October 22, 2024

Hollywoodbets makes headlines as it announces new internet service in South Africa

By Vinolin Naidoo

Hollywoodbets has been in the headlines again, this time for launching a new internet service in South Africa. The Hollywood Group is a recognized and successful brand in South Africa with interests in various sectors in the country.

Their primary product is legalized gambling, and Hollywoodbet’s brand is the top-rated online casino and sportsbook in the country. Still, the group has caught the attention of many with its latest venture.

Its internet service – Hollywood Connect – has applied to the country’s telecommunications regulator to acquire two network licenses: the transfer of ownership of Individual Electronic Communications Service (I-ECS) and Individual Electronic Communications Network Service (I-ECNS). With these licenses, the group can offer a nationwide internet service.

Currently, Hollywood Connect is only available in a few regions like KwaZulu Natal (KZN), but it has applied for licenses to roll out coverage in other regions to provide this service nationwide.

Normally, acquiring individual licenses is extremely difficult to obtain and rather costly, upwards of R1 million. I-ECS and I-ECNS licenses are only issued through the relevant government channels and only if the Minister of Communications publishes a policy directive allowing the Independent Communications Association of South Africa (Icasa) to issue an invitation to apply.

Hollywood Connect got the ball rolling on this venture, as Icasa published a notice of the ISP’s application in the Government Gazette earlier this year.

We have done an in-depth evaluation of Hollywood Connect and how its first few months have gone, and our findings have shown that it has already made quite an impression on the market, and its services have received rave reviews in KZN.

Current locations of availability and coverage of the Hollywood Connect internet service include Durban North, Dolphin Coast, Umhlanga, Morningside and Windermere. This new internet service provider has partnered with several network operators, including Link Layer, Metrofibre, Openserve and Zoom Fibre.

All customers can enter into a month-to-month agreement with the service provider without the hassle of long-term contractual periods. Hollywood Connect guarantees fast fibre with high-quality and budget-friendly deals and the bonus of a free high-quality router when signing up for one of its fibre deals.

For more information about Hollywood Connect and its products and prices, you can visit Hollywood Connect and browse through the site or contact a support agent.

Background of Hollywoodbets in SA

Initially entered the sports betting industry in 1986 as Winning Form, the company rebranded, and in 2000, Hollywoodbets opened its first branch in Durban, it has grown locally and internationally and has several betting shops across the UK and Ireland. In Mzansi, numerous provincial regulators, including the Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board, and the KwaZulu Natal Gaming and Betting Board, license the operator.

This online casino has grown into a successful South African betting operator from humble beginnings. Today, it has hundreds of betting shops across South Africa and is home to thousands of players. The platform provides its South African players with an exceptional betting product, which includes an excellent sportsbook and an exciting online casino.

Players can place sports bets across thousands of competitive betting markets, and popular features include cashout, same-match bet builders, live betting, horse racing tote betting, ante-post racing markets and virtual sports. The online casino products at here include slots, table games, scratch cards, lucky numbers and live casino games.

Despite legalized gambling being its primary product and service, the company is more than just a betting operator. The Hollywood Group also plays an active role in social upliftment and has improved the sports industry through its various sponsorships and initiatives.

Unique features at Hollywoodbets

Under the Hollywood Group umbrella, HollywoodBets has a significant footprint in South African Casinos. Here are some of their popular benefits.

Hollywoodbets and South African Horse Racing

Any stakeholders in South African horse racing, before Hollywoodbets got involved, would know that the industry was on a slow death. The group has helped improve the financial aspect of the industry with its sponsorships and initiatives. Hollywoodbets sponsors several racing events and race courses, including the Durban July, and the Greyville, Scottsville, Kenilworth, and Durbanville race tracks.

Besides sponsoring horse racing events and trainers, the group has a racing syndicate. The Hollywood Syndicate owns a plethora of thoroughbred racehorses in South Africa. The Hollywood Syndicate aims to invest back into racing and take an active role in thoroughbred racehorse ownership. The Hollywood Syndicate is among the best-performing owners in the South African racing industry and recently celebrated its 550th win.

Horse racing is not the only sporting code that thrives under the stewardship of Hollywoodbets. The brand is invested in several other sports and events, including being the main sponsor for English Premier League side Brentford FC, and the official betting partner for the Spanish League, La Liga. The group is also the title sponsor of the South African National Women’s Soccer League, the Dolphins cricket team and the Sharks rugby team.

Hollywoodbets Athletics Club

The Hollywoodbets Athletics Club was founded to improve the lifestyle of all individuals in South Africa. Company stakeholders, team members, families, clients and the general public can register with the club and participate in road running in the country.

Hollywood Bunny Bar

The bunny chow is a famous South African dish with mouthwatering curry filled inside a hollow bread. It is a must-try dish for any South African and travellers who visit Mzansi. For 18 years, Hollywoodbets has provided these delicious meals to its patrons at betting shops, stadiums and also for private events.

The Hollywood Bunny Bar is a catering service the Hollywood Group provides customers. From birthday parties to office events, the Hollywood Bunny Bar is ready to cater to all your events. A unique feature of the Bunny Bar is the Bunny Bus, a Form Custom 1972 food truck, which takes the experience of enjoying a delicious and flavourful bunny chow to new heights.

Hollywood Foundation

Hollywoodbets has been uplifting and investing in the lives of South Africans since 2012 with the My Community Programme. In 2021, the Group ventured into new territory when the Hollywood Foundation was established, a non-profit organization created by the Hollywood Group to improve South Africa’s living standards.

The foundation has invested over R50 million in various outreach programs that have benefitted young and old, rural and suburbs, small business-owned enterprises, and large corporations. Some of these programs include access to safe and clean drinking water in communities, the Back To School campaign, the Future Is Bright project, the development of Grassroots Sports, and bursaries and scholarships for students and young designers.

Hollywoodbets has grown from a modest betting shop to one of the biggest brands in South Africa. The Hollywood Group is a bold, successful brand always trying to break new ground. From a legalized betting platform to CSI campaigns and now to its latest venture, a new internet service in South Africa, the Group is an innovative, successful brand that is playing its part in improving the lives of everyday South Africans.