In South Africa, gambling is illegal. According to the National Gambling Board, after several talks as to whether the status of online gaming should be legalized in the country or not, they moved to quash gambling in the country, and any activity associated with it is considered illegal. The NGB also stated that anyone or company that wishes to start Bitcoin casinos in South Africa, will be considered as criminals, and should know that gambling whether online or bitcoin casinos are deemed illegal and all participants could be charged with a criminal offense if they engage in the activity.
However, cryptocurrencies remained widely unregulated in the country, although there are talks by the administration to regulate them. Cryptos are legal in South Africa and people are free to use them for their transactions. However, they are not considered legal tender in the country. SA Bitcoin casinos continue to operate services in the country even though it is not legal. The NBG is finding it difficult to get this under control with the coming of Bitcoin casinos, which is rendering traditional casinos obsolete and the revenue for traditional gambling keeps dropping. This implies that Bitcoin gambling in South Africa is illegal.
Bitcoin online casinos in South Africa are illegal, and individuals that engage in any form of online gambling are committing an offense in the country and risk going to jail.
In this table, you can see some of the best Bitcoin casinos for South African players we have encountered so far after reviewing dozens of brands. These websites are the ones we suggest and we would actually sign up on. If any of them have piqued your interest, press the “Start Playing” button to register, or “Read More” if you’d like to see additional features that the casino offers.
100%
No
150
9/10
Yes
Giveaways
110%
No
300
9/10
Yes
mBit races
100%
Yes
Yes
8/10
Yes
Card Collection
100%
No
200
4/10
Yes
PlayAmo App
100%
Yes
No
9/10
No
60+ Markets in-play
110%
Yes
300
9/10
Yes
FortuneJack Coin
100%
No
130
8/10
Yes
Drops & Wins
100%
No
100
8/10
Yes
Welcome Race
150%
No
50
9/10
No
TrueFlip Token, TrueLab Games
100%
No
200+
9/10
Yes
4 Back-to-Back Bonuses
100%
Yes
100
6/10
Yes
5 Coins
100%
No
200
7/10
Yes
Multilingual Platform
200%
Yes
25
6/10
No
Free Software
100%
Yes
No
7/10
Yes
Sit & Crush Bonus
No
Yes
No
8/10
Yes
Weekly Jackpot
100%
Yes
75
2/10
No
3 Welcome Bonuses
100%
Yes
No
6/10
Yes
Gift Card Giveaways
100%
Yes
No
6/10
No
Multilingual Support
100%
No
190
3/10
Yes
The Big Bet Battle
120%
Yes
No
6/10
No
eSports
100%
No
60
2/10
No
Bitcoin Value Weekly Cashback
200%
No
No
1/10
No
FunFair games, FUN token
100%
Yes
No
10/10
No
Multiple Payment Options
110%
Yes
No
3/10
Yes
Virtual Sports
255%
No
112
1/10
No
Daily Deal Bonus
100%
Yes
10
1/10
Yes
Sportsbook
Yes
Yes
No
6/10
Yes
Fast Deposits
100%
No
250
6/10
Yes
VIP Program
South Africa currently does not have any specific rules or regulations governing cryptos in the country. Therefore, there are no legal consequences or protection for users of digital currencies. And also, since cryptocurrencies are considered as a product in SA and not legal tender, they are not regarded as a means of payment. This has not stopped residents in the country from using the digital asset for payment. However, the South African authorities are currently discussing possibly regulating digital currencies and considering them as legal tender.
As bitcoin and blockchain continue to get more popular, so too are Bitcoin casinos for SA players. There has been an increase in the use of blockchain and cryptos in South Africa but Bitcoin gambling activities are illegal in South Africa despite their status. Bitcoin is one of the major digital currencies that these Bitcoin casino websites use. There is no central control system for Bitcoins since the details of crypto transactions are stored in a blockchain to ensure transparency and accessibility to everyone. A bitcoin wallet is used by South African Bitcoin casino players to make payments and to store the necessary information needed for your Bitcoin account to be accessed. While it is safe to make your transactions in cryptos, always ensure that your wallet is trusted for the use of transactions. Because any breach of security will result in the theft of your keys. With all the risks involved in SA casinos with Bitcoin deposits, many players still use it and are enjoying major benefits.
| Fiat | Crypto | |
| Transaction Speed | 24-48 Hours | Instant |
| Commission | 1-4% | 0% |
| Withdrawal Time | 3-7 Business Days | Instant |
| Privacy | Not Protected | Protected |
It is a sure fact that betting is not affected by the currency that is being used. Nevertheless, there are certain vital reasons why it is more advantageous to play using Bitcoins in South African. And one of them is the transaction speed. No one wants to pay for something and wait days before having it processed. That is the case with fiat against digital currencies like bitcoin. Where the transaction speed of fiat is very slow, taking an average of one to two days for a transaction to be completed. While Bitcoin transactions are completed in an instant. With Bitcoin casinos, user experience is what matters. Users will prefer an instant transaction every time to waiting hours for your bank transfer to be confirmed, that is why there has been a proliferation of South Africa’s Bitcoin casinos, even though online gambling of any sort is illegal in the country.
For those who have been in the gambling industry for some time, you already know that each casino has different policies and rules about payments. A majority of the time, Bitcoin casinos don’t charge any fees for their transactions. On the other hand, fiat casinos charge 1 to 4% commission on their withdrawal transactions. This is because casinos pay for the processing of this transaction. But since cryptos like bitcoins don’t have any intermediary in their decentralized payment system, transactions are totally free. And many bettors prefer playing with bitcoin casinos most especially for this reason.
Another major advantage of using bitcoin in South African online casinos for transactions is the fact that it operates on anonymity and confidentiality. All the blockchain transactions are created through a unique block that goes through a unique route and makes it very difficult for it to be tracked. Even if the transaction is tracked, it is impossible to link it to a particular individual. This particular aspect has helped a lot of gamblers in South Africa to avoid the prying eyes of the government, or even potentially getting arrested. The opposite is true for fiat transactions. There is no privacy, and a player could easily be tracked through his account information.
| Fiat | Crypto | |
| Tax | 0% | 0-20% |
| Exchange | Not Required | Required |
| Risk | Low | High |
| Variety of Casinos | High | Low |
There are no regulations for Bitcoin casinos in SA, however, for bitcoin casinos in the country, the government requires businesses to pay about 0 t0 20% of taxable income from their crypto businesses. But since online gambling is totally illegal in the country, most of the businesses evade taxes in order to stay off the radar of the administration. Which makes the system all the more unreliable. But since fiat is backed by a central authority, there are no taxes on the wins made from standard brick and mortar casinos.
One disadvantage that all crypto casino SA players face is the problem of the exchange rate. Given the bitcoin prices change so quickly, players are at risk of losing the value of their money. The BTC/ZAR rates are very volatile and many users have found themselves losing money even when they won their bets. The mere fact the players have to exchange their coins each time to use because Bitcoin is not a legal tender in the country makes betting with Bitcoins a little bit uncomfortable. But with fiat, no exchange is required, and players can go ahead and use their money without any worries.
It is no news that Bitcoin investments are very risky, due to the high price volatility that is associated with the digital currency. You can lose a substantial amount of Bitcoins within a few seconds or a minute, which is not the case with fiat because the exchange is backed by a central authority and it is more stable than cryptos. That is why a lot of players prefer sticking to regular fiat casinos to avoid the risks that come with using Bitcoin online casino in South Africa.
The mere fact that online betting is illegal in South Africa, means that a lot of casinos will prefer establishing their business at a location where bitcoin gambling is legal. Yet our list of South African Bitcoin casinos indicates that BTC casinos are still getting established despite the restrictions. However, cryptos being a new tool is just only gaining momentum in the region and a lot of players prefer gambling with fiat which is stable than with Bitcoin, as such, there are only just a few South African casinos that accept Bitcoin.
Just like any other region that has Bitcoin casinos, there is an impressive list of South African Bitcoin casinos that offer their users a wide variety of bonuses. There are several steps that players have to follow in order to get qualified for a bitcoin casino bonus. The most common of all bonuses offered by casinos is the welcome bonus. Welcome bonuses are often offered to new players and are often used to attract new players. Besides a welcome bonus, below are a few of the most common promotion offers you’ll get with a Bitcoin casino in South Africa.
As the name implies, a deposit bonus is a promotion offered by a casino to a player who has registered an account and deposited a certain amount of Bitcoin. There are a lot of reasons why a player would register for a deposit bonus, one is to know how the casino operates, and two, to practice on a few games before starting to bet properly. All in all, deposit bonuses offer clients the opportunity to start betting after they follow all the steps required to be eligible. These steps will normally include registration of the account, confirmation of personal details, and making the minimum deposit as required by crypto casinos SA.
No Deposit bonuses are offered by BTC casinos South Africa to their users and this bonus could be the first interaction of a player with a casino. To qualify for this promotion, you don’t need to deposit any amount as is required in the previous bonus offer.
For you to qualify for a bitcoin casino with no deposit bonus, you will have to register your account with the casino. In most cases, you will be offered free spins or taken, which you can use in future games. Follow the following steps to be eligible for a no deposit bonus:
Bitcoin casinos often offer their users free spins. And one thing players share in common is the excitement for free spins. The reason for the excitement is because they are completely free promotions. Free spins help players try out games offered by a casino, and casinos also use these free spins promotions to attract new users. It is often common to encounter a free spin promotion on a casino website homepage. At times, casinos even offer free spins to clients even when they haven’t registered with them yet. These bonuses encourage loyalty in players while attracting new ones at the same time.
In conclusion, although it seems as though SA Bitcoin casino activities in South Africa are exciting and make great offers, it is still illegal and those involved in online gambling, in general, are considered by law as criminals. So our advice to players will refrain to from any activity that will put you in any form of danger with the authorities. Although online gambling and BTC casinos in South Africa are illegal, casinos have continued to work in that capacity, which resulted in many arrests. The fun fact is that cryptos are completely legal in the country and unregulated. Nevertheless, brick and mortar casinos still operate in the country.
| Pros | Cons |
| Fast Transactions | Tax |
| Withdrawal Time | Tedious Exchange |
| Privacy | High Risk |
| Play From Anywhere | Low Variety of Platforms |