As of 14th April 2020, players from the UK are no longer allowed to make credit card transactions at online betting sites
Licensed in the UK and Gibraltar and part of GVC Holdings, Sportingbet has been keeping punters entertained since 1997. This Sportingbet review gives you an honest insight into everything good about this bookmaker including their exciting promotions and strong customer security as well as some areas they may be lacking. They’re a solid online bookie, but just how good are they when put alongside the big boys in the betting industry?
Sportingbet Sign-Up Offer – £10 Backup Bet
Sportingbet’s welcome offer isn’t initially obvious but once you find it, it’s well worth it. Although it’s not up there amongst the top welcome offers with the bigger bookies, it’s a good one – up to £10 back as a free bet if your first sports bet loses.
The Sportingbet sign up offer is a £10 back-up bet for the sportsbook and is available to UK and Republic of Ireland customers. There are some key terms to be aware of but the way it works is simple:
- Place your first sports bet at odds of Evens (2.00) or above.
- If it loses, receive up to £10 money back as a free bet within 48 hours.
All you need to do is deposit a minimum of £10 either online or via mobile and place the qualifying first bet. Your first bet can be as much as you want, but please note that £10 is the maximum limit for the offer, so, for example, if your first bet is £50 and it loses, you will get a £10 free bet and not £50. Hopefully that all makes senses, it’s pretty easy to understand and a nice way to enjoy a free bet if you fail to pick a winner first time.
If you want to ensure you get your free bet relatively quickly, do not place your first bet on an end of season outright market! It’s worth placing it on an event that will settle quickly, but it’s also worth noting that this offer extends to multiples, live bets as well as pre-game singles, which is good if you love an accumulator as many other bookies only offer welcome bonuses on single bets.
Key Terms of the Sportingbet New Custome Welcome Offer:
- 18+, New UK and Ireland Customers Only
- Your first bet must be on any sports market at odds of Evens (2.0) or greater
- Cashed out and other free bets do not count as a qualifying bet
- Deposits made by Skrill or Neteller will not count for this promotion
- If your first sports bet loses, you will receive a free bet equal to your first bet up to a value of £10
- Free bets will be paid within 48 hours of your first bet settling
- The free bet is for sports only and will expire after 7 days from being credited
Before moving on, here’s an important piece of information – you can only use one sign up bonus with Sportingbet so please do take a look at any Casino welcome offers they have before committing to their sportsbook one if you’re more into the arcade and casino side of things.
Offers & Promotions for Existing Customers
It’s not just an appealing welcome offer that’s available at Sportingbet either; they look after existing customers with some decent promotions in a couple of different sports.
Most of their existing promotions tend to focus on Football and Horse Racing, which is completely normal seeing as they’re focussing on the UK market, but there are some promotions that aren’t sport specific and appeal to anyone who just loves a bet.
At the time of writing, there are seven Sportingbet UK promotions to choose from for existing customers on their website. Remember to check the website as to what’s currently available as bookies do tend to mix it up constantly with certain promotions.
Sportingbet doesn’t have any of your standard promotions such as best odds guaranteed or acca insurance, they’re all unique.
Acca Boost is a popular one amongst Sportingbet customers where you can enjoy up to an extra 50% on top of your winnings as a free bet if the accumulator lands! The minimum stake is £5 and the minimum odds per selection is 1/3, which is easy to adhere to, so no wonder it’s a popular choice!
If you love betting via mobile, you’ll love this…
A great promotion they have been running since the start of 2024 is ‘Mobile Master’. Sportingbet gives away a £250 free bet to the customer who places the most winning bets on their mobile app or the mobile site in a calendar month. Fancy your chances? Get involved! It goes without saying that you must be over 18 but it’s a UK only promotion and new or existing players can join in. One important point to note – any bet under £5 will not count, so make sure your single or multiple bet totals £5 or more.
Do they have a Free Bet club?
They do! Sportingbet will give you a £10 free bet every single week when you place five £5 or more accumulator bets. However, there are a couple of key terms; you must place your bets on your mobile and only accumulator bets with five selections or more at minimum odds of evens (2.00) will count. Again, this is a UK only promotion, so sorry if you’re reading this and live in another part of the world!
A Trustworthy and Credible Online Betting Site
When you’re looking to open a new account with a bookie, trust is arguably at the top of everyone’s list to consider, especially when it comes to security, compliance and recent GDPR regulations.
Sportingbet was founded in 1997 by an entrepreneur named Mark Blandford and it was, at one point, the world’s largest bookmaking operation. To this day, they still boast over 2.5 million registered customers in around 200 countries.
In an industry of controversy over the years, Sportingbet have done well to stay clear of any bad press.
In 2012, during the £485m takeover by William Hill and GVC Holdings, Sportingbet’s chief executive, Andrew McIver and its finance director at the time, Jim Wilkinson, walked away with a tidy sum that left a few investors angry at the ridiculously high pay-offs.
What’s Sportingbet’s UK reputation like?
Their reputation in the UK over the years has been strong, which helped them gain a few sponsorships in recent times. During stints in the Premier League, Championship and League one from 2009-2013, Sportingbet Wolverhampton Wanderers donned the Sportingbet logo on their shirts as they were proudly sponsored by the UK betting company for four years.
They’ve also enjoyed fruitful sponsorships in football across Europe with the likes of Slavia Sofia in Bulgaria, Steaua Bucuresti in Romania and, more recently, PAOK in Greece.
Any Snooker fans reading this? If so, you’ll remember that Sportingbet also sponsored the World Series of Snooker for three years from 2009-2012. There’s some random trivia for you.
What responsible gaming measures do Sportingbet have in place?
To be honest, Sportingbet’s responsible gaming stance is admirable. They are one of very few bookmakers who make you aware of responsible gaming right from the offset – when you sign up you are greeted with a page that prompts you to set deposit limits and a limit for your time spent gaming in such an easy way with pop-ups and clear instructions during the registration process.
Associated with GamCare and GamblingTherapy as well as being regulated by the Gambling Commission, Sportingbet has a dedicated team who are available 24 hours a day via email should you need assistance with anything related to problem gambling too.
Fast and Secure Payment Methods Accepted Including PayPal
Like many online bookies, Sportingbet operates a closed loop policy whereby they always look to pay monies back to the method you deposited from as it prevents fraud and money laundering.
You’ll be pleased to know that they have plenty of payment methods to choose from, which are all free to use but require a minimum £10 deposit unless you’re using Paysafecard, which has a £5 minimum limit. As well as the usual VISA and Mastercard options, they also accept PayPal, Neteller, Skrill, Diners Club International. Entropay and bank transfer.
What about when I want to withdraw?
Again, it’s all free and withdrawals are processed within 48 hours of being made on your account. Please note, however, that within this timeframe you can choose to reverse your withdrawal, which means you don’t need to deposit again if you suddenly realise there’s a bet you want to place.
Usually, you’ll receive an eWallet withdrawal within 12 hours (you can only withdraw to an eWallet if you deposited via this method), whereas a debit card can take anywhere from 3-5 business days depending on who you bank with.
It’s worth bearing in mind that withdrawal cannot be made unless you are trying to take out at least £10, so if your balance has dipped below this amount then you’ll need to find a winner to get your balance back to double figures!
Summary of Sportingbet’s Deposit and Withdrawal Payment Methods
Payment Method |
Minimum Deposit |
Withdrawal Times |
Debit Cards* |
£10 |
3-5 days |
Paypal |
£10 |
Up to 12 hours |
Neteller |
£10 |
Up to 12 hours |
Skrill |
£10 |
Up to 12 hours |
Entropay |
£10 |
Up to 12 hours |
Diners Club International |
£10 |
3-5 days |
Bank Transfer |
£10 |
3-5 days |
PaySafeCard |
£5 |
3-5 days |
* NOTE: Credit Card transactions are not available in the UK |
Sportingbet has a clever system in place that can automatically verify your account once you’ve deposited, which means you can withdraw the same amount you’ve deposited without any fuss.
However, if you win with them, the standard Know Your Customer (KYC) procedures come into play where you’ll need to provide them with photo ID and proof of address in order to withdraw funds back to your account either via email or simply by uploading the documents in the ‘personal details’ section of your account.
Deposit Options
Withdrawal Options
Accepted currencies
- USA Dollar
- Euro
- Great Britain Pound
- Australia Dollar
- Japan Yen
- Switzerland Franc
- Swedish Krona
- Hong Kong Dollar
- Danish Krone
- Singapore Dollar
Sportingbet – Bet on a wide range of Sports
Although their site looks a little dated in places and is not as easy to use compared to the bigger and more innovative brands, the light colours make it easy on the eye and it’s fairly simple to navigate once you’ve spent five minutes getting used to the site.
Their primary focus is sport, which is obvious as soon as you see the home page as you’re greeted with a whopping list of up to 90 sports to choose from including major sports such as football, horse racing, and basketball all the way to minor sports such as Futsal and Ten-Pin Bowling.
They have over 300 markets available on the bigger football matches and well over 100 on the minor fixtures across the globe, so there’s something for everyone. Sportingbet also offers cash out on a lot of markets, which is becoming a prerequisite amongst punters looking for a good online betting site nowadays.
Whenever there are any big events on, they make life a lot easier for punters by adding these into a ‘highlights’ section to make it easy to place singles and multiples.
If you’re waiting to hear about any special markets they offer such as ‘Request a Bet’ then you’re in luck as Sportingbet have released a new ‘Build A Bet’ pre-game feature in football, which allows you to combine selections from the same match into a single bet with bigger returns. Check out the site for more details but it’s already proving to be a hit with many punters.
Does Sportingbet have a search function?
Yes! That’s certainly one unique advantage they have over so many others. If you’re finding it tough searching manually for a certain event or match, simply type what you’re looking for into their search bar and hey presto!
For all your gaming needs, it’s not just a sportsbook that Sportingbet offer. They also offer a casino, live casino, and virtual products to keep you entertained if these are of interest to you – there’s no need to go anywhere else.
Bet on Sports
- Australian Rules Football
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Boxing
- Cricket
- Cycling
- Darts
- F1
- Football
- Golf
- Handball
- Hockey
- Horse Racing
- MMA
- Motorcycling
- NASCAR
- Rugby
- Skiing
- Tennis
- Volleyball
Betting tax
- No betting tax
Casino games
- Blackjack
- Keno
- Live Dealer Blackjack
- Live Dealer Roulette
- Progressive Slots
- Roulette
- Scratch Cards
- Slots
- Table Games
- Video Poker
Mobile Sports Betting at Your Fingertips
As the popularity of mobile betting increases, so too has Sportingbet’s investment into their mobile betting app that they’re calling the new generation of mobile betting. You can even log in to their app using your fingerprint, how cool is that?!
Their app and mobile site work in the same way, so it’s up to you whether you want to take up space on your iPhone or Android device by installing their mobile betting app but using Sportingbet on your mobile is effortless and arguably much easier than their desktop website.
They have separate apps for their sportsbook and casino, which is great if you want to focus on just one part of their offering; they’re both available to download easily in the UK via the Apple and Google Play stores.
Their betting product on mobile is exactly the same as it is on desktop and thanks to it being a more modern approach, is much easier to use and navigate through the site.
Enjoy the thrill of Live Betting
How do they compare to other bookmakers for live betting? Pretty well in all honesty.
They have a dedicated section for live betting, so you don’t confuse it with any pre-game action. Sportingbet prides themselves on their in-play offering, and, at time of writing, you can enjoy a wide variety of bets on live in-play football, tennis and beach volleyball to name a few. They even have a well laid out in-play calendar on their site, so you can easily plan ahead if you’re wondering what events may be covered live.
Does Sportingbet have Live Streaming?
They’ve got you covered here! All you need to do is ensure you have a positive balance or have had a bet within the last 24 hours and you can enjoy any live event you want without the need to worry if you need to put a bet on that specific event; you don’t. Place your bets in real time on your mobile app or via the desktop or mobile site and enjoy the thrill of the game!
It’s worth noting here, as with every other bookie who offers Live streaming, that the video may be delayed by a few seconds so you place in-play bets entirely at your own risk.
If live streaming isn’t available for the event you want to place a bet on then they generally have data and statistics on each event to keep you up to date with what’s going on, although, like many bookies, these options aren’t too detailed.
Elite VIP Clubs
There are two types of VIP clubs at Sportingbet – Elite Gold and Elite Platinum. Both are on an invite-only basis.
All you need to do to be in with a shot of being part of the Elite Club is bet on Sports and Casino regularly with Sportingbet. If they feel your spend warrants VIP entry, they will be in touch. Reading between the lines, however, it won’t be a case of spending £1 every single day, you’d need to spend a decent amount of money regularly with them.
Some of the benefits of being a Sportingbet VIP member include:
- Weekly Deposit Bonus
- Exclusive Horse Racing Promotions
- Enhanced Football Promo Payouts
- Monthly Prize Draws
- Same Day Bank Transfers
- VIP Hospitality
- Dedicated Account Management
As you can see, if you do make it to Sportingbet VIP status, you’re in for a great time and even better service and support along the way. As an online betting punter, this is exactly what the aim is.
Customer Service – Live Chat available 24/7
Sportingbet is well versed in customer service and do their utmost to ensure their punters go away happy with all their questions answered as quickly and efficiently as possible.
There’s no direct email address to get in touch as is the case with some other bookmakers, but you can get in touch through the following methods:
- Contact form – found directly on their website
- Live Chat 24 hours a day – found easily on site
- Telephone from 9am to 9pm UK time on the following numbers:
- 0800 0280348 (UK)
- 1-800-246-0716 (Canada)
Most people prefer Live Chat and it’s easy to find – there’s a button in the ‘contact’ section which is visible in the top left-hand corner of the site. Simply click ‘Live Chat’ and you’ll be connected to a customer advisor within seconds.
Another option is to use their on-site ‘help’ section which has a huge array of FAQs to go through and see if you’re query or question is already answered – it’s really comprehensive and should really be your first port of call when it comes to Sportingbet customer support.
A simple but effective UK online sports betting site
Big time sports, real action and more. Since being bought out by CrownBet a few years ago in Australia, Sportingbet has ramped up their UK presence and are slowly but surely becoming a force to be reckoned with once again, however, don’t be surprised to see them make a return in Australia soon.
They’re always improving their promotions to keep new and existing punters entertained, and that coupled with being able to deposit in 25 different currencies with Sportingbet, there are plenty of options with this online bookie.
Join Sportingbet and claim your £10 Backup Bet Welcome Bonus!
This Sportingbet review has hopefully given you a balanced view in terms of what they can and can’t offer a UK punter, but there are some great promotions to be had with this bookmaker and their live in-play offering, especially via mobile, is impressive.
With a £10 backup bet welcome offer to draw you in, we’re sure you will have a great time using the products and features at Sportingbet and who knows, maybe you’ll become part of the VIP Elite club in the future.
- Generous new customer welcome offer
- Paypal accepted as a payment method
- Interesting existing customer promotions
- Search bar functionality for finding sports and markets easily
- Dated site, not as easy to use as some of its competitors
- No email option for customer support
FAQs
What is the Sportingbet welcome offer?
They will give you a free bet to the same level as your first sports bet if your first sports bet loses. Up to £15 and full T&Cs apply
Does Sportingbet accept PayPal?
Yes, Sportingbet accept PayPal deposits and PayPal withdrawals, as well as Skrill and Neteller when it comes to e-wallets
How can I contact Sportingbet?
You can get in contact with them via 24/7 Live Chat, or submit a request on their ‘contact us’ form, or call them on the support phone line.