Sports betting Botswana brands ranked for 2026
Sports betting Botswana brands in the ranking are offshore: the sportsbooks take Batswana customers under non-Botswana licences. Partner order decides who comes first; each row gives the licence, the offer as published and the app builds.
1xBet
1xBet takes Batswana sign-ups on its international licence and holds no Gambling Authority number. No pula welcome is published for Botswana, so the offer cell stays empty; the code DATA0 goes in the registration form. Android and iOS apps come from the brand's own site, with a casino lobby beside the sportsbook.
22Bet
22Bet advertises a 100% first deposit bonus for Botswana without a published pula cap or rollover, and publishes Android and iOS apps. The brand holds no Gambling Authority licence, so it takes Batswana customers under an offshore licence.
BetWinner
BetWinner serves Botswana under its Curaçao licence, with no entry on the Authority's list and no pula offer published. Its Android and iOS builds sit on the brand's own domain, and a Botswana dispute ends at BetWinner's support desk.
Melbet
Melbet credits 100% up to the pula value of US$100 on the first deposit and publishes Android and iOS apps. No Gambling Authority licence and no pula rollover are published, so the headline is the only confirmed figure.
21+ only. Betting carries risk; stake what you can afford to lose. Terms apply at the bookmaker.
Paripesa
Paripesa accepts customers from Botswana on offshore paperwork and prints no Botswana welcome. Apps exist for Android and iOS. With no local figure published, a first deposit is a plain deposit unless the cashier offers a bonus at that step.
21+ only. Betting carries risk; stake what you can afford to lose. Terms apply at the bookmaker.
The ranked sportsbooks publish no pula floor and no rollover, so their welcome headlines have no price until the bonus rules appear in the account. For a punter who wants the Authority behind a dispute, the licensees are the alternative.
| Bookmaker | Licence | Apps | Products |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1xBet | – | Android, iOS | Sportsbook, Casino |
| 22Bet | – | Android, iOS | Sportsbook, Casino |
| BetWinner | Curaçao | Android, iOS | Sportsbook, Casino |
| Melbet | – | Android, iOS | Sportsbook, Casino |
| Paripesa | – | Android, iOS | Sportsbook, Casino |
- iPhone app
- Melbet, Paripesa, 1xBet, 22Bet and BetWinner
Botswana betting sites on the Gambling Authority register
Licensed Botswana betting sites are listed, by company name, on the Gambling Authority's bookmaker licensee list. Betway trades as Delta Bay (Pty) Ltd, SunBet as Sunbet Botswana (Pty) Ltd, Bet267 as Mecaville Enterprises (Pty) Ltd and PstBet as Pstbet Botswana (Pty) Ltd, with B-Bets (SNB Investments (Botswana) (Pty) Ltd) and BetXplosion (Direct Wholesale (Pty) Ltd) completing the list.
| Bookmaker | Company | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Betway | Delta Bay (Pty) Ltd | On the local register |
| SunBet | Sunbet Botswana (Pty) Ltd | On the local register |
| Bet267 | Mecaville Enterprises (Pty) Ltd | On the local register |
| PstBet | Pstbet Botswana (Pty) Ltd | On the local register |
| 1win | – | No local licence |
Botswana's licensees appear in the table for checking a number, unlinked. A licensee can be held to account by the Authority over a payout, and checks the age of 21 at sign-up.
Larger stakes, where a complaint route earns its keep, sit better with a licensee; the ranked brands are offshore options for smaller ones.
Online betting Botswana licences issued since 2025 and what the Authority asks of them
Online betting Botswana licences are new. Sunbet opened on 13 February 2025 as the first holder of the Authority's online gaming and betting licence, with MyZaka deposits from the start.
In June 2026 the Authority's board chairman, Marvin Torto, said the count of bookmaker online gambling licences issued stood at ten, with six holders trading, one withdrawn and three expected to start.
The same month the Authority published its list of authorised betting operators under their company names and warned that money placed on a website without a Botswana licence may be lost with no realistic chance of recovery. It asks the public to check a licence before opening an account.
In January 2026 it had announced tighter oversight of the licensees after complaints about outages at peak times, slow payouts and thin customer support. Licensees must meet technical standards, pay out on time and run a dispute procedure, or face fines and suspension. Real-time identity checks were set as a condition at the BetXplosion launch.
For a punter the reading is plain: a licensee's payout clock and dispute desk now sit under the Authority, while the ranked offshore brands answer to their own licence.
Online betting in Botswana funded by Smega, MyZaka and Orange Money
Online betting in Botswana is funded through Orange Money, MyZaka and Smega at the licensees, beside bank transfer and cards. A prompt arrives on the line, a PIN approves it, and the pula are on the balance in seconds. A payout goes back to the funding wallet or bank account once identity is confirmed.
The foreign sportsbooks publish no Botswana payment list; the cashier reveals the route at the deposit step, and cards and e-wallets are what usually appears. No tax comes off a win on either side of the licence line.
A wallet or bank account in the punter's own name is what carries a first withdrawal through the identity check.
Football betting and rugby betting on the Zebras and the Premier League
Football betting in Botswana runs on the English Premier League at the weekend and the Botswana Premier League all season, with Jwaneng Galaxy, Township Rollers and Gaborone United taking the domestic stakes. Zebras qualifiers pull in punters who bet on nothing else all year.
Rugby betting has a following too, with the Springboks across the border drawing stakes on Test weekends, and cricket follows behind. The usual football ticket is a three-leg acca, and the ranked sportsbooks run in-play markets with cash out.
The board by the ranking carries Premier League fixtures and the top 1X2 price at the ranked books whenever the feed supplies them. The online casino page covers slots, live tables and crash games in pula.
Betting apps for Android and iPhone
The betting apps of 1xBet, 22Bet, BetWinner, Melbet and Paripesa run on Android and iOS, with the website's cashier and bonus terms inside. The bookmaker's own domain is where the app lives, because Google's store turns real-money betting apps away in Botswana; the web account's details sign in.
Where a bundle is small, the app's lean slip is the reason to have it. Leave streams and casino games off on a thin bundle, and bin any installer that turns up in a chat.
Licensees publish their own apps from their own sites, with the Authority's licence behind them; those are the apps to use for larger stakes.
Is betting legal in Botswana, and why the age is 21
Betting is legal in Botswana for adults of 21 and over under the Gambling Act 2012, fully in force since 1 April 2016, and administered by the Gambling Authority. Section 32 makes unlicensed gambling illegal, and the Authority publishes licensee lists for bookmakers and casinos.
The Gambling (Amendment) Bill No. 15 of 2026 cleared Parliament on 13 August 2026 and takes the age down to 18 once the Minister gazettes a date. Until that gazette, 21 is the age and licensees check it at sign-up.
Batswana who join a foreign-licensed brand are covered by Curaçao or similar paperwork and by nothing in the Act. A dispute with them has no Botswana regulator to go to.
Betting tax in Botswana: none on winnings
Betting tax in Botswana falls on the operator. Betting winnings carry no withholding under the Income Tax Act 2026, which took effect on 1 July 2026, and P1,000 won is P1,000 paid at a licensee and at the foreign brands alike. The 2026 tax laws are on the BURS site.
Licensees pay their own levies to the Authority and the revenue service, which shape the prices they offer; the punter sees nothing deducted. Price, licence and payment route are the comparisons left, since tax draws no line between brands at the payout.
A 1.90 price pays P1,900 on a P1,000 stake wherever the account sits, and a 2.00 price pays P2,000, so the board price is the whole difference.
Questions about betting sites in Botswana, answered
Is betting legal in Botswana?
Yes, from 21, under the Gambling Act 2012, in force since 1 April 2016, with the Gambling Authority as regulator. Section 32 makes unlicensed gambling illegal. A 2026 amendment lowering the age to 18 went through Parliament in August and takes effect on a date the Minister appoints.
Which bookmakers hold a Gambling Authority licence?
BetXplosion, B-Bets, PstBet, Bet267, SunBet and Betway are the names on the Authority's bookmaker licensee list. Betway trades as Delta Bay (Pty) Ltd and Bet267 as Mecaville Enterprises (Pty) Ltd. None of the ranked brands, 1xBet first among them, holds a Botswana licence.
Does a Botswana bookmaker deduct tax from a win?
No. No. Betting winnings stay untaxed under the Income Tax Act 2026 (effective 1 July 2026), so P1,000 won at a licensee is P1,000 in hand. The offshore brands in the ranking withhold nothing either.
Can I deposit with Orange Money or MyZaka?
Orange Money, MyZaka and Smega cashiers are standard at licensed bookmakers, alongside bank transfer and cards; the prompt lands on your line and you approve it with your PIN. The offshore sportsbooks publish no Botswana payment list, so their cashiers show the route when you deposit.
What is the minimum deposit at a Botswana betting site?
Neither ranked sportsbook publishes a pula floor for Botswana, so the cashier shows the minimum when you deposit. Licensed bookmakers accept small mobile money deposits, and stakes start at a few pula at every brand.
Does the age limit change to 18?
Not yet. The Gambling (Amendment) Bill No. 15 of 2026 lowers the age from 21 to 18, was passed in mid-August 2026, and starts when the Minister gazettes a date. Until that notice, licensed bookmakers verify 21 at sign-up.
Can I play online casino games in Botswana?
Under the Gambling Act a casino licence is its own class, and the Authority's notice on digital gaming applications covers the online side. The ranked brands run casino lobbies under offshore licences; the casino page covers the games, the bonuses and the licence position.
Who hears a complaint against a bookmaker in Botswana?
To the Gambling Authority, which runs compliance monitoring and a prevention and rehabilitation programme for problem gambling. Keep the bet ID and the payout request number. A dispute with an offshore brand has no Botswana regulator to go to.