- This week the outcome for the 2024 national elections will be determined.
- It is a hotly contested ballot this year, with online betting now taking place regarding the results.
- Sunbet began taking online bets on the elections last week.
This week could be one of the most important in recent years for South African as registered voters head to the polls to mark an X next to the party of their choice on 29th May. The national elections are significant too as it is one of the most hotly contested in some time, with many calling it one of the most important elections since 1994.
Whether that will indeed turn out to the case, or whether the current ruling party will maintain its expected level of control remains to be seen, which is why online bets for this year’s elections have become a thing.
This according to Sunbet, which last week on 20th May started taking online bets for this year’s national elections, along with taking side bets on other outcomes for the coming days.
“Betting on election outcomes is popular around the world. Many bookmakers globally are prepared to take very large bets, but we have limited individual bets because we are more interested in seeing the responses to election outcomes and interest by the public in this sort of entertainment than trying to drive betting volumes,” notes Sunbet COO, Gideon Mann, in a release shared with Hypertext.
The company is not only looking at local elections, but a handful of ones happening abroad too.
“Currently, we are also offering bets on the outcomes on a host of other upcoming elections such as those in the UK and Sweden,” adds Mann.
How to get involved
For South Africans also wanting to get in on the action, despite it being limited bets, Sunbet has created an online portal here. Once you head to it, click on one of the election banners where you will find all of the information, odds, and options.
“If you don’t have an account, follow the easy signup process (we will automatically link you to the Sun International loyalty program if you have ever been to any of our resort or casino properties). We have loads of options to quickly and easily withdraw winnings or deposit money for bets. Bets result after the IEC or other official announcements occur. Remember though this is only for people over the age of 18 and it is important to bet responsibly,” shares Mann.
“We have seen good interest so far. South Africans tend to place their bets closer to the events, so we are still early in the journey. We have already had a large multiple more punters place bets than any total participant numbers in publicly released election polls,” he continues.
Unpacking some of the options, Sunbet has 13 different bets on the go at the time of writing. These range from the bigger outcomes, such as who will be South African President, Vice President, the percentage share of ANC votes, and the percentage share of DA votes.
Also included are bets on how Jacob Puma’s MK party will fare, and precisely what percentage of votes it will received.
Another aspect for which betting is happening is loadshedding. Here Sunbet is accepting bets on, “Official Load Shedding Level 2 or above Within 3 Weeks of a new President being Announced by Parliament,” with loadshedding Level 2 and above currently sitting at odds of 1/16. Given how much of a meme this has become in recent weeks, we expect this to be a popular betting option.
In usual South African flavour, Sunbet is hoping for its online elections betting to not be taking too seriously, and more of a fun exercise taken up by local citizens frustrated with the current state of affairs.
“We intended our election betting to be more light-hearted and fun, so our bet limits are small. We are seeing this more like our coverage of the Jake Paul – Mike Tyson boxing match. In terms of elections, we are also offering bets on the outcome of the UK and Swedish elections in a few weeks and intend to cover the Biden-Trump rematch, which likely will become globally the new biggest-ever betting event,” notes Mann.
[Image – Photo by Edge2Edge Media on Unsplash]
