Known for its striking green interface, 22Bet is already turning a lot of heads in the international market. Recently the brand has also launched a SA only sister site. Although at first glance it may seem like an exact replica of the international site, there are quite a few differences. In fact, a lot of work has gone in to fully optimising 22Bet SA specifically for its target market. Though, the casino didn't get too see any fruits from their labour, as 22Bet casino no longer available in South Africa. The casino decided to voluntarily step out of this market, following an unsuccessful spell among customers from this region. As such, all information in our 22Bet Casino review below is invalid. To find much better SA casino sites than 22Bet ever was, head over to our main casinos page.
Any casino site that means business knows the importance of making a good first impression. Luckily 22Bet SA casino is already experienced with how to grab new players’ attention. It comes as no surprise that they have gone in with guns blazing when it comes to their welcome bonus. On signing up to the casino, new players will receive a bonus of 100% up to R2,000. Moreover, they will also be awarded 22 extra spins which can be used on selected NetEnt slots. Since this is not a no deposit bonus, players will need to meet minimum qualifying deposit limits. Set at R200 though this shouldn't be difficult though. One thing you will be needing though is a bonus code but we have put everything into a handy table below:
|
Deposit (Min R200) |
Welcome Bonus |
Bonus Code |
|
Deposit 1 - SA |
100% - R2,000 & 22 FS |
CASINO |
|
Players must deposit a minimum of R200 to receive this bonus. Bonus valid on selected slot games only. The winning of 22 Extra Spins are only valid for a period of 3 days. Valid for SA players and in GBP only. Players must wager the bonus amounts 39 times before withdrawals can be made. Wagering requirements for the bonus must be fulfilled within 30 days. 18+, New Players Only. T&Cs Apply. Gamble Responsibly - the South African Responsible Gambling Foundation.
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As well as meeting the minimum deposit limit and also using the bonus code above, wagering requirements are another thing to keep in mind. For this particular bonus, players must wager the bonus amount 39 times. However, the bonus amount must be wagered using real money. You can make multiple real money deposits to complete wagering.
Considering that a lot of other casino sites include the deposit amount too, this is quite reasonable. A bigger issue for us is the game restrictions in place for this bonus. Wagering requirements can only be completed on selected slots; in fact, there is actually a section in their casino game library termed bonus slots. All other games including table and card games, as well as video poker, have been omitted from the bonus. This might be bad news for table game fans but with such a great bonus in place and plenty of slot games to choose from, this is still a big one.
Being that the brand is particularly renowned for its sportsbook, we were pleasantly surprised to see that they have still put a lot of efforts into their casino promotions. If the welcome bonus didn’t seal the deal then we are pretty sure that 22Bet SA’s bonuses for existing players will. The fun starts on Mondays with a weekly bonus of 50 Extra Spins. Players will once again need to make a deposit and this time, set at R400 it is double that of the welcome bonus. Fridays are even better thanks to 22Bet SA’s weekly reload bonus. Existing players making a deposit on Friday’s will receive a bonus of 50% up to R4,000 as well as 22 Extra Spins. In both cases, players will also need to fulfil wagering requirements of 39x the bonus amount. Again, only bonus slots will contribute to these bonuses. What’s more, you’ll need bonus codes for each offer but we have once again drawn up a handy table below:
|
Bonus Name |
Bonus Description |
Bonus Code |
|
Monday Boost |
50 FS |
MONDAY50 |
|
Friday Reload |
50% - R4,000 & 22 FS |
FRIDAY22 |
|
18+, Existing Players Only T&Cs Apply |
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As well as the weekly bonuses described above, the casino site is constantly mixing things up with new deals. At the time of writing this review, they had a promotion in place targetted at their NetEnt slot game Twin Spin. Players wagering at least R1,000 during the week were being given the chance to win 50 Extra Spins every Thursday. Although we do not know how long this promotion will run for, what we can promise is that 22Bet SA constantly has something up their sleeve. What we would suggest is to sign up to their newsletter and that way you’ll never miss out on their latest offers and promotions.
Trust is always an issue at online casinos but luckily 22Bet SA holds a SA license. Whereas some of the other licenses can be less stringent, the Malta Gaming Authority takes security extremely seriously and has set high standards to abide by. We like the fact that they have included the MGA logo in their footer section with a direct link to their license. This is something you don’t often see in online casinos and it shows that they have nothing to hide.
Their easily accessible Security and Privacy section is also a good sign that the casino site is trying to put players’ minds at ease. Furthermore, the site is SSL encrypted to further protect personal data. They also have an extremely informative section on Responsible Gaming. This is neatly split up into sections making it easy to navigate through it. 22Bet SA also acts as a portal to independent organisations such as the South African Responsible Gambling Foundation.org and GAMSTOP to help with addiction. The sites can be accessed through their logos placed in 22Bet SA’s footer section.
In case you had any doubts about game fairness, they also have a GLI SA logo on their page. This is a SA specific third-party authority that performs regular audits on games to ensure that wins are generated randomly. Also, this is a good sign, the cherry on the cake would have been to actually provide the game testing certificates. Knowing the online casino though, we wouldn’t be surprised if this was the next step they took.
| As of 14th April 2020, players from South Africa are no longer allowed to make credit card transactions at online casinos |
A casino site is only as good as the payment options it has in place. Although 22Bet SA may not boast the same wide choice as its international site, they do have some quality options to choose from. We like the fact that regardless of whether you prefer to use debit cards, e-wallets or bank transfers, they have included at least one option. Players will also be pleased to know that the casino site does not charge for transactions. They do however warn that players opting for bank transfers may incur charges from their bank.
When it comes to the actual methods they offer, they have kept things simple. Of course, they accept Visa and Mastercard (Note: credit card transactions not available in South Africa) as well as e-wallet giants Neteller and Skrill. They have also included Paysafecard as an option and as the name implies it is one of the securest methods out there. Being that this is a SA only casino site, players may be a little disappointed that currently, 22Bet SA is not a PayPal casino.
We like the fact that they have gone to the trouble of actually including a payment section on their website. They make it clear that all of their deposit methods can be used for withdrawals also. Furthermore, they have capped minimum deposit limits at R200. Unfortunately, they give no details on actual withdrawal limits so you’ll need to sign up with the casino or contact customer support. One other area they have missed is withdrawal times. This is something that players usually look for as fast cashouts can really set an online casino apart from others. We would suggest getting in touch with the actual site but in the meantime, we have included some general times below:
*credit card transactions not available in South Africa
Bank Transfer
ecoPayz
MasterCard
Bank Wire
ecoPayz
MasterCard At first glance, 22Bet SA’s game library seems quite small, especially when compared to the international site. This said it is the perfect example of quality over quantity and after all scrolling through pages of unheard titles can get a little tedious. Instead, the casino has put a lot of focus into offering a smaller array of quality slots from some of the biggest game providers in the industry. The largest proportion of games are powered by NetEnt and of course, you can expect to find all of the favourites such as Berryburst and Starburst. Players will also be pleased to see a selection of Blueprint Gaming’s Megaways series. Although there are almost 200 slot titles to choose from, we were disappointed to find out that the casino site currently offers no progressive jackpot slots.
Table game fans might feel a little lost too. In fact, there is currently no dedicated section on the casino game page. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t any, you’ll just have to scroll through various lists to find them. Otherwise, you can also use the search bar if you know what you are looking for. We liked the fact that in some cases such as blackjack, there are multiple titles powered by different providers. This gives players the chance to experience get a taste of different game interfaces. Roulette players will also be pleased to know that there are various game options depending on stakes and limits. They even have a few baccarat variations too. There are also a few video poker options but once again there is no actual section dedicated to them.
Although we like the actual selection of games, the casino does fall short in certain areas. Primarily the actual format of the library is a little confusion. We like the fact that there are sections for different game providers and also for various types of slots. This said when it comes to actual game categories little is being done. We would like to see sections being put in for table games, card games and even video poker. Of course, progressive slots should also be something that they need to look into especially if they want to target high rollers.
As we have seen so far, 22Bet SA has taken quite a modern approach. Being a new SA casino site, it was almost expected that they would have a mobile-friendly site in place. They have not looked into developing a native app yet but their mobile site is available to play instantly across most major mobile devices. iOS and Android users alike can expect fast load rates and quality graphics as long as they have a decent internet connection. As is the case with most mobile casinos, there are fewer games to choose from. This said this is only a small proportion which is good news considering that the casino game library one of the smaller ones.
Once again, we have a few issues with the functionality of the game library. The mobile version is basically a replica of the desktop interface and thus there are no sections for table games and video poker. This becomes more of an issue on mobile as players will need to scroll even further down to find them. If you are a slots fan though then this becomes less of a problem. What's more, you’ll have full access to the game provider sections which is something you don’t see too often on mobile sites.
If we felt that 22Bet SA fell short in its selection of virtual table games, then it is definitely making up for this in its live dealer section. Firstly the live casino is powered by both NetEnt and Evolution Gaming. These are probably the two top live dealer game providers out there. Since this is a SA only casino site you won’t expect to find any country specific. Instead, they have included a massive array of games based on minimum bets and limits.
The library is broken down into 3 sections with the aims of targetting all types of players. High rollers will love their VIP section with table limits of as high as R1,500,000. Their starter section, on the other hand, is great for new players looking for low-risk tables and minimum bets of as little as R20. They also have a regular section with over 20 live dealer blackjack tables to choose from. The live casino page has also been sectioned according to game type which is great news for players who prefer to stick to a specific table.
Although you won’t find any of the more versatile options such as Dream Catcher, 22Bet SA still offers players something pretty innovative. As well as actually playing table games in their live casino, players can also place bets in their separate live game section. This is a massive game changer for the casino site as it is not something you see every day. Their virtual game section may need some work but 22Bet SA scores full points when it comes to its live casino games.
As seen at the beginning of this review, 22Bet SA is doing a lot for both new and existing players when it comes to bonuses and promotions. In fact, we had high expectations for them when it came to their VIP Program. Unfortunately, this turned into a bit of a letdown and there is actually no mention of how they are treating VIPs on their website. This does not necessarily mean that they do not offer their most loyal customers special treatment though. In fact, we have seen this in other instances where an online casino chooses to keep its VIP Program a secret.
Although we agree that the unknown can be quite exciting we do feel that transparency is something that players look for. In fact, a clearly tiered VIP system is a great incentive for players and actually gives them set targets. This said the online casino is relatively new to the industry and are learning as they go along. We wouldn’t be surprised if this was something they look into next. In the meantime though, they still have some great weekly offers to snap up.
So far the online casino’s offerings have ticked all of the right boxes. We were pleased to see that they also have a great team to back this all up. In fact, they promise that they can be contacted 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The best option for getting in touch is via their live chat feature available on both desktop and mobile. They will do their best to get back to you within a matter of minutes. For queries that are less urgent, they can also be contacted via email and they have simplified this by also providing an online form.
They also offer phone which sets them apart from a lot of other new casinos. They also have a FAQs section but this is one of the weaker ones we have seen online. In fact, we feel that this is something they should work on as it would also make their live chat more efficient.
Often enough this section can get a little tricky. When it comes to 22Bet SA though, things couldn’t be simpler. The online casino has chosen to put all its eggs in one basket and is a pure SA casino. For all other players, they have an international sister site which is just as successful. We like this approach as it means that the site has been fully optimised for traffic from one specific market. In fact, all efforts have gone into this rather than having to juggle things around. They have some great bonuses and games for SA players but one thing that would really seal the deal would be for 22Bet Uk to become a PayPal casino.
Being a sportsbook at heart, we had a few doubts going into this 22Bet SA casino review. We couldn’t have been more wrong. Unlike other sportsbooks that are branching out, they have some great casino specific bonuses in place. Their virtual games need some work both in terms of choice and functionality but with so many top providers on board, they are already headed in the right direction. Furthermore, their live dealer section is one of the better ones available on the market. 22Bet SA is relatively new and being part of a bigger brand, Tonybet, we expect the site to grow. This is one up and coming casino site we would suggest taking a chance on. We have already seen them grow in the Asian market and SA is bound to be just as big.
| 22Bet SA Casino Review Overview | ||
|---|---|---|
| 22Bet SA Casino | AVG | |
| Rating: | 4.0 | 3.9 |
| Number of Bonuses: | 0 | 1.2 |
| Number of Withdrawal Options: | 6 | 7.7 |
| Number of Deposit Options: | 6 | 13.8 |
| Number of Currencies: | 2 | 6.0 |
| Number of Languages: | 1 | 4.8 |
| Number of Casino Games: | 10 | 11.1 |
| Mobile: | Yes | |
| Live Casino: | Yes | |
| Number of Excluded Countries: | 249 | 99.6 |
| Licence Score: | 3 | 3.2 |
| Number of Software Providers: | 7 | 10.3 |
| Popular Slots Covered: | 27.2 % | 34.1 % |