888 Review & Rating – Sports Betting Sites 2022
888sport is one of the fastest-growing sports betting providers, thanks to extensive advertising, a large social media presence and numerous popular promotions. 888sport has been providing online betting services since 2008.
The company has an excellent online gambling pedigree, being the sports betting division of the successful 888.com Group, a provider of online casino, poker and bingo games since 1997.
888sport’s betting services are based on a stable secure platform, which is also linked to the group’s other products. The bookmaker has an excellent reputation for reliability and is very popular with UK punters, especially horse racing fans, which is a major focus for the brand.
A stand at Fontwell Park was in fact one of 888sport’s first sponsorships. Since then, the bookmaker has sponsored several other race meetings, snooker events and UK football teams.
888sport has been providing online sports betting since 2008 and is one of the fastest-growing bookmakers worldwide. With numerous popular promotions, an excellent reputation for reliability and betting services on a stable platform 888 is very popular with punters especially from the UK.
Sign up with 888 and claim your €/£30 Free BetIn this review, we will take an in-depth look at 888sport’s online presence and examine the processes that help to make online betting an enjoyable smooth experience – such as the availability of customer services, the live betting experience and the bookmaker’s deposit and withdrawal services.
888 Review & Top 3 Sports Betting Sites
Important Key Data & Information about 888sport
| Licenses: | Licensed in Malta, the UK and Gibraltar among others |
| Founding Year: | 1997 (888sport launched in 2008) |
| Origin: | Israel/British Virgin Islands |
| Welcome Bonus: | Place your first £/€10 bet and earn £/€30 in free bets + a £/€10 casino bonus |
| Sports: | 30+ |
| Customer Service: | Live Chat (via website), email support and toll-free phone |
| Organisation: | A part of 888 Holdings PLC |
| Head office: | Gibraltar |
| Sponsoring: | Horse racing at the Cheltenham Showcase, Shamrock Rovers FC, Cardiff City FC. Partner of the Super Bowl and the NFL games in London during the 2021 season. |
888sport Betting Site, Mobile Site/App
The 888sport betting site appears in an eye-catching black and orange color scheme. This makes icons and images stand out very nicely, so it is easy to identify promotions and live events. We did however have to turn up our screen brightness a little to make out the grey on black text in the left sidebar and some other areas such as the small print on promotions.
The betting site set-up is straightforward and it is easy to get to the desired section via the left sidebar. On selecting an event the menu of bets, set out in tabs and dropdowns can be easily navigated. We particularly like the useful information section at the bottom of each page which gives an introduction on betting on the sport and includes key data (deposit amount, payment methods etc) and a sport-specific FAQ.
There is an extensive statistics section that can be accessed by clicking on the small graph icon that appears next to the team names. We would recommend opening this in a new tab, so you can easily refer back to the bets on offer.
Bet selections appear on the Betslip on the right-hand side. On selecting four bets or more the bet slip expands to offer system bets and accumulator options. Bets that are incompatible with each other are clearly highlighted. Next to the bet slip, the My Bets section shows bets already placed, including any that are available for cash out.
The responsive mobile version of the 888sport site is easy to navigate via the hamburger menu in the top left corner which has replaced the left sidebar. The bet slip now appears as a bar across the bottom of the screen, which expands upwards when tapped on. Due to the higher contrast and increased brightness of smaller screens, the text on the mobile site is easier to read.
888sport also has a mobile app which is available free for download from the iOS app store and for Android directly from the bookmaker’s site, https://www.888sport.com/mobile-betting/.
The app features all the functionality of the mobile site including account management functions and the opportunity to participate in all the promotions.
The 888 Sportsbook
888sport features one of the best sportsbooks that offers a considerable choice of sports and competitions encompassing many different countries.
During our review bets were available in 31 categories including all the popular sports as well as greyhounds and horse racing (with trotting listed separately), eSports, virtual sports and a few niche interests such as Aussie Rules and surfing. Betting on entertainment (under Novelty Bets) and politics is also available.
Horse racing should be mentioned in particular here, as 888sport features all of UK and Ireland’s races with Best Odds Guaranteed. There is also a large selection of international race meetings. Other popular sports have a similar depth of international events on offer.
Football is of course also very well featured, with a complete range of bets, including Asian handicaps, available for all top league matches. Fans of regional competitions will be happy to find those also listed for many countries.
Sports Betting Offers at 888*
| American Football | Australian Rules | Baseball | Basketball |
| Boxing | Cricket | Cycling | Darts |
| eSports | Football | GAA Football | GAA Hurling |
| Golf | Greyhound Racing | Handball | Horse Racing |
| Ice Hockey | MMA | Motor Racing | Politics |
| Rugby League | Rugby Union | Snooker | Surfing |
| Table Tennis | Tennis | Trotting | Virtual Sports |
| Volleyball | Waterpolo |
Our reviewers found that the greatest variety of betting always appears to be on offer just before the start of a match or competition, so if you don’t see your desired bet listed it is always worth checking back.
888sport Live Betting
Live betting with 888sport offers a very respectable number of events from all sports. Events in popular sports such as football, tennis and volleyball are available around the clock with coverage from many different countries, as well as eSports and virtual sports to complete the offering.
Again, the depth of the sports offered extends to the regional level. There is a useful Schedule tab, which shows upcoming live events by date and sport.
The number of markets available for live bets depends on the popularity of the event. English Premier League matches will have more markets to choose from than those from the Argentian Torneo Regional Amateur competition, for example.
Still, even the latter is fairly full-featured including halftime/full time result, total goals over/under, both teams to score, double chance, correct score, Asian handicap and handicap bets.
888sport only features live streaming on horse racing. This is available from 85 different tracks across the UK and Ireland. To get access registered users need to place a bet of £1 (or 50p each way).
No other sports are streamed, although a decent live animation is available for all events. It is well designed and provides a clear overview of what is happening as well as access to useful statistics and updates.
Odds and Payout Rates at 888sport
A close look at the payout rates is an essential component in any bookmaker’s review as it indicates how much is going to be paid out on winning bets. A number of bets were selected from the different sports in 888sport’s range and their payout rates calculated.
The average payout rate among reputable bookmakers is between 91 and 96 percent. 888sport firmly fits into the middle of that range, with main bets for the top football leagues paying out at just over 93%, with only the Champions League match win bet paying out more at 95%.
Overall, the payout rates for each sport were found to be fairly consistent, with popular competitions paying slightly more than those with a smaller audience.
Overview of the average payout rates* by sport and competition at 888sport
| Tennis | Football | Basketball | Ice Hockey | American Football |
| WTA/ATP: 94% | Bundesliga: 93% | NBA: 95% | NHL: 94% | NFL: 95% |
| Challenger: 94% | Premier League: 93% | German BL: 94% | KHL: 94% | |
| ITF: 91% | La Liga: 93% | Euroleague: 94% | SHL: 94% | |
| UTR: 92% | Champions League: 95% | Champions League: 94% | DEL: 95% | |
| Europa League: 94% | DEL 2: 94% |
Like many bookmakers, 888sport features boosted odds for selected bets, combinations and accumulators. Details of these can be found on the bookmaker’s Promotions page. For those wanting to increase the odds for themselves, a Bet Builder is available.
This allows you to combine several bets from one match into a single bet with higher odds for a chance of a bigger win.
888sport Registration and Bonus Promotions
To place bets with 888sport and gain access to all the promotions, players must have a registered account. On clicking the ‘Join now’ button at the top of the screen a form opens which guides you through entering all the information required in three simple steps.
These include your personal information (including your country of residence and date of birth), choosing a user name, password and security question for the account, and lastly your full address, currency and mobile number.
Once this has been completed you are ready to make your first deposit and check out 888sport’s bonuses for new customers.
888sport’s new customer sign up offer
Unlike some bookmakers’ bonuses, 888sport has a welcome offer that is refreshingly simple to achieve. When you make your first deposit, make sure you enter the code 30FB in the Promo box (check the 888sport Promotions page to make sure you have the latest code).
When you place your first bet it needs to be at a minimum of£/€10 at odds of 1.5 or greater. That’s it. You will receive £/€30 in free bet credits + £/€10 casino credit. These are valid for 7 days. Please note that 888sport stipulates that if you wish to withdraw the winnings from your free bets your will need to wager the bonus amount 40 times during the next 14 days.
888sport promotions for regular customers
This is the area where 888sport excels. There are several creative promotions designed to keep regular customers engaged and entertained. From the Premier Player Club loyalty programme to prize draws and free bet offers.
Here are two that we particularly liked:
- £/€5 free bet when you place a £/€10 combination bet of 3+ legs on European football
Place a £/€10 multiple bet of 3+ legs (min. odds 1.33 per leg) on Champions League, Europa League or Europa Conference League matches all happening on the same day. Once your bet has been settled, you’ll receive a free bet which must be claimed and used within 1 day on a 3+ leg combination bet. This offer is available once a day on European cup competition days only.
- £/€5 free bet when you win at 5.00 or bigger
Available once a day, every day on all sports. Place a bet with a minimum stake of £/€10 and minimum odds of 5.00. If the bet wins, you will receive your free credit upon bet settlement. This has to be used within 7 days.
888sport Deposits & Withdrawals
888sport supports a wide range of payment methods. Many of these are specific to the customer’s country of residence. To find out which methods are available to you, you should check the Cashier section of your betting account. The standard methods are bank transfers, credit cards and eWallets as well as pre-paid cards and vouchers for deposits.
There are 13 methods that can be used for deposits as well as withdrawals and many more that are for deposits only. The full list is available here.
888sport deposit & withdrawal methods overview
- VISA
- MasterCard
- Paypal
- Skrill
- MuchBetter
- NETELLER
- ecoPayz
- Trustly
- INTERAC® e-Transfer
- Pay4Fun
- Rapid Transfer
- iDebit
- Wire Transfer
Please note that some offers like Best Odds Guaranteed are not available with all payment methods. 888sport does not charge any processing fees. A minimum amount of £/€10 applies to the majority of methods.
Accounts need to be fully verified before a withdrawal can be made. This can be done securely via the Cashier>Verify ID section in your account. If possible, you should always use the same method for withdrawals that you used to make a deposit.
In terms of processing times, with most methods deposits are virtually instant, although old fashioned wire transfers may take longer. Withdrawals take a minimum of one working day, as this is the time required by 888sport to complete its checks. During this time, you can reconsider and cancel your withdrawal if desired.
888sport’s Customer Service
888sport’s customer service is comprehensive, offering assistance via 24/7 live chat, toll-free phone (which includes a callback option), and email via a web form.
The following methods are available for contacting 888’s customer service:
| Live chat: | Via the Contact Us button on any FAQ page and in your account. |
| Phone: | UK +44 203 478 0670 Germany +44 203 478 1875 Canada 1 855 765 2356 Other countries +44 203 478 0670 |
| Email: | Via the webform or support@888.com |
Support is available in 8 languages. Sport-specific useful information/FAQs can be found throughout the site at the bottom of each section. A very good general Help section which covers registration, account and technical issues among others is also available. It is also worth checking out the 888sport blog which contains a wealth of information.
Further information about 888sport
888sport belongs to 888 Holdings PLC, a successful provider of gambling services which also includes the 888casino and 888poker brands as well as a host of bingo brands (such as 888bingo, 888ladies and Wink Bingo).
The origins of this group lay in Isreal, where in 1997 four businessmen, brothers Aaron and Avi Shaked and brothers Shay and Ron Ben-Yitzhak, decided to create an online gambling product, using money raised by taking out loans on their houses.
Originally limited to an online casino managed from a centre in Antigua, Casino-on-Net launched that year. Growth of the company in the form of additional online casino ventures rapidly followed.
In 2005 the company was listed on the London Stock Exchange, following which the company began the dedicated development of the 888.com brands we know today.
The 888sport brand launched in March 2008 to become part of a well-established online gambling presence. 888 Holdings has continued to develop its sport betting brand, acquiring Dublin-based software company Dedsert Ltd in 2019, which designed the software platform for UK bookmaker BetBright.
888 Holdings is also looking to invest in some real brick and mortar as it is due to complete the acquisition of the European portion of William Hill, one of the biggest household names in British sports betting, in early 2022.
888.com Timeline
- First established in the British Virgin Islands in 1997, 888 Holdings’ first product was Casino-on-Net, which was later to become the 888casino. Basis for this was a license issued in Antigua.
- Additional offices were established in Tel Aviv in 1998 and in London in 2002, which increased market reach.
- 2002 saw the launch of the 888.com brand. In the same year, two further casino products, Reef Club Casino and Pacific Poker, were launched.
- In 2003 the company received its license from the Gibraltar Gambling Commission and proceeded to move its headquarters to Gibraltar that same year.
- In 2005 888 Holdings was publicly listed on the London Stock Exchange.
- 2008 saw the addition of sports betting to 888.com’s portfolio.
- Since 2011 the 888.com Group has been working to expand into new markets such as Italy (2011), the US (begun in 2011 and continuing to date), Spain (2012), as well as Portugal and Sweden (both in 2019).
- In 2021 888’s intention to purchase the European branch of William Hill from US-based casino giant Caesars Entertainment was announced. These will include all of the bookmaker’s high street bet shops as well as its online presence. This deal is set to complete in early 2022.
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