Best Online Casino Games South Africa

Slots

Slot machines totally changed the history of the gambling industry. Traditional gambling games like blackjack and poker have complex rules and strategies – you need some skill and practice to succeed in them. But slot machines simply took away this skill ceiling – anybody can pop a coin into a machine and have fun with gambling.

These days, nearly 90% of a casino’s revenue comes from video slots. This is true in the case of online casinos as well – more than 90% of the games at a casino are slots. And unlike card games, designers have a lot of creative freedom with slots.

You can have slots based on Egyptian treasure, wild animals, Vikings, Leprechauns, African Safari, Aztecs, Christmas, Pirates, Greek Gods – the list of potential themes is endless indeed. These days, we even have slots based on popular movies, TV shows, and music bands.

How to Play Slots

Playing a video slot is pretty easy. Just open the game, set the amount you want to bet, and spin the reels using the button provided on the game screen – it is as simple as that! Some slots come with advanced bonus features like free spins, wilds, and multipliers.

But don’t worry too much about these – you don’t have to do anything to trigger them! They will strike randomly and increase your chances of winning money! Some advanced slots do give you an option to pick a bonus sometimes – just pick whichever you like – this simplicity is the main strength of video slots.

Classic Slots

The older slot machines at land-based casinos had relatively simpler designs as everything inside was fully mechanical. So, you had three spinning reels, simple themes like fruits or gemstones, and not many bonus rounds. With the advent of digital technology, game designers were able to create more complex slot designs in the 1990s and 2000s. But due to the nostalgia factor, the classic design is still popular in the modern era.

So, even online casinos carry these 3-reel classic slots. They come with a max of 10 or 20 paylines – which are potential combinations of symbols that payout cash. They may look retro or old school, but the technology under the hood is 100% modern and fully digital!

You can get some advanced bonus features like free spins or even jackpots on classic slots. Some of the classic slots playable at South African casinos include Hot Hot Fruit, Sticky Sevens, Lava Loca, Gem Splash, and Super Joker.

Video Slots

Any modern slot with 4, 5, 6, or seven reels is considered a video slot. These slot games have advanced themes, complex and vivid graphics, animation, videos, and other visual goodies. On top of that, they also have more paylines than classic slots – often going as high as 256 or even 100,000 ways to win. Modern video slots are jam-packed with other advanced features like scatters, wilds, bonus rounds, and free spins. Some titles even have unique mechanisms from the spinning reels symbols. For instance, in a cascading reels feature, symbols will fall onto the grid to create new winning combos.

The best video slots also have stunning 3D graphics, interactive storylines, rich audio, and enthralling background music. Some slots even have actual videos from licensed movies or TV shows, like Game of Thrones, Jurassic Park, the Terminator, etc.

Some other top video slots available at South African casinos include Gonzo’s Quest Megways, Wolf Gold, Sakura Fortune, Book of Dead, and Dynamite Riches.

Progressive Jackpots on Slots

These are incredibly special types of video slots. What sets a jackpot slot apart is its network jackpot feature – all copies of the slot game running at different casinos are connected. This allows the money coming into the slot from different casinos to go to a central prize pool. As thousands of players play the same slot, the prize pool can expand to tens of millions of rands on some progressive jackpots. If you want a life-altering jackpot with a single bet, you should test your luck at progressive jackpot slots.

You can identify them easily by the numbers printed on the game icons at most online casinos – those numbers indicate the current size of the jackpot. Some of the biggest jackpots available at top South African casinos include the Age of Gods series, Beach Life, Platoon jackpot, and Mega Glam Life.

House Edge/RTP on Slots

While slots are incredibly easy to play, that approachability comes at a cost – they sport one of the highest house edges among all casino games. In online casino games, the house edge is often represented as RTP – which shows the percentage of the stake a player can expect to win back from a game across long sessions. Among classic card games and roulette, the house edge is quite low – somewhere between 2.5% to 0.5%. In RTP, that translates into a player returns of 97.5% to 99.5%. Higher RTP/lower house edge is better from a player's perspective.

With video slots, the RTP can be as low as 92%. Even with the highest RTP slots, you don't see them go beyond 98% very often. The normal RTP that is considered "good" for online slots is something around 96%.

How to Play Blackjack

To play blackjack effectively, you need to learn the basic rules and, more importantly, the point value of individual cards:

• Cards from 1 to 10 have the respective point value of their pips
• J, Q, K cards have 10 points
• Aces can be either 10 or 1, depending on the player situation

In online blackjack, you are playing against the software. You aim to get your points above the dealer without crossing 21. You can use the following actions after your card is dealt:

• Hit – take another card
• Stand – end your turn without taking another card
• Double Down – increase your bet by 100% and take another card
• Split – if you have pairs, place an additional bet and split your initial hand into two separate hands that are played out independently
• Surrender – forfeit your bet and end the game immediately

Since there are numerous possible starting hands, your choice of decisions can vary drastically. But there are some basic strategies that you should learn if you want to keep your edge. Also, the tactics can vary depending on the type of blackjack.

Different Types of Blackjack

Over its long history, blackjack has given rise to numerous variants as well as other types of 21-style card games. Some of the most common variants you can play at online casinos include:

• Classic Blackjack – This is the basic standard version of the game and it boasts a high player edge of 99.5%.
• European Blackjack – The European variant has an even lower house edge than classic due to a few factors like the use of just two decks instead of 6, paying 3:2, and having the dealer stand on soft 17. It is an ideal version for beginners due to the high RTP of 99.61%
• Face Up 21 – This version has a lower RTP as both player and dealer can see the cards dealt in a hand. It also has restrictions about doubling down.
• Perfect Pairs Blackjack – A form of regular blackjack with the option of extra risk (and potential payouts) through an additional side bet. If you get pairs, you can get higher payouts of between 5:1 and a whopping 30:1 on pairs from the same suit (perfect pairs).

House Edge/RTP on Blackjack

Online casinos generally don’t allow you to use bonuses on blackjack. This game has the highest potential player edge or RTP of all casino games – with a reasonable amount of skill and basic strategy, you can maintain between 99.5% and 99.61% RTP, depending on the variant you play. But this RTP can fluctuate depending on player skill levels. Novice players will make mistakes that increase the house edge considerably. If you are interested in playing blackjack, doing some research on the common strategies is highly recommended!

How to Play Roulette

In all variants of roulette, the dealer will spin the wheel and launch the ball in the opposite direction. There are many slots on the wheel, numbered 0 to 36, with even numbers red and off numbers colored black. The zero slot is green. You can place the following types of bets in roulette:

• Inside bets – Bet on a single number, adjacent numbers, consecutive numbers (up to six), numbers that meet at a corner, etc. The inside bets payout percentage is higher due to the higher risk involved.
• Outside bets – Bets placed on a range of numbers (1 to 18, 19 to 36), on red or black, on a dozen sequential numbers, and other similar large groupings. Due to the larger hit chance, outside bets have a lower payout ratio.

The presence of the green pocket is the main reason for any house edge in roulette. If the ball lands on zero, all bets are lost and the money goes to the casino.

Different Types of Roulette

Like blackjack, roulette is a very diverse game with many regional variants. Most of these are available at online casinos in digital format, with the following being the most popular/common at South African casinos:

• American Roulette – As the name suggests, this version is popular in North America. Instead of one zero, it has two – a 0 and 00. This gives a higher house edge than other types of roulette.
• European Roulette – This is the more popular variant at online casinos as it has only one green slot for zero, unlike two for the American version. The house edge is halved, giving players more winning chances.
• French Roulette – This is identical to the European version in terms of layout, but comes with additional advantages for players from an important rule change. If the ball falls to the green 0 slots, you don't lose all your bets – you may receive half of your 50% outside bets.

Apart from these classics, South African online casinos may also have more modern twists on the game like Speed roulette, mini roulette, and double ball roulette – the names give you a good idea of what these games are all about!

House Edge/RTP in Roulette

The RTP system in roulette games is fairly straightforward as there is no player skill or strategies involved that can influence the outcome of a round of betting. If the roulette table has just one zero pocket, the house edge is around 2.6% or an RTP of 97.4%. European and French versions have this feature. But the American version has two green pockets instead of one, effectively doubling the casino's chances of getting a full win. As a result, the RTP on American roulette is a low 94.7%, which means that the house edge stays at around 5.3%.

Different Types of Live Dealer Games

Blackjack and roulette are the two main games that you can play at a live casino. All popular variants are available these days at South Africa live casino game rooms. Apart from these two, the other major live casino options include:

• Baccarat – A popular card game where you compare the hands of the player vs the dealer, somewhat similar to Blackjack. But Baccarat is easier to play and has faster rounds. Popular variants include Punto Banco and Pontoon.
• Poker – Several versions are available at South African live casinos, including Casino Hold’em and Caribbean Stud. The latter is a version of the popular 5-card poker game where you play against the house, without any bluffing. Casino Hold’em is a relatively new type of game launched recently in 2000.
• Live Game Shows – Bet on a wide range of interactive game shows like Dreamcatcher, Football Studio, Spin A Win, and others, involving spinning wheels of luck, virtual football games, and more.
• Other – Exotic games from Far East and India are also available at many online casinos. These games include Andar Baahar, Dragon Tiger, and Sic Bo.

Apart from game variants, live dealer rooms are also classified by language options. Many dealers present the games in languages apart from English, with French, German, Spanish, Mandarin, Hindi being common.

Fun Play

This version is also called "free play" or "demo mode" at some casinos. It involves playing games with fake coins or virtual currency. You can visit any South African casino and get this option simply by hovering your mouse pointer over a game icon – if on mobile, tap on the icon once to reveal this option.

The main advantage of fun play is that it requires no registration. You can play for hours without spending a single rand. But the downside is also quite stark – you will not win anything, as the money you wager is not real!

Free Bonus Play

Many casinos give small amounts of betting money to new players who are willing to register and create an account at the casino. This bonus is called a no deposit bonus – a one-time offer worth up to R500 at the best South African casinos.

While you may not have non-stop hours of fun with a no deposit bonus, it has one big advantage – any cash you win is actual rands that you can withdraw as soon as you fulfill some basic casino bonus formalities. Plus, with our guidance here at NoDepositCasinos, you can find a continuous supply of new online casinos with this type of free play bonus!