewed brands

These examples highlight recent reviews, full comparisons are available on our casino list page.

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Read Yebo Casino review

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Who We Are and What We Do

OnlineCasino-SouthAfrica.co.za (OCSA in short), founded in 2016, is an independent informational website focused on online gambling in South Africa. The content is written and tested by a South African local and created specifically for local players. We’re not a casino and we don’t process payments. Our role is to explain how online casinos work, what players should expect, which sites we’ve tested, and the risks involved.

We have various guides throughout our site, such as:

Online casino basics: what to expect, how accounts work, what verification and KYC mean
Casino games: rules, features, and what makes games different from each other
Casino bonuses: how casino bonuses work and the different terms you will come across when being offered a bonus by a casino
Banking and payments: how do deposits and withdrawals work, and which deposit options are the best ones to use
Responsible gambling: Probably the most important part of our site, as responsible gambling is dedicated to help keep your gambling in control and where to get help if you need it.

Why Trust Our Information?

There are many sites similar to ours out there, and unfortunately, not all of them are helpful or above board. Some sites are just full of marketing hype with the sole aim of getting you to click on one of their links. Others give you false information as they have not taken the trouble to do their research.

We have taken the trouble to do diligent research on every aspect of online gambling in South Africa, and we aim to treat online gambling as a topic that overlaps with personal finances and well-being rather than just a form of entertainment. We also take responsible gambling very seriously, and you will see that we reference responsible gambling tools throughout our site.

We aim to keep our information:

Clear: Written for everyday readers, laymen if you will and not casino fundi’s.
Real: No copy pasted marketing material. Real test and experiences shared.
Not Biased: We cover the pros and cons, not just the positive stuff.
Practical: We explain what players can expect in terms of deposits, withdrawals, verification, bonus terms and more.
Relevant to South Africa: All of the information you will find on our site is relevant to South Africa.

The Legal Landscape of Online Casinos in South Africa

One of the most common questions our readers ask us is whether online gambling is legal in South Africa. According to South Africa’s National Gambling Board (NGB), online gambling is illegal in South Africa except when bets are placed with provincially licensed operators such as the Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board and the Gauteng Gambling Board.

However, many of these sportsbooks offer casino games on their platform which did not go down well with the Casino Association of South Africa, and they took the Gauteng Gambling Board to court in October 2025. This was because they had been turning a blind eye to the casino games being offered on the licensed sportsbooks.

The result was that the Supreme Court of Appeal ruled that bookmakers in Gauteng are not lawfully allowed to offer casino games like roulette.

This ruling set a precedent for the other gambling boards in South Africa, so in a nutshell, the legally licensed online sportsbooks in South Africa are not all allowed to offer traditional casino games to their players. Only sports bets and horse racing bets.

Banking options overview

Paying at a gambling site can feel a bit uncertain at first, especially if you’ve never done it before. Many South African players want to know which payment methods are actually used, how straightforward the process is, and what to expect when it comes to withdrawals.

Below are the payment options most commonly offered to South African players, with guides that explain how each method generally works.

Casinos with Credit cards

Casinos with Instant EFT

Casinos with SID Instant EFT

See all payment guides

How casino bonuses work

Bonuses are a tool that online casinos use to attract players to their platform. They come in different forms, such as welcome bonuses, no deposit offers, cashback deals, and free spins. If you want to understand how these bonuses work and what to watch out for, you can read more about each type in the guides below.

Welcome bonus guide

No Deposit bonus guide

Free spins bonus guide

See all casino bonus guides

Casino Game Guides

Although there are many different types of casino games to play. Not all of them have the same rate of return to the player. For example, slots have a higher return to the house and less return to the player compared to a blackjack game. If you want to learn more about these games, use our guides as shown below.

Roulette Guide

Online Slots Guide

Blackjack Guide

See all casino game guides

Gambling Addiction and Responsible Play

Online casinos are designed to be easily accessible, but sometimes they can be just a bit too easy to access. Meaning if you walk into your local casino, you normally leave if you run out of money or it starts getting late, but playing at an online casino has no limits. You can continue to deposit until your funds run out, you can gamble into the early hours of the morning, and more importantly, you can become addicted.

Responsible play is about setting boundaries for yourself to ensure you don’t become addicted. Below are a few sensible rules you should follow:

Deciding your budget before you deposit
Setting a time limit for play (and stopping when it hits)
Avoiding “chasing losses” after a bad run
Taking breaks

If you find yourself gambling too much or find it is starting to affect your finances, family life or work, then it is time to consider taking a break or getting help from organisations like responsiblegambling.org.za which will give you free confidential advice on how to stop or reduce your gambling.

Frequently asked questions

New players who are looking to start playing online may have some questions before they start placing any wagers. Here, we cover some commonly asked questions that can provide new players with the information they need to begin a safe and rewarding casino experience.

How long has this website been online?

Onlinecasino-southafrica.co.za has been operational since 2016 as an information site focused on online gambling in South Africa.

Do you test online casinos with real money?

Yes, we do. We always test the casinos on our site by opening an account and making a real money deposit so that we can see how the process works from start to finish.

How many online casinos do you review each year?

We review and update information on dozens of online casinos each year. This includes checking any major changes that could affect South African players.

Are your reviews honest?

Yes, we value our reputation and give our visitors facts. We don’t fluff anything up and if the casino is bad we will tell you the truth and won’t recommend it.