Sunbets.co.uk
Year established: 2016
Mobile compatible: Yes
Jurisdiction: United Kingdom
Overall rating: B+
Recommended: For recreational players
SunBets Sportsbook Review
The product of a partnership between News UK and Tabcorp Sun Bets has the potential to disrupt the gambling industry and become a new Tier 1 bookmaker.
In a period of consolidation for the industry in 2016, Sun Bets launched to some fanfare though not quite as much as you’d have expected from a bookie with direct links and intentionally shared branding with the UK’s top selling newspaper.
The agreement between News UK and Tabcorp will run for an initial period of 1a decade and will see News UK take on the media and promotional side of things. Australian company Tabcorp, which is one of the largest wagering operators globally, will provide a share of the revenue each year.
With the power of free press to millions of UK readers it would be a shock if Sun Bets doesn’t attract a high volume of customers, especially once it has featured more on the backpages of the paper. Sun Bingo customers will probably be enticed too, and the company has brought on racing icon Matt Chapman to provide tips and analysis for horse racing.
The tagline of #YouBetcha is Sun Bets’ chosen tagline. The company has already found itself in hot water after offering a novelty market for Sutton United goalkeeper to eat a pie at some point during their FA Cup clash against Arsenal. He did so on camera, he’s now resigned from the club and there is an investigation underway at the time of writing.
Betting Markets
Focusing on UK punters SunBets offers all you’d expect by way of sports though no esports as yet. Here is the list of markets it offers in full: Baseball, Basketball, Boxing, Cricket, Cycling, Darts, Futsal, GAA Football, GAA Hurling, Golf, Handball, Ice Hockey, MMA, Motor Sport, Netball, Racing, Rugby League, Rugby Union, Snooker, Surfing, Tennis and Volleyball.
In addition to sports Sun Bets has a particularly good novelty and entertainments section, alongside politics markets too.
Live Betting
It’s 2017 and so any bookmaker worth their salt has a decent in-play offering. Partnered with Tabcorp Sun Bets is no different. It needs to do some work to make the live betting section more fun, engaging and interactive however if it’s to match up to other big bookmakers.
Usability of the site
The Sun Bets platform is easy to use and get the hang of. Millions of casual punters will have their minds put at ease with just the branding and colour scheme alone; this will also ensure they feel secure depositing money.
The very top bar has Sun Bets, Sun Casino and Sun Casino Live whilst on the left is the usual range of markets categorised alphabetically for ease of access. One strong feature is the branded talksport radio on the top right of the homepage. This is a great touch and should help people stick around for longer. Sun Bets offers all the usual deposit and withdrawal methods, it has some good welcome bonuses (and regular customer offers such as its Half Time Hero promotion too) and it boasts mobile apps (for both Android and iOS) for those who prefer betting on the go too.
All in all it’s a strong bookmaker but it needs to find a voice and a niche if it’s to stand out and draw people away from the typical big names in the UK.
Conclusion
A potential Tier 1 bookmaker, Sun Bets can be trusted especially with Tabcorp involved. A good bookie which, with its media ties, will be particularly hot on novelty and entertainment markets. It remains to be seen what avenue the brand will go down and how it will differentiate itself but it has the budget to try some things out.
Advantages:
- Has the power and backing of The Sun brand;
- Great football and horse racing betting with best odds guaranteed;
- Special offers on the latest horseracing and football events;
- Decent range of in-play opportunities;
- Super-fast site and bet placement;
- A simple welcome bonus;
- Instant deposits and reasonably quick withdrawals;
- 24/7 customer support and secure deposits for all.
Disadvantages:
- New bookmaker launched in 2016;
- Very basic website and smartphone app;
- Not as many betting markets as most of the bigger bookmakers;
- Not immediately obvious how to find CSGO;
- Only available to residents of the U.K and Republic of Ireland.
Payments:
Visa/Mastercard
*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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