Bye 2020, hello 2021!

30 December 2020 | Games, Sports Betting

2020 is for some of us really a year to forget (if you are not one of the Powerball jackpot winners from the draw on 1 December).

The COVID pandemic has interrupted our lives in many ways and brought the sports industry for a few months to a standstill. As this surreal year draws to an end we wanted to do a quick recap of the various changes we have seen in 2020 and what to expect for our 2021 betting.

Online betting

Due to the pandemic the betting behavior of many of us changed. Our beloved local bookies had to temporarily close and we had to turn to online betting. While some of us already had a favourite online bookmaker for others online betting was completely new territory. As we punters had to adapt so did the bookmakers themselves. Some bookies used this to also finally move with the times. As a result, the likes of Sportsbet and Firstbet went online on the Turfsport platform. We have also seen new betting sites enter the South African market. Palace Bet, Millionaires Gaming Sports Betting and SpotonBets are aiming especially at online and mobile bettors and strike with excellent user-friendly platforms and highly entertaining betting options.

We hope that our detailed reviews helped some of you to find your best betting site in South Africa.

Esports and Virtuals

While betting shops were closed our preferred sporting events were also not available. No Premier League Football, no horse racing, no cricket or rugby matches. In the absence of our usual sports we discovered new games to bet on. Esports and Virtual Sports have both seen a big rise during the past months. And they are both here to stay. Virtual Games offer us an immense variety of fast-paced, regular game action with numerous betting options. The games portfolio of Jika Sports, part of Kiron, has launched in SA in June 2020 and since then has been integrated with major betting sites including Betway, Hollywood Bets and World Sports Betting.

Instant win live games

2020 has been the year of instant win live games. Evolution Gaming entered the SA market early in the year. Their live games range is outstanding and leads the way in live dealer games. But more and more players also discovered the fun, fast-paced Betgames. Whether lotto, blackjack, poker or baccarat – Betgames had a version for all of us.

But that’s not all. Lotto Instant Win (LIW) games launched at Hollywoodbets and we are sure to see these lotto-style games very soon across more bookmakers.

While we love lucky numbers and lottery style games everyone likes games based on a spinning wheel. These days we have quite a big variety to choose from: Evolution’s Dreamcatcher, Spin2Win and Spin2Wheels by Golden Race or Pragmatic Play’s Mega Wheel. We all love to spin and win or to bet and win.

Betting 2021 – what’s coming up?

For 2021 we expect a few more new betting sites to enter the South African market which will bring us even more choice. And with it more game providers for even more entertaining betting options. So overall 2021 looks like a good year for online sports betting, especially when looking at the sports calendar.

2021 will see a huge sporting calendar. Major tournaments and sport events were postponed while others were scheduled for 2021 anyway. Aside from the usual soccer leagues and tournaments (Premier League, PSL, Champions League) let’s have a look at what we can look forward to over the next 12 months:

Best Sporting Events for 2021

January 2021

2021 Sun Met (30 January)
Sri Lanka v England – Cricket two test series (14 – 26 January)

February 2021

Six Nations 2021 opening weekend (6 February)
NFL Super Bowl (7 February)
Australian Open (8-21 February)
India v England – Cricket four test series (5 February – 8 March)

March 2021

Cheltenham Festival (16-19 March)
Six Nations final weekend (20 March)
Formula 1 season starts 21 March – Australian Grand Prix Melbourne

April 2021

The Masters, Augusta (8-11 April)
The Grand National, Aintree (8-10 April)
Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup (17 April – 19 June)
World Snooker Championship (17 April -3 May)

May 2021

French Open (23 May – 6 June)
Final Day of Premier League (23 May)
The Indy 500, Indianapolis (28-31 May)
UEFA Champions League Final, Istanbul (29 May)
Giro d’Italia (8-30 May)

June 2021

Euro 2020 (11 June- 11 July)
Tour de France (26 June- 18 July)
Wimbledon (28 June- 11 July)
Comrades Marathon (13 June)

July 2021

Lions Tour (3 July – 7 August)
Durban July (3 July)
Tokyo Olympics (23 July – 8 August)

August 2021

Women’s British Open at Carnoustie (19 – 22 August)
Tokyo Paralympic Games (24 August – 5 September)
US Open, New York City (30 August – 13 September)

September 2021

Women’s Rugby World Cup, New Zealand (18 September – 16 October)
Solheim Cup in Toledo, Ohio. (4-6 September)
Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits, Wisconsin (24-26 September)
Bob Willis Trophy final – Lord’s (27 September – 1 October)

October / November 2021

London Marathon (3 October)
ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup, India (18 October – 15 November)
2021 Autumn Internationals (30 October – 27 November)

December 2021

Start of the 2021 Ashes
World Darts Championship
India Tour of South Afica 2021/22

As you can see there is a lot to look forward to for 2021 for betting enthusiasts. All the big events will surely bring some exciting betting fun. If you want to end 2020 with a Bang have a look at the best betting sites. Most of them offer special bonuses and promotions to celebrate the New Year. Gbets offers a ‘Deposit Match Bonanza’ while Hollywood Bets is ‘celebrating 365 days in 2020’.

For an overview of what to expect in 2022 have a look at our betting in 2022 article.