SBOBET, founded in the year 2004 by Executive Director Bill Mummery, is one of the most popular online Asian bookmakers today. One of the standout features of SBOBET is that it’s known as the world’s best Asian Handicap Specialist offering.
Since its development, SBOBET has been a sponsor for major football teams such as Leeds United, West Ham United, Wexford Youth, Dundalk, St Patrick’s Athletic, ATK Mohun Bagan, and Cardiff City. Additionally, SBOBET was also named the title sponsor for the first Soccerex Asian Forum in Singapore.
The company is licensed to operate in Asia by the Government of the Philippines via Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) and in Europe by the Government of Isle of Man. However, SBOBET isn’t just an Asian bookmaker platform; they have also bagged the “Asian Operator of the Year” award twice, once in 2009 and then in 2010 at the annual EGR Awards organized by eGaming Review Magazine.
Moreover, SBOBET has also ranked 11th in eGaming Review’s 2011 ranking on power 50 countries.
Services provided by SBOBET have been restricted in the following countries:
- Singapore (As of February 2, 2015)
- The UK
- The US
- France
- Turkey
- Belgium
- Greece
- Germany
Design and Layout and User Friendliness of the Site/App
Overall, the SBOBET app and website design are incredibly user-friendly, but there are complaints of slow loading time thus frustrating users. The SBOBET app’s layout is akin to other bookmaker platforms. It supports a minimalistic design with hues of blue.
The events are easy to navigate as well. All current sporting events are displayed on the very left bar. Here you can choose the specific sport you would like to select and begin betting. SBOBET doesn’t have a downloadable app version of its website for either Android or iOS users. Hence, if you’d like an on-the-go betting option, you’ll have to use SBOBET mobile optimized website.
And although the website has received great reviews, the SBOBET mobile browser-friendly website has had its fair share of criticism. The design is extremely messy and cluttered. Most users complain of not being able to find the events they’d like to bet on.
Services and Live
SBOBET has a great selection of games you can gamble on, however, there is still room for more options that can be added. You’ll find various popular sporting events to bet on, with a particular focus on handicap games.
A few sporting events you can bet on SBOBET include:
- Soccer/football
- Basketball
- Baseball
- Tennis
- American football
- Motorsports
- Mixed Martial Arts
- E-Sports
- Ice hockey
However, sporting events aren’t the only events you can bet on. There’s some good news for all our casino lovers as well. For those wanting to indulge in gambling, SBOBET provides users with a platform to take part in live casino games.
Live Line
Live betting and gambling are available on SBOBET. Users can live stream their favourite sports and place bets simultaneously; however, the service quality is questionable since the company only supports 2-25 live events per day.
Live gambling is also possible with SBOBET’s live casino. SBOBET’s live casino supports a range of slots, table games, and live dealer action.
Freebies, Bonuses, and Promotions
The bonuses placed in the market by SBOBET for their users’ fall behind compared to its competitors. The most attractive sign-up bonus is limited for their users in China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam. Users from these countries can receive a 100% bonus on their first deposit with an 18X rollover requirement.
SBOBET expects users to deposit an additional 15% on their first maximum to qualify for a bonus (maximum £200) with a 14x rollover requirement. To activate this bonus, you’ll need to add the promotional code DEPBON49.
Customer Care, Live Chat, Email Support
A major bonus of using SBOBET as your betting platform is the advantage of multilingual customer support that is available 24/7. Amongst various options of contacting customer care, you can use live chat, phone, email, and even Skype.
Registration
Registration on SBOBET.com is relatively easy. You simply need to go to their website and click on the “Join Now FREE” button on the top blue banner. After which, you’ll be redirected to the account registration page.
Here, you’ll be asked to add account information like your country of residence, login name, and password. Then you’ll have to add your personal data like your first and last name as mentioned on your debit/credit card, date of birth, email, mobile phone number, and pick a security question of your choice.
Lastly, you’ll be asked to verify that you are 21 years of age or older (or the legal age for gambling as specified by your country).
Financial Information
SBOBET provides users with various methods of deposit and withdrawal. A minimum of €40 is required when using Visa or MasterCard debit or credit card. E-wallets such as Neteller and Skrill can be used too with a minimum of €40 deposit. You can also avail of telegraphic transfer with a minimum deposit of €100
However, it is essential to note that being able to use e-wallets depends significantly on your country of residence. The minimum withdrawal sum on SBOBET is €40 for European users, £40 for UK users, and $55 for everyone in Canada.
The currencies supported on SBOBET include:
- AUD – Australian Dollar
- CAD – Canadian Dollar
- EUR – Euro
- GBP – Great Britain Pound
- IDR – Indonesian Rupiah
- SEK – Swedish Krona
- JPY – Japanese Yen
- KRW – South Korean Won
- THB – Thai Baht
- MYR – Malaysian Ringgit
- NOK – Norwegian Krone
- NZD – New Zealand Dollar
- ZAR – South African Rand
- HKD – Hong Kong Dollar
- RMB – Renminbi
- VND – Vietnamese Dong
Reliability, Integrity, and Safety
SBOBET has had no issues with security breaches and has an excellent reputation for timely payouts. However, SBOBET has had a fair share of controversies with match-fixing allegations, all of which were ultimately dropped.
Other than occasional controversies, SBOBET has always provided users with the utmost financial security.
What Does the Site Not Have?
The major downside of SBOBET is that it does not have a downloadable app for either Android or iOS users. Most users have requested an app since the SBOBET mobile website is hard to navigate. However, they’ve yet to receive any good news. Additionally, users aren’t thrilled about the minimal promotions and bonuses.
Most of the time they have the best winning odds for football. After you have completed the verification process the withdrawal takes just a couple of seconds. To verify you account you need only your ID, not an endless amount of selfies that a lot of the other bookies ask for. Definitely recommend!