How to Bet on Soccer at Hollywoodbets and Betway: Your First Bet
To bet on soccer at Hollywoodbets or Betway, open an account (18+), complete FICA, deposit, then tap Soccer and choose a match. Tap the odds for the result you want, which adds it to your bet slip. Enter your stake, check the potential return and confirm. That is a single bet; the rest is detail.
This guide walks through that first bet step by step, explains how decimal odds work with a worked example, and covers singles, multis and booking codes. It is education only: there are no predictions or tips here, and no system that makes winning likely.
Before you bet: register and FICA
You must be 18 or older to open an account at any South African bookmaker. Both Hollywoodbets and Betway register you with your mobile number, your name and your SA ID or passport number, then confirm the number by SMS.
Next comes FICA. The law requires every licensed bookmaker to verify your identity and address before it pays out winnings, so upload a clear copy of your ID and a recent proof of address from the account section straight away. You can usually place bets before FICA is approved, but a withdrawal will wait until it is done, so it is better to get it out of the way before your first bet settles.
Both bookmakers hold licences from the Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board. If you want to check that yourself, see our guide to whether online betting is legal in South Africa.
Step 1: deposit
Open the deposit or top-up section and choose a method. Instant options such as Ozow, bank cards and cash vouchers reflect straight away. Hollywoodbets accepts Ozow, Capitec Pay, cards, 1Voucher, OTT, Blu Voucher and Easyload among others; Betway accepts cards, EFT, Ozow, 1Voucher, OTT, Kazang and SnapScan. If you pay cash at a till, our sibling guide on how to load a voucher covers the steps.
Decide your budget before you deposit, not after. Money for rent, food or debt repayments does not belong in a betting account. Setting a deposit limit in your account settings on day one is the simplest safeguard.
Step 2: find a soccer match
On the app or mobile site, open the sports menu and choose Soccer. You will see the day's popular matches first, with leagues and countries listed underneath: the Betway Premiership, the English Premier League, the Champions League and many more.
Each match shows three prices next to it. That is the main market, called 1X2 or match result:
- 1 – the home team wins,
- X – the match ends in a draw,
- 2 – the away team wins.
Match result bets are settled on the score after 90 minutes plus injury time. Extra time and penalties do not count, even in a cup match that goes to a shoot-out. Tap the match itself to see every other market: goals, both teams to score, handicaps, corners, half-time results and more.
Step 3: read the decimal odds
South African bookmakers show odds as decimals. The number tells you what one rand of stake returns if the bet wins, and that return includes your stake. To work out the return, multiply your stake by the odds.
A worked example
Say the home team is priced at 1.85, the draw at 3.40 and the away team at 4.20. These are illustrative numbers, not a real match.
- A R100 stake on the home team at 1.85 returns R185 if it wins: your R100 back plus R85 profit.
- The same R100 on the away team at 4.20 returns R420: R100 back plus R320 profit.
- If the bet loses, you lose the R100 stake and nothing more.
What the odds say about probability
Divide 1 by the odds to get the probability the bookmaker has priced in. Odds of 1.85 imply about 54%, odds of 4.20 about 24%.
Add up all three outcomes and you will get more than a hundred percent. That extra is the bookmaker's margin, and it is why betting costs money over time. Lower odds mean the bookmaker rates the outcome more likely; they never mean it is certain.
Step 4: understand the markets you pick
For a first bet, stick to a market you fully understand. The two most popular after match result are:
- Over/under goals – whether the match has more or fewer goals than a line such as 2.5. Our guide over/under goals explained shows exactly when each line wins and loses.
- Both teams to score (BTTS) – whether each side scores at least once, regardless of who wins. See BTTS meaning for how it settles.
Step 5: the bet slip
When you tap a price, it lights up and drops onto your bet slip, usually shown as a bar or a counter at the bottom of the screen. Open the slip and you will see:
- the selection, the market and the odds,
- a stake box where you type how much you want to bet,
- the potential return (sometimes called potential winnings or payout),
- a button to place the bet, such as Bet Now or Place Bet.
Check each line before you confirm. Odds can move between the moment you tap and the moment you place the bet, and the slip will warn you if they change. After placing, the bet appears under My Bets or Bet History, where you can follow it until it settles.
Single bets vs multi bets
A single is one selection on one slip. It wins or loses on its own, and it is the clearest way to learn.
A multi (also called an accumulator or combo) joins several selections on one slip. The odds multiply, so the potential return grows quickly, but every leg has to win. One wrong result and the whole slip loses. For example, three selections at 1.85, 1.90 and 2.00 multiply to combined odds of about 7.03, which looks tempting but means all three outcomes must come in together. The bookmaker's margin also compounds on every leg, so singles are the clearer way to learn.
Booking codes: sharing a bet slip
A booking code is a short code that saves a set of selections so someone else can load the same slip. You build a slip, choose the option to book or share it, and receive the code. Another punter enters it in the booking code or load-slip box and the same selections appear, ready for their own stake.
A booking code is only a list of picks. It does not make a bet more likely to win, and codes sold or shared as "sure wins" on social media are marketing for tipsters, not insight. Our guide what is a booking code explains how to load one at each bookmaker.
How does Betway work? The short version
Betway works the same way as any licensed sportsbook: you fund an account, choose selections, and the bookmaker settles bets on official results, paying winnings into your balance. The app adds live betting, live scores and cash-out, which lets you settle a bet early for an offer the bookmaker makes.
Betway's welcome offer is 100% first deposit match up to R1,000 in free bets. The catch is in the rollover: 3x on the deposit, at odds of 3.0 or higher, sports only, within 30 days. Read the terms before opting in. Full details are in our Betway review.
Hollywoodbets: using the sign-up free bet on soccer
Hollywoodbets gives new players a no-deposit offer: New players get a R25 free bet (min odds 0.5, use within 24 hours) plus 50 free spins at 60c each on selected Spina Zonke games, with no deposit needed; free-spin winnings are capped at R1,200. The free bet can go on a soccer match like any other bet, but a free-bet stake is normally not returned with winnings, so the return is smaller than the same cash bet. The bonuses page compares the offers across bookmakers.
After the match: settlement
Most soccer bets settle soon after the final whistle, and winnings go to your balance, from where you can withdraw to a bank account in your name. Postponed or abandoned matches follow each bookmaker's sports rules, which often void the bet and return the stake.
FAQ
How do I bet on soccer on Hollywoodbets with my phone?
Log in on the app or mobile site, tap Soccer, choose a league and match, tap the odds you want, enter your stake on the bet slip and confirm. The bet then shows in your bet history until it settles.
What is the minimum bet on soccer?
Minimum stakes are set by each bookmaker and can change, so check the bet slip, which will tell you if your stake is too low. Low minimums make it easy to practise with small amounts.
Do extra time and penalties count?
Not for the standard match result, goals or BTTS markets, which settle on 90 minutes plus injury time. Separate "to qualify" or "to lift the trophy" markets do include extra time and penalties.
Can I cancel a soccer bet after placing it?
Generally no. Some bookmakers offer cash-out on selected bets, which settles the bet early for less than the full return, but that is not a cancellation. Check your slip carefully before you confirm.
Betting on soccer is entertainment with a cost, not a way to make money. Set limits, never chase losses, and if betting stops being fun, the National Responsible Gambling Programme is free and confidential on 0800 006 008. More help is on our responsible gambling page.
More on this topic: How-to.
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