With a decade of online gaming experience, it’s no surprise that 138 bet have a few tricks up their sleeves to provide a great betting experience. We’ll explore these in our 138.com review, detailing the ins and outs of the 138 website.
As well as a 138 Asia site, 138 also has a home in the Isle of Man. It holds a license here and is monitored by the UK Gambling Commission and the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission. Is 138.com reliable? This license certainly suggests so.
Type 138.com into your browser and you’ll arrive at the sportsbook page. You can choose the language the page displays in, with English and Mandarin support available. The website features clear, crisp lines. You’ll find no flashy graphics, just a white background with subtle navy and red accents. While this is fine for most, those with vision issues may find it difficult to read.
The top of the screen forms your main menu. You’ll find links to the sportsbook, casino, live casino, macau, virtual sports, promotions and 138.com app. This is a 138.com sportsbook review, so let’s focus on that.
The sportsbook has 32 sports in total and international markets galore. It doesn’t matter if you’re a fan of football, golf, horse racing or cricket you’re bound to find something for you. There are even special bets where you can bet on Eurovision, the BBC Sports Personality of the Year and general elections from the UK, Brazil, Denmark and the USA. Sporting bonuses, including the 100% welcome bonus can be used on most sporting markets to add a little spice to your bet.
Customer reviews give usability high 138.com ratings and we have to agree with them. Everything you could need is available from the home page. You can register or use your 138 log in with ease, find the welcome bonus from the promotions tab and scrutinise the terms and conditions to see if you need a 138 bonus code. Sports are visibly displayed, making it easy to find your chosen bet.
Is 138.com trustworthy when it comes to your contact details? Don’t worry. Every bit of personal data from your registration details to your payment information is all encrypted using SSL encryption. The registration process itself is also swift, requiring you to fill in just one form of personal information. After this you’re free to bet to your heart’s content.
Next up in our 138.com review is the welcome bonus 138 offer their players. The deal itself is pretty straight forward offering £10 back as an additional bet once you deposit and wager £10 on a sports market. It may not be as large as some of the other bonuses out there, but it does give a return of 100% back on your initial deposit. When compared to bookies like GUTS that only give you your money back if your first bet loses or Expekt that give no bonus at all, it’s not a bad deal. Of course, there are bigger bonuses out there, like at William Hill, who give you £30 back for a £10 deposit, but it’s still pretty competitive.
To receive the 138.com welcome bonus you need to register with the website and place a deposit of £10 or more using a credit or debit card. You can’t use ewallets for this offer, so don’t even try or you’ll miss out on the promotion. As this is your first time betting on the 138.com website you’ll need to add your payment details, after which they can be stored in your betting account. We consider 138.com trustworthy when it comes to looking after your card details because of their SSL encryption and Isle of Man licensing.
Once you’ve deposited you can place a £10 sporting wager on any bet you like providing it’s a single or combi bet. You can’t wager on system bets like Yankees or Goliath wagers. If you choose a single bet you’ll need to wager on odds of 1.80 or above. Combi bets must have odds of 1.40 or higher on each addition to the bet. Regardless of whether this bet wins or loses you’ll receive the same amount back as a bonus token. This is available by contacting customer service.
Is 138.com a good betting site for bonuses? We’d like to think so. While the welcome bonus is a one-off deal, there are plenty of other offers on the promotions page to sink your teeth into like their ACCA insurance deal that pays out your stake if you miss an accumulator win by one leg.
Looking for more bonus offer before you get gambling? Have a look at our 32red review for a good comparison of bonus deals.
As seen in our 888sport review, mobile betting apps are important for many of us. Of course, you don’t have to be tied down to your computer to place sportsbook wagers. 138.com, like many of their competitors have created their own mobile apps so you can bet using your phone or tablet. There is an app available for iOS customers and one for Android customers, although people with other phones can use the mobile website. The app layout is very similar to the website with a grey, white and red colour scheme. Reviews on the app are mixed, but we found the experience to be pleasant and easy.
A red list view is available on the left of the screen giving you access to site information, the help page and promotions as well as contact information if needed. At the bottom of the screen you can access the live sports section, football and casino as well as an A-Z sports list for other bets. The account section is also here if you need to top up before placing wagers.
As part of our 138.com review we checked out the mobile app to see what promotions you received. We’ve seen bookmakers such as Ladbrokes and Coral offer mobile specific bonuses, and while 138.com don’t offer this for their customers, all the usual bonuses can be found on the app. These are utilised in the same way too, meaning if you decided to use the welcome bonus on the app you would only need to deposit and wager your first £10. Contact customer service for your bonus and you’re ready to go. If you would like to make a deposit of less than £10, check out our guide betting sites with 5 pound deposit.
One aspect that we think could be improved is the live betting section. While it ran smoothly on the app, the betting markets appeared a little cluttered to our eye. Different live sporting bets were displayed under different tabs making checking on multiple bets a little difficult.
You’re here for the sport right? But every now and then we all like something a little different. That’s when the Macau tab comes in. Click this tab and you’ll see the Asian influence is still strong with this Chinese bookmaker. There’s a selection of slots, table games and even a live casino experience that is all very redolent of the Asian continent. Slots such as So Much Sushi where the aim is to match up different sushi rolls, God of Wealth and Dragon’s Luck, where Chinese storytelling comes to life, and even a game where a suspiciously Jackie Chan-like martial artist is prominent, all feature alongside Mahjong and Keno.
You might be surprised to find that a medium-sized bookmaker like 138.com has a social media channel, let alone three, but 138.com is present on both Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Their Facebook page only has a few hundred followers, but that doesn’t mean that they’re letting it go to seed. It’s updated regularly with promotions and competitions, the most recent of which was a free ticket competition and signed shirt from their sponsored football team Watford FC.
Their Instagram page is also full of lots of wonderful images promoting upcoming sporting events for fans to get behind. They also have more followers here than Facebook, with almost 3,000 people interacting with the brand.
Finally, though, comes their Twitter. Not only does 138.com use their Twitter for promotions, but players can also contact them here for technical support. If you’ve got an issue with your account then slide into their DMs for some help.
138.com have a small selection of payment methods available. While they don’t offer the level of choice found at other sites such as Bitcoin or PayPal, their payment options are legitimate and safe. You can place wagers on the 138.com website via credit or debit card or via Neteller and 138.com also belongs to the list of Bookmakers that accept Skrill. You won’t be charged by 138.com to make a deposit or withdrawal using any of these payment methods, but check your payment provider is the same.
Depositing with credit or debit card is an easy process, you just need to type in your card details for the first time and add your CVV code from the back of your card. Your card can be stored for future use. For Neteller and Skrill you may need to set up an account on their website before making a deposit. Further details can be found on the 138.com website.
Deposits are usually instant, although there could be a slight delay if ID is requested by 138.com. The minimum you can deposit to your account is £10. There is no maximum.
When it comes to withdrawing money from your account it can take between two to five working days with VIP customers receiving priority. The minimum you can withdraw using debit and credit card is £10. It’s £20 for ewallets. The maximum withdrawal is £5,000 daily for card and £10,000 for ewallet.
If you have an outstanding bonus balance in your account you will only be able to withdraw funds if you forfeit your bonus. Otherwise, you can choose to meet the wagering requirements attached to the bonus to withdraw without penalty.
There are lots of ways to get in touch with 138. Click the ‘Contact Us’ section at the bottom of the homepage and you’ll see at a glance how to get in touch with the website. There’s a dedicated email for your ID documents to organise deposits and withdrawals, an email for customer support and even a Twitter handle. Live customer support is available 24/7 with language support in English and Mandarin, showing yet again the Asian influence on the bookmaker’s site. Finally, you can complete the on-website contact form which deals with general queries on technical and account related queries as well as providing an opportunity to give feedback on your site experience.
We have to admit we were pretty surprised to see mention of a VIP program at 138. We couldn’t find any information on it as there’s nothing on the website, but terms and conditions state VIPs get faster withdrawals. So there has to be, right? Well, we’re not sure. We’ve scoured the fine print, gone through the conditions of use and promotions information, scrutinised the site contract and found nothing. A search on the internet also revealed nothing and customer service didn’t get back to us either, so we admit we’re in the dark. A lack of information here and difficulty getting through to customer service has scuppered 138’s support rating. Take a look at our Betfair review for a decent example of a VIP program.
138.com is owned by Fesuge Ltd who are licensed and regulated in the UK by the UK Gambling Commission. They are one of the most respected gambling authorities in the world and are dedicated to ensuring that bets placed on an online gaming site are fair with competitive odds. Fesuge is housed in the Isle of Man, and as such any casino games found on their site are also regulated by the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission, again a very reputable authority in betting. These licenses have been in operation since 2014.
As part of the limitations placed on a bookmaker by the UKGC and the Isle of Man GSC 138.com have provided various levels of support for those who find gambling a problem. Their aim is to deter those with gambling addictions to bet on their website by offering support mechanisms to help them curb their wagers. They have forged links with both Gamcare and Gamble Aware to ensure that they offer the right assistance to those who need it. This includes providing a checklist for their players to assess their own gambling experiences and helping players to set their own deposit limits. This can be done simply by visiting your account page or speaking to one of the customer support staff. These limits are fixed once in place and can only be adjusted after a 24-hour cooling off period. Self exclusion of between six months and five years can be applied to your account and your IP address can also be blocked if you request it to further limit your site access. Finally, you are able to close your account if you wish to with all funds returned to your bank account upon request.
138.com originated in China and has an office in the Isle of Man as well as an African site too. It’s no surprise then that they have a distinct international flavour to their bets. You’ll find betting markets on a range of sports – from traditional to more unusual selections. Take football for example. While the Beautiful Game is very popular here in the UK, we had no idea that there were so many betting markets available worldwide. From Italy to Jordan and Germany to Uzbekistan you can wager on football from an incredible 52 countries with thousands of betting selections available daily.
There are 32 sports in total, but our favourites are those that are often overlooked in the world of betting. It’s always nice to see bookmakers tailoring to those less-common markets, and thankfully, 138.com embraces them wholeheartedly. If you’re a fan of Irish sports, you’ll find Gaelic football and hurling covered here. Australian netball, Azerbaijani motor racing and Futsal from Poland also feature.
You can even wager on the blossoming esports markets with Overwatch, CS:GO, Warcraft 3, Heroes of the Storm, Starcraft, Rocket League, League of Legends and DOTA 2 tournaments available. This is one of the largest esports selections we’ve seen available, and is only likely to grow as the bookmaker does.
138 betting types are similar to those found at other bookmakers. As well as single bets which consist of win or each way bets you can wager on specific sporting scores, for example the number of goals scored in a football match. There are also combi bets, sometimes known as accumulators where you can add multiple selections to the same wager. System bets are also available, which consist of multiple bets on a limited selection of outcomes. They usually combine single bets and accumulators in a specific order to cover all potential betting permutations.
Most of the odds on 138.com are similar to those found on other bookmakers. However, they do offer an odds boost on UK and Irish horse racing, showing yet again the level of care given by the bookmaker to provide good value. A sure boost to the 138.com ratings. This is something that we’ve seen other bookmakers do, so it’s nice that 138 are also embracing this change.
You’ll also find odds boosts on specific betting markets or sporting events on the website’s promotional page. Examples we’ve seen include price boosts if you make a doubles bet on two football teams winning in the Premiership and higher odds on a smaller team toppling a larger opponent.
Boosting ACCA winnings is also possible, although not strictly an odds increase. The larger the number of legs you place on a European League accumulator the bigger your winnings if your bet is successful. A 4-fold bet gives an increase in winnings of 10% whereas a 10-fold bet gives a 40% bonus. Each additional leg up to 10 adds 5% increase to the overall winning value.
There is not any information as it stands on the 138.com website with regards to betting limits or maximum payouts.
We decided to test the website’s live betting capabilities during our 138.com review to see whether it stands up to day-to-day wagering.
Where the app version involved scrolling and toggling between two pages to check which bets were on offer the website was much easier. We chose a football bet and a volleyball bet to get started. Originally we used the overview to check our bets, but moved to the event view. This didn’t fare much better than the app when it came to checking our bets as we still needed to scroll, but the process was quicker. Odds updated swiftly, which is essential when it comes to live betting. One of our bets offered live streaming, which made the whole experience more pleasant. The other was accompanied by a graphic as the scores updated.
Streamed games are found under the lightning bolt symbol below the event view tab. We found a good selection of live events available, around 200 in total, covering tennis, football, handball, cricket and ice hockey. Other live sports not streamed included basketball and golf. We also loved the addition of sports results available on the live betting page so you could keep abreast of any competitions which may affect your betting schedule.
Overall, the sportsbook on offer at 138.com is of a decent standard with a fairly expansive range of sporting events to bet on. Furthermore, the betting markets appear to be numerous and the odds are par for the course in comparison to other bookmakers. There is live streaming which is a great feature for avid sporting punters. Overall, 138.com is not the best bookmaker you will ever come across but the platform is solid and the sportsbook is of a decent standard.
138.com scored a reasonable 76 out of 100 in our bookmaker’s test. While no aspect of 138’s site was poor, we did have to mark down in a couple of areas for lack of information. This was particularly apparent when we tried to find out if the website had a VIP section, receiving contradicting information from the terms and conditions of the site and the site itself. Customer service was also not available, giving a less than stellar mark. On the whole though, there was a lot to be thankful for on the bookmaker’s site including their live betting markets and betting markets.
138.com has a lot of great aspects on their website, in particular their strength in numbers when it comes to betting markets. We’ve never seen a site have such a selection of international sporting markets from both popular and less popular sports. These work in perfect harmony with the welcome bonus, which while a little small compared to larger bookmakers is simple to use and offers good value for money.
Finally, both the casino and the Macau section of the website hint at the Asian influence behind the bookmaker and offer a great selection of games whatever your preference. Slots, table games like roulette, baccarat and Mahjong and even a live casino give off a lively vibe giving players an even wider selection of betting choices. All the games are also regulated by both the UKGC and the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission for the ultimate in peace of mind.
Still looking for more reviews? Take a look at our Bet-at-home review or Betstars review to get started.
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