Best live casinos and games in South Africa for 2024

What is a live casino?

A live casino is an online gambling site that offers live dealer games. These games are hosted by real-life dealers in purpose-built studios and streamed live via a webcam.

They closely mimic the experience of playing in a real-life casino but mean you don’t have to leave the comfort of your home. You can log in to your live casino account, choose which games to play, and place your bets. 

How do live casinos work?

Unlike standard games, which utilise random number generator (RNG) technology, live casino games are broadcast from studios and feature professional human dealers who host the games at physical tables. HD cameras film and stream the action in real-time via licensed casino platforms to your mobile or tablet. 

When you enter the live casino online lobby, there is a short betting window to place your bets. When the window closes, the dealer starts the game, and if you have placed a winning bet, you will be paid out accordingly. 

You can chat with the dealer via the live chat function throughout the game. As a result, live casino games online offer a more authentic, immersive and sociable casino experience.

Top 5 online casinos for live dealer games

Casino Tropez

Casino Tropez has been in operation since 2001 and is a legitimate and trusted site in South Africa. There are dozens of live casino titles from industry leader Playtech, all offering a truly immersive and authentic experience. Roulette fans can pick from Roulette Royal, Club Roulette, or Double Action Roulette. Take a seat at the virtual table, and you can follow other players’ bets and winning number stats.

Europa Casino

Like Casino Tropez, Europa is powered by Playtech and offers a great selection of live casino titles. It’s the best place in South Africa to play live roulette, with many exciting variations, including live European and American roulette. There are also hundreds of slots to play and some great value offers and promotions to take advantage of at Europa.

ZAR Casino

ZAR Casino has a good selection of live dealer games for you to enjoy, particularly in live blackjack, with variations such as blackjack VIP, Russian blackjack, Baltic blackjack, and more. You can also enjoy a range of video poker games at ZAR Casino, as well as a wide selection of slots and classic table games.

Yeti Casino

Award-winning developer, Evolution Gaming, powers the live casino section at Yeti, so you can expect some of the very best titles. Tables for live baccarat, blackjack, roulette and poker are available and cover a range of betting limits. If you’re up for something a bit different, try one of the live game show titles like Monopoly Big Baller and First-Person Deal or No Deal. 

Yako Casino

Yako Casino offers an impressive selection of live casino games from Evolution, and there are also live titles from Pragmatic Play, such as Sweet Bonanza Candyland and Speed Baccarat. You can take a seat at the virtual live roulette and blackjack tables at any time at Yako Casino.

How to sign up & play live casino games

Getting started at a live dealer casino in South Africa is a breeze, and you can follow these steps to create an account:

1. 1

   Check that the site is licensed and regulated. 

2. 2

   Follow the steps, including submitting your details (name, date of birth, email address, etc.) to create an account. 

3. 3

   Read the welcome bonus terms before making a qualifying deposit to see if it’s worth opting in for the bonus offer. 

4. 4

   Browse the live casino offering and read the rules of the games that you want to play.

5. 5

   Enter the live casino lobby and place a bet on your chosen game.

Live casino bonuses & promos

The best live dealer casinos in South Africa offer generous casino bonuses to use on your favourite games. Typical offers include deposit bonuses that match your deposit by a certain amount, and free spins, which are exclusive to slot games. 

You can also take advantage of ongoing casino promotions, such as reload bonuses that provide additional funds when you deposit on specific days. If you’re lucky, your chosen casino might even offer a no deposit bonus, which you can access without making an initial down payment.

Live casino deposits & withdrawals

To get started at an online casino in South Africa, you need to make a deposit. You can do this via numerous popular banking options like Visa, Mastercard, or e-wallets like Neteller or Skrill. Some live casinos in South Africa also support crypto deposits.

All deposits are instantly available in your account. Still, you should always check how long a casino takes to process a withdrawal. Most leading live casinos in South Africa process payouts in 1-2 business days, but it’s worth checking the terms and conditions so you know what to expect. 

Easy EFT

Bitcoin

PayPal

Payz

Bank transfer

Mastercard

Neteller

Visa

Skrill

Popular live casino software providers

Evolution is the leading live casino software provider with superb table games, game show titles, and live slots. Pragmatic Play also offers excellent live casino titles, and Playtech’s selection is impressive. 

It’s worth checking which software provider powers the live casino at the betting site you’re playing at to make sure you can enjoy the most popular games. 

Live casino mobile sites & apps

While you can play live casino games on a computer, you can also play them on the go via your tablet or smartphone. Some mobile casinos offer dedicated apps, while others have made their games available via HTML5 technology, meaning you can play them on a mobile browser. 

One of the biggest advantages to playing via a mobile app is that you can access app-exclusive offers and promotions, which you can use to boost your bankroll as you place your bets.

What’s the difference between online and live casino games?

Live dealer games and standard online casino games are both great, but there are some differences you need to be aware of before deciding which is more suited to you:

How we rate live casinos

At OCZA, we review countless live casinos to bring you the best sites that South Africa has to offer. We consider the following criteria before making a recommendation:

1. 1

   Game variety & software providers

   We look at the selection of live casino titles offered at an online gambling site and check to see which software provider (Playtech, Evolution, Pragmatic, etc.) provides the games.

2. 2

   Bonuses & promotions

   We consider the quality of the welcome bonuses and ongoing promotions and always read the small print for wagering requirements, deposit limits, etc., to ensure they are fair and reasonable. 

3. 3

   Deposits & withdrawals

   We check how many banking methods are supported and review how long it takes for a live casino to process withdrawals. The best sites offer withdrawals within 24 hours.

4. 4

   Security & licensing

   We look at where a casino is licensed and regulated, be it in the UK, Malta, or Curaçao, for instance. If a site is not licensed, it will not be featured on our site. 

5. 5

   Mobile experience

   We examine whether a casino’s games use HTML5 technology for optimised mobile gaming. We also consider whether the site has a dedicated mobile app for iOS and Android. 

6. 6

   Customer support

   We contact the customer support team directly to check how responsive and helpful they are. We expect the best sites to offer multiple contact methods, including email, phone and live chat.

Browse other live casino guides

We invite you to browse through our other in-depth live casino guides to find out more about what these games have to offer:

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Live casino FAQs

• What are live casinos?

  Live casinos are online gambling sites that offer games hosted in real-time by live dealers in purpose-built studios.

• Which is the best live casino in South Africa?

  The best live casino in South Africa is Casino Tropez, which has an outstanding games library and fantastic promotions.

• Can you play live casino online for real money?

  Yes, you can play live casino games for real money in South Africa. Create an online casino account, deposit funds, and place your bets to win.

• Is playing live casino online legit?

  Yes, live casino games are legitimate, provided you play at a licensed and regulated live casino in South Africa. 

• What games can I play at a live casino?

  You can play many live casino games in South Africa, including live blackjack, baccarat, roulette, sic bo, and game show titles. 

• What is the best live casino game to win real money?

  Blackjack is one of the best live casino games to win real money, as many variations have an RTP of 98% or higher. 

• What should I do if I lose connection when playing a live casino game?

  All live casinos have a disconnection policy that explains what you should do if you lose connection. Typically, your stake is refunded, but you should always read the policy to be sure.

Ross Young

Verified expert

Global content writer

Ross has been writing about casino betting for many years, and his speciality subjects include news, game guides and casino reviews. He is passionate about helping his readers make informed decisions when it comes to gambling.