Hollywood Bets Review South Africa

Our Hollywoodbets review provides all the key information on one of South Africa’s best betting sites.

1. Background, Licensing & Reputation

• Hollywoodbets was established in 1986 as a small South African publishing company which managed the distribution of racecards for South African racing. It has grown to be one of the biggest betting brands in South Africa and is synonymous with horse racing and sports betting.
• The company operates online in South Africa, Mozambique, the United Kingdom and in Ireland, with its famous purple brand. It also has a number of retail branches in South Africa and Mozambique.
• Hollywoodbets in extremely well established in South Africa and has numerous sponsorships, partnerships, and brand ambassadors in place to promote the brand.
1. In August 2023, Hollywoodbets was announced as the main shirt sponsor of the Sharks rugby team. The team are known as the Hollywoodbet Sharks and compete internationally in the United Rugby Championship.
2. They sponsor the Dolphins cricket team, the SA Super League soccer and multiple sports venues including Kenilworth, Kingsmead, Durbanville, Scottsville, and Kings Park.
3. Hollywoodbets have some big-name brand ambassadors on their roster. Celebrities include: Robert Marawa, Bafana Bafana legend Teko Modise, Brian Baloyi, Akona Ndungane from the world of rugby, cricket player Mike Procter and actor Nomzamo Mbatha.
• The company are proudly South African and operate from their headquarters in Umhlanga, KZN. They operate over 80 branches, and each one is connected to a local charity as part of the Hollywoodbets MyCommunity Programme. Included are children’s homes, community centres, old-age homes, and schools.
• The Hollywood Foundation was established in 2021 and is a non-profit organisation focussing on the communities in which the business operates. Projects include welfare, education, and sport.
• Hollywoodbets is licensed by the Gauteng Gambling Board, the Limpopo Gambling Board, and the Mpumalanga Economic Regulator. Specific products are licensed by the Kwazulu Natal Gambling Board and the Western Cape Gambling Board.
• The company are a long established, integrated part of the SA gambling industry with an extensive retail estate and well-regarded online product range.

2. Security

• Hollywoodbets SA is licensed by numerous authorities including the Gauteng Gambling Board, the Limpopo Gambling Board, and the Mpumalanga Economic Regulator.
• The company adheres to the standard FICA requirements which includes:
1. Customer ID verification (this process can be completed quickly and easily on the site)
2. SSL encryption to safeguard personal and financial data.
3. Accepting deposits and paying withdrawals via high quality payment processors.
• Hollywoodbets publish a highly detailed customer privacy policy and PAIA manual on their website.

3. Payment Options

• Hollywoodbets offer a huge range of payment methods and use Peach Payments for instant EFT and credit card payments. You can also deposit via numerous vouchers, Zapper and Spot Money.
• Payment processing is quick so you can get straight to placing your bet, with minimal effort!
• Accounts are FICA verified at registration so you can request any withdrawals with no further documentation.

4. Betting Options & Market Coverage

• Hollywoodbets offer all the sports and markets you would expect from one of South Africa’s best online betting sites.
• Horse racing fans are spoilt for choice, with all SA and international racing covered and live streaming available.
• Extensive markets are available on boxing, golf, tennis and less popular betting sports like floorball and handball.
• With their sponsorship of the Sharks, you would be right in thinking that Hollywoodbets offer a huge range of betting markets on domestic and international rugby union.

5. Betting Odds

• Hollywoodbets offer competitive odds and are particularly strong on ante-post horse racing.
• Site navigation is quite different from many other operators in that there is no product navigation at the top of the page. All markets and odds can be found in the left navigation and markets can then be ‘built’ on the main sports page.

6. Bonuses and Promotions

• New customers can claim a free R25 sign up bonus, which can be used on a variety of sports, including horse racing.
• The promotions page has a number of daily offers, covering both sport and online games. We like the Punters Challenge which runs at every race meeting in SA, Hong Kong, and Singapore. If you tip all the winners on the card, you could win over R1 Million!!! The game is free to play, and you just have to sign up with Hollywoodbets to take part.
• Terms and conditions are clearly displayed for all offers, setting out qualifying sports/markets, key requirements and the wagering conditions which apply. We find the T&Cs to be clear and accessible.

7. Mobile Compatibility

• Hollywoodbets offers some high-quality mobile products – including a fully optimised website accessible on your internet enabled phone.
• The android app can be downloaded from the site but at the time of writing, no iOS application is available to download.

8. Customer Support

• Hollywoodbets really put the customer at the centre of their business. Part of this means their customer support team are of a very high quality.

• You can contact the team via email, phone or social media and they are available 24/7.
• They also provide some excellent videos on how to open an account, complete FICA, deposit, place a bet and many other key journeys. All of these can be accessed on the website.

9. User Interface and User Experience

• The Hollywoodbets website recently underwent a redesign but still uses the familiar purple colour scheme.
• The navigation takes a little while to get used to but is simple and responsive.
• The website is great for horse racing betting with live streaming available and lots of added incentives to keep punters happy.
• Customer support is good and the ‘how to’ videos are very clear in navigating customers through various processes.

10. Responsible Gambling and Customer Protection

• As a long-established operator in the South African market, and with many betting shops in local communities, Hollywoodbets take their obligations towards responsible gambling, very seriously.
• You can request a period of account suspension or self-exclusion if you feel this is required, via a dedicated email address.

Hollywood bets are one of the biggest online betting companies in South Africa and offer a fantastic range of betting markets. They are genuine racing experts and have a market-leading horse racing product for racing fans. In our opinion, they are high on the list of best SA betting sites and best SA betting bonuses!