Betting basics

Decimal odds

Return = stake × decimal odds. A R100 stake at 2.50 returns R250 if it wins, of which R150 is profit and R100 is the stake coming back. At 1.50 the same stake returns R150, so the profit is R50. Shorter odds mean a higher implied chance and a smaller profit.

Implied chance is 1 divided by the decimal odds. 2.00 is 50%. 1.50 is about 66.7%. 4.00 is 25%. The book’s prices on all outcomes of one match usually add to more than 100%. That gap is the overround, which is how the book builds in a margin. This guide has not measured a margin for Hollywoodbets or Gbets.

Singles, multiples, cash out

• A single is one selection. It wins or it loses.
• An accumulator multiplies the decimals together. Two winners at 2.00 and 1.80 on a R10 stake return R36. One loser and the slip loses. Gbets mentions a multi-bet boost of up to 30% on multiple legs. That boost, if it is credited, is their promotion and will have its own excluded markets.
• Cash out, which Gbets lists as a product, settles the slip before the event ends for a price the book offers at that moment. It is not a right to your original potential return.
• A free bet or bonus bet usually pays the profit only, not the token stake, unless the rules say otherwise. Gbets’ R50 free bet rules were not copied onto this page.

Before the first deposit

Confirm the book prints a South African licence line you can read. Hollywoodbets’ sports site names five provincial regulators in its structured data. Gbets’ footer names the Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board and licence number 10179096-014. Then decide a stake you can lose, and keep bonus money separate from the rent money in your head, because the cashier will not do that for you.

Horse racing, lucky numbers and live casino sit on some of these sites next to the match markets. They are different products with different rules. A casino coupon usually cannot be cleared on the sportsbook, and a free bet usually cannot be used on a slot. Check the product named on the coupon.