Apple Pay casinos and betting sites

What Apple Pay is

Apple Pay is Apple’s mobile wallet. You add a debit or credit card to the Wallet app on your iPhone, Apple Watch or iPad, and then pay by confirming with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode. Instead of your real card number, the merchant receives a one-time token, so the casino never sees your card details.

Apple Pay arrived in South Africa in 2021 with Absa, Nedbank and Discovery Bank, and FNB followed the same year. Most major banks now support it, so if you have an iPhone and a bank card, you can probably use it.

Where you can use Apple Pay

Few South African gambling sites have switched it on. In our data only four brands accept Apple Pay:

• ZARbet: deposits and withdrawals.
• Lucky Fish: deposits from R10.
• Swifty Sports: deposits.
• Jackpot City: deposits and withdrawals.

The big local bookmakers, such as Betway and Hollywoodbets, don’t list Apple Pay in our data, and nor does 1Win, our featured casino. If you play at 1Win from your iPhone, Zapper or SnapScan are the closest phone-based options.

How to deposit with Apple Pay

1. Add your card to Apple Wallet: open Wallet, tap the plus sign and follow your bank’s verification.
2. Open the casino in Safari or in its iOS app. Apple Pay generally doesn’t appear in other browsers on older iOS versions.
3. Choose Apple Pay in the cashier and enter the amount.
4. Confirm with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode.
5. The deposit reflects instantly.

If Apple Pay doesn’t show in the cashier, you may be on a desktop browser, or the site may only offer it on certain devices.

How to withdraw with Apple Pay

At ZARbet and Jackpot City, Apple Pay payouts go back to the card behind your Apple Pay token. In practice that’s a card refund to your bank account:

1. Complete your FICA verification.
2. Choose Apple Pay (or card) on the withdrawal page.
3. Enter the amount and confirm.
4. After the site approves it, allow a few business days for the bank to show the credit.

Fees, limits and speed

• Fees: Apple doesn’t charge you. Your bank treats it as a normal card purchase.
• Limits: the site’s minimum (R10 at Lucky Fish) and your card’s daily limit.
• Speed: deposits are instant; payouts back to your card typically take a few business days after approval.

Who it suits

Apple Pay suits iPhone users who want the quickest possible deposit with no card details typed in. Biometric approval also protects you if someone else picks up your phone.

The obvious drawback is choice. With only four brands in our data, you can’t build your betting around Apple Pay. And on Android, it’s not an option at all; see Google Pay, which has even less support.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Fastest deposit flow on an iPhone.
• Tokenised payments keep card details private.
• Supported by most major South African banks.
• Two-way at ZARbet and Jackpot City.

Cons

• Only four brands in our data accept it.
• iPhone and Safari only.
• Card refunds can take days.
• Not offered by the large SA bookmakers or 1Win.

Alternatives

For most South African players, Ozow or Capitec Pay is a better everyday choice: also instant and phone-friendly, and accepted much more widely. Visa and Mastercard work wherever Apple Pay doesn’t. See every method on our payments page.

A one-tap deposit is convenient, so set a deposit limit in your account first. If you need to talk to someone, the NRGP helpline is free on 0800 006 008.