DATA.BET and Hollywoodbets partner to debut esports betting in South Africa

DATA.BET has signed a partnership with Hollywoodbets to bring esports betting to the South African market for the first time. The sportsbook supplier will provide the operator with its full esports ecosystem, including a single-page application iFrame, odds feed, bet builder, widgets, live streaming, and fully managed risk and trading services.

Full esports ecosystem

The launch gives Hollywoodbets access to more than 770 markets across roughly 30 esports disciplines and over 10,000 events per month, covering titles such as CS2, Dota 2, Valorant, League of Legends, Rainbow Six, and other leading and lower-tier competitive games. DATA.BET said it maintains market availability above 90% and system uptime at 99.99%.

Otto Bonning, head of sales at DATA.BET, said the deal is about giving Hollywoodbets "a complete esports product they can launch with confidence." He added that the iFrame removes integration complexity, while in-house risk and trading support is intended to deliver strong margins and a consistent user experience from day one. Bonning described esports as an emerging vertical in South Africa, with both companies aligned on a roadmap to grow it.

Hollywoodbets head of product Wayde Dorkin called the launch "an important milestone" for the operator, given esports' growing place in the global sports and entertainment landscape. Through the partnership, he said, Hollywoodbets will offer customers extensive tournament coverage, live streaming, in-depth statistics, and a wide range of betting markets.

South African market context

Hollywoodbets is one of South Africa's largest betting operators, known for sponsorships including the Hollywoodbets Sharks and Hollywoodbets Dolphins and for its mobile-first approach across retail and online. The local market also features Betway, Sportpesa, Sun Bet, and bet365, making esports a potentially useful differentiator. For DATA.BET, the agreement extends its African footprint and follows last year's deal with Entain NCE to strengthen esports coverage in Estonia.

DATA.BET has built its reputation around esports but has also been expanding into traditional sports betting, most recently keeping bettors engaged through the FIFA World Cup. Yevhenii Ilchenko, the company's head of sports, said "consistently engaged bettors stayed for six straight weeks" during the tournament. The Hollywoodbets deal, however, reinforces the supplier's core esports focus.