Month: September 2020

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Esports – a brief introduction

Esports – a brief introduction

In 2019, global sportswear giant adidas signed an endorsement deal with professional video gamer Ninja. The fact that gamers are now getting the attention of mainstream sports brands is a big deal. This alone shows how far Esports have come, and how they are now disrupting traditional sporting models.

What is Esports?

Simply put, Esports is organized video gaming at a competitive level played by professionals. Events are live and streamed online at the same time. Competitors from different teams or leagues compete in games that are popular among recreational ‘home’ gamers across the globe. These games or tournaments can attract crowds/ viewership that is common with traditional sports.

Esports players are generally contracted to play for various different organisations- similar to a rugby or football player. They practice and compete on their respective game, just as their traditional sports counterparts. Games range from first-person shooter iterations such as Counterstrike, to sports games such as FIFA. A game’s success comes down to the enjoyability and balance of the game. The game needs to be fun to play and watch, and it needs to have balance- meaning an even playing field where player skill is the most important variable.

A billion-dollar industry, esports enjoys a global fan base in the millions.

The history of Esports

With its origins in the 1970’s, esports is not necessarily the new kid on the block as it is commonly perceived.

From the early stages…

Stanford University held the first official video game competition in 1972. Students competed in a game called Spacewar, the winner taking home the lucrative prize of a year’s subscription to Rolling Stone magazine.

As technology improved, and the accessibility of the games to the public became easier, the popularity of video gaming grew. With the introduction of first-person shooter games with multiplayer options, the potential of online competitive gaming was realised. In 1997 one of the first true Esports tournaments, Red Annihilation took place. The final 16 participants (out of a field of 2000), were flown to Atlanta to compete at the Electronic Entertainment Expo. The event was open to view to spectators both in person and online, and many media channels reported on this. The prize for the winner: a Ferrari 328 GTS.

The 2000’s saw video games and online gaming continue to grow in popularity, especially as home computers became more powerful and less expensive (negating the need to visit internet cafes). In 2006 FUN Technologies held a tournament that had a grand prize of 1 Million dollars! During this period, the number of worldwide tournaments increased exponentially, along with ever increasing prize pools. Televising esports during this time had however not been successful.

… until today

With the introduction of the video game streaming service Twitch in 2011, esports now had a platform that could provide affordable and centralized broadcasting. The accessibility of Twitch has opened the door to new fans and spectators worldwide.

Since then, viewership has increased further, and esports are proving ever more lucrative. In 2017 the League of Legends World Championship attracted more than 80 million viewers, and in 2019 esports revenue was north of the 1-Billion-dollar mark.

What is the current state of Esports?

Nowadays it is not uncommon for tournaments to offer up Millions of dollars in prize money to players on winning teams, and viewership continues to increase. Currently North America, China and South Korea are responsible for the largest number of fans. This is however an ever-changing landscape, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see a more balanced fan base on the global scale within the next 10 years.
In North America, certain colleges are offering esports programmes. Some traditional sports leagues, such as the NBA also now have esports categories. Players in these leagues can earn income from sponsorships, endorsements and from league salaries- much like their traditional sports counterparts.

It is evident that the potential for growth is there, and that it is only a matter of time until you see your favourite sports embracing an esports version of itself.

Betting on Esports

Esports betting is a large industry – not dissimilar to traditional sports gambling. The global esports betting market is predicted to reach 17 Billion dollars by the end of 2020.

COVID-19 has specifically resulted in a boom for e sports betting. Where traditional sports have been inactive or halted, their virtual counterparts have enjoyed an increase in interest. FIFA and NBA 2K are examples of games that punters of traditional sports have managed to cross over to, due mainly to the familiarity of the gameplay.

Even after the pandemic is over, one feels that there will be a change in betting activity. The esports betting world will most likely have gained some permanent viewers and punters.

While traditional sports will always dominate, one can no longer ignore the presence of e-sports. In coming seasons, it will therefore be interesting to see how other large sports brands will influence and leverage this relatively untapped scene.

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The Remarkable Rise of Esports

The Remarkable Rise of Esports

Esports, or electronic sports, has become bigger than ever and continues to rise in popularity. Audience numbers and industry revenues have ballooned since just last year alone, in part because of the COVID-19 lockdowns.

It’s predicted that over the course of 2020, the total esports audience will grow to 495 million. Meanwhile, revenues in esports will reach an estimated $1.1 billion.

The esports audience number accounts for both players (enthusiasts) and casual viewers. By 2021 esports will have a predicted 307 million viewers and 250 million enthusiasts.

To give you an idea of esports’ popularity, the League of Legends 2019 tournament drew a bigger audience than the NBA finals in the USA.

There has also been a rise in median earning per player as well as the total prize money in tournaments.

What Explains This Incredible Growth?

There are various reasons why esports has gained so much viewership, participation, and revenue in 2020. One of them is the COVID-19 lockdowns. Many have turned to gaming and viewing esports to kill time and socialise remotely while they were stuck inside.

Lockdown boredom and lots of free time isn’t the only reason COVID-19 is causing a rise in esports engagement, though.

While Most Major 2020 Sporting Events Were Cancelled, Esports Remained

Most major sporting events, from the Olympics to Formula One to Wimbledon, have been cancelled this year due to the pandemic.

Meanwhile, thanks to being virtual, esports competitions have been largely able to continue and plug the gap in sports entertainment. Some broadcasters have even shown tournaments on live TV to fill in the slots previously taken by sports.

Although several live esports tournaments have been postponed or cancelled this year on account of COVID-19, some have gone ahead remotely.

Famous Athletes are Joining in

Interestingly, some of the large sporting events cancelled this year moved online to host virtual tournaments. One of these was Formula One, which organised virtual races in place of the ones that the tournament had to call off. Gamers who took part competed virtually against some actual F1 pro drivers, including the German racer Nico Hülkenberg. Meanwhile F1 fans were able to enjoy the sports event in a different medium.

Meanwhile, several La Liga players in Spain have hosted virtual tournaments on FIFA 20 which have attracted tens of thousands of viewers. They even held a derby to raise funds for Spanish medical staff on the frontline of the pandemic.

The adoption of esports by broadcasters and athletes since the start of the pandemic also means the industry is now reaching a wider audience.

There’s an Esport for Everyone and it’s Easier Than Ever to Reach Fans

An obvious reason for the popularity of esports amongst viewers and players is the variety.

Along with virtual sports and racing games like Rocket League and Formula One, esports enthusiasts will find multiplayer online battle arena games such as Dota 2 and League of Legends, shooter games like Call of Duty, fighting games, world-building games … The list goes on. There’s something to entertain all tastes, so it’s no wonder esports has so many followers.

What’s more, esports brands and promoters can reach fans more easily than ever before. Twitch, YouTube and other social media and streaming platforms are all to thank for that. And the more fans esports can engage, the more revenue the industry pulls in; according to Linkfluence, fans tend to be “young… with comparatively high amounts of disposable income”. This income often goes towards purchasing in-game products like expansion packs, as well as products advertised by external brands.

Fans also regularly spend a lot of time spectating and can be relied on to boost viewership numbers.

High Viewership and Growth is Attracting More Investors

The explosion in the number of esports followers has not gone unnoticed by brands. Many are finding ways to promote themselves through the esports industry. Some use esports to advertise their products to enthusiasts, others sponsor gaming syndicates. Others still license products and games.

Corporations aren’t alone. Even celebrities are investing in esports brands and syndicates. Some, like rapper The Weeknd, are even becoming brand ambassadors for certain games.

In Conclusion

With the increasing attention and investment esports is getting from brands, celebrities, broadcasters, and athletes, as well as an expanding fanbase, it doesn’t look like its growth is going to slow down any time soon – regardless of the COVID-19 situation.

Interested in giving esports betting a go? Have a look at our esports betting tips as well as our recommended esports betting sites.

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Betway’s football club sponsorships

Betway’s football club sponsorships

Global online sports betting giant Betway holds licences in various countries internationally, including South Africa. The online bookmakers also sponsors several football teams around the globe, with football sponsorships in Ghana, Zambia, Spain, and England currently. Below we have listed all teams included in Betway’s football club sponsorships, country by country.

Betway Sponsorships in Spain

Betway currently sponsors three Spanish football teams:

Levante Unión Deportiva

Founded in 1909 and originally named Levante Futbol Club, the Valencian club Levante Unión Deportiva has been under Betway sponsorship since 2018. The online bookmaker signed a two-year contract to become the club’s La Liga (the Spanish League) side official shirt sponsor. The deal was celebrated by Levante UD’s president Francisco Javier Catalan Vena. He acknowledged that the club’s affiliation with Betway will help to elevate its status. Levante UD finished 12th in the 2019/20 La Liga, the club’s third season in Spain’s top-tier professional men’s football division.

Club Deportivo Leganés
Hailing from Leganés, which borders Madrid, CD Leganés has remained wedged in the lower leagues of professional Spanish football for much of its career since its founding in 1928. The 2015/16 season saw the team get elevated to La Liga for the first time. However, the team was relegated back to the lower-level Segunda Division in 2020. Betway became the front-of-shirt sponsor of CD Leganés in 2018 and recently extended the sponsorship. Therefore, it will be the team’s foremost sponsor in the 2020/21 season.

Deportivo Alavés
Hailing from Vitoria-Gasteiz in northern Spain and founded in 1921, Deportivo Alavés is yet another one of Betway’s 2018 Spanish Spanish football sponsorships. The online operator also secured a two-year sponsorship deal as the club’s official La Liga shirt sponsor. Alavés, also affectionately referred to as Babazorros El Glorioso (The Glorious One) came in 16th place in the 2019/20 La Liga after a thrashing from Barcelona on 19 July 2020 resulting in a final score of 5-0.

England

West Ham United F.C.

Betway became the main sponsor of West Ham United in February 2015. The deal marked the biggest one in the history of the East London-based club and the first Betway football sponsorship. The online sports betting operator and the “Hammers” extended the partnership in 2019 for another six years.

Since acting as West Ham United’s principal partner, Betway has invested in initiatives to build the club’s brand and bring the team closer to their fans. One project was Betway’s Academy of Football. This web docuseries launched in 2016 about the amateur team West Ham United IFC, a grassroots club that was formed by and consists of West Ham supporters and that gets an unexpected visit from some of the official club’s players. Another project, Betway Fan Taxi, sees fans pranked by the team’s players who surprise them as their cab drivers.

West Ham United plays in the English Premier League, the top level of professional football in the country.

Zambia

Green Buffaloes F.C.
Sponsored by the Zambian Army and founded in 1965 with the original name Zambian Army, Green Buffaloes Football Club plays in the Zambia Super League (the country’s Premier League), the top tier of the Football Association of Zambia. The club is based in Lusaka and took the 6th spot in the Premier League in 2019.

Green Buffaloes entered a one-year sponsorship deal with Betway in 2018. The online gambling platform renewed the sponsorship in 2019 ahead of the 2019/20 Super Division season.

Uganda

Express F.C.

The long-standing Express F.C., based in Uganda’s capital, Kampala, is Uganda’s first premier football club. Founded in 1957 by Uganda Express Newspapers, the club, also known as the “Red Eagles”, has the most supporters of all Ugandan football teams. It has been the winner of 10 Ugandan Cups. The club also came first in six leagues over the years and competes in the top-level Azam Uganda Premier League. Express F.C. signed a shirt sponsorship contract with Betway in 2018.

In May 2020, Betway fulfilled its promise to send Red Eagles players, as well as a few of the club’s facilitators, food relief to support them during the lockdown.

Betway Sponsorships in Ghana

Aduana Stars F.C.

Aduana Stars Football Club started in 1985 in Dormaa Ahenkro, Brong-Ahafo, and is sponsored by Betway since 2018. The club is a two-time winner of the Ghana Premier League title, clinching the title in 2010 and 2017 respectively – an impressive feat for a club which had started out modestly, only making its way into the nation’s Premier League in 2009.

Ashanti Gold S.C.

Ashanti Gold Sporting Club was formed in 1978 in Obuasi by staff from the Ashanti Goldfields Corporation gold mining company . It struggled for years without sponsorship and decent funds. However, the club showed much promise for a long time and proved its worth in 1984, when it was runner-up in the Ghanian FA Cup. From there, the club advanced to playing in the Ghana Premier League. Today it is one of Ghana’s largest and top-performing clubs. Betway took the football club under its wing in 2016, when the online bookmaker signed to become its principal sponsor.

Liberty Professionals F.C.
Founded in Dansoman, Accra in 1996, this comparatively young professional football club rose to playing in the top-tier league in only its second season, having started out playing in the lower-level Poly Tank Division One League. The club played in the 2009 Eyadema Unity Cup championship and secured a respectable third place.

In 2018, it clinched a sponsorship deal with Betway after narrowly avoiding relegation from the Premier League in the previous season.

Betway – more than a football club sponsor

Football shirt sponsorships are a natural, obvious and valuable advertising placement for bookmakers. This sometimes raises concerns about the normalisation of betting amongst young fans. Therefore, Betway has invested heavily in technology to prevent underage gambling and responsible gaming policies. In addition, the company devotes a decent amount of their returns into supporting local communities. During the Covid pandemic Betway SA has donated R2-million to assist the most vulnerable South Africans. Aside from its football club sponsorships Betway really tries to bring teams and fans closer. Aside from football Betway is also involved with other sports. Recently the global betting giant became title sponsor of the Betway SA20.

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10 Fun Facts About South African Cricket

10 Fun Facts About South African Cricket

Cricket has been a favourite sport in South Africa for centuries. Below we have covered some fun facts about South African Cricket for you:

1. The longest cricket Test match of all time was between South Africa and England.

In 1939, between the 3rd and 14th of March, SA and England battled it out in a timeless test in Durban. It carried on for 10 days (although the teams only actually played for nine days – play was called off on the eighth day due to rain). In total, the match lasted 43 hours 16 minutes. By the end, the teams amassed a combined sum of 1,981 runs.

The match would have gone on even longer had the England team’s ship not been leaving the next day. There was no choice but to conclude the match and declare a draw.

2. The world records for the fastest ODI fifty, century, and 150 by any batsman all belong to one South African.

Cricketer and former Proteas team member AB de Villiers holds standing world records for the fastest fifty, hundred, and 150 in the history of One Day Internationals. The outstanding batsman achieved fifty runs in 16 deliveries, a hundred in 31, and 150 in 64 in three separate ODIs.
De Villiers also holds the record for the fastest century in Tests by a South African.

3. The oldest cricket ground in SA lies in Port Elizabeth.

A test match between South Africa and England way back in 1888 was the first cricket game held at St George’s Park. It was also the first-ever test match held outside of England or Australia. South Africa lost to England by eight wickets.

St George’s was also where South Africa played their last test match (in 1969) before their 22-year ban from international test cricket due to apartheid.

4. The Proteas once went by a different name.

Originally South Africa’s national cricket team were the Springboks. This changed when the ICC lifted SA’s ban from international cricket in 1991. From then the team became known as the Proteas.

5. South Africa’s loss in the 1992 World Cup semi-final is the reason the Duckworth-Lewis method exists.

The heavens opened in Sydney during the SA versus England semi-final. The umpires halted play for 12 minutes, throwing everything off-kilter for the Proteas. The team needed to get 22 runs from 13 balls before the rain. However, thanks to a flawed rain rule and lack of time, once play resumed the scoreboard announced that SA would need 21 runs in just one ball to win. Naturally, this was unachievable, and the Proteas lost.

This game showed that a better method was needed to calculate run targets in limited-overs matches shortened by rain. This led to English statisticians Frank Duckworth and Tony Lewis devising a mathematical formula, the Duckworth-Lewis method. They designed the method to be as fair as possible and the ICC approved it in 1999. Cricket games still use this method today, although now it has been renamed the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method.

6. South Africa hosted the first Cricket World Cup to have an official mascot.

When South Africa staged the 2003 Cricket World Cup, it introduced its mascot, a zebra by the name of Dazzler. This was the first time an ICC Cricket World Cup had featured an official mascot.

7. Two Proteas players wore earpieces to receive advice from their coach at the 1999 World Cup opener.

The then-Proteas coach Bob Woolmer was known for being pioneering. He decided to try using the earpieces so that he could offer advice to the players who wore them. The players were Allan Donald, the team pacer, and Hansie Cronje, the skipper. Woolmer had not asked the ICC’s permission to use the small devices in the game and had likely hoped they would go unnoticed.

Although the earpieces weren’t technically illegal, the game’s referee, Talat Ali, ruled that the players remove them.

The ICC banned earpieces from matches soon after.

8. In 2006, South Africa beat Australia in a game that many have hailed as the best One Day International cricket match ever played.

SA and Australia broke several world records in cricket on 12 March 2006. It was the day of the 5th ODI game between the Proteas and Australia, and one of the most titillating matches the cricket world has ever seen.
The Aussies set a world record in the first innings when they scored more than 400 runs. The South Africans promptly smashed that record in the second innings. With that, both nations broke one world record in a single day, and the Proteas claimed success over their long-time rivals.

9. South Africa has never made it to a Cricket World Cup final.

Cricket followers will know this and it’s a slightly sore subject around SA cricket fans.

This is especially because the Proteas have fallen just short of moving to World Cup finals on several occasions, after several disappointing quarters- and semi-final matches. And because let’s face it, the team have just had some plain bad luck over the years. Lest we forget that New Zealand match collapse in 2011, and those losses thanks to rain rules in the 2003 and 1992 World Cups.

All the same, never say never.

10. One South African has won a Cricket World Cup – but as part of another team.

Gary Kirsten is a former left-hand opener for the SA national team with great success as batsman and coach. After retiring as a player, Kirsten became the coach for the India national cricket team and led them to victory in the 2011 Cricket World Cup. This makes him the only South African to have ever been part of a Cricket World Cup-winning team.

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Women’s 2021 Rugby World Cup Qualifications

Women’s 2021 Rugby World Cup Qualifications

Between 18 September and the 16 October 2021, all eyes will be on New Zealand as it hosts the ninth-ever women’s Rugby World Cup. Whangarei and Auckland will stage the fixtures. New Zealand will be the first country in the Southern Hemisphere to host the women’s RWC. Preparations are in full swing as the nation strives to match the high standards it set when it staged the men’s 2011 RWC.

The 2021 RWC is notable for the fact it is the first time a women’s Rugby World Cup has not included “Women” in its title. Instead, it has a gender-neutral name. World Rugby announced that it dropped the word to promote gender equality and equal brand advertising in international rugby. The organisation also hopes the move will reduce the bias towards men’s rugby.

Qualifiers for the Women’s 2021 RWC

Twelve countries will be playing in the 2021 RWC, and nine have already qualified.

According to the Rugby World Cup official site, the qualifiers so far are:

  • South Africa
  • Fiji
  • Canada
  • United States
  • Australia
  • New Zealand
  • Wales
  • England
  • France

New Zealand won the women’s Rugby World Cup in 2017. This meant they automatically qualified for 2021 and will defend their title on home ground. Runner-ups who finished in the top seven in the 2017 RWC were also automatic qualifiers.

This leaves five remaining spaces for new Rugby World Cup qualifiers. World Rugby’s new qualification pathway will determine who these are. This pathway includes a repechage tournament, a first for the women’s RWC.

The qualification pathway has been underway since 2019. Countries have been competing in various regional tournaments that double as qualifiers for the 2021 RWC. Winners of some of these tournaments qualify directly to play in 2021. However, winners from certain countries will have to go through one or two more stages to qualify. The repechage is one of these stages.

Qualifier Tournaments by Region and How They Work:

Africa
The 2019 Rugby Africa Women’s Cup served as the 2021 RWC qualifier. South Africa played Kenya in this fixture and won. This earned them a seat for 2021.

Oceania
Fiji beat Samoa in the Oceania Rugby Women’s Championship 2019. This means they will be representing the Oceania region in 2021.

Europe
The 2020 Rugby Europe women’s championship winner will face Italy, Scotland and Ireland in Europe’s first standalone qualification tournament. The winner of this competition will qualify for a place in the World Cup.

South America
A match between Colombia and Brazil determined who would secure a place in the repechage tournament. Colombia defeated Brazil in the match 23-19.

Asia
The 2020 Asia Rugby Women’s Championship in Hong Kong will determine which team represents Asia in the 2021 RWC. The winners will qualify directly for the World Cup. The ARWC was due to happen earlier this year, but organisers postponed it due to COVID-19 concerns. It is not certain when it will take place.

The Repechage Tournament
This tournament will include the runners-up from the Oceania, Europe and Asia regions, as well as Kenya and Colombia. The repechage will determine the final team to qualify for the 2021 Rugby World Cup. The organisers are yet to confirm the dates.

The Rugby World Cup has a New and Improved Format for 2021

World Rugby has changed the format of the RWC to improve the experience for both fans and teams. The revised format includes a new match schedule which the players are sure to love – it gives more time between fixtures than normal. This will give teams more downtime as well as practice time. The new format also includes a quarter-final stage, which World Rugby hasn’t included in previous women’s RWCs. Team squads will also have 30 players, a change from the usual 28 players that make up women’s RWC squads.

The 2021 RWC organisers hope that the tournament will be even more of a boost for women’s rugby. Global interest in women’s rugby is on the up and up. It skyrocketed after the 2017 Rugby World Cup. The spectacle had a reach of 70 million over the whole tournament as well as 45 million video views of fixtures.

The qualification for the men’s 2023 Rugby World Cup in France is also currently taking place with the Springboks already being qualified. Keep an eye out for the 2021 Rugby World Cup draw in November 2020.

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Lottoland – safe online lottery betting now available in South Africa

Lottoland – safe online lottery betting now available in South Africa

The Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board has awarded Lottoland with two licences to operate legally in South Africa. Moving forward SA online lotto players can enjoy online lotto betting at lottoland.co.za. Being fully licensed and regulated ensures that winnings will be paid in full and safe and secure processes are guaranteed.

About Lottoland

Founded in 2013 Lottoland is the leading operator in online fixed odds betting. The company with HQ in Gibraltar operates in 15 countries worldwide. Since 2018 Lottoland holds the Guinness World Record for the biggest online gambling pay-out in history. A record-setting €90 million pay-out went to a 36-year old German who was playing the EuroJackpot through Lottoland.

Lottoland online lotto betting offer

The launch of Lottoland in South Africa means that Saffas can now participate in more than 30 lotteries worldwide. This includes the SA National Lotteries like SA Lotto or SA Powerball but also many international lotteries. You can for example take part in the US Powerball, the EuroMillions or the El Gordo Christmas Lottery.

Moreover, players can participate in additional prize draws. Try Cash4 Life, where you can win R10,000 per day for the rest of your life. Or discover Keno 24/7 for your chance to with R1 million every 4 minutes. Games like these are exclusive to Lottoland and cannot be played at any other lotto betting site online.

How does lotto online betting at Lottoland work?

While you usually buy a lottery ticket for a certain lottery participating in the lottery via SA Lottoland is different. You will not buy an actual ticket and enter the official draw but bet on the outcome of a draw. So instead of playing the lottery you are betting on the lottery.

Similar to classic lottery playing you pick the numbers that you think will be drawn on your virtual play slip. But instead of buying a lottery ticket with your selected numbers, you place a bet on these numbers being drawn. If you guess correctly and your numbers are drawn, you will receive the same prize amount as the official lottery will pay-out. Lottoland is replicating the winning structure and you get the same amount as if you would have entered the lottery. Lotto Land pays your winnings directly into your online account.

What is Fixed Odds Betting?

With Lottoland you do not buy lottery tickets but place fixed odd bets on the outcome of a draw. Therefore, you are betting on the possibility that your selected numbers will be drawn and will get a fixed return.

Lottoland SA is licensed and regulated and hence 100% legal and safe. To get a license Lottoland needed to prove that renumeration of any amount will be guaranteed. Hence you will always receive your winnings. Furthermore, Lottoland has to prove that is has the right procedures in place for data protection, storage and processing. Lastly the company has to comply with responsible gambling and player safety regulations.

Start your lotto online betting experience

The launch of Lottoland in South African changed our online lotto betting experience. We can now participate in more lotteries and play for big worldwide lottery jackpots. Keep in mind that by playing at Lottoland you will not really enter a certain lottery. Hence the money you pay will not increase the prize pool nor help any charitable causes a lottery is supporting.

How do you get started?

Playing with Lottoland is simple. Open your online account, pick the lottery you want to participate in and your numbers and then place your bets. For more information about Lottoland and its offering please have a look at our detailed Lottoland review.

Lottoland is not the only online betting site in South Africa who offers you the chance to play lotteries worldwide. Have a look at other recommended lotto betting sites here.

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Why you should start to play lotto online

Why you should start to play lotto online

More and more lottery players are playing the national and international lotteries by buying their tickets online these days. But why should you play lotto online?

Reasons to play lotto online

There are many advantages of purchasing lotto tickets online over buying lottery tickets at your local shop. Here are our main reasons for playing the lottery online:

Convenience

With an online lotto account, you can participate in the lottery anytime and from anywhere. This means you are no longer in a rush to get to your local retailer to get your tickets or waiting in a queue. You will never miss a draw due to being on holiday, not being able to get to the shop or other reasons. Playing lotto online is simple, easy and fast – especially if you play on your mobile phone.

More choice

While playing the SA National lottery games is great fun and offers big jackpot wins the world’s biggest lotteries are based abroad. Via your online lotto account, you can access a much wider range of lotteries and hence have more chances to win the big jackpots. Most online betting sites offer you the best international lotteries such as the US Powerball, the Russian lotto Gosloto or the French lotto which would not be easily available to you otherwise.

Safe money through bonuses and promotions

Online lottery betting operators offer you a variety of bonuses and promotions. This means you can get discount for ongoing lottery subscriptions or multi-draw buys. Especially for players who participate regularly online lotto can actually be a cost saving.

Higher winnings and odds

A good percentage of lotto jackpot wins happen via syndicates. Becoming part of a syndicate can bring you closer to your dream of winning the lottery compared to playing alone as the probability of hitting a jackpot increases with more tickets. Playing via an online lotto group allows you to cover more number combinations and to benefit of all members’ tickets while sharing the cost. You can join a syndicate quite easily via your online lotto account.

Never miss a win

When playing lotto online you will automatically know if you have won. While you can get notifications, you will also see all lotto results of draws you participated in conveniently listed in your account. No need to find the results of your draw and mark the numbers on your ticket. Your online betting site will automatically check the results for you. Just sign into your account and you will instantly see the lotto outcome, saving you time and hassle.

Claim your win instantly

Similar to checking the results claiming a win is also instantly and straight forward. When playing lotteries online your winnings are paid automatically and transferred to your account balance.

Keep a spending record

Playing the lottery also comes with expenditure. It is sometimes easy to lose track of how much you spend compared to how much you win. When you play online you have complete visibility of your spending and your wins and full control over your account.

Ticket record

In your online lotto account, you have a record of all your lottery tickets. This means that you can never misplace or lose your ticket ever again as it is safely stored.

Security

All online betting sites listed at Bet & Win are fully licensed by one of the provincial gambling boards in South Africa. A license is only granted to operators that have passed strict terms and conditions and ensure a fair and responsible offering, player privacy and secure SSL-protected payment processes. Licenses are reviewed regularly. When you play lotto at a accredited online betting site you know you play in a legal, safe and trustworthy way.

As you can see playing lotto online comes with many advantages and over the past months, we have seen more jackpot wins by online players.

Where to play online lotto?

You now know that online lotto has many benefits. The next question is: what site should you pick to play? The team at Bet & Win has compared many betting sites and we only list operators that we would play at ourselves. Our reviews and top online lotto betting site listing together with our tips to choose the best lotto site for you are hopefully good starting points to begin playing lotto online.

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National Lotteries in South Africa

National Lotteries in South Africa

Playing the lottery is popular around the world and everyone is entering for the chance of winning a massive lottery jackpot. In this guide we focus on the national lotteries offered in South Africa and everything you need to know before and while buying your lottery ticket.

The games offered in the South African national lottery can be categorized the following way:

  • Lotto: Lotto, Lotto Plus 1, Lotto Plus 2, Daily Lotto
  • PowerBall: PowerBall, PowerBall Plus
  • Sportstake: Sportstake 8, Sportstake 13
  • Raffle
  • EAZiWIN

Lotto

Since the first lotto draw in 2000 South African lotto has evolved and offers now more chances than ever to win big.

  • When: Lotto draws take place every Wednesday and Saturday at 21:00.
  • How to play Lotto: Choose 6 numbers between 1 and 52 or use the ‘Quick Pick’ option for the lottery system to randomly generate six lucky numbers for you.
  • What you can win: SA Lotto offers multimillion-rand jackpots twice per week with 8 prize divisions per draw. The jackpot is not capped and keeps growing until it is won. Therefore, we have seen massive lotto jackpots reaching nine figures over the past years.
  • Cost: starting at R5.00 per board.

Lotto Plus

On top of your main lotto game you can opt-in to also play Lotto Plus 1 and Lotto Plus 2 by ticking the respective boxes. The Lotto Plus games play alongside the main lotto draw and you use the same numbers.

Playing Lotto Plus increases your chances of winning and could win three times in the same night. Lotto Plus 1 and Lotto Plus 2 cost an additional R2.50 each so if you want to enter all 3 draws (Lotto and Lotto Plus 1 and 2) the cost is R10.00. Lotto Plus cannot be played on its own.

Daily Lotto

Gone are the days where we needed to wait patiently for the next lotto draw. With Daily Lotto you can win every day of the week.

  • When: Every day at 21.00 (except on Christmas Day).
  • How to play Daily Lotto: Choose 5 numbers between 1-36 per board or opt-in for the ‘Quick Pick’ option where the system will randomly pick five lucky numbers for you. When you match 2 or more numbers you are already guaranteed a win but to hit the jackpot you need to match all 5 numbers.
  • What you can win: The fantastic part of Daily Lotto is that the jackpot must be won. If there are no winners in a division the jackpot will be rolled down. For example, if no player can match all 5 numbers or even 4 numbers the jackpot goes into the next category. Hence, you might win big even with less matching numbers.
  • Cost: starting at R3.00 per board.

Powerball

Keep in mind that the South African Powerball is different to the US Powerball lottery. However, both offer record-breaking jackpots and are played in a similar way.

  • When: Tuesdays and Fridays at 21:00.
  • How to play Powerball: Select 5 numbers between 1-50 and your Powerball number between 1-20. You can also opt for ‘Quick Pick’ and the system picks the six required numbers randomly for you.
  • What you can win: The Powerball has 9 prize divisions. The prizes of the eights and ninths division are set to R15 and R10. All other divisions receive a percentage of the total prize pool. If the jackpot is not won, it rolls over and has quite often reached millions of Rand jackpots. The latest big winner went away in 2019 with R232 million.
  • Cost: from R5.00 per board.

Powerball Plus

Powerball Plus is played alongside the main PowerBall game. For an additional R2.50 you can increase your chances of winning.

Raffle

The National Lottery Raffle is a special game that is played each year at different dates. Next to cash you have the chance to win high value non-cash prizes such as cars or houses. The 2019 Raffle played on 10 January 2020 and 10 lucky winners drove away with brand-new Mercedes-Benz C200 Cabriolets. The overall paid out prize money was R12.5 million.

A certain amount of raffle tickets is available and sold on a fist come, first serve basis for each raffle. Once all tickets are sold the sale closes. Each raffle ticket has a unique number and unlike in other lottery games you cannot pick your preferred number combination. For the 2019 Raffle the ticket prize was set at R50.00 and you could buy a maximum of R2,000 worth of Raffle tickets.

A date for the next National Lottery Raffle is not yet announced but we will update once we know more.

Sportstake

The SA National Lottery offers two sports-themed lotto games which are very popular with South African soccer fans. Playing Sportstake 8 or Sportstake 13 is equally simple as playing lotto. Instead of picking your lucky numbers you predict the outcome of a certain amount of selected soccer fixtures.

Sportstake 13

  • When: Sportstake 13 plays twice a week. The list of midweek fixtures is published from Sunday 6:00. The weekend fixture listing is available from Thursday 6:00.
  • How to play Sportstake 13:
    The aim of Sportstake 13 is to predict the outcome of 13 soccer matches from a variety of different soccer leagues around the world including the PSL, the English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, or the German Bundesliga.

    To win on Sportstake 13 you will need to predict at least 10 of the 13 games correctly. You do not need to guess the exact score but you must decide whether the game will end with a win for the home team [1], the away team [2] or if the game might result in a draw [X]. Results are recorded as the score after the regular 90 minutes and potential extra time but excludes penalty shootouts.

    Like the ‘Quick Pick’ option in Lotto games there is the ‘Propick’ option available for Sportstake betting. ‘Propick’ is a quick play system functionality that will predict the match outcomes on your behalf by using historic data, expert opinions, and a randomised selection. This option can be very useful and you only need to select your preferred bet size.
  • What you can win: The prize pool for Sportstake 13 is not fixed as 50% of the net sales is paid out and allocated into 4 prize division. The top prizes of the Sportstake 13 soccer jackpot pool regularly exceed R300,000 for predicting all fixtures correctly.
  • Cost: Minimum R2.00 per board. If you want to use the multi-play option to predict more than one outcome per fixture while doubling or tripling your winning chances a higher bet is required.

Sportstake 8

  • When: Fixture lists are published 3 times a week, timing depends on the selected fixtures.
  • How to play Sportstake 8:
    Compared to Sportstake 13 in Sportstake 8 you must only predict the outcome of 8 selected professional soccer matches drawn from different leagues or international fixtures. While in Sportstake 13 you must guess the outcome of each game in Sportstake 8 you have to predict the outcome of the first half and the second half separately for each game.

    If you think the home team will lead the first half you add [1] in the respective space, if you believe the away team will be in front after the first half you add [2] and if you think the result after the first half is a draw you enter [X]. The same is applied for the second half so in total you enter 16 predictions [1, X, 2]. Results are recorded as the score at the end of each 45-minute period plus possible referee additional time but excludes extra time or penalty shootouts.

    As for Sportstake 13, you also have the ‘Propick’ option available for Sportstake 8. Sportstake 8 is a very interesting but also challenging game as the correct guess of both halves is quite difficult so using the system to predict for you could increase your chances of winning.
  • What you can win: To win with Sportstake 8 you must correctly predict 13 of the possible 16 outcomes. Remember that you are not predicting the outcome of a match but the result of each half. While this can be tricky it can also be very rewarding due to the large prize pools.
  • Cost: Minimum R2.00 per board.

EAZiWIN

For an instant play, instant money win lottery alternative you should try the EAZiWIN games. The EaziWin instant win games come in an array of themes and are based on varying mechanics. While some games such as Soccer League, Lucky Jersey or Balloon Bonanza are simple scratch games other games, including Candy Cash, are using elements of casino style slot games.

  • How to play EAZiWIN: You can play the Eazi Win games online via your trusted online betting partner anytime and anywhere. There are no draw times and you can access and play the games instantly. Plus, you will immediately know if and how much you have won.
  • What you can win: Most EaziWin scratchcard and instant games pay out between R75,000 up to R200,000. The exact jackpot amounts vary per game and your placed wager. Read our more detailed overview of the Eazi Win lotto scratch cards and instant games for further information.
  • Cost: R3.00 – R10.00, depending on game and preferred bet size.

Enjoy the national lottery fun!

The South African National Lottery offers a fun, varied and affordable entertainment. While we usually bought tickets at our local retailer, we are now more and more participating in the lottery online as it is convenient and safe and comes with quite a few benefits. If you are searching for an online lottery betting site you can trust, have a look at our top betting sites for lottery.