How we pick and review bookmakers

Every bookmaker on OSB goes through the same steps before it appears, and every fact carries the date we checked it. No secret sauce, no sponsored stars. Here’s the method, all of it.

1. 01The licenceBoard, number and company, matched against the National Gambling Board’s verified operators list.
2. 02The sportSports covered, bet builder, cash-out, streaming, data-free, virtuals and Lucky Numbers, as the bookmaker shows them.
3. 03The offersWelcome offer and weekly promos, with rollover, minimum odds and time limits worked out in rands.
4. 04Getting paidDeposit and withdrawal methods, minimums, fees, payout caps and the speed the bookmaker states.
5. 05What punters sayPublic scores and recurring themes from review sites and app stores, with the sample size and date.

1. The licence comes first

We only cover bookmakers licensed by a South African provincial gambling board. We take the company, board and licence number from the bookmaker’s site, then find them on the National Gambling Board’s verified operators list or the board’s own list. We search the company, not the brand, because they’re often different. Where a bookmaker’s own pages give two different numbers, we use the one the regulator lists, and say so.

2. The sport

We go through each sportsbook’s menus and offers and record what it shows: the sports, live betting, bet builder, cash-out, streaming, data-free access, virtuals, Lucky Numbers and the games lobby. If a feature isn’t visible on the public site, it shows as “to check”, not “no”.

3. The offers, in rands

We read the full terms of each welcome offer and note the rollover, what it applies to, the minimum odds, the time limit, the maximum bet and any cap on winnings. Then we work it through on a real deposit, because “4x at 3.0” means nothing until it’s “bet R400 on outsiders and multis to unlock R150”. Offers change often, so each one shows the date we read it.

4. Getting paid

Deposit methods and minimums, withdrawal routes, minimums and fees, payout caps, and the payout speed each bookmaker states. We quote the bookmaker’s figure as the bookmaker’s figure until our own test gives us a timed one.

5. What punters say

For each bookmaker we read its public reviews and ratings and sum them up. The rules:

• Named, public sources only: HelloPeter, Trustpilot, app stores and public forums, each with the score, the number of reviews and the date we read it.
• Themes, not individuals. We paraphrase what keeps coming up. We don’t name reviewers or quote private groups.
• Praise and grumbles, every time, whoever the bookmaker is.
• No one-off claims as fact. One angry review isn’t a finding. A pattern is.
• Context on the scores. Some platforms let companies invite happy customers; complaint sites draw people with a problem. We say which is which.
• Refreshed at least every 90 days, with the date shown.

6. The OSB test, coming next

We’re opening an account at each bookmaker with our own money and running the same test everywhere, so the results compare:

1. Sign-up and FICA: what was asked for, and how long approval took.
2. First deposit: R200, the method used, and how fast it landed.
3. Welcome bonus: whether it credited the way the terms say.
4. Standard bets: the same small set everywhere, from a PSL result to a live bet with a cash-out request.
5. Withdrawal: from request to money in the bank, timed.
6. Support: the channel, and the time to a useful answer.

Each review shows “OSB test: coming soon” until its results are in. Star ratings come with the test, never before.

What we won’t do

No offshore sites, whatever they offer.

No paid positions. Our lists are A to Z, and “good for” labels come from facts.

No invented figures. A number we haven’t found shows as “to check”.

No tips or predictions. We tell you how the bets and the bookmakers work. Who wins is up to the sport.

No bookmaker sign-off. Bookmakers can correct a fact; they can’t approve a review or remove a complaint.

How often it’s redone

Sports offers are re-checked at least every two weeks, banking terms and licences monthly, and punter scores at least every 90 days. Every figure shows the date it was last checked.

Last updated 11 November 2026