Sportingbet.com
Year established: 1997
Mobile compatible: Yes
Jurisdiction: Alderney
Overall rating: C-
Recommended: For recreational players
Sportingbet Sportsbook Review
Sportingbet is a UK based bookmaker that has been operating online since 1997 and launched online in 2003. It is a subsidiary of Sportingbet Plc, an organisation listed on the London Stock Exchange.
The bookmaker is registered and regulated by the UK Gambling Commission and its offices are located in London, UK.
Over the past six years the revenue of the company has enjoyed huge increases, and with licenses in 14 countries, and operating in 26 countries not including the USA, Sportingbet now generates €4.2billion of sports wagers a year. They have roughly 700,000 active customers worldwide and operate in 22 languages.
Sportingbet has had its share of world famous ambassadors including the Australian cricket legend Shane Warne, England’s most capped cricketer in history, Alec Stewart, and Romanian footballer Gică Craioveanu. They have also partnered with Wikibetting to launch an app for Facebook that allows peer-to-peer betting with virtual money and they were also the main sponsors of Wolverhampton Wanderers until recently.
The focus of the site is on Football, with their advertising and layout catered around the most lucrative sport for bookmakers. They also have a Live Casino, Poker and online games.
With hundreds of thousand of followers across social media sites, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Google+, it is safe to say that Sportingbet is a giant in the world of online bookmakers.
Betting Markets
With markets for 30 different sports available in their sportsbook and on average 8,000 different betting opportunities every day, Sportingbet offer a comprehensive and detailed option for most players.
With most common sports such as Football, Tennis, Basketball, Horse Racing and Cricket, there is also opportunity for players to access markets in Politics, E-sports, Greyhounds and MMA. However, their E-sports market is relatively small and definitely requires more focus in an ever-growing market.
Live Betting
With live streaming of over 8,500 events per year, a cashout option, live statistics and visuals, their ‘In-Play’ facility offers everything a player needs and as a result Sportingbet remain competitive and reactive to a quickly changing environment.
Usability of the site
Sportingbet is a veteran in the online world of bookmaking, but their site immediately presents players with loud visuals and layout that doesn’t give a sense of the bookmaker’s prominence. The mobile platform feels much more friendly and accessible, and is a vast improvement on the website.
Sportingbet offers live-chat, e-mail and phone support for its customers and is well designed in terms of ease of use so new players won’t come across too many issues. There have been some issues with payouts and players have struggled with some negative encounters with staff.
For deposits, the bookmaker offer a necessary range of payment methods including some less common options like Skrill and Neteller. The site also offers some bonuses including £50 in free bets when you place your first sports bet of £10 or more at odds of 1.5 or greater, and other bonuses on accumulators. However, given the size of this bookmaker these offers seem less than tempting compared to other competitors.
Conclusion
Overall Sportingbet remains incredibly successful for a reason given its advertisement, accessibility, comprehensive sportsbook and live betting features.
However, it is important not to ignore some of the sites negatives and more could be done, especially in terms of their bonuses, customer service and website layout.
Advantages:
- A global bookmaker with an impeccable reputation;
- One of few UK bookmakers present on the London Stock Exchange;
- Wide variety of betting choices;
- Live streaming service for in-play;
- Better welcome bonuses compared to most online bookmakers;
- Stats and betting guides;
- Very fast software;
- Very straightforward and clean design;
- Information broken down into an easy to understand manner;
- Good range of deposit options;
- Low minimum deposit for most methods.
Disadvantages:
- Slightly complicated free bet offer;
- Tends to limit high winning players;
- The range of football markets isn’t as extensive as some competitors;
- Restricted access in some countries;
- Inner pages slow to load.
Payments:
Visa/Mastercard, Skrill (Moneybookers), Neteller, Ukash, QIWI, Click2Pay, Moneta.ru, Webmoney, Bank Transfer, Money Transfer, Paysafecard
*Keep in mind to double check information. Be prepared for changes to restricted countries, bonuses, currencies, deposit and payment options, languages, contact info.
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