SportBet Sportsbook
Online sportsbooks and casinos have come a long way in recent years. Gambling popularity is at an all-time high and the internet and mobile options only make placing a bet that much easier. New sites are popping up all the time and the old sites are standing strong as the action keeps pouring in. Sportbet is one of the older sites available. It has a long history and a ton of promotions, bonuses, and features. But how does it compare to the competition? Your options are plentiful these days so sites are working overtime to offer as much as they can to claim your action. However, buyer beware because some online gambling sites are just busts while other are worthy of your time. So, which is Sportbet?
SportBet Sportsbook Review
Online sportsbooks and casinos have come a long way in recent years. Gambling popularity is at an all-time high and the internet and mobile options only make placing a bet that much easier. New sites are popping up all the time and the old sites are standing strong as the action keeps pouring in. Sportbet is one of the older sites available. It has a long history and a ton of promotions, bonuses, and features. But how does it compare to the competition? Your options are plentiful these days so sites are working overtime to offer as much as they can to claim your action. However, buyer beware because some online gambling sites are just busts while other are worthy of your time. So, which is Sportbet?
- Official Website: https://www.sportbet.com/
- Payments Accepted: Credit Card, Person to Person (P2P), Money Order, Bitcoins, Sportsbook Transfer, Account to Account Transfer
- Minimum Bet: .50
- Cash out
- Live Betting
- Live Streaming
- 24/7 Support
- Sign up Bonus
- Mobile App
- Poker
- Bingo
- Casino
Sportbet is one of the oldest online gambling sites around with over 20 years of experience in its corner. Being around so long is a good sign that something has to be going well. A sister site to 5dimes, the two sites have plenty in common. Your 5Dimes login and password even grant access to Sportbet and that’s about as tight as you can get. Over all theses years, Sportbet has kept a very clean reputation in the online gambling community which is no easy feat. Never an innovator but always able to seamlessly integrate new features, Sportbet has maintained a nice foothold in the online world with a casino, poker rooms, racebook, as well as the sportsbook.
- Dated Interface/Mobile Site
30% Super Saver Bonus – This Sportbet bonus saves you money on the backend of any bet laid once you’ve signed up. It is a simple feature that gives you better odds on the moneyline. For example, a -110 turns to -107. While it doesn’t seem like much, it pays big in the long run.
Reduced Juice Program – Much like the 30% saver bonus, the reduced juice program gives you points on the point spread once you’ve registered in the program.
New Player Bonus – A new player deposit from $100 to $400 will receive a 50% free play bonus, up to $200 and for a $400 up to $2000 deposit you’ll receive an extra 20% free-play.
MatchPlay Casino – Your initial deposit in the Sportbet casino, you’ll receive a 50% matching bonus up to $250.
Loyalty Bonus – Your 8th and 9th deposit are on the house at Sportbet once you’ve registered for the program. The average of your first seven deposits will be placed into your account for your 8th and then 9th deposit.
All major credit cards, Person to Person, Money Orders, and Bitcoin are all available as banking options to join Sportbet.
While Sportbet is not as well known as 5Dimes, it has a following which is sizable. And that’s for good reason too. Sportbet enjoys the type of reputation every other site is envious of. However, their following remains sizable simply because of the way they treat their customers. Their user count grows slowly with little fluctuations so they’ve been good to their base but bad at bringing in new action. Sportbet, just like 5Dimes, does it right and are rewarded for it by their players.
Sportbet has customer support available 24/7 via phone, email, and live chat. They even have specific lines of communication for specific issues.
Sportbet is a good sportsbook, that’s for sure. They have the promotions, bonuses, and features everyone is looking for. They offer the sports and the wagers everyone is looking for. They have the action everyone is looking for. One reason they may not get as many new users is because of the antiquated look and being overshadowed by 5dimes. However, just like 5Dimes, they have great lines, a quick payout, and the best parlays anywhere online. If you can get past the look of the place, it’s a great book to place a wager.
Poker enthusiasts should turn their attention to SportBet’s “Grand Poker” room. Games can be played in-browser or by downloading a separate software (yes, that still exists). Inside the Grand room, you’ll find many game variants of poker. Moreover, there’s always a tournament to join and potentially win a grand prize off of — hence the Grand Poker moniker.
Verify By Email To Activate Sportbet Sportsbook
SportBet’s sportsbook´s sign-up is pretty standard — enter basic details about yourself such as name, address, email, password, etc. Just word of advice: make sure to use an email you actually have access to. As part of its verification process, SportBet will send a link to your registered email. Once verified, SportBet grants you an account number that you’ll use to sign in from there on out.
Account Creation Screenshots 1/2
Enter your basic information
Account Creation Screenshots 2/2
A classic example of an online sportsbook that has aged with grace is SportBet.com, which has over 20 years of experience in the industry. Originally established in 1997, it has been supplying the best betting odds on casino games and sports events to US players. We had heard great reviews about the betting site from players and figured we’d test it for ourselves. As a sister site to the 5Dimes sportsbook, we only expected the very best gaming experience and competitive bonus package when we visited the site.
There’s an endless list of betting lines from the top major leagues in America. You can bet on NBA games, NHL, NFL, MLS, and MLB. The list broadens when you include leagues from around the world. There are loads of events in the sports calendar that you can find in the lobby such as tennis, golf, martial arts, boxing, motorsports and so much more.
The good thing for US players is that the sportsbook odds are set up in American and Decimal odds. So, there really isn’t any need for conversions and calculations. Since sports leagues are shut down as a result of Coronavirus, you can play tons of casino games and lotto draws with great jackpots.
When Do Lines Become Available For Each League
Sportbet sportsbook
When Do Lines Become Available For Each League
- NFL: Weekly full game lines filter in late Monday morning/early afternoon. Half time lines for games on Sunday become available Thursday.
- College Football: Weekly full game lines filter in late Monday morning/early afternoon. Half time lines for games on Saturday become available Thursday.
- NBA/MLB/NHL/College Basketball: Daily games are available the day of
- Soccer: Lines become available for games 48 hours in advance of the game
- MMA/Boxing: Lines for that week’s card become available by Tuesday. Main event fights are usually available much earlier but the timeline does vary.
Understanding Popular Bet Types
Sports betting offers many ways to wager and win. Straight bet (Money Line, Point Spread or Total (Over/Under), Parlay, Teaser bets, Futures bets, Round Robin bets, Proposition bets and In-Play bets are among the most popular options. Before you begin, here are the basics you need to know.
Straight Bet (Money Line, Point Spread, or Total Over/Under)
A straight bet is an individual wager on a game or event that will be determined by a point spread, money line or total (over/under).
Money Line (Represents a wager made on a specific team to win an event without using the Point Spread. The Money Line is expressed in terms of a $100 bet).
As an example, if the odds board shows:
- New York -140
- Boston +120
A bet on New York (the favorite) costs more; you would need to place a $140 wager for a chance to win $100.
A bet on Boston (the underdog) pays more; a $100 wager gives you a chance to win $120.
Point Spread (Represents margin of points in which the favored team must win the event by to cover the point spread. Bets on the point spread are typically offered at 11 to 10 odds. A player must wager $11 to win $10 for a total payout of $21.)
If a minus (-) sign is before the spread number, this means the team is favored to win and must win the event by more than the number value listed.
If a plus (+) sign is before the spread number, this tells you the team is the underdog and the sportsbook will add the number value listed to this team’s final score to determine the result of the event.
As an example, if the odds board shows:
- New England -5.5
- Buffalo +5.5
To win a bet on New England, New England must win by six points or more.
To win a bet on the Buffalo, Buffalo must either win the game or lose by five points or less.
Total or Over/Under (Bets on the total are typically offered at 11 to 10 odds. A player must wager $11 to win $10 for a total payout of $21.)
The total is the specified estimate of the two teams combined score at the end of a game. When placing over/under bets, you are betting either the game total will go over or under the total set by the Sports Book. on the actual final combined score versus the set total.
- The Sports Book sets a total of 9.5
- New York beat Boston (5-4)
- The game total is 9 (5+4)
To win the over bet, the two teams final combined score must be 10 or more runs. In this example, the over bet loses and the under bet wins.
Parlay Bet
Parlay bets are wagers where you combine multiple selections into a single bet. The benefit of a parlay is the pay out, because you can bet a small amount and win big. With a parlay, all your chosen bets must win for the parlay to pay out. If one of the games you bet on ties, this is called a “push” and your parlay ticket is still “live”.
Teaser Bet (Pro Football 6, 6.5 or 7 points/Pro Basketball 4, 4.5 or 5 points)
Teasers are parlay bets that allow you to shift a point spread in your favor by certain designated amounts. As a result, your payout is reduced, but your chances of winning are better. You must tease at least two games together.
Futures Bet
Futures are wagers placed on an event typically settled on a later date. For example, placing a wager on a team to win the championship in their designated sport (i.e. 2020 Pro Hockey Championship).
Round Robin Bet
A round robin is a series of parlay bets. For example, a three team round robin consists of three 2 team parlay bets (Team A + Team B, Team A + Team C, Team B + Team C). If Team A loses their game, you still have an opportunity to win on your parlay of Team B + Team C.
Proposition Bet (Prop Bet)
Proposition bets are individual bets that can occur with a given game or event.
In-Play Bet (Live Wagering)
In-Play bets are wagers on either the point spread, money line or total of a game or events after the game/event has started.
Here are the rollover requirements, which is common for bonuses and promotions from all online gaming providers: For every one-time rollover of your deposit amount, 10 percent of your bonus will become available automatically. By the time you have rolled over your deposit 10 times, the final 10 percent of your bonus will be awarded to your account.
Customer Service Options
If members run into a problem or have a question, they can reach out to SportBet customer support in English or Spanish using one of the following options:
- Telephone: 1-800-430-5896
- Email: [email protected]
- Live chat: For real money accounts only
Assistance is offered 24 hours a day, seven days a week and most reviews find the live chat option requires little waiting time for a connection.
“Contact Us” can be found at the top of the SportBet home page, or there is an “Information” section at the bottom of the page that is an excellent source to answer most of your questions and queries without having to contact the support team.
The list of categories in the Information area are:
- Blog
- About Us
- Affiliate
- Contact Us
- Private Policy
- Rules & Regulations
- Help
- Site Map
If you still can’t find the answer to your issue, the Live Chat option for members is the quickest form of support.
Sportsbetting Accepts Bitcoins
Super Bowl, March Madness, Oscars
<p>Click on “Sportsbook” at the top of the home page and go right to the odds for all the major sports, right? No, not on SportBet. First, you have to sift through all the blogs and sports articles.</p> <p>The easiest option is to not even click on Sportsbook at all. <strong>Choose “Live Lines” at the top of the page</strong> or “Live Odds” at the bottom and there’s your world of sports betting. I’m not sure why SportBet would make this so confusing. It’s a major headache to deal with for first-time visitors.</p> <p>When you finally arrive in the <strong>sports betting section</strong>, you will find betting lines on the following sports: football, basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer, golf, tennis, motor sports, fighting, other sports, eSports, and Olympics.</p> <p>The <strong>site also offers betting articles</strong> on the right side of the page, with promotions and betting lines in the center panel. While most top-ranked sites make navigation quick and easy, the same cannot be said at SportBet.</p> <p>The <strong>minimum bet in the sportsbook is as low as $1</strong> and as high as $5,000. The available bet types in this gaming area is extensive: straight bets such as the money line, point spread, run line, puck line, over/under totals, prop bets, parlays and round-robins, teasers and pleasers, halftime betting, futures, live betting, and special wagers, such as if-bets, rolling if-bets, reverse bets, multi-chance parlays, multi-chance teasers, progressive pleasers, Asian handicaps, and action points.</p> <p>For anyone needing help with the sports betting section, call SportBet at 1-866-924-3772 and talk to a representative.</p> <p>The Racebook offered the same challenges as the Sportsbook. I never did find the live odds on any of the day’s races. Just pages and pages of horse racing articles and two separate racebook promotions.</p> <p>Maybe they could provide a live racing tab to make things easier. If not, I wouldn’t bother playing here. It’s just too difficult to figure out. I knew it was post time for a race at Santa Anita, but I couldn’t find it at SportBet.</p>
Do you want to bet in real time? SportBet offers “In-Game Betting” in the sportsbook where members can wager on up-to-the-minute betting lines for live events in football, basketball, baseball, tennis, UFC, and more. Also called in-play or in-running wagering, your welcome bonus cannot be used for live betting where the odds change with every goal, injury, timeout and simply a stoppage in play where momentum of the game has shifted. The betting limit for in-play wagering is $500. Members first have to choose from one of two live betting sportsbooks — Live In-Play Wagering or Live Betting Extra. The two sportsbooks have different features, promotions, and live sporting events to bet on. For example, the NFL is not available on Live Betting Extra, but U.S. and Canadian players are eligible for a 2.941-per-cent rebate on all their winning and losing wagers on soccer, baseball, hockey, basketball, and tennis. It’s recommended to read the “How to Play” guides for both live betting rooms before the action begins.
The Grand Poker room at SportBet is linked to a network of gaming providers that includes 5Dimes. They offer games in Texas Hold’em, Omaha, and Omaha Hi-Lo. The blinds on all three games are kept fairly low, which might be a reason for the low turnout on SportBet’s events. The poker app must be downloaded to play, while the sites says it’s compatible with Windows and Apple products. Tournament stakes range from $3 to $100 in Texas Hold’em only. Single-table games are offered in six- and nine-player formats, while multi-table games are played in either 18- or 27-player formats.
The SportBet casino, which is a download only option, is split into five different rooms with a variety of games in each.
SportBet works with several different software developers, so you can count on finding your favorite names here. The gaming platform has dozens of titles in all five casino rooms, with bonuses, free spins, and jackpots in each one. Each casino also has at least one ongoing promotion, so be sure to check them out before you begin play. Here is a sample of some of the bonuses:
Head into the Vegas Live Casino and play, chat and interact with SportBet‘s friendly dealers. Games include blackjack, roulette, and baccarat. The live casino is available every hour of the day throughout the year, complete with dealers, pit bosses and inspectors. The only thing missing from the Las Vegas casinos is the cigarette smoke and complimentary drinks. There is also a Super 7-7-7 Progressive Jackpot growing at an American Blackjack table. Be sure to check it out.
The market is booming in eSports today as some major championships draw as many as 20 million viewers. SportBet offers its members a ticket to all the action in CounterStrike, Dota 2, League of Legends, and Starcraft 2. Members can bet on these competitive video games on the money line, point spread, over-under totals, futures, and prop wagering. For example, you could place a bet on which team will win a certain championship, which teams will be in the finals, or simply who will win an individual round of the tournament. The wagering is almost as hot as the competition.
Limits/Ease of depositing money: 10/10
SportBet Sportsbook Review
Welcome to our review of the SportBet sportsbook! Here we are going to to break down all the positives and negatives about using the SportBet book. SportBet has been around since 1997 and is the sister site for 5Dimes (our review for 5Dimes can be found here.). In fact, the two sites are so closely related that if you have a 5Dimes account then you can log into Sportbet using the exact same login and password. As always, we will throw in the disclaimer that none of us at DRatings are lawyers, but the post found at Is Online Sports Betting Legal? is a great reference.
There is a lot to love about SportBet! As you will eventually come to realize after reading the rest of this review, we are pretty big SportBet fans. It all starts with them having an impeccable reputation! Online sportsbooks seem to pop up weekly and there are a lot of them that can not be trusted. Being that SportBet has been around now for almost twenty years makes it one of the earliest players to enter the industry. And you certainly don’t last that long in this industry unless you are one of the best and treat your players fairly. We detail more about the SportBet sportsbook below, hope you enjoy!
Depositing Money
SportBet has a wide variety of options for deposits into the account and the most popular options are always free of charge. If you’d like to see a full list of deposit options and fees, see SportBet Deposit Options. Most of these options are more trouble than they are worth so we will focus on the two that are the easiest.
First, the credit card deposit option, is the easiest mainstream way to get money into your account. Users of this option are able to take a minimum deposit of $50 and a maximum deposit of up to $500.
Second, is Bitcoin. This is certainly the most recommended option as it gives the user the most flexibility in deposits (and withdrawals as you’ll read about later). Bitcoin deposits are essentially unlimited. There is actually like a $100,000 maximum deposit, but it’s highly unlikely that anyone reading this is looking to push that much money into their SportBet account.
In short, the deposit options into SportBet are top-notch.
Limits/Ease of depositing money: 10/10
Betting Interface
The best way to describe SportBet’s user interface is that isn’t the prettiest, but it is very functional. There have been a lot of books lately that have made some very impressive interface changes like Bovada, so it is a little shocking that SportBet hasn’t tried to follow suit. At the same time, one can argue that if it works then there is no need to fix it.
The one advantage about the SportBet set up is that it is very simple to use. On the left side of the screen (as one can see in the image above) there are the bet types and in the middle of the screen there are the sports. To move on to the next screen, the user simply selects a bet type and the sport and they are directed to a list of bets within those parameters.
SportBet Wager Confirmation
Once the bet (or bets) are selected, the user is then brought to a screen to confirm the bet. Again, there is not much room for error as they use a bold font on the bet, the amount that you are risking and the amount that you can win. You are then also asked to put your password in again for final confirmation of the bet. We find these to all be good policies as SportBet makes it near impossible to bet on something that you didn’t intend to bet on.
Look and feel of the betting interface: 8/10
Odds/Bet Limits
With an impressive slate of things to bet and with very little juice on the matches, the SportBet sportsbook is very strong in this category. The odds here will get even better if you go with their 30% Super Saver Promotion which puts the odds on almost all head-to-head match ups at -107 style pricing. In the long run, this is a huge advantage to the better as with this pricing you only need to win 51.7% of your match ups to break even. Compare that to the 52.4% that you have to win with -110 style pricing to break even and it’s easy to see that the advantage at SportBet can make or break a season.
One of the things that always impresses us with SportBet is the variety of lines and the speed at which they come out. In the summer, SportBet (along with 5Dimes) were the first to put out odds on 150 or so college football match ups through out the season. If soccer is your game, then just about every European football league is covered along with all the leagues in South America and the MLS in the United States.
With all this in mind, these are all very good things for the serious high-volume sports bettor.
Odds Prices and minimum bet limits: 10/10
Mobile Betting
Our dialog on SportBet’s mobile platform will sound a lot like our dialog on the web site’s user interface – it’s not super pretty, but functional. It is no doubt challenging to organize and fit all the different betting types and such into something that can be viewed on a mobile phone and SportBet actually does do a pretty admirable job.
Once logged in, the user is given all of the sports and leagues in a list under the “Bet the Board” option. For convenience, the option to “Continue” or move to the next screen is always available at the top of screen as well as your account settings and the ability to deposit money. Once the sport or league is selected, you are taken to the page that looks very similar to what the bet selection screen looks like on the web site (see image to the left). You are actually given a notification to turn your phone into landscape mode for easier viewing and it is true that viewing it this way does help a little bit. However, even in portrait mode, you are easily able to scroll to the right to see all the odds and easily make bets on the games. Once a bet is selected, the user is taken to a bet confirmation screen, that again, is very similar to the screen that one would see if confirming a bet on their computer. Once the bet is confirmed, the process is completed and you are good to go.
Overall, while SportBet doesn’t have the most impressive mobile platform, it certainly does the trick for users who are constantly on the go.
Mobile Betting Platform: 7/10
Payouts
If you are looking for the shining star of payouts in the industry then you’ve found it here with SportBet. Along with 5Dimes, if we could rate their payouts any higher then a ten then we would. There is a huge list of payout methods on their web site, but we will focus on the options that are the most popular.
First are the cashier’s checks. Requests for check payouts are free once every 30 days, and additional payouts outside of that window will cost $40-$80. However, with the limit currently at around $3,800, you’d have to be in very good shape to need a payout more often than every 30 days.
Another option which is my favorite is the Bitcoin payout. Here you can request payouts of up to $10,000 straight through their Cashier system and up to $100,000 through an email. The last time we requested a payout through Bitcoin the money arrived in the account in four hours. Those that have been around this industry know that type of turn around time is extremely impressive.
Ease and price of payouts: 10/10
Promotions
We need to clarify right off the bat here that are final rating on “Promotions” doesn’t include the 30% Super Saver Bonus. We more or less assume that every user reading this would pick that bonus, and thus, include it in our 10 out of 10 rating in the Odds/Bet Limits section of this review. If that promotion were included in this section then it would be rated much higher.
There are three main promotions that the user can sign up for when they originally sign on with SportBet. The first is the 30% Super Saver Bonus which we highly recommend and have already covered here in pretty serious detail. The other two contain different varieties of free play bonuses in the sportsbook, casino and lottery which are built into the site. The terms on these promotions can be a little bit confusing though they are all listed out in good detail on the web site.
Offers/Promotions: 8/10
Pros/Cons
Pro: Simply the best payouts in the industry!
Pro: The Super Saver Bonus gives the bettor incredible odds.
Pro: Early lines and tons of options for action on games across the globe.
Pro: Better parlay odds then just about any book out there.
Pro: The sister site to 5Dimes which is a highly reputable site.
Con: A somewhat dated betting interface.
Con: While their mobile betting system isn’t bad, it’s not one of the better ones out there.
Updates
This article was originally published on 10/15/2015.
3/21/2016: Removed some payout methods.
3/27/2017: Removed a deposit method.
Conclusion
There is a certain type of bettor that feels like a good fit for a certain type of sportsbook. A recreational bettor who likes fun promotions and occasionally likes to spend time in the casino area is more well suited for Bovada. SportBet, however, is the perfect site for the seasoned, high volume bettor. If you are someone that simply wants a huge list of things to bet and the best odds available on those things to bet so you can win as much money as possible, then SportBet is absolutely the place for you!