Sportingbet Review 2020 | Exclusive £10 Money Back Bonus


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Sportingbet Review

Sportingbet Review

www.sportingbet.com

Sportingbet Review logo

New players only | Min deposit £10 (PayPal excluded) | Max stake £10 | Min Odds 1/1 (2.0) | Excl Horse Racing

T&C Apply

Review Summary:

Sportingbet is a well-established online betting site launched over 20 years ago which became one of the largest sportsbook in the industry.

www.sportingbet.com
Bonus Review:

4.0
Bookie Review:

4.2




Pros
Cons
  • User Experience
  • Mobile Site
  • In-Play Betting
  • Odds
  • Welcome Offer
  • E-Sports

Although Sportingbet isn’t considered to be one of the most well-known bookies out there, it could now be considered one of the more well-established in terms of online betting sites. It was originally launched in 1997, so has over 20 years’ worth of experience. Furthermore, it is one of the largest sportsbooks around as not only does it offer a vast array of sports and markets, but it also has a casino and virtual products.

Currently, GVC Holdings is the proud owner of Sportingbet. This is a huge company, and one that also owns even bigger names in the industry, such as Ladbrokes, Bwin and more. They currently have their headquarters in London and holds its licenses in Gibraltar – with the Gibraltar Gambling Commission, as well as the UKGC, so it’s fully licensed for the UK.

In our Sportingbet review, we look to see if it’s worthy of its name. We check out all areas of the site to see if it will remain a long-standing bookmaker, or whether it will fade into the distance with the others. We take an in-depth look at all different areas of the site, such as its sports and markets, bonuses, promotions and offers, security, customer service, banking, mobile product and overall user experience.

Overview

  • Customer support
    3.2/5.0
  • Design & Usability
    4.0/5.0
  • Bonuses & Free bets
    4.0/5.0
  • Betting markets & Odds
    4.5/5.0
  • Sports coverage
    4.6/5.0

Market Offering

As you would expect of a bookmaker that has been around for such a long time, the markets and offerings are pretty decent. Indeed, much stronger than many of the others in the industry. They cover a wide variety of sports, so work well for you, whether you are into football, horse racing or more. They have an impressive coverage of football, and there are so many leagues and tournaments covered, it would be hard to find one that is missing.

In general, there are more than 50 pre match betting opportunities when looking at the larger matches. In fact, if you check out the Champions League, you’ll find the pre-match offerings to be close to 75 or more. So, the bigger the game, the more options you have.

There are around 25 different sports covered at any one time, so it won’t ever be too difficult to find something to bet on. You could even try out betting on some US sports, such as Ice Hockey, Basketball or NFL. They also sponsor the Euroleague of Basketball, so have a great coverage of European Basketball. Here are most of the sports on offer:

However, if you want to try out something other than betting on sports, then you could maybe check out some of the other options. You can bet on games such as CS:GO, StarCraft II and more. There are also Specials you can bet on, including Car of the Year and the Papal Election. There are also options to bet on political issues, such as US Presidential Elections.

 

In-Play Betting

The Sportingbet In-play betting is pretty decent. However, when first trying to load it up, it can be a little on the slow side. However, once you’re in there, it’s fair to say that it’s one of the very best available. One issue we did come across, was that we had to hunt around a little on the home page to find the events that we want. However, that is because that there are always lots of tennis matches and football games being offered at once. Anyway, simply click on the In-Play tab in the left-hand side menu and you’re set to go and see what’s on offer.

Once you are in the In-Play section, it’s safe to say that you’re likely to find what you want to bet on.  One thing we really did like about it was the sound effects on offer. So, when a goal is scored or there’s a corner, you’ll be able to hear the action. In general, you’ll find dozens of In-Play markets all available in real time. We would like to see a slightly updated look however, as we feel it would improve this area of the site even more.

Odds

This isn’t necessarily one of the areas where Sportingbet excels. However, Sportingbet odds certainly hold their own in certain sports. When looking in closer detail at the odds, we can see that there are some rather high betting margins in certain sports, and this accounts for why it isn’t as competitive in some markets relating to its odds. For example, when looking at its football margin, it comes in at 7.7. Furthermore, it has a margin of 8.3 for Ice Hockey. Having said that, there are various sports where there are lower margins on offer. For example, basketball has a 4.7% margin, American Football is 5.4% and baseball is 4.3%.

On plus is that they do often update you of the odds if you follow them on Twitter, so you can see what value you can find. This means you will be able to track the best odds when available. You can access the odds in Fractional, decimal and even Moneyline odds, so it’s easy to calculate and accessible for all.

Bonuses

T&Cs Apply

Welcome Bonus

In order to get people through its doors, sportsbooks offer competitive welcome bonuses. The Sportingbet welcome bonus isn’t particularly exciting, but it is a pretty decent one. The bonus currently on offer is £20 Money back as a free bet. Basically, the offer does exactly what it says. As soon as you sign up as a new player, simply deposit a minimum of £10, you can get a refund of a maximum of £20 (in bonus money) on your first bet should it be unsuccessful. So, if you register, deposit £10 and bet £10 on Liverpool to beat Man City, but Man City win, then you’ll get £10 back as a bonus. If your bet is £20 then you’ll get £20 back.

As you can imagine, just as with all the best betting site offers, there are a number of terms and conditions attached to it. The initial deposit must be £10 or more. Also, the bet must have minimum odds of evens. It is also for new players only and the bonus money refund expires after seven days after being awarded. Furthermore, if you make your initial deposit with Neteller or Skrill, you won’t be able to claim the offer. There are more T&Cs attached, so please read carefully before taking the welcome bonus up.

The American Dream

If You’re a fan of American sports, then you can take advantage of the Weekly US Sports Moneyback offer. Simply place bets on the NBA, NFL or NHL and if you end up with losses at the end of the week then Sportingbet will refund 10% of your losses as a free bet up to the value of £50.

To claim this offer:

1 – Opt in

2 – Place a combi bet of 3 selections or more on NFL, NHL or NBA (with minimum odds of 1.7 each)

3 – If you end up with net losses, you get a refund of up to £50 back as a free bet every week

We Love Accas

If you like to bet on football accas, then this is for you. Every time you bet £20 on accas, Sportingbet will give you a £5 free bet – every week. To claim:

1 – Opt in

2 – Bet £20 on an acca (minimum 4 selections each with odds of 1.5 or more) between Monday to Sunday

3 – Get a £5 free bet valid for 3 days

Please note that bets need to be settled with the promotional period and free bets only awarded once the £20 bet is settled.

Security & Regulation

One thing you can rely on with Sportingbet, is that your betting experience will be a safe and secure one. The Sportingbet security is tight and they employ state of the art SSL encryption which means that your transactions and data on the site is secure and protected from potential hacker issues.

You will also notice that the site has been granted gambling licenses from two very well-respected authorities. Firstly, it has a license from the Gibraltar Gambling Commission, but most importantly, it has a license from the UK Gambling Commission. This is vital for any gambling site operating in the UK. It means that it has reached high standards and is secure for its players.

In order to qualify for licenses from both commissions, the site has had to show that it is both fair and reasonable to its players. It needs to prove that it pays out its bets, that it promotes responsible gambling, will fully protect players financial and personal data, and that it is not linked to any criminal bodies.

As well as this, there is a casino section to the site which uses Random Number Generators. These RNGS are checked and certified by third parties to make sure that they are fair and true. As such, you can be sure that the outcome of the casino games really is random and is not controlled by the operator or provider.

Finally, if you have any dispute with the betting site, then you can simply contact IBAS (Independent Betting Adjudication Service), which will represent you and act as an intermediary between you and the betting site so that you can come to a fair conclusion.

Banking Options

There are several banking options available at Sportingbet, which means that it’s quick and simple to make both deposits and withdrawals no matter what form of payment you prefer. You can use bank cards, such as Visa, MasterCard and Maestro, as well as e-Wallets such as Neteller and Skrill. Furthermore, this is a PayPal betting site, which is always a good sign that it is trustworthy and reputable.

The minimum amount for both withdrawing and depositing is £10 and, most importantly, there are no fees attached to the banking – no matter how many withdrawals you make each month. In general, the transaction times are in line with most other operators. All deposits are instant, but withdrawal times vary. E-Wallets tend to be the quickest options, and you generally see your money in under 24 hours. However, bank cards and others can take anywhere between 1-5 days, depending on the provider. Also, be aware that sometimes additional KYC checks are put into place, which could mean an additional delay. However, this is common to all reputable betting sites as it is to prevent money laundering and fraudulent transactions.

Currently, the site accepts GBP and EUR as currency.

Customer Service

Any site that has been around for 20+ knows what customer service is all about! The site has vast experience in looking after its customers and is available all day every day, 24/7. What’s more, you can contact them in a number of ways – via live chat or phone if you are looking for a more immediate response, or email if you have a query that can wait.

We found the customer support agents to be very good, helpful and responsive. In general, the live chat and calls were answered in minutes, and emails were responded to in around 1 day, although obviously the busier it is, the more it varies. All in all, we were very happy with the quality of the Sportingbet customer service.

As well as this, there is a really comprehensive FAQ section when you hit the help tab. Here you can find out all sorts of information, including account queries, Points, registration, securities, legal matters. Payments and withdrawals and more. We would recommend looking here before contacting Customer Service as you may well find your query answered here.



Bookmaker Support Details:
The Sportingbet customer support is open 24 hours via live chat, email or telephone.

Customer Service Languages:
  • Country Flag
  • Country Flag
  • Country Flag



Open Hours: 24 hours

User Experience

The way the website is laid out is very user friendly and you will have no trouble finding and adding to your betting slip. The simple and attractive design allows you to see all different areas of the site and all the different offerings. If you need to contact the customer support, then it’s easy to find, with the tab in the top left-hand corner of the screen. Once you get there, it’s very clear and simple to contact the agents or use the FAQ section.

The site is also very aesthetically pleasing, with a light blue background and white writing. This makes it very easy on the eye and clear to read. This also is helpful if you are in a rush to make a last-minute bet or a rush in-play bet.

The left-hand side menu is very clear and helpful. The highlights of the site are at the top, then, below that are all the last-minute bets available and all the sports and leagues that you can bet on are listed below that. There is also a ‘My Favourites’ area, where you can save all your favourite sports / leagues.

Along the top of the page you can access al the main areas of the site. There is a special page for promotions, which is easy to spot. However, if you want to try out something other than the sports betting area, you can access the casino and live casino from this part. You can also click on the ‘Mobile’ tab and it will guide you to downloading the impressive Sportingbet mobile app.

Mobile Experience

If you want a user-friendly mobile betting experience, then you’ll be more than happy with the Sportingbet mobile app. So good is it, that it’s one of the top 20 most popular betting apps in the sports betting industry. It very much represents the desktop version, which is also user friendly. However, there are other aspects of the app which make it great to use. Firstly, you can log in using Touch ID, which is great if you already have lots of passwords and don’t want to remember more. It’s also really easy to use whether you’re on Android or iPhone.

The site is also very easy to navigate on mobile. You have both vertical and horizontal scrolling, which makes it much easier to get to your favourite sporty or league quickly. There’s also an In:Play tab that helps you access the in-play betting features quickly and easily. This area of the site shows how much time, effort and money Sportingbet has put into its mobile offering and it really is obvious. This app excels at In-Play and Live betting.

As well as this, there’s a ‘quick bet’ feature available, which helps speed up the process – vital in in-play action. Furthermore, you can see all in-play data and all live streams clearly on your mobile screen.

Overall, we were very impressed with the quality of the Sportingbet app. So, if you are someone who bets mainly from the phone, this is definitely a good option for you.

Conclusion:
Overall, we found Sportingbet a great online bookmaker for anyone looking for a very good user experience – particularly on mobile. The Sportingbet app is definitely one of the major scene stealers on this site and is perfect for fans of betting on the go. Its TouchID and mobile navigations is pretty much faultless.  It also does really well with its in-play offerings, particularly if you are looking for football or tennis options. If you want to try out more in-play betting, then this is a good site to go to – and one that we would recommend. Furthermore, the site is totally safe, with state-of-the-art SSL encryption and licensed from the most respected governing bodies out there – including the UKGC. It also has 24-hour customer service with phone, email and live chat, which is great, as well as a fantastic FAQ section. There were a few small areas for improvement, such as the generosity of odds. We’d also possibly like to see a slightly more generous welcome bonus. However, it’s a great site and one we’d recommend!
Best Values:
  • Betting Odds
    Mobile

    Great mobile product

  • Betting Odds
    Odds

    Best odds on many sports

  • Betting Odds
    Live

    Live streaming