As two of the top-rated betting sites in South Africa, comparisons are always made in the Betway vs Hollywoodbets debate. Continue reading to find out which operator comes out on top in our head-to-head analysis.
Betway Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Generous 1st deposit bonus | No Tote betting |
| Wide range of sports and betting markets | No retail bet shops |
| Mobile apps |
Hollywoodbets Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Free R25 sign up bonus | No deposit bonus |
| Fantastic site for horse racing | No mobile apps |
| Fresh, new desktop platform | No live chat |
Betway vs Hollywoodbets
Comparing betting sites is something all new customers should do to find the best option for their needs. Of course, you can review our independent Betway review and do the same for Hollywoodbets, but these don’t put the brands directly against each other.
That’s why we’ve created this Betway vs Hollywoodbets comparison guide. Now, you easily weigh up the differences in everything, such as the welcome bonuses and betting features to registration, customer service and mobile apps. Let’s get started to see which of these sports betting heavyweights comes out on top.
Welcome Bonus
The first thing most bettors compare between different betting sites is their welcome bonuses. For Betway vs Hollywoodbets, this is a challenge because the offers are totally different.
Betway – 100% First Deposit Match
At Betway, new customers can take advantage of its 100% first deposit match offer that’s worth up to R1,000 as a free bet. To get your hands on the free bet, you must place bets totalling 3x the first deposit amount, all at odds of 3.00 or greater. If you complete this requirement within 30 days, you get the free bet. Take a look at our Betway sign up code article for the full terms.
Hollywoodbets – Free R25 Sign Up Bonus
Hollywoodbets has taken a different approach to Betway. It offers R25 for free simply for registering an account. There are a few terms and conditions, but the main one is that you cannot bet below 0.5 odds, which is fair, in our opinion. For more information on this offer, check out our Hollywoodbets promo code page.
Both of these offers are decent; however, we prefer the Hollywoodbets free R25. This is a no-risk offer, and if you place an even-money wager, you can easily double up to R50. The main drawback of the Betway bonus is the qualifying betting odds of 3.00. This price makes it challenging to find banker bets to complete the turnover without having to deposit more cash.
Betting Features
Both of these betting sites provide a comprehensive sports betting experience with plenty of features for bettors to enjoy. At surface level, Betway nudges ahead of Hollywoodbets in terms of the number of sports open for betting – 28 to 22. However, let’s delve deeper to find out more.
Horse Racing
Horse racing is now available at Betway South Africa. You can bet on local action or international meetings from the UK, Ireland, Australia, the USA, and several other countries. Moreover, there are Timeform tips for many races and various betting markets like win, place, position, and match bets.
Hollywoodbets is renowned for its horse racing. It offers more races than Betway on a daily basis, plus you can bet with the bookmaker or on the Tote. There are prices for fixed win/place 2, 3, and 4, in addition to SP win, open win, and open place.
Of course, with Tote betting, you have the full range of exotics like exacta, trifecta, pick 6, and jackpot to choose from as well. Lastly, Hollywoodbets has live streaming of most races, something which Betway doesn’t appear to offer.
Other Sports
Both sites offer an abundant selection of soccer betting options, although Betway has a slightly more extensive selection of betting markets. The same can be said for other sports too.
For instance, Betway has a plethora of outright bets for the French Open tennis, such as winner, to reach the final, winning half, winning quarter, and stage of elimination for selected players. Hollywoodbets, on the other hand, only has a betting market for the outright winner.
Betting Tools
Hollywoodbets has now added a same match bet builder feature, something that Betway has had for years. Furthermore, Betway offers cash out on hundreds of markets. Hollywoodbets also has cash out, but it doesn’t clearly label the applicable betting markets, which is frustrating. Another benefit of Betway is that customers can bet data free.
Overall, while Hollywoodbets is better for horse racing, Betway provides customers with a more well-rounded sportsbook that’s packed with features to enhance user experience.
Betting Odds
The best betting sites provide competitive odds that give customers value. From our Hollywoodbets review and simultaneous research on Betway, here’s a sample of their odds.
Champions League Final: betting market – match-winner
| Liverpool | Draw | Real Madrid | |
|---|---|---|---|
Betway | 2.09 | 3.60 | 3.40 |
Hollywoodbets | 2.08 | 3.60 | 3.35 |
French Open Tennis: betting market – match-winner
| Cameron Norrie | Karen Khachanov | |
|---|---|---|
| Betway | 1.57 | 2.42 |
| Hollywoodbets | 1.56 | 2.39 |
While there isn’t a lot between them, Betway gives that little bit extra, which adds up to a big difference over 50 or 100 bets. Also, there are more odds boosts on Betway, which is another feather in its cap.
Mobile Apps
This is an easy win for Betway. It has mobile apps available for Android and iOS devices. They come packed with all the bells and whistles to deliver the ultimate mobile sports betting experience. Hollywoodbets doesn’t have an app. Instead, it offers a mobile web platform.
User Experience
Hollywoodbets has upgraded its desktop platform, so customers have a choice between the old and new sites. However, mobile sports betting is more popular in South Africa, so we feel the user experience should be judged on this.
While there’s nothing wrong with Hollywoodbets’ mobile platform, it looks somewhat plain and dated. Contrast this with Betway’s modern apps, and they are worlds apart. Betway uses slider menus and displays a range of popular bets on the homepage, unlike its rival, which only shows a menu. This category is another win for Betway.
Payment Methods
To enjoy sports betting online, you need to deposit funds into your account. The best betting sites make this as quick and easy as possible. Here’s a quick review of the payment methods these operators accept.
Betway
Betway provides a profusion of payment options, including:
- Card Transactions
- Ozow
- OTT Vouchers
- Kazang
- Quick EFT
- 1 ForYou Voucher
- FNB ATM / FNB EFT
- USSD
- ABSA EFT
- MTN
- Nedbank
- Easy Load
Not all deposit methods can be used for withdrawals, but there are still plenty of options to pick from, so getting your winnings is effortless.
Hollywoodbets
Hollywoodbets has plenty of retail betting shops in South Africa, which players can use to make cash deposits into their online accounts. Additionally, you can deposit via:
- Debit and Credit card
- Bank Transfer (FNB, ABSA, Nedbank, and Standard Bank)
- PayFast
Withdrawals can be made from any branch or via EFT/Bank Transfer or cheque.
Although Hollywoodbets offers the advantage of cash deposits and withdrawals, Betway’s banking options are clearly more comprehensive, so it wins this round.
Registration
The registration process is more simplified on Betway. All you need to do is enter your mobile number, and full name, create a password and enter the Betway sign up code if you have one. On the next page, you provide your date of birth, address, and state.
From here, the operator attempts to automatically FICA approve. If not it cannot, you need to upload the documents in the pop-up window.
Hollywoodbets asks for all of the above and information about the source of funds, your ID, and how you heard about the site, and it asks you to enter your bank details for later withdrawals. For these reasons, once again, Betway is the faster and more straightforward option for easy registration.
Customer Service
Hollywoodbets offers telephone and email support, but no times are given as to the operational hours. Furthermore, it has several social media pages, although no precise information is given if these offer support.
Betway’s support is 24/7/365 via live chat, which players can access on the website or app. It also offers 24/7 telephone support as well as Twitter and Facebook. Any site with 24/7 live support gets the nod from us – it’s Betway again.
Betway vs Hollywoodbets Final Verdict
South Africa has some stellar sports betting sites, with Betway and Hollywoodbets both being among them. From our head-to-head review, Hollywoodbets came out in front in a few areas, namely for its welcome bonus and horse racing product.
However, Betway edged ahead with its overall features and sports betting odds. Furthermore, its mobile sportsbook is far superior, there are more payment methods, and customer service is 24/7.
That’s not to say we don’t recommend Hollywoodbets – it’s a solid bookmaker, particularly for racing bettors, but Betway is the more complete operator, in our opinion.
Betway vs Hollywoodbets FAQ
We’ve added some final thoughts in our FAQs related to Betway South Africa vs Hollywoodbets.
They are the same thing in that they are both sports betting companies. Of course, they are operated by different companies, and they both bring something unique to the market.
Both are top-drawer sports betting sites with their own strengths and weaknesses. Hollywoodbets has a tremendous no deposit sign-up bonus, and it’s a stellar bookmaker for horse racing. However, Betway is better all round, but it depends on what you are looking for.
Betway and Hollywoodbets share several similarities and several differences. The most notable differences are that Betway offers a first deposit match bonus, whereas Hollywoodbets has a no deposit sign up offer. Additionally, Betway offers dedicated mobile apps (Android and iOS), but Hollywoodbets only has a web-based ‘mobi’ version.
