188Bet was formed in 2006 and is based in Douglas in the Isle of Man. It offers sports, casino, lottery and poker betting as well as giving players the chance to wager on esports. The bookmaker has earned a solid reputation in the gambling industry thanks to its licenses in the UK and the Isle of Man as well as its connections with sporting sponsors. Does it compare to our 21bet review? Let’s take a look…
Partnerships with Bolton Wanderers, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City have boosted their popularity and increased brand awareness. Let’s take a look at 188Bet in detail.
First up in our 188Bet review is our first impression of the website. Like many bookmakers before them 188Bet have gone for a dramatic colour scheme to catch the attention. 188Bet features bright orange and sleek black in their website design which works surprisingly well. From the home page you’ll find the website is divided into categories. The main menu at the top consists of sports, racing, esports, casino, live casino, poker and those all important promotions.
The main sports promotion can be found on the promotions page and gives players the chance to earn up to £75 back on existing wagers. You’ll also find plenty of casino promotions, poker bonuses and freerolls and extra spins on this page too. Handy if you’d like to wager on something a little different.
The website is clutter free, but a lack of visible scrollbars makes navigating the website difficult on Google Chrome. What we did enjoy was the separation of the horse racing and esports bets from the rest of the betting selections. These are popular markets which is why they’re featured so prominently on the website. All in all, we enjoyed our time on the website, but found the design a little difficult.
To register on the 188Bet bookmakers’ site all you need to do is click ‘sign up’ and fill in the three-part registration form. The first page asks for your name and date of birth, the second for your contact details and the third a username and password and a security question. Once you’ve added this, just confirm you’re over 18 and the registration will be complete.
From the moment you sign up on 188Bet’s website you are working towards your sportsbook promotion. Each and every bet you place over the value of £10 in the first 30 days on the website counts towards your wagering requirement. The more bets you make, the higher the bonus returned to you (capped at £75). To qualify, there’s no bonus code, just place deposits using either credit or debit card and then wager to your heart’s content.
Let’s look at the 188Bet new customer offer in more detail, Your bonus is triggered once you sign up on the 188Bet website and make your first deposit of £10. The deposit must be made via credit or debit card. You then need to wager this £10 on a sports bet with odds of 2.00 or higher to count. The bet can be a single, accumulator or each way bet, although if using each way the win portion of the bet must be valued at £10 or more.
Then all you need to do is continue to place £10+ wagers on odds of 2.00 or higher. You have 30 days to accumulate as many wagers as you can. The amount of qualifying wagers you make dictates the bonus you receive. For 0-9 £10 wagers you receive no bonus. 10-19 wagers awards you £25, 20-29 awards you £50 bonus and 30 and above gives you the full £75.
While the 188Bet new customer offer is awarded based on your usual betting, it does offer a low return for your deposit based on other bookmaker’s offers. For a £50 bonus using this deal you would need to wager £200-£290. Ladbrokes, however, give played £50 back when they deposit and spend £50. That’s a 100% matched bonus. Sadly, there are much better alternatives out there. We think 188Bet will have to go back to the drawing board on this one.
UK players in search of a 188Bet app, we’re afraid you’ll be disappointed. While 188Bet does have a mobile app it is currently only available for overseas players. We are hopeful that this will change in the near future. For now, players can access the mobile site by clicking the link at the bottom of the home page. This link allows players to use the website on the go, betting on most of the sporting events and casino games found on the main site.
The layout of the mobile website is very similar to the main site, but is more compact to fit well on mobile devices. You can access the mobile website using a mobile phone or app but you currently cannot use Samsung VR devices.
You can deposit on 188Bet’s mobile site in a similar way to the main site. Just go to your account settings and top up your account using your preferred payment method. After this you can bet on any wagers you like including live betting. Do bear in mind though that if betting on live events your mobile internet connection will need to stay constant to update the website accurately. It’s worth erring caution when betting in built up areas or on the train, for example.
Much like the full website, clicking the 188Bet logo returns you to the home page. Here’s where you’ll be able to place bets and use any relevant bonuses. There are no mobile exclusive bonuses given to players, which is a shame. Bookmakers such as Ladbrokes, Coral and Betfair have all embraced mobile specific deals.
Have the sports wagers not gone your way recently? If so, how about giving poker a try? 188Bet have their own poker tournament schedule where you can take part whatever your budget. Buy ins start at a few pence and rise to £20, catering for those with larger budgets.
To take part you’ll need to download the poker software. There’s a download for Windows and Mac. You can also play with instant play if you like, although performance will be restricted. 188Bet even offers poker promotions where you can earn freerolls to minimise your spend. Check out the promotions tab for more details.
Scroll to the bottom of the 188Bet home page and you’ll find their social media buttons. There’s one for Twitter, Youtube and Facebook. Facebook is video heavy with content that is fun and entertaining rather than anything of great substance. It’s clear that the Facebook page is used to interact with fans, seen by the banter on the page and competitions for sporting tickets.
Twitter runs various competitions too, including ones for free football boots and football shirts. There is a larger audience on Twitter for the brand with 16,000 followers tuning in to their page. 188Bet uses their Twitter feed for self-promotion. Lots of information can be found on their latest odds offers and upcoming wagers.
188Bet’s Youtube channel takes a different approach with football discussion videos and sports betting tips. It’s got a nice feel to it that allows you to put a face to the brand. We love how natural their marketing approach is here.
While the outcomes of bets on a bookmaker’s website are out of our control, one way of managing our money effectively is to use the right payment method for us. Adding money to an online account is not without risk, so you want to be sure that you can call 188Bet trustworthy. So is 188Bet legit? We’d like to think so. Payments on their website are held in a separate Royal Bank of Scotland account to protect from theft and loss in the event of 188Bet becoming bankrupt. The website also reviews safety protocols regularly. What this means is payments are safe.
You can make payments using credit and debit card, Neteller and Skrill. Withdrawals cannot be made via Neteller, but as well as the payment methods listed above, can also be completed via bank transfer or cheque. A fee of £20 is attached to any cheque payments.
The minimum you can deposit into your betting account is £10. That’s the same regardless of payment method used. The maximum you can deposit depends on the payment method. In the UK, you can deposit up to £20,000 daily using credit or debit card. Commonly accepted cards are VISA and Mastercard. You can deposit up to £30,000 using Neteller and £50,000 using Skrill. All deposits should arrive in your betting account straight after the payment is processed.
How much you can withdraw again depends on the payment option. You can use Net+ which allows you to withdraw between £1-£30,000, Skrill which allows withdrawals of £1-£50,000, credit and debit card which allows payments of £5-£20,000, cheques can be written for between £10-£20,000 and bank transfer for between £100-£250,000. Payments take between two hours and 3 days.
There are various ways to get in touch with 188Bet, and depending on which you prefer support is available whatever time of the day. Firstly you’ll find a telephone number for UK players. There is also an email address if you’d like to talk to customer support and send along supporting documents. Finally, live chat is available 24/7 for immediate assistance. Language support is available both online and via the telephone in English and Mandarin, which reflects their links to 188Bet Asia. We’ve seen mixed 188Bet ratings from customers when it comes to customer service, so do let us know how you get on with the blossoming brand.
There is currently no VIP scheme available on the 188Bet website, which has given the 188Bet ratings a little bit of a dent. However, despite not having a dedicated VIP scheme players are still treated with regular bonuses and promotions. On the sportsbook they currently only have the 188Bet sign up offer available. Take a look at the 188Bet casino, though, and you’ll find a wealth of extra spins, prize draws and additional bets waiting to be claimed.
When we examine 188Bet in our 188Bet sportsbook review, we do so with one question in the back of our mind – is 188Bet reliable? We want to make sure that anyone reading this 188Bet review knows if this is a bookmaker they can trust. For us, good bookmakers have licenses in reputable parts of the world. 188Bet is located in the Isle of Man and is registered and licensed there by the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission. Players in the UK are also protected by the UK Gambling Commission. Both of these commissions are well-respected worldwide and give peace of mind to most online bettors. Is 188Bet a good betting site? Based on their licenses and well-established roots we think so.
To consider 188Bet trustworthy we needed to know what support they offer in the quest for responsible gaming. As you’ll no doubt know, gambling is illegal in the UK if you’re under the age of 18, and bookmakers can be prosecuted if they allow underage gamblers to use their website. On the responsible gaming page you’ll find links to Netnanny Safekids and Gamblock which all aim to protect children from betting online. ID checks are also completed when a player registers on the website for the first time and if they’re found to be underage will find their 188Bet account suspended and closed down.
For those struggling with problem gambling 188Bet provides contact details for many support groups including Gamcare and Gambler’s Anonymous. Player protection tools such as self-exclusion, a time out facility which gives you up to six weeks away from the website and deposit limits are all available. Finally, the customer service team is on hand to speak to if you need any assistance with your gambling.
Checking out the sportsbook for our 188Bet review revealed an interesting mix of sports available for betting. 12 sports are listed in the side menu alongside lottery and special bets, too. We found rugby league and rugby union, motor racing and golf as well as football, horse racing and darts, too. Most exciting though was the international markets on sports not often seen. Handball had Austrian, French and Swedish division games listed under its heading. Ice hockey wasn’t just from Canada, but Denmark and Finland as well. You could even bet on Chinese esports tournaments in League of Legends and DOTA 2 as well as the world-renowned Dreamhack in Marseille.
There are lots of different types of bets out there and choosing the right one for you can sometimes be tricky. Single bets are by far the simplest wagers, and you’ll find most betting markets on 188Bet allow single wagers. These might not necessarily be on a game win but could cover goals scored, tournament eliminations and outright winners too.
Then there are combi bets. These bets combine more than one outcome in an accumulator bet and all fixtures added to that bet must win for the wager to pay out. The larger the accumulator, the harder it is to win. These can be used on 188Bet football wagers, horse racing and various other sports with multiple games over the space of the week.
Lastly are system bets which combine a mixture of single and combi bets into one large bet. You pick several fixtures and these are added to bets in every possible winning combination. You then pay a fixed fee for the one wager. Examples of these bets are trixies, Yankees, heinz and superheinz.
Overall, we’re impressed. It definitely matches up to the findings from our Betbright review and Betclic review.
While outcomes to any event are never guaranteed, there are ways a bookmaker can control the amount of profit they make. That’s done through profit margins created using odds. Generally speaking the lower the odds the more likely an event is to occur and the higher the odds the less likely an event will occur. The odds given at 188Bet are fair and in line with those found elsewhere at other bookmakers.
Take horse racing for example. During our 188Bet review we found that horses on UK and Irish races have guaranteed best odds. What that means in a nutshell is if you place a wager on a horse and its odds drift out afterwards you’ll receive the higher of the two odds should your horse win. Of course, we can’t do much if your horse loses, but that’s the chance you take.
There are no specific betting limits on the 188Bet as it stands. However, the bookmaker states that your minimum and maximum betting limits will vary in relation to your bet type and will generally be displayed in the betting slips you put together.
There is a small selection of live betting options on the 188Bet website. While it can’t compete with the big boys, there is still plenty of live choice when it comes to popular sporting markets. Football, basketball and tennis are all represented with games covering the NBA playoffs and CONCACAF championship. You can also find esports bets where you can wager on video game tournaments as they happen. Baseball and financial bets are also present.
One great thing about the 188Bet live betting is you can organise your screen to display your bets how you like. There’s an Asian view, where odds dominate the screen and a small graphic takes up the right hand side, and our favourite multiple view. As the name suggests, this allows you to monitor many sporting events at once.
If live streaming of content is essential for you, you should look for another bookmaker. Sadly,188Bet don’t have any live streaming capabilities at all on their website, which is a huge shame and has had an impact on 188Bet’s overall score. Despite this, we’re sure 188Bet have enough live betting markets to compensate for lack of streaming.
With a diverse offering of major sports and even eSports, 188Bet has a great selection of betting markets and events for punters to wager on. Apart from that, the bookmaker also has competitive odds and a great in-play betting section. However, if you are looking for a bookmaker that offers live streaming in addition to all these things, you may want to look elsewhere for a different operator.
We’ve reached the end of our bookmaker’s review and are pleased to say we gave 188Bet a respectable 75 out of 100. Not bad for a medium-sized bookmaker. Many aspects of the site were very good, particularly the licensing and safety of the website which scored a fantastic 9. However, some elements needed much improvement, something which dragged down the score considerably. A lack of mobile app, for example, had a huge impact on the score as it is something most bookmakers offer. Overall we were impressed with the website. It just needed minute amendments to include features often seen in larger bookmakers and it would score much higher in our test. Despite the average score, it is still a website we’d recommend, particularly if you’ve exhausted sign up bonuses elsewhere.
As mentioned above, some elements of the website let the bookmaker down. It was a huge disappointment to only find one sportsbook bonus available, particularly when the return for your deposit was so mediocre. It would have also been nice to use a mobile app rather than the mobile site for times away from home. Still, these didn’t have huge detrimental effects on our interaction with 188Bet. One thing that did however, was the lack of live streaming. While live betting itself was a great touch, the lack of streaming dulled the excitement of the live betting experience. Streaming is something that is offered by many bookmakers on selected sports, so we would have expected this was something 188Bet would offer. We’d love to see a new, revamped version of the bookmaker’s site with all these slight alterations and review again. We bet the score would skyrocket.
For more operator reviews, make sure to visit our Betdaq review and BetPack review!
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