South African Race Wagering

Horse racing in South Africa dates back to the early 19th century, and both fixed-odds and pari-mutuel betting are popular. Regulation of horse racing and tote betting now sits mainly with provincial gambling boards under national norms, with the National Gambling Board/National Gambling Regulator coordinating where necessary.

There were historically two main racing operators in South Africa: Phumelela Gaming and Leisure Ltd. and Gold Circle (Pty) Ltd. These two companies own a majority share in Betting World (Pty) Ltd., a bookmaking business that operates more than 50 bookmaking branches in South Africa. Phumelela Gaming and Leisure Ltd. and Gold Circle have been the exclusive horse racing and tote operators in the country and pool all bets into a single TAB although corporate restructurings in the 2020s have changed ownership structures while preserving the tote model.