Sky Bet Sports Markets and Betting Types
Overall there are around 25 sports markets available at Sky Bet UK, which although not at the level of say bet365 or Paddy Power – both at 35 – still offers a great amount of sports to have a wager on. The biggest and most important sports markets are available,as well as more niche markets such as Badminton, Speedway, UFC and MMA. They also have one of the very best E-sports markets, and have five separate virtual sports available.
To help you gain easy access to these sporting markets, Sky Bet UK have an exquisitely designed sidebar located on the left hand side of the page. To make things even simpler, the top sports are listed on the left side of the page – including football, horse racing and virtual sports – while the horse races next up are displayed just underneath. In addition to this, the Quick Links banner helpfully displays the most important markets – such as ongoing competitions – that are on during that day. They are also one of the top boxing betting sites out there, with great coverage of most fights.
When it comes to the events themselves, our Sky Bet review found that they offer a plethora of options to entice you to have a bet with them. Take when place a bet on football for example, which showcases not only the usual win/lose/draw markets, but allows you to guess the correct score, who will score first, and the time in which the game will be won.
Admittedly, the options on offer change depending on the size of the game – with the big games having over one hundred options, and the small ones having well under fifty. Additionally the request a bet special essentially allows you create your own bets by simply asking them via Twitter.
In-Play Betting and Live Streaming
While antepost betting – as in betting before an event starts – is a lot of fun, true punters know that the real betting takes place in-play. Sky Bet offers a great in-play selection, allowing you to take fluctuating odds as an event’s fortunes shift. Nevertheless, while there is some decent live streaming when it comes to horse racing betting, their selection is nothing when compared to operators such as Ladbrokes.
Multiples Betting Options
Multiple betting is much encouraged at Sky Bet, with the punter allowed to stack up many bets in a single stake in order to create an accumulator. Not only this, but they also provide their own enhanced accumulators to help give some extra value.
When it comes to horse and greyhound racing, tricast and forecast bets are also available to help create some momentous wins. There are numerous complex wagers also available such as Patent, Trixie, Yankee, Lucky 15, Canadian, Lucky 31, Heinz, Lucky 63, Super Heinz, and Goliath bets.
Bet & Win Limits
What is great about Sky Bet is that you are able to place a wager with just 5p – something, you can’t find even at the top UK casino sites. What can be a little more frustrating is the daily winning limits only go up to £500,000 for Football and Horse Racing, and as little as £250,000 for Tennis. If you fancy much higher winning limits then we recommend heading on over to William Hill who offer as much as £1 million a day.
Sky Bet Odds Levels 9
In general the Sky Bet odds levels are very good, although they can change drastically depending on the sport. The best market they offer is Baseball, where the odds can go up to as high as 96.44%.
Odds Levels for the Largest Sports Markets
- .
- Cricket94.14 - 95.50%
- Boxing90.41 - 94.15%
- Tennis92.76 - 95.52%
- USA Football95.50 - 95.56%
- E-Sports92.76 - 94.38%
- Baseball94.19 - 96.44%
- Horse Racing81.97 - 89.60%
- Greyhounds 84.02 - 86.59%
- ..
- .....
- Return to Player (%)
Where Sky Bet make up for their relatively average horse racing odds is with respect to their best odds guarantee – something that also applies to the greyhounds market. What this means is that if you bet on a horse to win and its starting price is higher than the time you bet on it, then you will be paid out on the higher price.
Additionally, thanks to Sky Bet’s price boost offer, then you are able to get enhanced on some in-demand events. This is made even more appealing considering that this is offered not only before an event but also while an event is still taking place. It is this commitment to customer service that really make Sky Bet one of the very best operators.
The Sky Bet online platform is as slick as it is easy to navigate. Utilising an iconic design of blue, white and red which matches exactly with the SkySports banner, the Sky Bet logo is an instantly recognisable symbol of high-quality service.
We found through taking our time with the site, and seeing what it had to offer, that it sometimes prioritised its special offers and daily deals over the common markets. This represents spectacle over service somewhat, the homepage is quick to show the wide selection of new bonuses that Sky Bet provide each and every day instead of the common sports markets. Nonetheless, the slide-able banner at the top helps to show you the most important events that are taking place as well as the kind of specials you can expect to see.
In the middle of the page, Sky Bet provide their latest in-play games; usually with a strong focus on Football and Tennis. We appreciate that they want to prioritise the big deal games here, as well as the latest events, but for more niche markets, one has to scroll down in order to check out the A-Z of Sports.
Nonetheless, what we especially like about the Sky Bet page is the way that the sidebar operates depending on where you are. For instance, if you click on football, the sidebar will switch in order to show you the competition available to bet on – such as the Premier and Champions league – as well as the specials markets and the different bet types. Here, their commitment to the little things makes for an especially smooth experience.
How to Place a Bet
Placing a bet with Sky Bet is as simple as counting to ten. Once you make sure you are logged into an account, all you have to do is search for the sport that you wish to bet on. Once you have found the sport, select the competition that piques your interest. After comes the match, and from that comes the particular market. After you have picked a bet, then open and access your bet slip. Once you open up the bet slip, type in how much money you would like to bet before clicking the big green ‘Place Bet’ button. Its that simple!
- [1] Choose Your Bet
Make your selection by clicking on the odds price next to the bet of your choice
- [2] Lay Your Stake
The choice you select should go straight to your betting slip. Enter in the amount of money you want to stake
- [3] Confirm On Your Bet Slip
Check once more this is the bet you want to make, them confirm it by pressing “Place Bet”.
Remember that before you place a bet your account should have at least 5 pence in it and that you are situated in either the UK or Ireland. For mobile users, the entire time between opening up the app and sending off the bet – granted that your account is in the positive – should take only 6 or so clicks.
Additional Company Info
The above sections of this review were dedicated to telling you everything about the betting features of the Sky Bet site. Now its time to know about the business aspects of the company, as well as important aspects such as customer service and licensing and security.
Company Info
Sky Bet are an offshoot of the Sky brand, meaning that its ownership is naturally complicated. The Sky Bet betting division is run from Leeds and is owned by Sky Betting & Gaming. In turn Sky Betting & Gaming are co-owned by private equity firm CVC Capital Partners and Sky UK Limited. Sky UK Limited was founded by Rupert Murdoch, the Australian media conglomerate whose company 21st Century Fox control it with a 39.14% stake.
| All About the Sky Bet Business |
| Company |
Support |
Security |
Player Protection |
| Name:Sky Bet |
Live Chat:yes |
Encryption: Verisign SSL technology |
Deposit Limits:adjustable |
| Head Office:2 Wellington Place, Leeds. |
Phone:00 44 330 024 4777 |
Licence Number:UK Gambling Commission |
Betting Limits:adjustable |
| Owner:Jeremy Darroch |
Email:support@skybet.com |
Testing Agency:Technical Systems Testing |
Self Exclusion:available |
| Employees:500 |
Fax:not available |
Audit Organisation:IBAS |
Child Protection:guaranteed |
| Registered Players:– |
Other:can be contacted via Twitter |
Anti Money Laundering ControlsKYC |
Partner Organisations:GamCare, Gambling Therapy |
Customer Service 9
If you have any problem with Sky Bet UK, then don’t fear: their customer service is simply second to none. Like so many bookmakers they can be contacted via email, live chat, mail and even the phone. Sky Bet operate on a twenty-four hour basis, so a response to any problem you may have is never far away.
They are especially tech-savvy too, with their own twitter account which has been specially designed to help you with any issue. All you have to do is tweet them @SkyBetHelp and they usually get back to you as quickly as possible. All contact information can be seen via the above table.
Licensing & Security10
You will be happy to know that Sky Bet have all of the necessary licensing and security required of a sports betting operator. All bookmakers require a license by the UK Gambling Commission, and Sky Bet are no exception, with their company registered right here in the UK. In addition to this they are partnered with the highly respected Independent Betting Adjudication Service, an independent auditing firm who make sure all operators are acting lawfully at all times.
As for Sky Bet’s commitment to security; you can access the site in the full knowledge that all of your details will be completely safe with them. All of their websites are encrypted with state-of-the-art SSL technology to keep your details safe. Additionally, whenever you log in to the site, they show you the date and time of your last log in so you can be completely sure that it is you that is accessing this account. Additionally they adhere to a rigid privacy policy.
Bonus Points 6
While not the be-all and end-all of an operator, bonus points can be the difference between a simply good bookmaker and a really great one. Judging Sky Bet across all of the different bonus criteria we decided to give a highly respectable 6 out of 10.
- Live Streams.2/3
- Sponsorship.1/3
- Awards.1/2
- Extra Markets.1/1
- Bonuses.1/1
- Bonus Points.6
When it comes to their extra markets and bonuses, Sky bet – with their daily price boosts and racing specials – go above and beyond to do that little bit extra. In conclusion, this gives Sky Bet an overall score of 6 out of 10, resulting in it being one of the highest ranking bookmakers on our site.
A Top Betting Experience
All in all, our Sky Bet review concludes that the operator provide you with a top-notch experience. When it comes to daily specials and price boosts, very few bookmakers can even compete with the service on offer here. Not only do they provide a great amount of sports that you can bet on and regular free bet offers, their odds levels are also on the higher level of the spectrum – making betting with them great value for money.
Strengths and Weaknesses of Sky Bet
- Major Strengths
- loyalty club
- strong bonus
- Minor Strengths
- good range of markets
- Major Weaknesses
- limited live streaming service
- Minor Weaknesses
- not so many payment options
Full T&Cs Apply! First single & E/W bet only. Odds of 1/1 or greater. 2 x £10 bet tokens. Free bet stakes not included in returns. Free bets are non withdrawal. No free bet expiry. Eligibility restrictions. 18+. begambleaware.org
Admittedly, they can be a bit of a let-down when it comes to the number of sports available – yet they more than make up for it thanks to their easy-to-navigate platform and request a bet feature. To find other operators to bet with, head on over to our best betting websites!
Q&A/FAQ
This review is an overview of the betting experience at Sky Bet, for more topical information please view our sub-pages or email at info@bestbettingsites.com.
How much does it cost to live stream Horse Racing?
With SkyBet’s unique bet and watch feature, you can access nearly all UK and Irish horse races for only £1.
How many sports can I bet on at Sky Bet?
There are over 25 sports to bet on. With numerous other betting options, you definitely have enough to play on, no matter what you are looking for!
What customer service options are available at Sky Bet?
They offer numerous customer service options. Our favourite is their Twitter account, but there is something for everyone.
Does Sky Bet comply with the UK Gambling Commission requirements?
Yes, in order to obtain their UKGC license (no.38718) they have to comply with a number of rules and regulations that are constantly monitored.
