HOW WE'VE ESTIMATED FIRSTBET
Advantages and disadvantages
- Great speed on site for live Betgames
- Multitude of promotional offers
- Superfast withdrawals
- Limited customer service hours
- No live in play betting
Firstbet reviews
Why not give Firstbet a try today as you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Key Features
- Double Pronged Welcome Bonus
- 10% Odds boost on all Multi bets
- Wide range of Sports and Betgames
- Excellent odds on major sports
Bookmaker licence and reliability
Firstbet have built a solid reputation on the local betting scene with their retail betting shops which is great news for online punters as they can expect the same reliable service on the online platform.
Firstbet is licensed by the Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board which is one of the provincial authorities in the country so you can be assured you are dealing with a legal betting site.
They have some excellent promotions that will surely attract the attention of new punters.
It comes as no surprise to learn that Firstbet began their betting operations in 2016 with retail betting shops. This is the route chosen by many of the local bookies and like many others, they recently joined the online betting market.
Firstbet only offer 13 sports to bet on which is low in conparison to their competitors although they do have excellent odds.
One of the major drawbacks of Firstbet is that they do not offer live in play sport betting or live casino games. These are two very popular avenues for punters and it is hoped that Firstbet introduces these forms of betting sooner rather than later.
Line and betting options in Firstbet
Firstbet have chosen a different route in their sport offerings as they only have betting markets on 13 sports unlike many of their competitors who offer more than double these number of betting options. They have decided to concentrate on fewer sports but they do have in depth betting options on these sports.
Firstbet also has live Betgames for punters who fancy a wager on these games.
Live betting
After conducting numerous testing we can confidently say that Live betting has become one of the most popular forms of betting for punters as it is exciting and there is potential to win big money in a short time.
Firstbet have certainly missed a trick in this regard as they do not offer live in play sports betting which is a major surprise. They do however offer live Betgames and it is hoped that live in play sports betting is not too far away.
We will keep you informed the moment this situation changes
Football betting
Football betting is one of the most popular and widely enjoyed forms of sports betting around the world. Whether you’re a fan of domestic leagues, international competitions, or even lower-tier matches, Firstbet offers numerous betting opportunities.
They offer odds on the outcome of matches and events within the match, such as the number of goals scored, corners won, red and yellow cards shown, and individual goal scorers. There are lots of different betting options on each match.
There are a number of different types of bets, including accumulators where you can combine different selections to make one large odds price to place your bet. Firstbet has up to a 10% odds boost on football accumulators.
Cricket betting
Cricket is the third most popular sport in the country behind football and rugby and enjoys a huge following in the betting market. The continued rise of T20 cricket has seen a number of new leagues spring up all across the world especially in the cricket mad Asian sub continent.
T20 leagues like the Indian Premier League, Big Bash League, Caribbean Premier League and our very own SAT20 attract huge interest from punters. The live betting on cricket is on another level oaf thrills and spills as there are betting markets on every delivery being bowled. Even the Test matches are no longer boring with live betting as there are bets like which batsmen will hit the next boundary.
We will continue to monitor the situation with Firstbet and will inform you the moment live in play is available at this bookie.
Rugby betting
South Africa is famous for producing some of the best rugby players in the world and this is reflected in the millions of followers of the oval ball sport. The betting markets have changed drastically for rugby punters in recent times as a few years ago there were very few betting options in a single match.
Firstbet unfortunately do not have the most in depth markets for matches but they do cover rugby matches from both the Northern and Southern Hemisphere. Both the XV man game and the Seven’s rugby is covered by Firstbet and their odds being quite competitive.It is also pleasing to note that leagues like the French Top 14 and the New Zealand domestic competitions are also covered.
Horse Racing betting
Horse racing will always be hugely popular with punters and as it was the only form of legal gambling in our country for many decades until sports betting came along.
There are literally hundreds of different race permutations that punters can bet on and there is of course the potential to win big with bets like the Pick 6. Firstbet has excellent promotions on the major race meetings like the July Handicap and J&B Met where the pool in most races runs into the tens of millions of rands.
Firstbet has one of the most extensive betting markets for horse racing as race meetings from Europe, Asia and Australia are well covered. Firstbet makes betting on horses even more convenient by further making it simpler to place a bet on with their excellent site which has great usability.
eSports
There are not too many sports in the world that has grown as quick as Esports, This sport was very popular in the USA and Europe but the craze has now caught on in South Africa.
There are also plenty of betting markets available to bet on Esports.Firstbet has betting available for the following games like CSGO, Dota 2, LoL (League of Legends) and more. The main reason for the popularity of Esports betting sites is that it is now so easy to place a bet online.
Firstbet is the one of the so called newer bookies that have a betting odds that can rival even the more established betting sites.
They have great odds on most of the major sports like football, rugby and cricket which is another great way to attract punters to their site.
Firstbet already have excellent odds on horse racing but they go one better by offering up to 10% odds boost on these accumulator bets
Once the registration is complete you can login in to your account and make your first deposit which will entitle you to claim your first deposit bonus.It is of crucial importance for you to complete your FICA verification by submitting a copy of your ID and proof of residence( not older than 3 months).
Other promotions
Welcome Bonus
Firstbet has a double pronged welcome bonus for new players, They offer a R30 sign up bonus with does not require a deposit.
The R30 bonus amount will be automatically placed in the players bonus wallet once they have registered their Firstbet account.The customer will need to wager the full R30 bonus at least twice before any withdrawal of the winnings from the bonus can be made. Only bets placed at odds of 2 (1/1) (even money). The second part of the welcome bonus is a first deposit match of up to R1000.
The player must opt in for the promotion by entering the promo code FDM22 when making their first deposit. Only first deposits of R50 or greater qualify for this promotion. The player will need to wager their matching bonus at least 6 times before any withdrawal of the winnings from the matching bonus can be made.
Multi bet bonus up to 10%
The MultiBets Bonus only applies to bets made using the Cash Wallet. The bonus applies to football, rugby union, cricket and horse racing bets only. For the bonus to be applied, customers must ensure that their betslip only includes bets from 1 sport type, for example, football.
The bonus will not be applied where customers have selected a multiple bet that includes bets from different sports. The maximum odds bonus is 10% for ten selections on your multibet.
Firstbet offer a very attractive double pronged Welcome bonus for new players. The first part is a R30 sign up bonus which does not require a deposit while the second part is a first deposit match offer of up to R1000.
The bonuses do not stop there as Firstbet also has an odds boost on accumulator bets for football, rugby, cricket and horse racing. The maximum odds boost is 10%.
We feel Firstbet could add a few more promotions to their betting site to make them truly competitive with the top betting sites.
Firstbet mobile apps
Firstbet have chosen not to create a dedicated mobile app for players but no need to worry as they have a mobile version that will satisfy all your betting requirements.
There is no downloading of the mobile version and best of all, you can bookmark the site so it is easily accessible. The mobile version is super-fast and has all the features and great promotions of the main site. The mobile site is compatible with both Android and iOS devices.
Firstbet have chosen not to create a dedicated mobile app for players but no need to worry as they have a mobile version thatwill satisfy all your betting requirements.
There is no downloading of the mobile version and best of all, you can bookmark the site so it is easily accessible. The mobile version is super-fast and has all the features and great promotions of the main site.
The mobile site is compatible with both Android and iOS devices.
Payments
Once your registration is complete at Firstbet, you are now ready to fund your account. From our observation we can safely say that Firstbet has one of the most comprehensive payment portals for players. There are a multitude of ways to make a deposit at this bookie ranging from bank transfers to Instant EFT.
We will be taking you through the different payment options available at this bookie. It is important to note the time it takes for the different payment options as some instantly reflect in your betting account while other options could take as up to 48 hours.
Deposit
- OZOW – Instant EFT – This method has become the most popular method for players that have a banking app. Simply choose OZOW from the options that are available from the deposit list. Once you click on this option; a small pop screen will open which will give you the option of deposit amount, you enter the desired amount and, it will show you this message on the screen generating deposit request and will give you a list of South African banks, choose your bank of choice, then the login page of the chosen bank appears. You can put your ID and password and finish the transaction process. This method instantly reflects in your account.
- 1 Voucher – One of the other very popular methods is the 1Voucher system. Our research shows that many punters are using 1Vouchers because the minimum deposit is as low as R5 and the player does not need to divulge any banking details. This method instantly reflects in your account.
- OTT Voucher – The method of deposit is instant and the voucher can be purchased online or hundreds of retail stores countrywide. The popularity of the vouchers is because no banking account is required to use this method.
- Bank Transfer – One of the older payment methods available at almost all online sports betting sites, bank transfer is a good way to go ahead to pay for sports betting or get your payouts directly to your bank account, but shoddy when it comes to charging a fee for processing as well as actually using your bank account details in the long run. This option could take up to 24 hours to reflect in your betting account.
You will be spolit for choice when it comes to the deposit options available to punters at Firstbet. They have a plethora of betting options available and these include 1Voucher, OTT voucher, and BLUvouchers. All the voucher methods instantly reflect in your account.
Punters that have a banking app can use OZOW which is an instant EFT option but does require you to have a banking app.
Website Usability
Firstbet have taken a conservative approach with their site as they have opted for an easy to use site rather than a flashy betting site. The blue and white theme works well as the colours compliment each other.
The organisation and placement of essential features, the ease of accessing key features and offerings are all available on the home page. All these factors can significantly enhance your betting experience and cover up for some of the shortcomings of the site like not having live in play betting. Overall there was a lot of thought and effort put into the design and any punter would enjoy betting at Firstbet.
Firstbet customer suрроrt
Firstbet have a variety of options to contact them although their customer support is only available from 7am to 10pm.This is disappointing especially if you experience a problem outside of these hours.
We tested both their Live Chat and telephone customer service and were assisted very timeously and efficiently by their agents. Firstbet has a FAQ page that could also prove useful to answer your query.
These are the following platforms that you can contact Firstbet:
- Tel: 021 300 6856
- Whatsapp: +27683233139
- Fax Number: 0866581356
- Email: support@firstbet.co.za
Firstbet have a variety of options to contact them although their customer support is only available from 7am to 10pm. This is disappointing especially if you experience a problem outside of these hours.
We tested both their Live Chat and telephone customer service and were assisted very timeously and efficiently by their agents.
Firstbet has a FAQ page that could also prove useful to answer your query.
FAQ
Conclusion about Bookmaker
Firstbet as mentioned earlier started with retail shops before joining the online betting market. They have begun on the front foot by offering an excellent Welcome bonus but they are lacking in other areas like the number of sports available for betting and the low number of promotions.
Firstbet have also fallen behind their competitors by having no live in play sports betting and no casino games. We do understand they are fairly new to online betting but the sooner they add these offerings to their site the better. We would suggest punters trying our Firstbet as their pros certainly outweigh their cons.
Expert's Thoughts
Firstbet only offers 13 sports to bet on which is fairly low but they compensate by having excellent odds on these sports. They do not however have the live in play betting available for players and there are no live casino games either. I am hoping this changes soon as it is a popular betting avenue for many punters. Firstbet have a simplified registration process leading up to making your deposit and ultimately placing your first bet.