Few activities can boast the international appeal of gambling. The casino gaming market in South Africa is expected to be worth over one billion US dollars by the end of this decade, and this growth is down to a number of key variables. Underlying criteria have buoyed up the market significantly since the early 2010s.
Legislation, a rise in the number of smartphones and the number of South Africans who can access the internet have all helped immensely. South Africa has long been Africa’s most prominent gambling market – even before the domination of online casinos. However, the rise of smartphones and the other factors we’ve just discussed have helped legitimise the industry in the eyes of many – even those who may be casual gamers or aren’t partial to a casino game.
Today, we will explore expert tips on the South African online casino market. Many of these tips can also be applied if you’re gambling outside of SA. Given the ubiquitous nature of the online casino sector, many tips span far beyond SA borders – but there are also a few nuggets of information to take with you if you’re using domestic sites or platforms.
Understanding casino gaming
Any game or event in which you’re spending money or are at risk of losing it should be treated with respect. While some might roll their eyes at people who claim to be experts in casino gaming, there’s a stark difference between people who claim to be able to cheat the casinos or put the odds in their favour when playing games like roulette or blackjack and those who genuinely understand how the industry works.
Slot machine, roulette, blackjack and poker knowledge
Slot machine gaming doesn’t require the same level of knowledge or expertise, but that doesn’t mean you can sit down and play blindly. Slot games have different volatility settings, themes, jackpots, RTP and paylines. Roulette requires a deeper understanding of inside and outside bets and probability. Blackjack is a level up from this, where you need to grasp the concept of insurance bets and know when to hit or stick.
Understanding probabilities and how to weigh up the quality of your hand against the dealer’s hand are all vital. Poker is a game unto itself, and while strategy and technique can actually help you at the elite level of the game, you have to do more research on poker than any other casino game – and it can take years to get to a stage where a bettor can truly understand the game and how to play it properly.
What do the experts say about the importance of casino gaming knowledge?
Kelvin Jones is a casino expert with over a decade of experience in South African gaming. He has a wealth of expertise regarding how crucial it is to understand the nuances of casino gaming before you take to the digital table. He has written many blogs and reviews and holds accredited iGaming qualifications. For a long time, Jones has advocated education and safe gambling in equal measure. One of his many tips focuses on education, and you’d struggle to find any expert who doesn’t emphasise the importance of proper casino gaming knowledge.
Givn that so many more people can access casino gaming with a lot more ease than in the days before the internet, you can find information online that will assist you in understanding the game before you place your wager. You can seek out books on the topic, free blogs and a host of other tools to help you develop a strong base before you decide to play casino games with your own cash.
Gambling without any prior knowledge of the market can also be one of the most obvious signs of a gambling problem. However, knowledge also stems from an understanding that despite the number of social media experts claiming to have winning roulette or blackjack strategies, they are operating under an illusion. No casino game other than poker involves any technique or strategy that can sway the odds in your favour.
Strategy and expert tips when playing casino games
South African casino gamers must heed the warnings given by several experts. As we touched on in our last section, any YouTuber or social media vlogger who claims to know how to beat the house or recommends books or tips on how you can do it yourself is wildly off the mark. The purpose of any casino game shouldn’t be to make money, anyway – and viewing any casino bet as a potential source of income is a red flag and a huge telltale sign of problem gambling.
If you’re an avid poker fan, you can seek information from books or tips from elite professionals. You only need to watch a few games of the World Series of Poker to see how psychology, body language and knowledge unite and make for exhilarating battles between the world’s top talents. While some may claim that card-counting in blackjack is effective, casinos are privy to this – and because of the technology that now exists in online gambling, it is impossible to try and do it on an online table.
Expert tips aren’t just about the games themselves; they can teach you the psychology of playing online games. Education and responsible gambling are the two pillars of any expert tip. There are no shortcuts you can take, and anybody who claims to be an expert or says they’ve got a secret formula to help you gamble, to put it bluntly, is lying to you.
Choose a site with a good security track record
Unfortunately, whenever a gambling platform puts together a strong service for its customers, cybercriminals and hackers lurk in the shadows, ready to pounce on any weaknesses or vulnerabilities in its website or mobile app. This is a growing issue for casinos all over the world, not just in South Africa.
Casinos that prioritise security and spend extra money and time protecting their customers’ personal and financial data highlight their more vigorous emphasis on customer experience. While some reputable casinos can still fall foul of scammers or hackers, it’s always more beneficial to seek casinos that have a strong track record of ideally zero breaches or those that can highlight that they’ve learned from their mistakes.
Security extends beyond site encryption to providers with a license to operate in SA. Unfortunately, unlicensed operators are becoming more of a problem in the market, and if they’re not regulated via the right governing bodies, this can spell difficulty for you if you deposit on their site or provide them with your information.
Customer service and gaming selection
Othe components to consider when looking for a reputable casino provider revolve around other strong business practices: customer service and a strong library of games. These highlight two important aspects – the first is that the casino has its priorities right, ensuring that customers are at the foundation of its business model. The second is that a strong gaming selection means it has developed longstanding ties with multiple providers in the industry.
While it might not be fair to judge casinos– especially newer ones trying to find their feet in the market – on these two variables, those with highly-rated customer service and gaming selection are often a cut above the rest. You can seek out reviews of a casino site or explore social media to see what other bettors have to say before you decide to sign up, so be sure to consider these factors before you register and begin playing.
Responsible gambling
If there’s one thing to take away as an expert tip, it’s the importance of responsible gambling. In a world where it’s easier than ever to access online casinos with a few swipes of our smartphone or tablet, ensuring you put in stopgaps to ensure your experience remains carefree, as intended, is the whole ethos of responsible gambling.
Dangerous gambling can come in many forms, but the most common signs to look for are emotional distress, problems with close friends or family, asking to borrow money or using money that you shouldn’t to place a bet. If you exhibit any of these signs, you must seek help. While setting up time and money limits should be the first step for anybody, if you are starting to view gambling as an income source or you’re chasing your losses, you must seek out the help of professional services that can help you with your issue.
Final thoughts
Given that the vast majority of casino games don’t require any knowledge or have any strategy that can put the odds in your favour, it’s crucial to see casino games for what they are. It doesn’t matter if you’re a casino gamer in South Africa or further afield. Always adhere to responsible, time, and monetary limits, and understand that platforms with good site security, customer service, and gaming selection are the ones you should choose.