FICA Documents for South African Casino Apps
Every licensed South African operator has to check who you are before it pays you a cent, and that check is called FICA. The law behind it is the same whether you are betting on the PSL or spinning slots on your phone. Send clear copies of the right documents the first time and the job is usually done in one upload. Send a dark photo of your ID with a corner cut off and you will be asked to send it again.
The operators publish different lists and different routes, so what follows is each one in their own words, and where you send them in each app.
What FICA is
FICA is the Financial Intelligence Centre Act, Act 38 of 2001, brought in to make money laundering and fraud harder to pull off. It reaches a long way past gambling, and it is the same law behind your bank asking for a municipal bill when you open an account.
World Sports Betting put it plainly in their own FICA guide. The law requires businesses in regulated industries, licensed betting operators included, to verify the identity and the residential address of their customers. Betway say the same in their FICA section and name the Act by year. Gbets name it in their terms as Act 38 of 2001, as amended.
So two things usually have to be proved: who you are and where you live. Of the operators on this page, Hollywoodbets are the exception, because their own FICA help page describes FICA as a copy of your ID and lists only identity documents. Betway ask for your ID first and may want a proof of residence later, usually when you request a withdrawal.
Why the operators care so much
A South African bookmaker holds a provincial licence, and the FICA duty comes with it. Betway’s FAQ says FICA is regulated and implemented by the Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board. Betway trade under two licences, one from the Mpumalanga Economic Regulator and one from the Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board. YesPlay hold a Western Cape bookmaker licence issued in November 2025.
World Sports Betting list the reasons on their own page: verifying your identity, protecting the account against fraud and identity theft, meeting South African regulations and making sure withdrawals go out securely. The last one is the part that reaches your pocket.
The documents you need
| What it proves | What to send |
|---|---|
| Who you are | Green barcoded ID book, smart ID card, driver’s licence or a valid passport |
| Where you live | A document showing your full name and your physical residential address |
Betway’s own FICA page asks for one of those four identity documents. The other operators on this page accept a slightly different set, so the notes under each document below say who takes what and which ones need both sides.
Green ID book
Still valid and still accepted: Betway, YesPlay and 10bet all name the green ID book. 10bet want just the front, so photograph the page with your photo and ID number on it and keep the whole page in frame.
Smart ID card
Two photos, front and back. Betway, Hollywoodbets and 10bet all ask for both sides in writing, so send both every time.
Driver’s licence
Betway take a driver’s licence with both sides uploaded, and YesPlay’s terms name it as well. Hollywoodbets only accept one as a supporting document when your ID is temporary or damaged, so send your ID or passport there. Gbets and 10bet leave it off their lists.
Passport
Useful if you are a foreign national living here, and every operator on this page names a valid passport. YesPlay ask foreigners living here for a proof of residence with it, and World Sports Betting have a separate rule for passport holders, covered in the questions at the end. Gbets’ terms say they may also accept a current work permit, asylum seeker permit or refugee permit.
The bank statement Betway and 10bet ask for on top
Betway want one extra item as further validation: a valid bank statement for a South African bank account, no older than three months from the date you registered. 10bet ask for a bank statement too, showing the date, your name and your residential address, or a confirmation letter from your bank if you have no statement. Gbets and YesPlay keep the right to ask for proof of your bank account, so have a recent statement saved even where it is not asked for up front.
Proof of address: what actually counts
Proof of address takes more thought if you rent, live with family or have a lights bill in somebody else’s name. World Sports Betting accept a wide range, though. They publish their list in full, and it runs to 22 documents for personal accounts, plus a letter from an auditor or accountant for business clients.
The document has to show your full name and your physical residential address clearly enough to read. These are the documents WSB list as commonly accepted.
Household and municipal
- Municipal rates, water or electricity account
- Municipal rates and taxes invoice issued in the last three months
- Municipality confirmation letter
- Tribal authority confirmation letter
- Body corporate or homeowners’ association statement
- Lease or rental agreement
- Home loan statement
Money and accounts
- Bank statement
- Account statement from a credit provider registered with the National Credit Regulator
- Insurance policy document from a registered financial services provider
- Medical aid statement or policy document
- Tax certificate
- Official SARS correspondence, though not an eFiling printout
Everyday post you probably already have
- Telephone or mobile phone statement
- Subscription television statement, DStv included
- Television licence renewal or confirmation letter
- Vehicle registration or licence documentation
- A traffic fine from a Metro Police Department
- Statement from a security company registered with PSIRA
When nothing is in your name
- A sworn affidavit confirming your residential address
- A letter from your employer, where you live on company premises
- An official registration letter from a university, college or other tertiary institution
The affidavit is the one worth knowing about if you are staying with family and every bill in the house is in a parent’s name. You can make an affidavit at any police station, where an officer gives you a standard form and helps you complete it. The same police station will certify copies of your documents free of charge if an operator asks you for a certified copy, as long as you bring the originals along with your own copies.
That list belongs to World Sports Betting, and YesPlay and 10bet publish shorter ones that differ at the edges. YesPlay accept utility bills, a store account statement from a national store, a bank statement, a DStv statement or a municipal letter. 10bet name a utility bill, a bank statement, a clothing account or a levy statement. If you are sending something unusual to a different site, look at that site’s own FICA page first.
Where the upload sits, app by app
| Operator | Where to upload |
|---|---|
| Hollywoodbets | The self service site at fica.hollywoodbets.net. Enter your ID number, passport number or cellphone number. Then either take a photo on the spot or send a file already saved on your phone. |
| World Sports Betting | Log in, tap Account, then My Profile, then Fica. Tap the white block, pick your document type, choose the file and tap Upload Fica Documents. |
| 10bet | Log in on the website or the 10bet app, tap the menu (three lines) at the top left, scroll down to Account Verification and upload each document as asked. |
| Betway | Email a copy of your ID to fica@betway.co.za if the automatic check when you register does not clear it. |
| Gbets | Web upload or email, according to its terms, and Gbets may ask for a certified copy of the original. |
Hollywoodbets, World Sports Betting and 10bet publish the route step by step. YesPlay, Betway and Gbets do not set the taps out on a public page we could read, so in those apps look under your account menu or ask support rather than following steps copied from somewhere else.
Hollywoodbets also take your ID at any branch or by email to HWHelpline@hollywoodbets.net, and their helpline on 087 353 7634 can help when the upload will not take.
Desktop or phone
Both work, and Hollywoodbets say so directly: on a phone you can photograph the document there and then, and on a desktop you browse for the file on your computer.
How to take a photo that passes first time
The photo is the part of FICA you control, and a picture nobody can read has to be sent again, so take your time over it.
- Shoot in daylight. Stand near a window rather than under the light in the room, and turn the flash off. 10bet ask for no glare or blurring, and a flash bouncing off a smart card can cause glare.
- Flat on a dark surface. A table works. The edges of the document need to stand out from whatever is behind them.
- Straight down, not at an angle. Hold the phone level above the document rather than leaning over it.
- All four corners in frame. Betway and 10bet both ask for this in writing, so leave a little of the table showing round every edge.
- Colour, never grey. Betway ask for documents in colour, and Hollywoodbets ask for a colour copy or a clear photograph.
- Check it before you send it. Open the photo full size and read your own ID number off it. If you cannot, neither can they.
Why uploads get rejected
Past the photo itself, the operators’ own pages name a few other problems.
- The name does not match. World Sports Betting list this first in their own tips, and 10bet say documents that do not match your account details can delay verification. If the account says Sipho Ndlovu, send a bill that says Sipho Ndlovu rather than S. Ndlovu where you have one.
- The bank account is in someone else’s name. YesPlay suspend an account when the name on the card or bank account differs from the name you registered, and Betway only pay out to the account holder’s own bank account.
- The address cannot be read. WSB ask for the address to be clearly visible, so flatten out any fold that runs through it and avoid a faded printout.
- An old document. YesPlay, 10bet and Gbets set the limit at three months, and WSB ask for the most recent version, so send the newest statement you have.
What happens after you upload
World Sports Betting say you get an email once your documents have been reviewed, and their FAQ calls the upload instant verification. Betway say a review can take up to 24 business hours once your documents arrive. 10bet say an upload through their verification tab is usually approved straight away. Hollywoodbets’ guide to its self service site says processing can take up to 30 minutes, and you get an SMS once you are approved.
If it comes back rejected, read the reason before you resend, and take a fresh photo rather than sending the same file that failed. 10bet say they will contact you by email or telephone if they need anything more.
FICA and casino play
An account that has not passed FICA cannot withdraw, so the check can turn up on the day you try to take slot winnings out. The check belongs to the account rather than to any one game, so the verification you do for the sportsbook is the same verification that covers the casino tab, the crash games, the Lucky Numbers slips and, at Hollywoodbets, the Spina Zonke games in the same app.
Do it on the day you open the account, while you are sitting down with your phone in your hand, so your first withdrawal is not left waiting on documents.
FICA is not RICA
The two names sound alike, but they are different laws doing different jobs.
RICA is the Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communication-related Information Act of 2002, and it is the reason you had to register your SIM card with your ID and your address. FICA is the financial one, and it is the reason a bank, a life insurer or a bookmaker asks for the same paperwork.
The overlap is in what you hand over. Cell C’s own RICA page asks for your ID or passport and a proof of address. The bill you dug out to RICA a SIM is the same kind of document that will get a betting account verified.
When you move house
A proof of address is only worth anything while you still live there. If you move, the address on the account goes stale, and the next document you send will not match what the operator has on file.
Tell the operator about the new address first, then send the new proof. 10bet handle a change of residential address through Customer Support and may ask for a proof of address at the new place, and Gbets’ terms ask you to tell them in writing when your details change. A lease agreement or a first municipal bill at the new place is usually the easiest thing to lay hands on in the first month.
Doing it once, for every app
FICA is per operator. Verifying at Hollywoodbets does nothing for a Betway account, because each licensed operator runs its own check under its own licence. That goes for every licensed app on our list of the best online casino apps in South Africa. The paperwork barely changes from one to the next, though. Keep clear colour photos of your ID, a recent bill with your name and address on it and a recent bank statement saved together on your phone, and each new account is a matter of picking the right files.
Questions people ask
What does FICA stand for?
The Financial Intelligence Centre Act, Act 38 of 2001, a South African law aimed at money laundering and fraud. The Financial Intelligence Centre lists banks, life insurance businesses and gambling businesses among the sectors it covers.
Is a bank statement enough on its own?
As proof of address, yes. A bank statement sits on the accepted lists at World Sports Betting, YesPlay and 10bet, as long as it shows your full name and your physical address clearly. It never replaces your ID, though, so send your ID or passport with it.
What if no bill is in my name?
At World Sports Betting a sworn affidavit confirming where you live is accepted. So is a letter from a tertiary institution if you are studying, or an employer’s letter if you live on company premises. The shorter lists at other operators do not name these, so ask their support first.
Do I have to FICA before I can bet?
It depends on the operator. At World Sports Betting, South African ID holders can deposit and play straight away and verify before their first withdrawal, while passport holders have to FICA before they deposit or play. Betway and Hollywoodbets check your ID automatically when you register and activate the account once your ID is verified.
Does one FICA cover all my accounts?
No. Each operator holds its own licence and has to verify you itself, so the documents go in once per site.
Can I FICA without the app?
Hollywoodbets run their upload on a separate site that works in any browser, so no app is needed there. World Sports Betting take the documents inside the logged in account, which works on a phone browser as well as in the app, and they also accept them by email at fica@wsb.co.za.
You must be 18 or older to gamble in South Africa. If gambling stops being fun, call the National Responsible Gambling Programme counselling line free on 0800 006 008, open 24 hours a day, or WhatsApp Help to 076 675 0710. Our responsible gambling page covers the limits and self-exclusion tools inside the apps.