Wheel of Fortune in South Africa: BetGames' Live Wheel of 18 Numbers and a Cup
Wheel of Fortune is the live wheel game BetGames launched in 2014, by its own company timeline. In its studio a presenter presses a start button and a wheel of 19 equal sectors turns: the numbers 1 to 18, coloured black, grey and red, and one cup. You bet on where the pointer stops, at odds from 2 to 18, and draws run 24/7. BetGames' rules give the RTP as 94.74%, and by our arithmetic every bet in its demo returns that figure: 18 parts in 19.
On this page
What Wheel of Fortune looks like
Images: BetGames, official game page (betgames.tv).
How a Wheel of Fortune draw works
BetGames' wheel has 19 sectors of equal size: the numbers 1 to 18 and a cup. The result is the sector where the lower end of the pointer, at the top of the wheel, stops.
Each draw has one betting round, which the rules put at about a minute, and one spin. When betting closes, the presenter presses the start button next to the wheel and it turns clockwise; betting on the next draw starts as soon as a draw is finished.
The rules say a draw every two minutes. A BetGames news post of 12 October 2021 says the game became 33% faster, a spin every 90 seconds instead of 120, and a video in the game's How to play also says 90 seconds. Rule 6.1.1 lets the organiser change the time and duration of the broadcasts, so follow the countdown: 30 draws an hour at two minutes, 40 at 90 seconds, by our count.
If the presenter announces the wrong sector, the video decides. A draw you could not watch for technical reasons, such as no internet or no electricity, counts if its broadcast is in the archive. Each draw has a unique number, results are on the Results page, and claims go to the operator within 30 days.
The 19 sectors: colours, odd and even
Rule 2.5 gives each number a colour and a parity. The cup has neither: it is a bet of its own, and when it comes up, every other bet loses.
| Colour | Numbers | Odd | Even |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16 | 1, 7, 13 | 4, 10, 16 |
| Grey | 2, 5, 8, 11, 14, 17 | 5, 11, 17 | 2, 8, 14 |
| Red | 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18 | 3, 9, 15 | 6, 12, 18 |
| The cup | One sector, no number | - | - |
All 35 bets: odds and what they return 📊
Odds from BetGames' official demo; the sectors covered and the returns are our arithmetic. By our count: 18 number bets and 17 others, 35 in all, the number of outcomes on BetGames' game page.
| Bet | Odds in the demo | Sectors it covers | Return, our sum |
|---|---|---|---|
| Any one number, 1 to 18 | 18.00 | 1 of 19 | 94.74% |
| The cup | 18.00 | 1 of 19 | 94.74% |
| Black, grey or red | 3.00 | 6 of 19 | 94.74% |
| 1 to 6, 7 to 12 or 13 to 18 | 3.00 | 6 of 19 | 94.74% |
| Under 9.5 or over 9.5 | 2.00 | 9 of 19 | 94.74% |
| Odd or even | 2.00 | 9 of 19 | 94.74% |
| A colour with odd or even, such as red even | 6.00 | 3 of 19 | 94.74% |
Why every bet costs the same: the cup
By our arithmetic, the demo's odds are 18 divided by the number of sectors a bet covers: one pays 18, three pay 6, six pay 3, nine pay 2. On a wheel of 18 sectors that would leave the house nothing, and this one has 19, so every bet, the cup included, returns 18 parts in 19: 94.74%, the figure in BetGames' rules (its game page shows ~94%). The other 5.26% is the house's, on every bet.
So a bet sets how often you win, not what the game costs: odd or even lands 9 draws in 19 on average, a number 1 in 19, and on both the house keeps 5.26% of stakes over a long run. R1 on each number and on the cup costs R19 a spin and brings back R18 whatever lands (our sums).
At R10 a draw, that is R300 staked an hour at two-minute draws or R400 at 90 seconds, costing about R15.79 or R21.05 an hour on average (our arithmetic). No staking pattern beats the house edge: not doubling after a loss, not waiting for a number missing from the statistics, which only describe spins that are over.
Casino chips, the betslip and combinations
What BetGames' How to play says, in brief.
- Casino Chips Mode. On by default: during betting time, pick a chip value and tap positions on the layout, several at once if you like; wins are paid automatically. In BetGames' illustration the layout holds the 18 numbers and the cup.
- Betslip Mode. Turn Casino Chips Mode off in Settings for Betslip Mode, which BetGames says offers more bet types. Its illustration of this mode adds the colours, the three ranges, under or over 9.5, odd or even and colour with parity.
- Combination. Two different bets on one slip, both of which must win; the odds multiply. In BetGames' example the second bet is on another game: number 3 at 18.00 with Lucky 7's ball 28 at 5.70 gives total odds of 102.60. By our arithmetic such a pair returns about 90%: 94.74% here times the 95% that Lucky 7 bet returns.
- Limits. The operator, not BetGames, sets the minimum and maximum stake.
Classic Wheel and other games with the name
Classic Wheel is a separate BetGames game: its page calls it RNG-based, and its rules describe draws picked at random from pre-recorded Wheel of Fortune broadcasts, with the same outcomes to bet on. This page is about the live game.
Other studios use the name too: Split The Pot lists a game called Wheel of Fortune on its own site, and IGT makes a family of Wheel of Fortune slots. Neither is this live wheel.
Wheel of Fortune RTP and volatility 📊
BetGames gives Wheel of Fortune's return to player as 94.74%.
BetGames rates the volatility as low, but in Wheel of Fortune the bet you pick moves it: a bet at short odds wins often and pays little, one at long odds rarely wins and pays a lot.
Top payout: 18x on a single bet.
Paying for Wheel of Fortune in rand
Wheel of Fortune is in the lobby at 11 operators we list: all of them take Ozow and cards; 8 take Capitec Pay; 10 take cash vouchers.
The smallest first deposit for Wheel of Fortune among them is R1, at Luckyfish.
Wheel of Fortune winnings are paid by EFT to an account in your own name, after FICA.
Get FICA done first · How to deposit in rand · Every payment method
Is Wheel of Fortune legal in South Africa? 📜
Wheel of Fortune is a live dealer game, which licensed bookmakers carry under their provincial betting licences.
All 11 operators we list for Wheel of Fortune hold a South African provincial licence.
Before you play with real money ⚠️
Set your Wheel of Fortune budget and a deposit limit before the first round, not after a losing one. If it stops being fun, the South African Responsible Gambling Foundation helpline is free on 0800 006 008.
Pros, cons and verdict ⚖️
- All 35 bets return the same 94.74% at the demo's odds, by our sums
- Short rules: 19 equal sectors, one spin a draw, the video settles a wrong call
- Numbered draws on a Results page, broadcasts kept in an archive
- Low volatility on BetGames' own rating
- The cup beats every other bet about 1 draw in 19: a 5.26% house share, by our arithmetic
- Draws come quickly, every two minutes or every 90 seconds by BetGames' own texts, so stakes add up fast
- Easy to mix up with Classic Wheel and other studios' Wheel of Fortune games
BetGames' live wheel since 2014: 18 numbers in three colours and a cup, and 35 bets at odds from 2 to 18, all returning the 94.74% in its rules by our arithmetic. Choose a bet for how often it lands, and count draws as well as stakes.
Wheel of Fortune FAQ ❓
How often does the wheel spin?
Every two minutes by BetGames' rules, 24/7 with maintenance breaks; a BetGames news post of October 2021 and a video in the game's How to play say every 90 seconds. The rules let the organiser change the time and length of the broadcasts, so follow the game's countdown.
What happens when the wheel stops on the cup?
Bets on the cup win at 18.00 in BetGames' demo, and every other bet loses: numbers, colours, ranges, odd and even. By our arithmetic, that one sector in 19 is what takes every bet's return down to 94.74%.
Is any Wheel of Fortune bet better value?
No, by our arithmetic: at the demo's odds all 35 return 94.74%. They differ in how often they land: odd, even, under or over 9.5 cover 9 sectors of 19, a colour or a range 6, a colour with parity 3, a number or the cup 1.
What is the biggest payout in Wheel of Fortune?
On a single bet, 18 times the stake, the highest payout on BetGames' game page: R10 on a number or the cup comes back as R180 (our sum). A combination multiplies the odds of two bets; BetGames' own example reaches 102.60 by pairing 18.00 here with a Lucky 7 bet at 5.70.
Where to play Wheel of Fortune in South Africa
Licensed South African operators we have found carrying Wheel of Fortune, each with its licence and our score, and the date where we saw the game in the lobby ourselves. Ordered by that score. How we score Offers checked September 2026.
Also carrying Wheel of Fortune. Bonus, payment and payout terms for each are on its review.