To an outsider, sports betting may seem like people gambling on the winner of a match, whether that be a team or a player. There is much more to sports betting than this, though. The strong variety of online sportsbooks in South Africa feature a variety of betting opportunities. Some of them are very popular with bettors, while others remain a little less so. Despite this, the diversity of sports betting options today is bigger than ever before. In this guide, we will look at the variety of sports bets you can place.

It is important to note that some sports bets are very specific to one sport or another. You wouldn’t find a knockout market in tennis, for example, while it would be very much in place in MMA or boxing. Thus, in this guide, we will look at the markets that are much more common and expand to cover a variety of sports.

The Different Bet Options in South Africa

Sport, in general, is highly popular in South Africa and its culture. The three most popular mainstream sports within the country are cricket, soccer, and rugby. That visibly reflects the early occupancy of the country by Britain in colonial times. Teams from various national teams compete in these sports today, wearing the national sporting colours and protea national emblem. Here are some of the wagers that you can place on soccer, rugby, cricket, and other sports.

Single Bets

Win

This is a one-off bet on the outcome of a single event. It could relate to a win only bet on a specific soccer team to win against another. So, if you bet on Aston Villa to beat Arsenal and the team does so, that would be a successful win-only bet on the team.

Place Bet

In this market, you are betting on a selection to finish first or in the top places within a race or competition. Anyone who intends to engage in horse racing betting online will become very familiar with this sports bet. You may pick a runner to cross the finish line first or pick a horse to come within the top three positions, for example.

Each Way Bets

There are two bets placed in this option. One stake backs a selection to win outright, while the other is on a place finish. The stake is effectively doubled and split across the ‘win’ and ‘place’ markets noted above. Again, this is most used in horse racing betting.

Multiples

With this type of sports bet, you will be wagering on two or more outcomes. These are also known as accumulators, which combine several bets together into one. For example, let’s say four soccer matches in the World Cup are taking place in one day and you want to back a team to win in each game. Doing so would be an accumulator bet. You stand to win more from this type of wager, yet all selections need to be correct to receive a payout. That’s what makes multiples a lot riskier.

Forecast Betting

With this market, you can set about predicting the finishing order of the top two or three finishers in a race, a league, or an event.

Straight Forecast Bets

In this market, you choose two selections to finish first and second in a race or an event. These are in a specified order, too. Let’s say that you decide to bet on an eSports event. The tournament features multiple teams, and you decide to back team A to finish in first and team B to finish in second position.

Reversed Forecast Bets

This option imitates the situation above, but you don’t have to specify any exact order. You simply choose the options you believe will be the top two finishers, without specifying which one will win it all. Two stake units are usually required for this type of bet.

Combination Forecast Bet

In this one, you choose three or more selections to finish in first and second. These must be stated in a specified order, too. This is a combination of straight forecast bets, so there are multiple numbers of unit stakes and multiple bets because of this.

Tricast and Combination Tricast

These operate like standard forecast bets but incorporate at least three selections instead of two.

Full Cover Bets

This type of bet combines all potential doubles, trebles, and accumulators over a specified number of selections. A trixie bet, for example, covers three selections comprising three doubles and a treble, equating to four separate wagers. To receive a payout, you need to be correct with at least two selections.