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SportingBet
Background
Sportingbet were founded in 1998 by Mark Blandford and have been listed on the London Stock Exchange since 2001. Throughout the 2000s they acquired several smaller rivals in order to grow their presence around the world. They now have over two million customers in over 30 countries and offer around 8,000 markets every day. The website is available in 21 different languages and accepts bets in 20 currencies - in other words they are a huge, global operation.
In addition to the sports book they offer a casino, games and poker suites as well and are the main shirt sponsor of the English Premier League football club Wolverhampton Wanderers, as well as having deals with Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur.
They are based in England with the main office in London, but they also have offices in Guernsey, Dublin and Darwin (Australia) and have licenses for several jurisdictions including the UK, The Channel Isles, Italy, Antigua and their Australian subsidiary holds a permit for, well, Australia.
SportingBet Odds and Markets
Sportingbet offer a fantastic range of markets, with 31 different sports/options on their main sidebar. They have a UK focus, with football and horse racing well catered for but also have plenty to offer for US sports fans, Australian bettors and the average European punter. As said, they offer around 8,000 markets per day, which compares favourably with rivals, and over 60 on most football matches (and many more for big games), again, above average.
Their odds are also slightly better than standard, although their in-play margins are slightly less generous. They tend to be at the higher end on outsiders, rather than big favourites, which can prove very lucrative for those doing their research.
SportingBet Bonus Offers
Sportingbet currently offer a nice selection of free bets with 50 GBP on offer to new customers of the sports book. The only downside is that they frequently change the amount and format of the promotion, so check the site for the latest details.
They also regularly offer free bets on big events, such as their recent Australian Open tennis offer during which a free bet of up to 100 GBP was available every day. They ran a similar offer for the darts and also offer certain cashback and refund promotions.
As well as the sports book bonuses there are decent promotions in the casino, live casino, poker and games sections of the site and there is a rewards system too, effectively a loyalty scheme.
In-Play and Mobile Betting
The in-play offering at Sportingbet is right up there with the very best. There are usually tens, if not hundreds of events covered each day, all easily and handily accessible via the in-play calendar. Current events can be used in flash or non-flash format and the range of markets for each event is absolutely superb. Odds update in real time and you can easily see all results of previous markets in the game, such as who won the last point in a tennis match. The mobile betting options are also impressive, with frequent bonuses for using the system, such as one for the African Cup of Nations. It is accessed either by texting SBBET to 89700, going to mobile.sportingbet.com on your phone or via the main website on your PC under the "Mobile Bet" tab.
Customer Service
Telephone: +44 (0)800 028 0348
Email: admin@sportingbet.com
Address: 4th Floor, 45 Moorfields, London, EC2Y 9AE
Other contact methods: Live chat, online form
Customer service is taken very seriously by Sportingbet with several methods of contact available and all answered very efficiently and quickly. Customer service is available 24/7, including live chat and in tests was superb, with answers found quickly and no wait to access the service. The agent was especially helpful when dealing with a complex query and there is the option to email yourself the transcript.
Conclusion
Sportingbet is a really strong operation with many things in its favour. The in-play betting console and range of live markets are right up with the very, very best. The odds, although not quite as good as they were two years ago are still better than average and the range of sports and markets offered across the sports book are also superb.
The negatives are very limited. The free bet offer changes frequently and is often quite convoluted - the current offer involves placing singles, doubles, trebles and a fourfold - but that's about it.
This is more than made up for by the excellent customer service and the great promotions regularly on offer for big sporting events, so this bookie is definitely one to add to your collection.
