Facts about SBOBET, the Betting Agency – Sbobet Review
History, Awards and Licensing
Celton Manx Limited owns and operates SBOBET which was established in the year of 2004. Celton Manx Limited is based in the Isle of Man which is a part of the British Isles. The Government of Isle of Man has licensed SBOBET to operate within Europe. The Asian part of their operations has been given a license from the First Cagayan Leisure & Resort Corporation located in the Philippines. The Operator Awards given out by the eGaming Review Magazine in London adjudged SBOBET the award for the best Asian Operator twice, in 2009 as well as in the following year, 2024.
SBOBET claims that it offers the best priced odds amongst its competitors of the best sportsbooks in the world. A survey of the odds offered by SBOBET has shown that it indeed offers excellent odds which tend to be better than the competitors. Pinnacle Sports, another betting agency, is possibly the only agency with better odds.
SBOBET offers more than just betting services. It also operates online and casino games. Using a single account with SBOBET, you can access all these services without any extra charge.
Features of the SBOBET Services
• Offers for New Members
You can sign up with a promotional code called DEPBON5. It gives you a bonus of 15% on your first deposit with an upper limit of $225. When you complete a rollover of ten times the value of the applicable deposit amount, you will be given this bonus. The requirements of the rollover will need to be met before 60 days has passed from the activation of the account. Withdrawals are not allowed before that period has passed. You can withdraw money before the period is over or cancel the bonus. In that case, your bonus will be cancelled and SBOBET will charge an administrative fee of 10% on whatever you win. The only wagers applicable for the rollover are on the 1.50 odds on sports that are not available for live betting.
• Deposits
Those who are operating using Australian dollars can use Diners, ClickandBuy, Visa, Envoy, Skrill, Mastercard, NETELLER and NETBANX.
• Withdrawals
Account holders operating with Australian dollars can withdraw money using Diners, Visa, ClickandBuy, Skrill, Envoy, NETELLER, Mastercard and NETBANX.
• Fees for Transactions
There are no charges levied for transactions
• Supported Currencies
SBOBET supports EUR, HKD, GBP, MYR, JPY, THB, RMB, SGD and AUD.
• Available Languages
Apart from English, SBOBET is available in Indonesian, Chinese (Simplified), Vietnamese, Russian, Thai, Japanese, Spanish, German and Burmese.
• Available Formats of Odds
Odds can be displayed in Decimal, Hong Kong or Malay formats in SBOBET.
• Minimum amount for Deposits
SBOBET allows a minimum deposit of 100 in Australian dollars.
• Minimum amount for Bets
As a rule, SBOBET allows a minimum bet of AUD 2.00 but certain markets need a minimum of AUD 3.00 for betting.
• Maximum Amount for Bets and Payouts
The maximum amount that can be bet depends on the event and the available odds. It will be shown for each selection when you will bet on them. Maximum bet amounts can range from AUD 200 to AUD 850. Certain games can have a limit of nearly AUD 2,000. The maximum amount that can be gained from payouts is nearly AUD 16,667 for all sports except for football which gives AUD 83,333.
• Requirements for Deposit Turnover
There are no such requirements in SBOBET.
• Requirements for Turnover of Bonus Credit
You will need to get ten times the amount of the applicable deposit through odds of at least 1.50.
• Margin for Bookmaker
SBOBET charges 3.9% as their margin.
• Facilities for Credit
There are no such facilities.
• Unavailable Areas
SBOBET has not made any official statements on this matter. However, there are no options for USA and Hong Kong in the form for signing up.
• Mobile Support
The website can be accessed through mobile phones.
• Identify Verification
Customers from Australia can easily verify their identity. After signing up for SBOBET, they just need to enter their Medicare number. Sometimes, SBOBET might ask the customers to send them a copy of their driver’s license and Medicare card through the email by scanning them.
• Fines on dormant accounts
No such fees are applicable.
• Customer support
SBOBET offer support 24/7 through email, live chats and Skype. Phone is available but the numbers are either of the UK or the Philippines.
The Interface and Layout of the Website
SBOBET, unlike most other agencies, offers a highly customizable interface. You can start customizing the overall layout of the website along with the features as soon as you sign up. You can create an entirely personal website interface that contains exactly what you need. SBOBET allows you to recreate the order of sports displayed as well. Another option that punters will enjoy is the option to automatically select higher odds as soon as they are available.
There is a box for favorites which allows you easy access to sports and events that you regularly use. Each sport will have a number displayed next to it. This indicates the sum total of events that are associated with that particular sport. The interface for betting has the generic layout of three columns. On the left, the sports are shown while the right column has the betting slip. The odds will be shown in the central column.
The odds are displayed in a concise manner and you can easily browse through the events and odds for the day. Dates are displayed in a row at the top. The total number of events taking place on each date is displayed as well.
The betting slip has increased functionality. You can set the website to automatically accept favorable higher odds in the event you have bet on. The minimum along with the maximum is shown on the slip which allows punters to easily determine their strategies. Punters can now strategize better with multiple bets by getting an easy reference to the limits on the bets.
Multiple bets can be created with the use of the button named ‘Mix Parlay’. It is located above the slip. This type of betting is not available for the more exotic events.
The design and layout of the website of SBOBET is top notch. However, some players, especially the amateurs can have a tough time navigating it in the beginning.
The Margin of the Bookmaker
SBOBET takes 3.9% as their bookmaker margin on an average on their markets. The average margin charged by other bookmakers is around 5.1% approximately. From the point of view of the players, the lower margin means a greater profit for them.
Coverage of Markets
Currently, SBOBET covers approximately 500 events each and every week. All the major sports, events and leagues are covered by SBOBET. Although the total coverage is lesser than other major agencies, it is quite enough for the majority of players.
SBOBET operates immensely in Asia which means that it offers Asian Handicaps for nearly all of their markets. The popularity of the Asian Handicap is seen through the website. Many events including the live ones display the Asian Handicap with their odds.
Australians can access the markets on the A-League along with the more important cricket matches. Australian rugby is also supported by SBOBET including the rugby league and the rugby union.
Horse Racing
Although SBOBET offers a selection of horse races, the coverage is rather limited. It mainly concentrates on the events held in the United Kingdom, South Africa, the UAE and Ireland but not all of them. SBOBET is not a prime provider of betting on horse races.
Live Betting
The live betting features of SBOBET merge smoothly with the other services. The statistics are displayed live and a virtual representation of the event is available. However, not all games have support for live betting.
Advantages of SBOBET
• Live betting is available online with SBOBET.
• The odds for the different games are competitively priced.
• The options for customization in betting and display are incredible and huge.
• Statistics are available for the upcoming events and they are head-to-head as well.
• Options are given to the player to limit their deposits along with the option to limit the budget of the bets made.
• The customer support provided by SBOBET is excellent.
• Live broadcasts of a variety of football games along with basketball games are available. However, the basketball games are not of the NBA league.
• A superb section on help is provided by SBOBET.
Disadvantages of SBOBET
• Difficult requirements need to be met in order to get the bonus.
• The minimum that needs to be deposited is quite high.
• The stake can only be increased slowly with increments of only AUD 1.00.
• Multiple bets are not allowed in the exotic genres.
In short
SBOBET is an excellent betting agency. It services and interesting features enable players to enjoy the betting experience tremendously. There are a few drawbacks like the high minimum requirements which make the site more suitable for professional players. Its biggest strengths, however, is the competitive prices and customization capabilities.