Sky Bet Review

Sky Bet has – until recently – been the sports betting arm of Sky plc, the broadcasting and media giant who own rights to televise a large chunk of the sporting action shown in the UK. It was announced in December 2014, however, that Sky had agreed to sell a controlling stake in the Sky Betting and Gaming business to private equity group CVC Capital Partners, though it is thought the sale will have no major effect on the brands or products in the foreseeable future.

The Sky Bet app and website allow punters to place bets from any platform be it PC, mobile, tablet or even through Sky television. Sky Bet are well known for offering great odds, especially on live betting, and for offering unparalleled coverage, analysis and statistics through their TV channels and website.

Welcome Bonus: Bet £5, Get £20 Free

The Sky Bet welcome bonus comes in the form of a £20 free bet token. To qualify for this you’ll need to make a single or each way bet of at least £5 on odds of at least evens (2.0 in decimal odds).

Terms

 This bet cannot be used in conjunction with any other offers and the account must be created with Sky Bet not one of the sister sites such as Vegas, Poker, and so on, and once you have claimed the welcome bonus for one product you are no longer eligible for the welcome bonuses from the others.

This welcome bonus is one of the best around in terms of value for money as you only have to deposit £5 to claim the £20 free bet. There are no restrictions on how many times you need to roll your winnings over in order to withdraw them, which also makes it stand out.

Other Promotions

Weekly £5 Free Bet

When you sign up for Sky Bet and take advantage of the welcome bonus you will be automatically signed up for the Sky Bet Club which qualifies you for a free £5 bet every week that you spend £25 across all sports – effectively giving you a unlimited stream of free bets!

Price Boosts

They also offer a plethora of price boosts on pretty much all sports every week. A long standing guarantee is the Soccer Saturday Price Boost in which selected Premier League games receive an odds increase before the three o’clock kick offs.

Horse Racing Best Odds Guarantee

In horse racing, Sky Bet offers a Best Odds Guarantee on all UK races meaning if you take an early price on a horse and it increases before the race starts you don’t have to worry as they’ll pay out at the better price. This doesn’t apply to accumulators or international races. With other money back offers and specials appearing all the time, it is well worth checking out the latest promotions on their site.

Odds & Markets

Sky Bet has a great range of markets in all of the mainstream sports and they offer good competitive prices both before and during the matches and events. They don’t have as many markets for lower level or less popular leagues and sports as some of their competitors but generally their coverage is much better than average.

Their weakest odds are probably in ice hockey, in part due to the larger than normal profit margin they take from this sport. This is not a particularly big market in the UK however and it shouldn’t really worry punters too much as overall, and in key betting sports, their betting margins are in line with their main competitors.

Some of their strongest odds and best market ranges are in football and you can see which prices have been boosted because they always display at the top of the lists. Jaime Redknapp’s picks are often worth a look at as well; he picks three bets every week which he recommends, usually a goalscorer and scoreline combination and the odds are often significantly enhanced.

As well as all the sports markets Sky have an interesting array of specials including politics, TV and film and even royal family specials where you can bet on the name of the latest royal baby or other such fascinating events.

Features

Fingerprint Log In

The Sky Bet site for mobiles and tablets is a significant strength of Sky Bet because it is so easy to use. There is now an option to secure your account with a finger print scanner if your phone or tablet has the technology. Once you’re in, all the betting opportunities are listed by sport with a small yellow arrow next to fixtures that have price boosts with a number indicating how many markets have been boosted. Creating a double, treble or accumulator is also simple: you just add all your selections to the betting slip as normal and then check a box before placing the bet.

Super 6

Football fans should also know about Super 6. Every Saturday you have the chance to predict the results of six pre-selected matches free of charge with the chance to win big money if you get more right than anyone else in the country, with a massive £250,000 jackpot if you get all six score correct. The Fantasy Football feature is also one of the most popular aspects and another opportunity to win prizes through your footballing knowledge.

Other Gaming

If you’re keen on other forms of gambling Sky Bet is very convenient because of the integration of Sky Vegas, Casino, Poker and Bingo. You can use the same account and draw from the same balance. Even if you don’t play it’s worth keeping an eye on special promotions that earn you free spins in Vegas or the Casino because if you get lucky you can use the money on sports betting.

Banking

Sky offer accounts in GBP and Euros. Deposit methods include most major Debit and Credit Cards (excluding American Express) as well as PayPal. 

• Debit Cards - £5 Min Deposit / £10 Min Withdrawal
• Credit Cards - £5 Min Deposit / £10 Min Withdrawal
• PayPal - £5 Min Deposit / £10 Min Withdrawal

Who are Sky Bet?

Sky Betting and Gaming was – until the recent sale for some £800m to CVC Capital Partners – a subsidiary of Sky plc. Sky Bet was set up in 2000 when Sky acquired Sports Internet Group which they rebranded to create Sky Bet. The company has headquarters in London and Leeds and is licensed and regulated by the UK Gambling Commission.

Other divisions of Sky Betting and Gaming include Sky Vegas, Sky Poker, Sky Casino and Sky Bingo, all of which are integrated into the same desktop and mobile sites and can be accessed using the same account details.

Contact & License Info

• Live Chat: Via Website (Available 24 Hours)
• Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• Telephone: 0330 0244 777 / 01138 876 449 (8am to 10pm)
• Address: Sky Bet, 2 Wellington Place, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 4AP
• License: UK Gambling Commission (38718)