32Red Review

32Red are one of the most revered and respected online gaming and casino providers in the world, offering games and products from every corner of the online casino world.  This heavily awarded brand now has a sportsbook to shout about too, but is it any good?

Well, it’s probably not going to replace your existing bookie but if you want to play the best games with the convenience of a well-stocked sports betting package on the side then this is a darn good option. It has everything you would need for a quick sports bet, including cash out and live streaming, and a sports list that is over 30 strong.

It might not be somewhere you would settle in for a day of sports betting, but it is robust enough for most every day bettors, especially those that also enjoy a healthy dose of casino too.

Isn’t 32Red a Casino?

Nothing gets past you does it?

You’re right though, it is probably fair to say that 32Red is a casino first and a sportsbook second, but they aren’t trying to pretend otherwise – just look at their name. And just because the casino is where life began for this bookie it doesn’t mean that the sportsbook is no good.

It does make this the ideal place for gamers looking for a sportsbook though as opposed to sports bettors who do the odd bit of gaming. Even though the site is powered largely by Microgaming (it was exclusively Microgaming for a long time) there are now other top providers who also have a presence here, so game selection, especially when it comes to their 500+ slots, will not be an issue.

Here’s a sample:

The live casino is powered by Evolution who dominate this side of the industry and for good reason, so it’s safe to say that the live dealer experience is tip top at this site.

There is also a good deal of slingo and poker here, although there is no bingo, and the poker is video poker or live poker games – they don’t have their own poker product anywhere where you can play against other players.

Sportsbook

On to the sportsbook then, and you might actually be surprised by the range of betting markets here. There are more than 30 sport categories and some of them have pretty good depth all things considered:

• Football – 90,000 markets
• Tennis – 1,000 markets
• Basketball – 8,000 markets
• Ice Hockey – 9,000 markets
• Snooker – 300 markets
• Politics – 170 markets (great depth here, down to constituency betting)
• Darts – 500 markets
• Esports – 70 markets
• Horses/Greyhounds – 320/400 markets respectively. Some international horse races too.

That’s pretty busy for a book stuck on the side of a casino, huh?

Still, this is not going to be the place to bet for a professional bettor or a die-hard sports fan, but if you are more of a recreational bettor or someone who just sees it as a bit of fun alongside some roulette or slotting then it’s ideal.

You will be able to bet on anything mainstream guaranteed, although the odds are nothing to shout about, but there are some interesting niche sports that I didn’t expect to see at a sportsbook like this, such as sumo, squash, and chess.

I found that the depth of market in the popular sports like football and tennis weren’t quite as great as can be found elsewhere, but the less popular sports were actually fairly evenly matched. Plus, betting markets per event were higher than some dedicated sportsbooks, with a top Premier League game boasting around 240+ markets.

Live Betting

The addition of live streaming was an unexpected bonus here. It’s usually the last thing to be added as it is costly for the bookie, so it’s great to see. You can even opt to just browse fixtures that are being streamed if it’s something you are specifically after.

The in-play betting at 32Red is fair enough. It won’t knock your socks off but it does the job, and there are features like stats, cash out, match graphic, etc. that all help to enhance the experience and make it more dynamic.

Betting lines are separated into sensible categories that can be minimised and this is a Godsend as it saves almost any scrolling at all, and due to the interface being squashed towards the right of the screen this is extremely useful.

Interface

The best thing about this very simple interface is that it loads so quickly, especially when using the sportsbook. That’s probably because there is not much to the sportsbook in terms of design, it’s all a bit floaty and looks a little aimless, even though it is no trouble to navigate at all.

The casino interface is a much more stimulating place to be, obviously aided by the games and their title cards, but also because the layout is different and the way the games are divided up makes you want to keep scrolling to see what’s next.

One thing that particularly bugs me about the sportsbook is that 32Red have a vertical menu of slot games next to the sports list as though they are constantly trying to get you back in the casino. A sportsbook is a busy interface anyway, it doesn’t need unnecessary extra options clogging it up; we know the casino is there guys, if we want to use it we will, don’t be pushy!

All in all though, the interface for both products won’t cause you any real headaches, it just might slightly irk you now and again if you are bad tempered like me.

Rewards and Offers

For sports betting this isn’t exactly a treasure trove of promotions and bonuses, but they do boost horse racing prices usually on a daily basis, and there are sometimes profit boost offers on as well as full cash out availability.

The casino is a different matter, and there is quite a lot on offer here, from Club Rouge, their VIP club, to enhanced ruby reward point allocations on specific games and days. Plus, My Red Rewards is a scheme that sees personalised offers sent your way as and when.

The Ruby Rewards scheme is a loyalty point scheme essentially. It’s a tiered system and as usual, the more you pay the more you earn and the higher your tier the greater your rewards. You get things like a higher percentage of reward points, birthday bonuses, and better personalised promotions through the Red Reward scheme.

About 32Red Sport

32Red were founded back in 2000 by Edward Ware, a former MD of Ladbrokes, as a start-up venture. All operations are run from their Gibraltar base and the company employs just under 100 people. Passionate about gaming they may well be, but they have also managed to come up with a fairly decent sportsbook on the side.

This was no doubt achievable for 32Red as they have been part of The Kindred Group since 2017, who have huge resources and many contacts at their disposal.

32Red themselves are still independently run, however, and they prove extremely popular with their customers, winning countless customer choice awards as well as gathering accolades from independent online gaming websites and forums.

Well known for sponsoring football clubs 32Red certainly put themselves about a bit, doing deals with teams such as Aston Villa (twice), Swansea City, Leeds, Derby, Middlesbrough, Rangers, Preston North End, and of course the mighty Crawley Town. It’s perhaps odd then that they are not more commonly associated with sports betting, especially given that they invest heavily in horse racing as well; perhaps they are victims of their own success with the casino.

32Red vs William Hill

The company came to blows with William Hill in October of 2010, when their dispute over William Hill’s use of the name 32Vegas reached the high court of justice.

William Hill seemed to think that they had done nothing wrong but the court disagreed.

The trial lasted just 6 days and 32Red came out victorious, with the judge ruling that William Hill had infringed on their trademark and had to change the name of their Vegas product.

It was changed to 21Nova and closed down in 2018.