Your Ultimate Guide to Sports Betting in Africa

An A to Z of Sports Betting

Betting on sport has been around almost as long as sport itself has, and can even be dated back 2,000 years when the Greeks would bet on athletes competing in the Olympics. Since then, of course, the world has made leaps and bounds in terms of sports betting, and as technology advances, it should come as no surprise that sports betting has advanced just as steadily.

Betting has become one of the biggest and most lucrative past times today. Of course, this is not only limited to the United States or Europe, but betting has also become quite popular on the African continent. Moreover, considering the size of the nations within the continent, and the great earning potential for players and bookmakers alike, it comes as no surprise that regulatory frameworks for betting are coming into place in countries like Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda and Zambia.

This article will be focussing on sports betting, and aims to be a guide for those interested in sports betting. We will be looking at two bookmakers in particular, namely 888 Sports and Betway. So if you are in search of information about odds, the quality of customer service, the ease of placing a bet, look no more.

A look at 888 Sports

What are odds and how does betting work?

Bookmakers use betting odds to show the probability of a certain result in a case. They are often expressed as fractions (2/1) or decimals (3.0), but they may also be expressed as money line or American odds, which are written with a plus or minus in front of a number (+200). In certain cases, betting markets may provide you with several possible results for a single occurrence. The odds show punters two things: The favourites for the win, in the case of sports betting, but also the earning potential for bettors.

The Sportsbook

While much of the company's activities rely on offering world-class casino and online gaming experiences, the consistency and scope of betting offerings on this sportsbook platform is nothing to turn your nose up at. The a-z sports collection includes a variety of both common and somewhat more obscure betting markets, as well as hundreds of leagues and tournaments, and a fair collection of non-sport and unique betting choices.

A Closer Look at the Business of 888 Sports

At 888 Sports football matches feature more than 300 markets at selected competitions for beginners. Moreover, they then offer a huge range of markets and odds for sports like basketball and tennis. In general, 888 Sports' returning clients tend to be punters hunting for value-added betting, and it isn't difficult to see why.

Furthermore, 888 Sports shines much brighter than its competition in terms of its functionality. This sportsbook is filled with revolutionary features like a Bet Generator and Market Maker, which potentially make the amount of possible bets with 888 Sports infinite. Additions to the site, such as Instant Betting, render this service one of the most dynamic in Africa with regards to online sports betting.

For example, betting with 888 Sports is easy because of the great odds and the tiny margin of just 3.8% — making it one of the best platforms for basketball in Africa. Those betting on basketball can also take advantage of rare alternative markets and disability routes; another perk offered by 888 Sports.

Yet most African punters want football first and foremost, and this site offers plays the cream of the crop in terms of possible matches to bet on, both on the African continent such as the African Cup of Nations, as well as worldwide leagues and tournaments.

How to Place a Bet on 888 Sports

As one would imagine, 888 has made placing a bet as simple and painless as can be. By simply clicking on the odds shown next to the chosen sports fixture, a bet list is created, and it will immediately link the selection to your bet slip. If you've made your pick on your bet slip, all you have to do now is enter the desired stake amount in the “Stake” box, double-check your bet to ensure that all of your selections are right, and then hit the “Place Bet” button to validate your bet.

Multiple Betting Options on 888 Sports betting

This bookie is right at the top of the leaderboard when it comes to the possibility of various multiple betting choices. Not only are there a variety of various bet styles to pick from, but they're all carefully handled and held in order on your automated bet slip. The separate tabs for singles, multiples, and permutations make keeping track of all the various bet styles a breeze, and the helpful bet indicator at the bottom shows you just how much you stand to benefit from your choices.

You can create permutations bets by combining up to 12 separate fixtures on your bet slip. This ensures that there are actually thousands of various bet varieties from which to pick in order to increase the odds of winning. When you click on a certain bet form on the bet slip, you'll see how many multiple bets are eligible, as well as the individual odds rates on each combination.

Although few operators encourage punters to select from such a diverse range of multiple bet styles, far less do so while encouraging you to keep such tight tabs on each individual mix. The total number of singles choices allowed on your bet slip is restricted to 12, which implies your accumulator bet may only have a maximum of 12 folds. If we remember that the majority of the bookies we've tested encourage you to combine up to 20, this amount seems to be very tiny.

Bet & Win Limits of 888 Sports

Despite being one of the most lucrative gaming houses in the world today, it must be mentioned that this betting operator's daily payout rates are rather frustrating. The overall value that punters are entitled to claim in a 24-hour span is £250,000 for the most common 888 Sports, such as football and horse racing.

Many of the other operators, including those considered to be smaller than 888 Sports, encourage participants to withdraw up to £1 million of their winnings, and William Hill allows payouts up to £2 million. The minimum stake value with 888 Sports of 10p is pretty much the typical inital betting stake, present with the majority of most bookies.

High Football Odds on 888 Sports

Football bets are one of the most popular choice when gambling in Africa, if not the most popular. At 888 Sports the pre-match odds rates here are highly competitive around the board. The odds values are ranked right in the centre and bottom of the leader board, making them unmissable for punters.

Betway Sport Betting Sites

The Online Sportsbook

When it comes to having a diverse range of sports markets, Betway is up there with the best of the business offering bettors regular and often, big, bonuses, as well as live game betting.

Sports Markets and Betting Types

There seems to be a pattern in the way Betway work: while they don't cover every sport, the ones they do cover, they cover well. Hundreds of markets and options are available on almost any Betway sportsbook page. This is potentially the strongest online bookmaker in Africa to use if you're searching for value betting utilizing alternative markets and Asian Handicaps.

What's more amazing is that this isn't exclusive to sports betting. Don't get us wrong: football betting is one of Betway most popular markets in Africa, but you can get a lot of value from this platform even if you're searching for something else. The odds offered by this online bookie vary from above-average to among the best available. With an average margin of only 4.1 percent, they genuinely set themselves apart as one of Africa's best bookmakers.

In Africa, sports betting currently consists mostly of bets on football and horse racing. Horse racing has a long tradition in North Africa, dating back to the 15th century. Africans have reportedly been betting on football for more than 70 years, according to reports. Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa were estimated to have a combined GDP of 40 billion dollars in 2018.

In the continent today, sports betting is much more common than it was two years ago and the bulk of African bettors choose to trust online platforms like Betway, which also has operations in other nations.

Simply put, no other operator in the sector treats e-gaming as seriously as Betway does. Punters can select from well over 10 different high-profile, foreign e-gaming competitions, as well as get professional betting tips, gaming guidance, and details on the latest business news via the website's unique eSports blog.

In-Play Betting & Live Streaming

While this betting operator's live-streaming service isn't its best attribute, it does provide good coverage for a few select sports. Tennis, basketball, ice hockey, and volleyball are among the games available for download. This is by no means a weak range of sports, particularly given that a number of operators allow you to only see British and Irish racing events.

The super-fast odds alerts, the live infographics, and the inclusion of the cash out alternative, however, are some big positive talking points that come as part and parcel of playing with Betway.

Multiples Bets

Whereas certain bookmakers have a cap on the amount of single bet options that can be attached to a bet slip, Betway enables you to have as many as you choose. This bookie often has a huge selection of multiple bet variations to pick from.

Bet & Win Limits

The minimum wager sum is a bit more than several of other operators when it comes to the lower cap. Betway has capped their minimum stake value at 20p, while the majority of bookies encourage consumers to wager a minimum of 10p or less. This isn't a huge reason for alarm since 10p is not a significant amount of money.

How to Place a Bet

Wagering with Betway is as quick and easy as can be. To pick, just click on the odds shown next to the appropriate sector. Once you've selected the odds, you will immediately see your bet slip on the screen's right-hand corner. To begin the bet placing procedure, enter the desired stake amount in the empty box next to the “Max” icon, verify your list, then click the “Position Be” buttons to validate. Simply pick more markets to connect to your bet slip and then search the “Multiple bets” tab to see which variations are possible.

Betway Africa Live Betting

Betway provides a strong range of live betting choices for African customers. Soccer, American football, rugby, basketball, baseball, ice hockey, and cricket are only a handful of the sports available.

While the overall amount of matches for each live sport may not be as large as other online betting platforms, the competition depth is high around the board, ensuring that there is still plenty to wager on.

The live betting interface is also quite amazing. It has a beautiful style that is both pleasing to the eye and easy and enjoyable to use. In most sports, there is a match visualization centre, as well as a wealth of in-game stats to review. When you choose which bet form you want to use, your bet slip is divided into singles and multiples, which you swap between.

Sports Betting Bonuses

Since welcome incentives are the first item you'll see while visiting a sports betting site, it's natural to think of them as the most important commodity that any gambling site has. Although certain players are only concerned about their monetary value, there are some promotions that do not have a significant financial benefit but may also provide a rewarding experience.

Some of the better betting promotions revolve around compensating participants for lost bets. This offers you a second opportunity to gamble your wealth in a more lucrative fashion than your first try. Accumulator discounts, unusual raises, and free bets all have enticing opportunities, and we've highlighted the players will be more comfortable taking advantage of those sign-up sports incentives below.

So, what are you waiting for? Head on down to Betway or 888 Sports now to make the most of two of the best e-gaming platforms around the African continent.