How Betway Outgrew Its South African Roots

Under the broader umbrella of global entertainment firm Super Group, the brand operates across multiple continents and is backed by international funding and licensing, including high-profile partnerships.

Despite appearing to its users to still be strictly domestic, and while remaining linked to South African legislative frameworks, Betway has transformed into a brand balancing local experience and international scale.

The origins of Betway and its South African links

Super Group ^[1], a New York Stock Exchange-listed holding company for sports and igaming brands, refers to Betway as a ‘premier online global sportsbook’, which was established in 2006 and has a significant footprint in the international regulatory and industry market ^[2].

Betway operates in multiple markets across Europe, the Americas and Africa, and is said to be supported by more than 90 brand partnerships with sport teams, sport leagues, and celebrity figures.

Having expanded beyond its African roots, the brand now exists in the global gambling lexicon, being an official betting partner to football giants like Arsenal, Manchester City and Atletico Madrid and South Africa’s national rugby team, and lending its name to the Premier Soccer League tournament and the SA20 cricket franchise.

Despite these expansive deals, Betway Africa has called itself ‘ingrained in African soil’ since 2006 ^[3], and both internship programmes and career listings reference roles with its branches in Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Pretoria.

However, the brand’s growing presence from a smaller stake in South Africa and Ghana has resulted in a major footprint across sections of the continent and many parts of the world.

Betway: an Expanding Global Market Player

In March 2026, Reuters reported on Formula One and Betway singing a multi-year deal, which will see the betting brand become the motorsport’s first official betting partner.

With its continued strides into the top level sporting ecosystems, through lucrative sponsorships of major events and competitions, Betway has continued to move beyond a solely African identity.

The brand’s growth could be seen as a case study for how market knowledge, infrastructure, and a keen eye have helped create a global gambling titan.

However, the scale of Betway also blurs the lines of what ‘local’ means when a bookmaker goes international, answers to global investors, pens massive sponsorship deals, and operates products shaped by multiple sets of regulations.

The ‘brand split’: Betway and the global vs local debate

While the global reach of Betway seems to be constantly lengthening, the brand’s website still specifies requirements for its users in terms of FICA (the Financial Intelligence Centre Act 38 of 2001), including customer registration and identification ^[4].

The website also offers a South African user experience, offering data-free and allowing payments via popular methods such as electronic funds transfer (EFT), vouchers, and mobile money.

Underlining Betway’s attempts to remain relevant to local bettors, its interface is focused on sports and events including the Premier Soccer League, rugby, and cricket.

When contrasted against the highlighted global partnerships, Betway is framed as a brand that both feels ‘local’ to South African bettors, despite having the corporate structure and scope of an international gambling company.

The National Gambling Board, which provides oversight of gambling regulations in the country, also lists Betway and Jackpot City (which is a subsidiary of Super Group) on its list of verified operators ^[5], while Betway’s own website lists licensing and regulation by the Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board ^[6].

This alignment with South Africa’s national and provincial structures reinforces the brand’s local experience being shaped by local regulations.