Pokerbet.co.za Review

Pokerbet currently does not have a dedicated mobile app for Android or iOS. This means you won’t find Pokerbet in the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. However, the mobile-optimised website fills the gap effectively. Pokerbet presents a responsive interface that mirrors app-like functionality, allowing you to bet on sports or play poker from your smartphone with ease. The mobile site is user-friendly as menus and betslips are easy to navigate and poker games load in your mobile browser without needing a download.

Despite the lack of native apps, mobile punters still enjoy features like live in-play betting and all poker tournaments via the browser. The performance on mobile is generally smooth with pages well-designed for smaller screens and touch input. Notably, Pokerbet has put effort into retaining mobile bettors through this slick mobile site. 

Pokerbet is a fully licensed and regulated betting operator in SA. The platform is operated by Novamore Ltd, trading as Pokerbet, and it holds a bookmaker license from the Northern Cape Gambling Board. This provincial license permits Pokerbet to offer online betting (including poker and sports) to South African residents. 

Being licensed by an SA gambling board means Pokerbet adheres to local gambling laws and undergoes regulatory oversight, ensuring that your funds and bets are protected by law. In addition, Pokerbet is required to comply with FICA (Financial Intelligence Centre Act) regulations, which means new customers must verify their identity and address. 

Pokerbet delivers a broad range of betting types and games, combining a comprehensive sportsbook with poker and other gambling offerings. Below we break down the full catalogue:

Sports Betting (Pre-Match & Live)

The Pokerbet Sportsbook is impressively extensive. Powered by the BetConstruct platform, it covers 30+ sports with thousands of markets available. You can bet on all the popular sports in South Africa and worldwide, including:

• Soccer: All major international leagues (English Premier League, UEFA Champions League) plus local PSL matches and CAF competitions.
• Rugby: International rugby, Super Rugby, Currie Cup, Six Nations, Rugby Championship and more.
• Cricket: Test, ODI, T20 internationals, IPL, SA20 and domestic leagues.
• Others: Basketball (NBA, EuroLeague), Tennis (Grand Slams, ATP/WTA tours), American Football, Golf, Boxing & UFC, Cricket, Formula 1, Motorsport, Ice Hockey, Darts and Cycling.
• Niche Sports: Pokerbet even lists less common sports like Gaelic Football, Hurling, Bandy, Lacrosse, Ski Jumping and Sumo. While these are available, for some niche sports the market depth is limited. The popular sports come with robust market depth. For example, soccer matches have dozens of bet types (1X2, handicaps, totals, both teams to score, player props and more), and rugby or cricket games offer multiple spreads and specials.

Both pre-match betting and live betting are offered. The top menu includes a “LIVE” tab which you can click to see all ongoing matches open for in-play betting. At any given time, you’ll find hundreds of live events from soccer games in progress to live tennis matches where odds update point-by-point. The live betting interface includes dynamic odds, live match trackers and one-click bet placement. 

Esports fans are also covered. Pokerbet features popular esports titles like CS:GO, Dota 2, League of Legends, Call of Duty, Rainbow Six, Rocket League, Valorant and more. This is great for punters who follow competitive gaming – you can bet on major tournaments and leagues in the esports world.

Online Poker (Texas Hold’em & Omaha)

As the name suggests, poker is Pokerbet’s signature offering. Unlike most SA betting sites, Pokerbet offers real peer-to-peer poker games and tournaments – creating a genuine online poker room experience for South Africans.

• Poker Games: Players can enjoy multiple poker variants, including Texas Hold’em and Omaha. Both Omaha 4-card and Omaha 5-card games are available, catering to fans of this action-packed variant. Cash game tables run around the clock at various stake levels.
• Tournaments: This is where Pokerbet truly shines. They host daily and weekly poker tournaments with huge guaranteed prize pools. In total, Pokerbet puts up over R1 million in prizes each week across their tournaments – an unprecedented amount in the South African online poker scene. A flagship event is the “Sunday Series” every week at 6:30pm SAST, which carries a R300,000 guaranteed prize pool for that one tournament. Additionally, Pokerbet runs freeroll satellites daily and weekly, giving players a chance to win entries into bigger events at no cost. There are also frequent Jackpot tournaments where a R1,000,000 prize pool is guaranteed, which is the largest you’ll find in SA online poker. Pokerbet offers free-to-enter promotions and challenges for poker players. For example, they have run monthly challenges where playing a certain number of tournaments grants entry to a big freeroll. 
• Poker Software: The poker lobby is integrated into the website. You can play via your browser on desktop or mobile. The software allows multi-tabling, has in-game chat and a variety of table stakes. 

Casino Games & Slots

One area where Pokerbet is still developing is the traditional online casino section. As of this review, Pokerbet does not offer a broad selection of slots or automated casino table games – there is no dedicated Casino tab or library of slot machines on the site. This is a notable difference from other SA betting sites that feature hundreds of slot games.

Pokerbet’s marketing materials have hinted at casino content, but on the live site these were not yet accessible to players. It seems the platform may be planning to roll out online slots and jackpot games in the future, but currently there is no classic casino offering.

Live Casino & Lotteries

Similarly, live dealer casino games (like live blackjack, roulette and baccarat hosted by human dealers) are not yet offered on Pokerbet. They do not list a Lucky Numbers section in its menu, nor have they integrated BetGames.TV at this stage. So if you enjoy betting on Lotto draws or playing live dealer game shows, Pokerbet might not cater to those interests just yet.

Crash Games & Virtual Sports

Pokerbet does include some of the newer game categories like crash games and virtual sports, albeit on a smaller scale:

• Crash Game (Aviator): The popular multiplier game Aviator is available on Pokerbet. In Aviator, a plane takes off with an increasing multiplier and you must cash out before it crashes.
• Virtual Sports: Pokerbet’s platform does support virtuals; you’ll find a “Virtual Sports” section offering virtual football leagues, virtual horse/dog races and more. 

Beyond just the range of sports, it’s important to look at market depth, odds competitiveness and special features that Pokerbet’s platform offers to bettors.

Market Depth

For major sports, Pokerbet provides an excellent array of markets. A big soccer match can have 100+ betting options from the standard 1X2 and over/under goals to Asian handicaps, correct score, halftime/fulltime, player to score and more. Football, cricket, rugby, tennis and basketball all have deep market coverage. In contrast, if you venture into very niche sports, you might only find the basics such as outright winner. This is fairly normal as Pokerbet focuses its detailed markets on sports that have high demand.

For live betting, market depth remains solid. A live soccer game will still present many in-play markets, though some options lock or open depending on the game flow. The odds update live and you have a cash-out option too.

Odds Competitiveness

Pokerbet’s odds are generally competitive with other top SA bookmakers. Since the sportsbook runs on BetConstruct’s odds feed, the pricing is on par with international markets. The margins are reasonable – around the industry standard 5-7% on main markets. In some cases, Pokerbet might offer slightly better odds on underdogs or specific handicaps, so it’s worth comparing if you bet with multiples sites.

Cash Out

Pokerbet offers a Cash Out feature on various bets. This lets you settle your bet before the game ends to secure a profit or cut losses. Cash Out is available on singles and some multiples. While Pokerbet hasn’t heavily advertised this feature, in practice the Cash Out button appears in your bet slip for qualifying bets, and it updates the cash-out value in real time. 

Other Features

The platform includes handy filters like by time and a search bar to quickly find a team or league. These help navigate the huge sportsbook. Pokerbet also has a “Specials” or “Politics/TV” section where you can bet on novelty markets.

Pokerbet supports a range of secure deposit and withdrawal methods familiar to South African punters. Banking on the site is straightforward, with options that cater to both card users and those who prefer bank transfers or instant EFT.

Deposit Methods

• Visa & MasterCard:  Both credit and debit cards are accepted and deposits via card are usually instant. Ensure your card is enabled for online transactions for a smooth process.
• EFT / Bank Transfer: You can deposit directly from your bank. Pokerbet likely provides bank details or uses a payment gateway to facilitate Instant EFT. Ozow is specifically listed as an Instant EFT option, meaning you can log in with your bank through Ozow for a quick transfer.
• PayGate: PayGate is another payment processor mentioned by Pokerbet. This often encompasses card payments and possibly instant EFT. Essentially, it’s a secure gateway to handle your bank payments.
• Other Methods: At the moment, cash vouchers are not explicitly supported on Pokerbet. The deposit methods are slightly limited. No e-wallets are offered either, since those aren’t common in SA betting. Most users will find card or Ozow EFT suitable. The minimum deposit amount is usually around R50 but we recommend checking the cashier page to see the specific amounts. 

Depositing is free of any fees from Pokerbet’s side. Your balance is credited immediately for card and instant EFT. If you do a manual bank transfer, it might take longer.

Withdrawal Methods

Pokerbet processes withdrawals mainly via EFT/bank transfer to your bank account. When you cash out winnings, the funds will be paid to the bank details you provide. If you deposited by card, the withdrawal might still be done via bank transfer as South African cards generally don’t receive funds back on the card.

• Withdrawal Time: Pokerbet aims to approve withdrawals within 24 hours, but advises to allow up to 72 hours for the whole process. Withdrawal requests are not instant – they go through verification and batch processing by the payments team.
• FICA Verification: Note that you must be FICA verified to withdraw. Pokerbet will require you to upload proof of identity and proof of address as per South African law.
• Payment Security: All transactions are encrypted via SSL and Pokerbet uses reputable payment processors, so your card details or bank login via Ozow are protected. 

Pokerbet attracts new customers with a combination of free bonus offers and deposit matches, and it keeps things interesting for existing players with various promotions. Let’s break down the current bonuses and their terms:

Sports Welcome Offer – 100% Deposit Match up to R2,000

New players are welcomed with a 100% first deposit match up to R2,000 for sports betting. This bonus is credited as sports bonus funds. 

Poker Promotions

Pokerbet runs plenty of poker-specific promotions to keep players engaged:

• Tournament Leaderboards & Challenges: Keep an eye on the Promotions page and the “Poker Promo” tab. Pokerbet often has leaderboard races. They also celebrate events such as their 1-year anniversary with special freerolls.
• Freerolls: Aside from the regular schedule, promotions can include exclusive freerolls for certain player groups. 
• Reload Bonuses: Occasionally, Pokerbet may offer reload bonuses for poker or casino. 

Sports Betting Promotions

For sports bettors, Pokerbet’s ongoing promos can include:

• Odds Boosts: Especially on big matches or accumulators such as a special 10% boosted odds on a certain multi.
• Multibet Insurance or Bonus: Some bookies give a win boost for multiples or refund if one leg fails. 
• Free Bets & Contests: They have been known to give out free bets to customers. 

To find the full list of available offers, head to the promotions page where you will also find the full terms and conditions for each offer. 

Security

Pokerbet takes player security seriously. The website is secured with SSL encryption, meaning your personal information and financial transactions are encrypted. The platform’s backend is provided by a reputable international software, which undergoes independent testing for fairness and security. Your password is hashed and not visible to staff.

In terms of game fairness, sports bets are obviously determined by real event outcomes and poker’s random number generator (for card shuffles) should be audited. Pokerbet’s license from the Northern Cape Board further ensures that audits and compliance checks are done – the regulators verify things like payout ratios and software fairness for the games.

FICA Compliance

As a South African operator, Pokerbet must comply with FICA and KYC regulations. Practically, this means you will need to verify your account by submitting documentation:

• Proof of Identity: A copy of your South African ID, driver’s license or passport.
• Proof of Address: A recent utility bill, bank statement or official document with your name and residential address that is no older than 3 months.

Pokerbet may allow you to sign up and even deposit without docs at first, but before your first withdrawal they will require these documents. 

Responsible Gambling

• Self-Exclusion: You can request a temporary or permanent self-exclusion if you feel your gambling is out of control. This would block your account for a chosen period.
• Time-out: You might be able to take a short break (24 hours, week) via support if needed.

• Live Chat: This is accessible by clicking a chat icon or help button. Live chat connects you to an agent for real-time assistance. It’s recommended for urgent issues like account help or betting queries.
• Email: For less urgent matters or if you need to send documents, email [email protected]. The team typically responds within a few hours to a day.
• Telephone: Pokerbet lists a contact phone number 060 070 2807 for support. During working hours, you can call and speak to a support representative directly.
• Social Media: While not an official support channel, Pokerbet is active on Twitter (X) and Facebook. 

Pokerbet enters the South African betting scene with a bold proposition – it’s the only site to offer true online poker alongside a full sportsbook. This unique angle makes it a compelling choice for punters who enjoy both sports betting and poker tournaments. While there are a few features missing when betting at the site, most notably a fully-stocked casino, Pokerbet have done a good job of providing most of the things modern bettors want.