Top 10 South African Poker Sites 2024 : For South African Players

South Africa has a rich poker scene and online poker is alive and more than well. Maybe you didn’t know, but poker pros like Raymond Rahme and other recognized players around the world actually come from South Africa. And get this, the second annual World Series of Poker (WSOP) was hosted in South Africa.

When you think of South Africa, the places that immediately spring to mind include Johannesburg, Cape Town and Pretoria. It’s probably not commonplace to really associate poker or any other sort of gambling with the country. And that’s probably with good reason, too. After all, it has been heavily restricted since the late 1600s making South Africa not the gambling friendliest country in the world. The country has a hard-line stance on online gambling, and sports betting remains the only legal form of online gambling in the Rainbow Nation.

Despite all the legal barriers, there is a horde of diehard poker fans living in South Africa that are willing to do what it takes to find a top-notch poker site. If you’re one of them, you’ve certainly come to the right place.

Recommended South African Online Poker Rooms

My list of the best poker sites which I consider to be the best rooms to play in 2024:

After extensive research of the online poker industry, I came up with an ultimate list of the best poker sites for South Africans. Let me assure you that this list is purely statistics based — there is no subjective opinion here.

What I did is I compared all the operators’ key characteristics with those of others on the market, and put those that came out on top on the list. What sets all these brands apart from all the qualified candidates? Take a look at my next paragraph to find out!

Now, don’t get me wrong — we’re not going to break any laws here. I’m merely going to point you in the right direction and show you what are the best offshore poker sites that accept South African residents.

Somewhere along the way, I’m also going to present my view on the South African online gambling laws and provide a mini step-by-step guide that will teach beginners how to register on a poker site.

Here’s a brief rundown of my comprehensive guide for poker fans residing in South Africa:

Let’s get right into it!

How We Rate South African Poker Sites

My team of poker aficionados have been around the online gambling industry for decades now. Over the years, we’ve learned how to recognize a first-class poker site. Based on that knowledge, we’ve established a selection criteria which is a list of essential characteristics every operator must possess to get a recommendation from us.

To get the approval by my expert team, every poker site in South Africa must comprise the following qualities:

Furthermore, make sure that it supports a payment method that you feel comfortable using online. It’s no good becoming a member of a platform and then finding out that you can only make use of a Visa card to deposit if you’re not happy to insert your card details at an online site.

Don’t be blinded by the external layout or any promises of huge rewards for becoming a player at a site, either. After all, the external view of a poker platform does not dictate how it operates internally.

Just be sure that you’re playing at a recommended site. We’ve got a selection of them for you to browse through here, but even if you don’t want to visit one of the South African platforms that we recommend, read reviews from other people. Make sure they’re people that have played at the poker rooms and find out what the pros and cons of them are. See if there are any big problems that the site is having troubles with sorting out. Be sure that there aren’t any withdrawal issues or withholding of funds from players. If you do some proper research into South African online poker rooms beforehand, then you can’t go far wrong.

Is Online Poker Legal in South Africa?

South Africa has a long history of gambling restrictions. That history started changing several years ago when the legislators showed interested in changing the laws gradually in order to keep up with the industry and the needs of the citizens.

However, things are not that simple. It’s the trademark of South Africans to make things complicated and confusing, and so are the laws pertaining to online poker and online gambling.

Because the laws in South Africa regarding online poker are so stringent, it has become fairly difficult for citizens to engage in poker gameplay via the internet. Players can actually be prosecuted if they’re found to be participating in online poker or other forms of gambling.

In 1965, the Gambling Act of South Africa came into effect and that would officially ban all forms of gambling, with the sole exception being horse racing.

Despite this, the country does have a link with poker gameplay. But how does this happen when it’s considered to be an illegal act there?

There have been certain areas of South Africa that have managed to skirt around the laws, though. For example, in the late 1970s, certain casinos began operating within the nominally independent areas of the country, known as bantustans.

These took up residence in the areas of Bophuthatswana, Transkei and a few others. In those locations, only native South Africans resided, so most citizens of the country couldn’t really access the casinos. However, over time, these illegal casinos grew in number, and by 1995, it was estimated that South Africa had over 2,000 of them in operation.

Things did change in 1994 when a new democratic government came into power. It was then that all forms of gambling were made legal.

In 1994, however, things took a turn for the better when the government introduced a licensing system into the 1996 National Gambling Act and repealed a ban on all kinds of gambling. This legislation made it possible for a legal framework of the gambling industry to be created as it allowed the National Gambling Board to provide licenses to both land-based and online sportsbooks in all nine provinces.

A set of licensed casinos were set up in 1996, which is when the National Gambling Act of the country became effective. A national lottery was also set up and horse racing (while remaining legal) became defined as a gambling activity rather than a sporting activity. Rules were brought in at the same time to keep gambling within the country as regulated as possible, and a decision was made for a total of 40 gambling licences to be made available to potential South African operators. Alongside the legal casinos and national lottery, other gambling games became available, including poker.

As of 2004, a new version of the National Gambling Act was brought into effect, repealing the 1996 version, and then in 2008, a further introduction came into play – the National Gambling Amendment Act. Unfortunately, the former of these Acts prohibited any operator from providing online gaming services, while making it illegal for residents of South Africa to access such as well. Therefore, online poker (along with online casino and bingo games) was made an illegal activity. The Amendment Act of 2008 was actually meant to try and legalise online interactive gaming. However, various parties confronted the introduction of this – including land-based establishments and anti-money laundering groups – meaning that it was never brought into effect with it.

To make things worse, South Africa introduced a law in 2010 that made accessing foreign-based interactive gambling websites an illegal action. Because of this, both offering online gambling services and participating in such, regardless of server location, became illegal in the country. The National Gambling Amendment Act of 2008 could come into effect at some point in the near future if the high court listens to appeals against the laws blocking interactive gambling. For now though, poker remains as an activity that is considered illegal in South Africa.

South Africa’s Governing Body For Poker

The agency responsible for oversight of the regulation in the gambling industry throughout South Africa is the National Gambling Board.

According to the board, its aim is to preserve the integrity of the citizens as responsible.

If you fall victim to a fraud or corruption, you can report it to the Board.

The National Gambling Board is also the agency where you have to go if you want to receive a gambling license to operate a land-based operation in South Africa.

How to Play on South African Poker Sites 

When I first started playing online poker, everything seemed so easy — I mean how difficult could it be to create an account, deposit, and get right into the action? But somewhere along the way, I stumbled upon a few roadblocks, and before I realized I was stuck in the seemingly endless paperwork I had to fill out to get started.

So, to help you guys avoid such unpleasantries, I created a mini step-by-step guide that will lead you through the entire process. So, just follow my lead, and you’ll be playing in world-class poker sites in no time!

Most Popular Poker Games in South Africa 

Texas Hold’em — that’s the easily most popular poker format in South Africa today. Rejoice my fellow poker aficionados living in South Africa as this variant is being offered by every single poker site out there. And even if Omaha or 5-Card Stud are your favorite types of poker, you can still find a couple of tables hosting these games in our recommended poker sites.

If you’re a fan of 2-7 Triple Draw, Razz, or Chinese Poker, there are a couple of brands offering these not-so-widespread poker variations. You may have to wait a while, though, for the tables to fill up.

Can I play poker on a mobile device?

It wasn’t long ago that the only places hosting poker rooms were elite casino resorts in gambling centers across the globe. With the inception of online gambling, it has become possible to play real-money poker without having to leave the comfort of your home. And with mobile poker as one of the latest innovations, you can play your favourite poker games from anywhere in South Africa, whenever you want.

To enjoy all the benefits of mobile poker in South Africa, you only need a stable internet connection, and a compatible mobile device. Speaking of compatibility, almost all poker sites are developed, so that both iOS and Android users can access them. Some brands have launched native poker apps, but if you don’t want to download anything, but rather jump right into the action, you can always access the instant play version, and immediately start playing.

Banking Options for South Africans

At most SA poker sites, you’ll encounter commonly used credit and debit cards, but you can also use e-wallets, prepaid cards, and even cryptocurrencies to facilitate payments. Most of these payment methods, like PayPal, are already being used by South Africans for their everyday shoppings.

While most online poker sites will accept deposits made through credit and debit cards, there’s always the potential there for your bank to block such transactions. You can try your Visa or Mastercard if you like, but should it not process through, you’ll need to look at alternatives.

The best alternative that you can use for depositing is to transact with a cryptocurrency. Whether that be Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Dash, Ethereum or any of the others, it doesn’t matter. If the online poker room accepts transactions via cryptocurrencies, then you’ll be able to make use of instant deposits and withdrawals, without any kind of central financial institution keeping a check on what you’re doing. Additionally, you won’t have to pay any additional fees on top of your deposits and withdrawals as far as the cryptocurrency is concerned. So, if you want something free and fast, cryptocurrencies are the way to go.

You could also try and utilise an e-wallet for deposit and withdrawal purposes, although again, it’s not always possible that these are made available for residents of South Africa. If you do possess a Neteller or Skrill wallet for example though, you can try to use it at your chosen online poker room. Just be wary of the fact that it may not be supported for players from within South Africa. While bank transfers may also be available to make use of, these are situated in the same vein as credit and debit cards. Because they’re connected specifically to a bank, the transaction may be blocked if it’s found to be going to an online gambling site.

So, you’re already familiar with the process of how to use these banking options for online payments. What’s more, some of our featured poker sites accept payments in South African Rands, so you won’t be losing any money on conversion rates. Pretty neat, right?

Conclusion

Despite all the efforts by politicians to finally legalize online poker, South Africa’s stance on gambling laws remains intact. However, South Africans wishing to enjoy online poker are welcome at numerous world-class poker sites across the world, meaning that opportunities still exist to experience the best that the online poker industry has to offer.

Some of these places can be found right here, on this page. That’s right — you are only one click away from joining forces with the leading poker brands in the world.

Don’t forget to always gamble responsibly, and I wish you all the best, whichever operator you choose!

Latest South African Poker Stories

Other than the Splendido Poker Series held at Montecasino, South Africa didn’t see much poker action this month.

This year, the tournament ran from March 20th to March 31st, with the main event on day one, and a high-roller event with the $1,750 buy-in on March 21st..

Other days of the tournament featured lower-end events including the Rebuy tournament and the Slow Roll. Plus, the Super High Roller event was held at the peak of the tournament for three days from March 22nd to March 24th. The buy-in for this one was admirably put at $2,950.

FAQs

Now that we have clarified somewhat the legality of online poker in South Africa, in the following you will find answers to the five most frequently asked questions about South African poker sites.