Sportstake vs Soccer 6

Both Sportstake and Soccer 6 let punters bet on soccer match outcomes in pool-style lottery. But there are differences - 13 vs 6 games, pick 1 result or 2, so you can compare them on concrete terms

What a football pool bet is

South Africa’s football pool bets operate on the same core principle: punters predict game outcomes, and winning entries share the combined prize pool. Here, we’ll first look at the Sportstake brand of the National Lottery, then TAB’s Soccer 6 product. But before diving in, it's worth noting the logic behind these bets. In both games, players bet on the outcomes of sporting events, with the prize pool distributed among entries with the most correct picks.

Sportstake from the National Lottery

Under the Sportstake banner, the National Lottery company operates three games, each of which requires players to correctly predict match results:

• Sportstake 13: Players predict the outcomes of 13 international soccer matches.
• Sportstake 4: This game requires players to predict the first-half and second-half outcomes of four soccer matches.
• Sportstake 8: This is described as a soccer-prediction game, but details of the prediction format are not provided.

A recent rebranding by the National Lottery has introduced MatchPlay 13, where, participants bet on the outcomes of 6 soccer matches, each held on a set fixture list. The fixtures and closing times for Soccer 6 games are published on the official Soccer 6 website, with the draw times listed on the fixtures and results page.

TAB's involvement with Soccer 6 is not an added promoter but a core operator role, as stated on the About Us page.

How the Soccer 6 and Sportstake Products Differ

The main difference between Sportstake and Soccer 6 lies in the number of games and the prediction format:

• Sportstake 13 requires 13 match outcome predictions, while Soccer 6 is built on a fixed 6-game list, with one result predicted per match.
• Operators: National Lottery owns Sportstake, while TAB runs Soccer 6.
• Sportstake matches vary by game, while Soccer 6 fixtures are a set list.

How to compare these football pools

The most important aspect of these sports betting products is what you need to understand is that they're not fixed odds. They're prize pools that share winnings between winning tickets. That means you need to think about how many other punters might get the 6 or 13 match outcomes you did.

The advantage of the fixed list is that you can focus on a small number of matches rather than predicting any 13 worldwide outcomes. While Soccer 6 might be simpler to fill in, Sportstake can offer more variety in terms of match-ups. It's worth comparing the published fixtures to see which format you prefer.

TAB highlights its focus on soccer betting in its official Soccer 6 branding, while Sportstake offers a choice of 4, 8, or 13 matches.

Because these games are lottery-based, players must be adult citizens who are 18+ For any gambling concerns or gambling-addiction help, the National Lottery's is 0800 006 008