SBK Sports Betting Review (2024)

SBK is a mobile-only sportsbook established by Smarkets back in 2019. At first glance, as it has only just landed on the market, it seems to have little chance of competing with the more established new sports betting sites♓. However, is this really true? We conducted a thorough SBK review of the site to find out whether this bookie is worth your time.

SBK’s registration is unique among the sportsbooks that we reviewed🍃 so far. Unlike its competitors, registration must be done through their mobile app, as opposed to a laptop or desktop.

After downloading the app – which is available on both the App Store for iOS and the Google Play store for Android – you will be prompted to enter your email. After this, click ‘CREATE ACCOUNT’ and the stress-free registration process will begin.

💮 To sign up, you will need to create a password, enter your location, and fill out your date of birth as well as your mobile number. All windows have been optimised for mobile devices, making things simple and painless.

🃏 When you have completed all of these forms, choose whether to opt in and out of marketing emails, and then select your odds format and your card size.

🍬 Click ‘CONTINUE’, and you will be directed to make your first deposit. However, this is not a necessary part of registration. If you'd like to do this later, simply click the cross in the top right corner, and you will be free to browse the app instead.

🔯 As you can see, SBK's sign-up process takes minutes to complete and is very straightforward. Afterwards, the fun can begin!

SBK possesses a truly world-class selection of different payment options♐, offering their players more choice than the majority of their competitors.

In terms of debit cards, both Visa and Mastercard in their various forms are accepted. The minimum deposit🎃 for both of these is just £10, with no maximum being specified, though it is worth remembering that some providers will impose their own upper limit.

Regarding e-wallets, PayPal, NETELLER, and Skrill🐭 are all accepted. For the latter two e-wallets there is no maximum deposit, but PayPal payments are capped at £5,500. Meanwhile, Skrill and NETELLER come with a minimum deposit of £10, while, when we checked, PayPal had a minimum deposit of £20. Bank transfers also have a minimum deposit of £10, with a processing time of 3-5 business days.

👍 Online banking customers are accommodated by SBK as well. Trustly and regular bank transfers are both fine, although the limits differ, while the former requires a hefty £40 minimum deposit. Meanwhile, £20 is the lowest amount available for a regular bank transfer.

🎃 It is not just the wide choice of payment methods that is impressive, but the process of depositing itself. Regardless of what option you select, deposits take a matter of minutes to complete, thanks to the user-friendly payment interface.

Some of the ways SBK could improve their payments section in the future is by adding some cryptocurrency options, as well as prepaid vouchers such as p🎉aysafecard, and allowing users to claim the sign-up offer with methods other than debit cards. 

🍸 In a competitive market, sportsbooks are constantly looking to convince new customers to sign up by offering enticing welcome bonuses.

🎶 SBK is no different, boasting one of the best sign-up offers on the market. It is extremely easy to claim as well. All you need to do is deposit and bet at least £10.

ಌ Once your £10 bet at minimum odds of 2.0 has been settled, a £10 football bet builder token will be credited to your promo balance. A £10 multiple token, a £5 horse racing multiple token, and a £5 football bet builder token will be credited after 24 hours, and a further £10 free bet token credited after 48 hours.

🌄 There are a few things to remember with this new customer offer. First, only a debit card or bank transfer should be used to fund your account. If you use PayPal, NETELLER, Skrill, or a virtual/prepaid card, you won't receive the bonus. 

ꦅ Overall, we are big fans of the SBK welcome bonus. It is easy to understand, but also great value, perfectly suiting both new and more experienced bettors.

ไ Since its inception, SBK has caught our eye with several additional promotions. However, we may have been unlucky with the timing of our review, as during our testing period there was only one extra bonus available, in addition to the new customer offer. 

👍 This above-mentioned promo was reserved for those who received an email for the Smarkets’ marketing team as well. It is similar to the operator’s sign-up offer, except the maximum refund value was £10.

Do not let this put you off the sportsbook, though. As we mentioned, the site regularly offers additional bonuses and we constantly update them in our dedicated SBK promotions page. Additionally, in order to stay abreast with the latest developments, we recommend opting in for marketing emails, where you might get an exclusive promo code offer, as well as keeping an eye on the operator’s 🅠 page. This feed is regularly updated with news and other great content. 

VIP/Loyalty Service

Some sportsbooks attempt to increase player retention rates by offering a VIP programme,🤡 a scheme that rewards an operator’s most loyal players with exclusive bonuses and more.

ౠ At the time of writing, SBK does not have any such programme. This is disappointing, but as it is a new sportsbook, we expect this could change in the future as time goes by.

Despite only being founded recently, SBK’s pre-match offer still manages to hold its own against some of the best online bookies.

🐭 Customising your experience to match your exact preference could not be easier. American, decimal, fractional and even percentage odds are all available, and several aesthetic changes can also be implemented.

ღ Once you have explored the sportsbook and tailored it to your own preferences, you are free to dive into the site's incredible selection of different markets.

The operator offers a stunning 25 different sports to bet on, ranging from sportsbook staples such as football, tennis and golf, to more niche offerings like cycling꧋ and handball. The depth of most of these markets is extremely impressive as well.

Take football for example. In one Premier League game we checked, there were well over 100 sub-markets. These included First Goalscorer, Asian Handicap, Both Teams to Score💃 and many more. Even less popular leagues had plenty of choice.

The crown jewel of SBK’s pre-match offer, though, lies in its highly competitive odds. SBK had the best prices for over half of the Premier League matches during one particular gameweek. The overround𝕴 of their odds is consistently well below the 110% mark as well. This is further evidence of the operator possessing some of the best prices around.

🐠 You may think we are running out of superlatives for the bookie's pre-match offer, but we have not even got to the bustling tipster community yet.

🧜 As soon as you create an account with the operator, you'll be able to post your betting predictions for other players to use. This creates a community feel for the app's users to enjoy, along with offering a great tipster market for bettors to help sharpen their predictions.

Esports

Betting on esports𓄧 is no longer the niche pastime it once was. It is now a multi-million pound industry, and offering a good selection of esports markets is one of the most vital ingredients for any ambitious and highly regarded sportsbook.

🦩 With the above in mind, you'll be glad to know that SBK’s esports provision is generous. It has its own dedicated page on the betting app, where markets can be filtered by popularity, date and competition. CS:GO, League of Legends and Call of Duty are all covered, with each possessing a fine selection of sub-markets.

Other Specials

ꦉ It is always good to mix up your betting in order to keep things fresh and interesting. With SBK, this is easy, thanks to their range of alternative markets.

The operator’s political markets🥂 are particularly strong. Bets inspired by countries across the world are supported, with markets on the London Mayoral race, 2024 US Presidential elections and the Israeli elections all open at the time of writing.

🅰 Current Affairs is another prominent category, offering markets which reflect big news stories. For instance, when we were testing SBK, it was possible to bet on when schools affected by lockdown restrictions would reopen in the United Kingdom.

Television betting is also available, with Dancing on Ice the headline market during our review.

Cash Out & Bet Builder

Cashing out🐲 has revolutionised sports betting since it burst on the scene a few years ago, and SBK have made sure not to miss out, offering a great cash out feature of their own. It is available for the overwhelming majority of markets, and prices are updated in real time to ensure the fairest cash out possible.

In terms of a bet builder, SBK also delivers. Adding various sub-markets to your electronic betting slip is incredibly intuitive, allowing🅰 players to create their ideal bet within minutes.

ꦡ Variation and depth were two words that immediately came to mind when we were reviewing SBK’s live markets.

🐈 Navigating to the live portion of the sportsbooks is extremely easy. No matter where you navigate on the app, an lightning bolt icon hovers at the top of the screen. Clicking this will take you to all the markets that are currently in-play.

🐟 Live odds are updated in line with what is happening in the event, meaning users always get the most accurate prices possible.

🌜 In terms of odds and choice, then, SBK does well. Having said that, there are some things that the operator could improve on,for example live markets on the app could do with some polishing up.

Furthermore, the stats and graphics are nowhere near as detailed as some of its competitors. This can make it challenging to accurately choose a live bet.

Here at the ThePuntersPageꦚ, we never recommend a sportsbook before closely scrutinising each operator’s security credentials. Of course, SBK was no exception.

The site's betting app♒ is operated by Smarkets, which is licensed and regulated to trade in the UK by the . SBK also possesses a second licence from the , which allows it to operate outside of the UKGC’s jurisdiction.

꧑ Both of these regulators are some of the most scrupulous on the planet, meaning you can be sure that the service you are receiving at SBK is both safe and fair.

ꦫ In terms of security, the sportsbook also performed well. All transactions on the app are secured with SSL data encryption, ensuring that all its users’ personal and banking information is safe from malware and hackers.

Additionally, SBK is also committed to promoting safer gambling𒈔. Players can request deposit limits on their account, while information on how to avoid their hobby becoming a problem is readily available on the app.

ꦡ SBK does a fine job of making their customers feel valued. There are a myriad of different ways to get in contact with the operator, ranging from sending them a message on social media, to dropping them an email.

🐟 Our main port of call for support was the fully integrated live chat on the app itself. Located in the ‘Account’ section, we found all our interactions with the customer service staff to be pleasant. Not only were they courteous, they were also informative.

For those who wish to speak to someone in person, there is also a telephone hotline, which is staffed from 9:00 to 00:00 every day. In addition, SBK has a ♍ for those who prefer to get in touch via mail. 

♓ Of course, you could also head straight to the operator’s FAQ section to see if your query can be solved there. This includes a shed-load of well-presented information, with topics ranging from payments to account settings and betting rules.

🍌 Another great feature of SBK’s customer service is their feedback tab. Here, users can leave suggestions for the operator to implement in the future. Many operator’s claim to listen to their players, but SBK stands out in this regard, actually following through on these words by welcoming constructive criticism.

We won’t lie – there is a small learning curve to overcome when using the SBK app. The layout is extremely stripped back, and this minimalism did puzzle us slightly at first.

༒ However, after learning where everything was located, we appreciated the small amount of menus and sub-menus. It makes navigation extremely streamlined, saving you plenty of time in the long run.

🐲 We were also big fans of the simple, monochrome colour scheme. The white text on the black background makes everything highly legible, while the splashes on green help to stop things from getting stale. Loading times on the app are swift as well, making the process of bet placing smooth as silk.

ཧ While using the app, you'll be able to tell that SBK has been designed with mobile phones in mind. The app is light on graphics and sounds, meaning less powerful processors can also support it without any issues.

Everything fits into the smaller screen neatly as well. We did not notice any icons or menus being cut off, an issue which we have experienced with a few other betting apps.

🦋 Scrolling through the various markets is also a breeze, which have also been structured in a way that prioritises mobile users.

While the SBK app itself is solely a sportsbook, its parent company Smarkets does offer a number of alternative services. One of its most famous projects is the Smarkets betting exchange. This must be downloaded on a separate app, but it could be worth a go for anyone wishing to dip their toes into the world of lay betting♋. Since 2010, Smarkets has processed over £15 billion worth of trades, making it an industry leader.

♚ Their politics market is highly renowned, but its sports offering is also extremely strong.

SBK has recently introduced another cutting-edge feature, SBK Best Price💟. This feature proves the brand’s commitment to showcasing the best odds benchmarked against competitors.

🔜 The Best Price green arrows display which SBK odds are priced better than competitors. Comparisons are provided by the proprietary software which compares the SBK price to competitors prices utilising market data from odds data feeds and odds comparison sites. The Best Price icon will not show up if the brand’s odds are worse than competitors. What's more important, data is refreshed every 30 seconds ensuring real-time updates.

On top of that, SBK also stands out with new content hub: SBK Betting Zone𓄧. This consists of betting tips, previews, odds, and in depth written and podcast previews of Cheltenham Festival.

🦹 Put simply, SBK is one of the best sportsbooks that has entered the UK market in recent years. During our review, it was hard to find much to complain about. From its rewarding new customer offer to its in-depth markets and unique community features, the operator offers an impressive product for bettors of all tastes and preferences. We recommended giving it a try, if you have not already.