- Virgin Bet launches in South Africa, marking its first expansion beyond the UK and building on LiveScore Group’s existing operations in Nigeria
- The safety of our gamers is our primary priority; responsible gambling is integrated into the platform’s operations, supported by player control tools and local customer support, with plans to engage in initiatives promoting safer gambling in South Africa
- Our “A Good Bet” mission – focused on gaming for recreation – is our lodestar. Our CSI initiatives will focus on ensuring the brand contributes to the education and welfare of gamblers
Cape Town, South Africa, March, 2026: Virgin Bet is proud to announce the launch of its operations in South Africa, marking the first time the brand has operated outside the UK.
Since launching in 2019, Virgin Bet has grown to become a leading betting brand in the UK. Its entry into the South African market represents a key milestone in the brand’s growth, as it enters an international market for the first time.
Virgin Bet is part of LiveScore Group, a global leader in sports media and betting, comprising the world-class brands LiveScore, LiveScore Bet and Virgin Bet. The launch in South Africa strengthens the business’ presence in Africa, building on LiveScore Bet’s existing operations in Nigeria.
Responsible gambling is central to the virginbet.co.za platform, with player wellbeing a core focus. The brand offers a comprehensive suite of responsible gambling tools, including deposit limits, time-outs, and self-exclusion options for all customers, alongside rigorous age verification protocols. These measures are supported by dedicated local customer support teams, with further initiatives planned in South Africa to support safer gambling, as part of Virgin Bet’s broader corporate social responsibility (CSR) commitments.
In the lead-up to launch, Virgin Bet has been steadily building a strong local leadership team to support its long-term ambitions in South Africa, including Gail Odgers, one of iGaming South Africa’s most “influential women in gaming”, as Head of Marketing.
Virgin Bet is guided by its brand mission, “A Good Bet,” meaning every bet should be both exciting and rewarding no matter the outcome, while players stay in control and bet responsibly.
Virgin Bet is also committed to rewarding its customers with exceptional rewards. Ranging from betting promotions to exclusive offers across the wider Virgin ecosystem, the brand aims to deliver standout experiences while ensuring betting remains safe and fun.
Gail Odgers, Head of Marketing, Virgin Bet South Africa, said:
“Launching in South Africa is a proud moment for us. At Virgin Bet, we believe that ‘A Good Bet’ means delivering standout experiences for our customers, while also taking our responsibility to players and communities seriously.
South Africans care deeply about sport. Whether it’s football, rugby or cricket, sport is part of everyday conversation. That passion is what makes this market so exciting for us.
Our role is to enhance that experience responsibly, offering standout moments and exceptional rewards, while setting a high standard for responsible gambling from day one. We’re focused on building trust and introducing Virgin Bet in a way that South Africans can feel confident in.”
ENDS.
About Virgin Bet:
Launched in May 2019, Virgin Bet™ is one of the UK’s fastest-growing Sportsbooks and winner of 2021 SBC’s “Rising Star” award. With access to a huge range of betting markets across all the top sports, as well as the nation’s most popular casino products, Virgin Bet delivers a top-quality experience for its customers and has the perfect line-up to disrupt the sportsbook industry.
Virgin Bet fuses the values and principles of the “Virgin” master brand with the online gaming expertise of LiveScore Group to deliver a first-class customer experience.
“VIRGIN” and the Virgin Signature logo are trademarks of Virgin Enterprises Limited and are used under license.
About LiveScore Group:
Established in 2019, LiveScore Group™ is home to LiveScore, LiveScore Bet and Virgin Bet; three of the most exciting brands in the sports and gaming industries today. The Group is a fully owned and operated ecosystem that converges the most relevant sports content and engaging features with a world-class sportsbook. All served by a purpose-built, in-house tech stack delivering a frictionless customer experience.
Guided by its vision of Fuelling Fans’ Passion for Sport, its model directly addresses several industry challenges. Against a wider backdrop of sports content consumption that is inefficient and uneconomical, modern sports fans are expected to navigate a fragmented ecosystem delivered by different brands and companies across various apps, platforms and devices. Completing basic and repeatable actions require managing multiple paid subscriptions and accounts.
LiveScore Group, centred around its pioneering ‘convergence’ strategy, is improving the symbiotic relationship between the sports media and sports betting industries to deliver better returns and, vitally, a better experience for users.