Guide To South Africa Legal Online Horse Betting In 2025
Horse racing was the only legal form of gambling in South Africa from 1673 to 1996. That means that South Africa online horse racing sites are the modern iteration of a practice that is over 300 years old.
South Africa has always seen pari-mutuel gambling on horses and dogs as a sporting activity that is outside the realm of any other gambling activity and because of this, it has remained legal throughout the decades. There are legal pari-mutuel gambling destinations that feature both horse and dog racing tracks currently all over South Africa.
Those venues have been updated with the times and added websites that will allow you to place race bets from the comfort of your own home legally within your own provincial jurisdiction. Continue reading this guide for more information on the legal online racebooks that many South Africans enjoy everyday.
Top Rated Horse Racing Sites With Pari-Mutuel Gambling Accepting South African Players In 2025
These are racebooks offered through South African legal sports betting sites that our teams have inspected for inclusion in our guides. Our industry insiders have over 15 years of experience examining online sportsbooks and race books offering horse race betting lines.
Legitimacy, quality and financial reliability are among our chief concerns when reviewing online gambling sites, and the sportsbooks / racebooks that are listed here have met and exceeded our standards. They hold the proper licenses required for the services that they offer and are 100% legal for residents of South Africa to participate in.
We’ve also created a similar guides and lists for South African legal online casinos and for South African legal online poker.
| Site Name | Bonus Offer | Payout Speed | SA | Play |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 50% Max $2,500 | 24-48 Hours | Play Now | |
 | 75% Max $1,000 | 48 Hours | Play Now |
Is Online Horse Race Betting Legal In South Africa In 2025?
Yes, it is. legal South African online gambling has been under harsh scrutiny since 2004 when the National Gambling Act of 2004 went into effect prohibiting most forms of online gambling. What survived the legislature was pari-mutuel gambling and sports betting.
Since then, all the operators who wish to have an online facet of their gambling offerings have to acquire a license via their specific region. Currently, The Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board has been the largest supplier of online bookmaker licenses in the country.
To reiterate, placing bets at horse racing sites that hold the proper licenses is completely legal according to South African gambling laws. There are also a number of legally sanctioned offshore sportsbooks and racebooks that allow South African residents to place bets on horse and dog races.
What Races Can I Bet On Through South African Race Books?
The websites that we endorse in our guides offer betting options from hundreds of thoroughbred and harness racetracks from all over the world. You can view the options for betting in regional races domestically, or you can look to the larger events internationally.
Major events like the Kentucky Derby, Triple Crown, Preakness and Belmont stakes always draw huge betting crowds on the Internet and are widely available at any online provider of pari-mutuel gambling. You will also have the options to place your bets in the local events like the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate Double Header, and the Grand Parade Cape Guinness.
What Is Pari-Mutuel Gambling?
This is the type of gambling that is most popularly used in racing venues such as horse and dog tracks. Bettors present at the time of the races enter their bets into a community pot where the track takes a small fee. In pari-mutuel gambling, bettors place bets against each other instead of a dealer or the house as is done in a casino. When the race is won, the winners receive their winnings according to the bets they took. The concept is the same whether you are betting in person or online.
Are There Legal Horse Racetracks In South Africa?
Yes, there are currently 11 racetracks in SA that offer horse betting and more than 450 horse races occur each year on average. There are 3 big horse racing events throughout the year, the Summer Cup, the J & B Met, and The Vodacom July. Each are held at different horse racetracks across SA and draw big numbers of fans and bettors. Most racetracks have bookies or cashiers that will accept your bet slip and wager, but some courses have been known to offer only online sportsbooks.
What Are The Betting Options At South African Horse Tracks?
There are several betting options at pari-mutuel horse and dog racing tracks. Straight bets are the most simple and what would readily expect as an uninformed casual. Within the straight bets you can pick who will win, who will show, and who will place. ”Win” obviously refers to the first place winner while “Placing” refers to the horses that made either first or second place. “Show” refers to the horses that came in either first second or third place.
You can also place an “Exacta” bet which requires you to pick the first two place finishers in the exact order they finish in. This bet is also known as a “Perfecta” or a “Forecast” bet. A “Quinella” bet is a bet you should place if you are sure who the top 2 horses are but aren’t sure which is better than the other. It’s like an exacta bet but you don’t need to differentiate which will be first or second. If both your horses place, you’re the winner.
Also know as the “Triple” or “Tricast,” the “Trifecta” bet is when you can pick all three top finishing horses in the correct order that they place in, this is when you know for sure which horses will place first second and third.
You can also place these bets online at legally licensed sportsbooks and racebooks accepting South African customers.
What Are The Banking Options At SA Friendly Online Racebooks?
The banking options are one of the primary concerns of online horse racebook operators. The more banking options that they can offer, the more customers they can keep satisfied for longer periods of time. The financial suite at online racebooks change from site to site but there are some more common options that seems to be fluid throughout the industry.
Among the most commonly used options are credit cards, debit cards, prepaid cards, ewallets and cryptocurrencies.
Bitcoin is a large provider of financial transactions in the online gambling world. Bitcoin is a digital currency with no processing times or fees because it isn’t associated with any national identity and is digital in nature which makes transferring it over the Internet instant and hassle-free.
The other options will range from site to site but also include some bank to bank and person to person wire transfers and options to have to have checks personally delivered via couriers.
Do I Have To Pay Taxes On My Race Winnings?
Since May of 2012 any winnings that South African residents make from legal recreational gambling do not need to be included in your income tax fillings. South Africa legal sports betting and pari-mutuel winnings included. There is, however, a 6% value-added tax (VAT), which is applied to all bets made at horse and dog racing establishments located in South Africa.
Can I Place Bets Using South African Rand?
Yes, you can. The online betting sites featured in this guide accept ZAR currency for transactions, and you are able to use the Rand to make deposits into and withdrawals out of your account. In the event you visit a sportsbook or racebook that does not accept SA Rand for deposits, they will usually provide a currency exchange service to accommodate you.
Can I Bet On Horse Races Using My Mobile Phone?
As one of the main competitive work points in the industry, online gambling operators that function legally in South Africa have been forced to optimize their racebooks for mobile use to stay current with the technological innovation of our times. You will have all the access that you typically have on your laptop or home computer right from the palm of your hand and wherever you can find signal.