The future of horse racing betting in 2021

23 December 2020 | ,

Horse racing has always been very popular with South African punters. Billions of rands were bet on horse races in a usual year. But 2020 has seen some drastic changes and it has been a tricky year for the horse racing industry. The pandemic caused quite some disruption with many races being cancelled or postponed. This resulted in many forms of traditional betting coming to a halt. Therefore, South Africans bettors turned to alternative sports and we have seen a rise of e-sports and simulated sports betting. Online bookmakers reacted and added additional betting opportunities onto their sites. Aside from virtual games, including virtual horse racing, Betgames and Live Games were added for further entertainment. So what is to expect from horse racing betting in 2021?

Less betting sites offer betting on horses

While the world is still upside down some races are back. Nevertheless, over the recent weeks we have seen a decline in traditional online horse racing betting being offered across South African betting sites. New operators such as SpotOnBets launch without horse racing betting. Others, such as Gbets, removed horses from their betting offering.

Offering horse racing betting is quite challenging for operators due to the following reasons:

  • Extra licensing costs
  • Additional feed fees
  • Tax on horse racing

In addition, horse racing punters are quite loyal and stick with their favourite operators. This makes it very hard for new betting sites to get traction and at the end is not worth the effort.

Therefore, we see a lot more sites without horse racing betting which seems to be the new standard for 2021. While we understand the commercial difficulties on operator side we like horse racing betting and therefore it is a plus point for us if its part the sports betting portfolio.

But if you like betting on the horses do not fear. The are still a variety of bookmakers available that offer you fantastic horse betting entertainment in 2021.

Where to bet on horses online in 2021

Please find below our top picks for bookmaker in South Africa who offer horse racing betting .

R25 Free Bonus +50 Free Spins
Leading South African bookmaker who offers the best in sports betting and casino games entertainment - a must for every punter!
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South Africa's premier online sports book since 2002 with a massive sports betting and lotto offering and best bonuses
  • up to R15,000 bonus on 1st deposit
  • Special FICA bonus
  • Live Games, Betgames & Slots
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Bookmaker with great new player offer and highly competitive bets
  • 100% 1st deposit match up to R3000
  • Attractive, regularly updated promotions
  • Fast and friendly customer service
R50 + 100 free spins + deposit bonuses up to R5000
100% African-owned and run bookmaker with a wide and varied offering
  • Wide range of bonuses and promotions
  • Slots, Instant & Live Games
  • Lots of special features

We have seen some of the big bookmakers even expanding their involvement. WSB recently became the sponsor of the WSB Gauteng Summer Cup. Sunbet is still the sponsor of the Sun Met, with the Sun Met 2021 coming up end of January 2021.

We hope that in 2021 we can go back to being at the races. In the meantime we enjoy the betting opportunities available on current horse racing events.

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