Founded in 2016, Firstbet is a relatively new betting platform. The site has around 20 sports with a focus on football, boasting over 750 markets and average margin of 5-6% for top matches. They provide two Sign Up bonus offers: a no deposit Free bet and first deposit offer. Additionally, the support team is known for their swift responses to customer queries, but not available 24/7. Firstbet lacks live streaming and match tracker features, as well as mobile apps. Overall, the bookmaker needs to improve a lot before it can compete with leading South African betting sites in several areas.
Firstbet Online Betting: Rating
Feature | Rating | Comment |
---|---|---|
A range of markets | 4/10 | Around 20 sports, 750+ markets on top football, 5-6% margin for top football |
Bonus offers | 5/10 | Two Welcome bonuses, couple of promotions for existing customers |
Payment methods | 5/10 | Credit card, EFT, Instant EFT, Vouchers, Cash Send |
Streaming | 0/10 | No live streaming, no match tracker |
Apps | 0/10 | No apps |
Sign-up and support | 7/10 | Full registration form, quick replies from support |
Ease of Navigation | 7/10 | User-friendly website |
Firstbet Basic Information
Website | https://www.firstbet.co.za/ | Game Types | Sports Betting, Lucky Numbers |
Deposit Methods | Credit/ debit card by Peach Payments, Instant EFT via CallPay, 1Voucher, OTT Voucher, Blu Voucher | Withdrawal Methods | EFT, Cash Send |
Apps | No apps | Betting features | Live betting, Cash Out, Book a Bet |
Owner | Banzostar (PTY) LTD | Support | Live chat, E-mail, Phone, Fax, WhatsApp, Physical Address |
Headquarters | Cape Town, South Africa | Founded Year | 2016 |
Licence | Western Cape Gambling & Racing Board | Welcome Bonus | R30 Sign Up Bonus, 100% First deposit bonus up to R1000 |
Firstbet Pros & Cons
- Two Welcome bonuses
- Horse racing betting
- Cash Out
- No live streaming
- No mobile apps
- Not many sports
Firstbet Website, Mobile Version & App Screenshots
Firstbet Sports Betting Markets
Football, tennis, basketball, cricket, and rugby are among the 20 sports you can bet on at Firstbet South Africa.
- Football
- Horse Racing
- Rugby Union
- Cricket
- Golf
- Tennis
- American Football
- Australian Rules
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Boxing
- Cycling
- Darts
- Handball
- Ice Hockey
- Martial Arts
- Motorsport
- Snooker
- Table Tennis
- Volleyball
Football
Firstbet Football provides sports fans with a comprehensive coverage across more than 50 countries, encompassing 1400+ events. While it covers a vast array of international matches, it notably doesn’t feature championships from South Africa. For high-profile football matches, bettors have access to over 750 outcomes to bet on. With intuitive filters, making sense of the multitude of combinations becomes easier, ensuring that every bettor, from novice to expert, can find their ideal bet. Whether you’re into main markets, combination bets, or more niche options, Firstbet Football has it covered.
Tennis
Tennis section is divided by countries and not by tournaments, which is unusual. There are many tennis tournaments available at Firstbet, such as Grand Slams, ATP, WTA, Challengers, and UTR. For US Open games, over 60 pre-match markets are offered, such as Match Result, First/Second Set Winner, First Set Correct Score, Set Betting, First Set Total Games Over/Under, and etc.
Horse Racing
The Horses section is located under its own tab, separate from other sports. There are horse races from South Africa, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and France. All seven racecourses that operate in South Africa are covered by Firstbet. Betting options range from Antepost to last-minute bets.
Firstbet Welcome Bonus & Offers
R30 Free bet
- No deposit bonus + first deposit bonus
- Betting on horse racing
- User-friendly website
Register with Firstbet and get a R30 no deposit Free bet. In order to withdraw it, wager this bonus twice on sports bets at odds of 2.00 (1/1) or greater.
For existing customers, Firstbet offers Multiple Bet Bonus up to 25%, Soccer Prediction Time and RWC23 20% Deposit Bonus. You can learn more about other promotions in our Firstbet Bonus article.
Registration on Firstbet
The only way to register on Firstbet is to complete the full registration process. Learn How to Register on Firstbet in our separate Match.Center article. Here is a quick guide:
- Click “Join” at the top right of the Firstbet site.
- Enter personal details, ID or passport, and create a strong password.
- Input mobile number, receive OTP. Confirm age and accept terms.
- Enter received OTP and click “Create My Account”.
Firstbet Payment Methods
South Africans have multiple options to deposit and withdraw funds on Firstbet. You can deposit using credit/debit cards, Instant EFT via CallPay, 1 Voucher, OTT Voucher, and Blu Voucher. However, withdrawals are available to EFT and Cash Send options only.
How to Make a Deposit at Firstbet
In order to make a deposit on this South African betting site, follow the instructions below:
- Log into your Firstbet account.
- Click on the “Deposit” tab at the top left of your page.
- Select your preferred deposit method
- Follow the instructions on screen.
Payment method | Minimum Deposit | Maximum Deposit | Deposit time |
---|---|---|---|
Credit/debit card | R10 | N/A | Instant |
Instant EFT via CallPay | R10 | N/A | Instant |
1Voucher | R10 | N/A | Instant |
OTT Voucher | R10 | N/A | Instant |
Blu Voucher | R10 | N/A | Instant |
How to Withdraw from Firstbet
Follow these steps to request a withdrawal at Firstbet:
- Sign in to your account. Ensure your FICA documents have been submitted. You can only withdraw once you’ve received FICA approval.
- Click on the “Account” tab at the top.
- Choose “Banking”.
- Click on “Withdraw”.
- Verify your bank details. Ensure they align with the account proof given during the FICA process. New bank accounts for withdrawal require an additional proof of account.
- Input the desired withdrawal amount and continue.
Payment method | Minimum Withdrawal | Maximum Withdrawal | Withdrawal time |
---|---|---|---|
Bank Transfer | R60 | N/A | Up 2 working days |
Cash Send | R100 | R500 | Up 2 working days |
Firstbet SA Mobile App
Firstbet does not have a mobile app for Android or iOS as of September 2023. In the event that Firstbet develops an app, we recommend reading our Firstbet App review.
Firstbet Live Betting & Live Streaming
Firstbet’s live betting section isn’t that extensive, with only a few football, basketball, cricket and baseball events in play at the time of writing. Live video streaming is not available. There are also no statistics or graphical representations.
Firstbet Odds
Firstbet’s odds have been tested at various levels for several major sports. The betting site has average odds compared to other South African bookmakers. The margin on the English Premier League is around 5%. However, on the EURO qualifiers, the margin was more than 12%, which is very high. Interestingly, the margin on the Over/Under market for some matches was even lower by 2-3 times than on the Winner market. The table below shows the margins for different sports and event levels:
Sport | League | Date | Match | Margin on 1×2 | Margin on O/U |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Football | English Premier League | 16/09/2023 | Wolverhampton Wanderers v Liverpool FC | 5.25% | 4.89% |
Football | European Championship QF | 07/09/2023 | France vs Republic of Ireland | 12.74% | 6.51% |
Football | Africa Cup of Nations Qualification | 07/09/2023 | Niger vs Uganda | 12.67% | 4.94% |
Tennis | ATP, US Open Men Singles | 08/09/2023 | Alcaraz, Carlos vs Medvedev, Daniil | 5.74% | 7.24% |
Basketball | FIBA World Cup | 08/09/2023 | USA vs Germany | 5.19% | 7.50% |
Rugby | Rugby Union, World Cup | 08/09/2023 | France vs New Zealand | 5.81% | 6.40% |
Cricket | Caribbean Premier League | 10/09/2023 | Trinbago Knight Riders vs Jamaica Tallawahs | 7.53% | – |
Firstbet Security
Firstbet, trading under the name of BANZOSTAR (PTY) LTD with registration number 2016/131538/07, holds a licence from the Western Cape Gambling & Racing Board. This licence, bearing the number 10185107, was issued on 30 June 2017.
Firstbet states that the security of your personal data is a top priority for them. However, they mention that no online transmission or electronic storage method is entirely safe. While Firstbet employs robust and commercially accepted measures to safeguard personal data, they do not guarantee absolute security.
Firstbet Contact & Customer Service
Firstbet customer support is not available 24/7. They assist from 8:30AM to 8PM on weekdays. On weekends and public holidays, the support team is available from 9:30AM to 5PM. The customer support agents reply straight away and provide all necessary information. Here are the support channels:
- Live chat on the website
- Phone: 021 300 6856
- WhatsApp: +27683233139
- Fax Number: 0866581356
- Email: support@firstbet.co.za
- Address: 42 Main Road , Diep River, 7764
Firstbet Comparison with Alternative Bookmakers
When comparing Firstbet with other bookmakers, there are noticeable differences. In terms of the range of markets, Firstbet scores just 4, while BetOlimp leads with an 8, closely followed by Betway and Gbets with scores of 6 and 10 respectively. In the bonus offers category, Gbets stands out with an 8, while Firstbet lags behind with a score of 5. BetOlimp and Gbets offer more payment methods than Firstbet. Streaming capabilities are prominent in Betway with a score of 8, whereas Firstbet currently doesn’t offer this feature. Only Betway offers a full-fledged app with a top score of 10. In the realms of sign-up, support, and ease of navigation, Betway and BetOlimp marginally outperform Firstbet, but the differences are not substantial. Overall, Firstbet lags behind the leaders in the South African market.
Feature | Firstbet | BetOlimp | Betway | Gbets |
---|---|---|---|---|
A range of markets | 4 | 8 | 6 | 10 |
Bonus offers | 5 | 7 | 7 | 8 |
Payment methods | 5 | 7 | 10 | 6 |
Streaming | 0 | 1 | 8 | 1 |
Apps | 0 | 0 | 10 | 5 |
Sign-up and support | 7 | 8 | 9 | 8 |
Ease of Navigation | 7 | 8 | 9 | 7 |
Firstbet: R30 Free Bet + 100% First Deposit bonus up to R1000
BetOlimp: 100% First deposit bonus up to R3000