The Betway Premiership Explained
Reviewed for responsible-gambling compliance by Priya Naidoo.
If you follow South African football or bet on it, you will see the name "Betway Premiership" everywhere. It is the sponsored name of the country's top professional football division, the league most SA punters bet on week in and week out.
This guide explains what the Betway Premiership is, how the league is structured, why it carries a bookmaker's name, and how people bet on it, along with the responsible-gambling basics that matter when you are betting your team every weekend.
What is the Betway Premiership?
The Betway Premiership is the title-sponsored name of South Africa's premier professional football league, run under the Premier Soccer League (PSL). Like most big leagues around the world, the competition sells its naming rights to a sponsor, and the betting operator Betway holds those rights, which is why you see the league branded that way on TV, on shirts and in fixtures. The football itself is unchanged: it is the same top-flight competition featuring the country's biggest clubs, the same promotion and relegation, and the same season running roughly from August to May. When commentators, betting sites or news outlets say "Betway Premiership" they are simply using the sponsored name for the league you might also hear called the PSL or the DStv Premiership from previous sponsorship eras. The sponsor's name changes over time; the league is the constant.
How does the league format work?
The Betway Premiership runs as a standard double round-robin: every club plays every other club twice, once at home and once away, across a season. A win is worth three points, a draw one, and a loss none, and the club with the most points at the end is champion. If teams are level on points, tiebreakers such as goal difference come into play. The bottom of the table faces relegation to the second tier, while the strongest clubs from that lower division come up, so the make-up of the league shifts from season to season. Alongside the league, the same clubs contest domestic cup competitions and, for the top finishers, continental tournaments, which is why a busy team plays across several competitions at once. For a bettor, the round-robin format is useful because it produces a large, regular schedule of fixtures with plenty of data on form, home advantage and head-to-head records.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| League | South Africa's top football division (PSL) |
| Sponsored name | Betway Premiership |
| Format | Double round-robin (home and away) |
| Points | Win 3, draw 1, loss 0 |
| Season | Roughly August to May |
| Movement | Promotion and relegation with the second tier |
How do people bet on the Betway Premiership?
Every licensed South African bookmaker carries the Betway Premiership as a core football market, not just Betway itself, so the sponsored name does not limit where you can bet. The common markets are match result (home, draw or away), both teams to score, over or under a number of goals, correct score, and player or team specials such as top goal scorer over a season. Punters also build multi-match accumulators across a weekend's fixtures, which offer big payouts but need every leg to win. Because it is the league South Africans know best, it is tempting to bet with the heart, so the disciplined approach is to treat your knowledge as one input among many and still check form, injuries, home advantage and the odds rather than backing your club blindly. Odds differ between operators, so comparing a couple before placing a bet is worth the minute it takes.
What should you keep in mind betting your own league?
Betting on a league you love every weekend is enjoyable, but familiarity brings its own trap: it is easy to bet more often and more emotionally on teams you support than you would on a neutral fixture. The habits that keep it fun are the same as for any betting. Set a weekly budget for football and treat it as a hard limit, not a target you must reach. Avoid chasing a losing accumulator with a bigger one, because that is how a small budget disappears. Remember that no amount of fandom or inside feeling changes the odds, which are set to give the bookmaker an edge over time. If betting on the football stops being fun, or you find yourself betting to recover losses, use the deposit-limit and self-exclusion tools every licensed operator offers, and know that the National Responsible Gambling helpline is free and confidential.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Betway Premiership the same as the PSL?+
Yes. The Betway Premiership is the sponsored name of South Africa's top professional football division, run under the Premier Soccer League. The sponsor's name has changed over the years (you may have heard it called the DStv Premiership before), but it is the same top-flight league with the same clubs, format and promotion and relegation.
Do I have to bet with Betway to bet on the Betway Premiership?+
No. The league carries Betway's name as a sponsor, but every licensed South African bookmaker offers it as a football market. You can bet the Betway Premiership at Hollywoodbets, Supabets, Gbets and others, and odds differ between operators, so it is worth comparing a couple before placing a bet.
What are the most common Betway Premiership bets?+
Match result (home, draw or away) is the staple, alongside both teams to score, over or under total goals, correct score, and season-long specials like top goal scorer. Many punters also build weekend accumulators across several fixtures. Whatever the market, check form, injuries and home advantage rather than backing your own team on loyalty alone.