Recent trends have depicted a growing addiction to online sports betting in South Africa. The dominant gambling market in the country is now heavily populated by sports gamblers – a recent study showed 90% of those who bet on sports, do it online. A much more representative figure in this research showed 49.5% of South Africans staked a sports bet in the 12 months running from October 2021 to the same month in 2022. This same study showed about 25% of South Africans bet every seven days. Crunching these numbers is one thing, but we can’t downplay the contribution of technological advancement as well as favorable regulation on this growth. The high numbers of the population talking to betting should not be misconstrued to mean it is all rosy in the online gambling market. It is always prudent to check the previews of the different online betting sites. Sportingbet for example, is one of the most followed and preferred bookies in South Africa. The betting site, like all others has its pros and cons, and SportyTrader has a complete review of the advantages and disadvantages of Sportingbet well packaged with the bookie’s global rating.
Spoilt for choice
Sportingbet is just one of the many sites and it will be fine for anyone to get spoilt for choice when seeking a site to get loyal to, the growing popularity of sports betting all over the world notwithstanding. In South Africa, football remains a top sport and avenue for online betting. However, recent exploits in rugby have made the sport very popular and there are projections it may go well ahead of football as a top sport for not only entertainment but also betting. A sport like rugby has a long history intertwined in the social and cultural events that mark the key moments in South Africa, highlighted by apartheid and the fight for freedom. While football had a huge uniting factor in the growth of the country, especially after hosting and winning the 1996 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) title, rugby has gone on to have the country shine on the intercontinental stage. This is just one of the major reasons it is a popular sport and a key betting avenue.
Growth in investment
Bookies are banking on such growth in sports, the investment by sports federations and tapping on to the technological advancements that bring the entertainment aspect to the business end of all these. By the end of 2023, it is projected that the significant investment in sports, technology and entertainment will push the betting industry in the country to an all time high value of close to 750 million US dollars. What a combination of these three; technology, business and entertainment, serve is the convenience that comes with betting online. Mobile apps have now dominated the scene and are getting improved by the day. You now don’t have to be at home or in front of a desktop computer to be able to bet and take advantage of such opportunities.