Mr Play Review
Mr Play only launched their sportsbook at the end of 2019, and they have already done a big update so it still feels shiny and new. They have certainly hit the ground running.
This sportsbook feels as though it has been operating for years, with excellent market depth, a great range of sports to bet on, and some of the very latest betting features too.
Of course they had a bit of a hand up as their casino has been chugging away happily since 2017 so a lot of the behind the scenes stuff was already in place, meaning they could concentrate on what really matters – the markets and the user experience.
In-play betting is great here, the interface couldn’t be easier to use and is easy on the eye too, and there are great offers that even infrequent bettors can get some benefit from.
Oh, and this bookie wears a moustache.
Markets & Value
Most people’s chief concern when considering a new bookie will be that there is enough to bet on and that the odds are decent.
Well there is and they are, but this would be a very short review if I left it at that so let’s explore a little deeper.
Mr Play have teamed up with BtoBet to provide their platform and interface and that means there is no shortage of betting markets.
You can count on a nice mix of popular headline sports as well as some lesser spotted options that might be considered less mainstream:
| Popular Sports | Obscure Sports |
|---|---|
| Football | Esports |
| Tennis | Winter Sports |
| Golf | Speedway |
| Cricket | Water Polo |
| Rugby | Hurling |
This is just a snapshot, there are 30+ sports on the list as well as politics and specials, although they won’t all be active all the time, it just depends what is going on. Horse racing is there too which isn’t always the case with newer bookies, so kudos for that.
We are talking around 350+ betting lines for fixtures in the Premiere League but the good news is that the numbers are high even for some of the lower leagues, for example most 3. Bundesliga fixtures will have 100+ markets available.
I always use football as a benchmark with these things, but here are a few other random examples of pre-event market depth:
- Basketball (NCAAB) – 14 markets
- Tennis (Australian Open) – 36 markets
- Ice Hockey (Swedish Hockey League) – 70 markets
- American Football (NFL) – 92 markets
- Volleyball (Champions League Women) – 13 markets
Most sports enjoy worldwide coverage too.
Odds & Extras
It’s tricky for a smaller bookie because they need to make money but they also need to compete and attract custom from much more established brands.
Mr Play’s approach is to offer attractive odds for the most part, giving extra special treatment to top sports like football to draw in the bulk of the punters, and then keep them there with regular promotions that all bettors can benefit from, not just new customers.
Therefore, if you bet on top sports the brand should at least get your attention for a bet or two to see if you like them, since you will get decent odds as well as any sign up bonuses you opt for.
After that it’s a case of whether or not you like the interface and site as a whole, and Mr Play are confident enough to let it do the talking for them, and so they should be.
Live Betting
Even though there is no live streaming, the in-play experience at Mr. Play is very good indeed. This is due in part to the excellent in-play interface which boasts some great features.
You can use the overview for the clearest picture of what is currently going on, event view to get the nitty gritty on a specific game or match and make bets on it, or the live schedule to plan your days betting.
Event view is where you will find the match graphic and in game stats which without doubt bring the wow factor to Mr. Play’s live betting product. It tells you everything you could want to know about the game so far, and updates moment by moment so you can keep up to speed with the action.
Finding a bet is nice and easy too thanks to them being categorised, although you can still browse through the lot if you want to.
All of this and you can still keep half an eye on all the other live events which are listed at one side of the screen, tucked neatly out of the way but always available if you want to check on the score.
Betting Features
It all looks good so far, but there are a few extra features that enhance the experience at Mr. Play, including a magazine style blog for the casino and plenty of statistics for the sportsbook that are really useful if you like to do some analysis before you make a bet.
Not to mention this little lot:
Fast Markets/Pulse Betting
These little beauties can really save the day if you are sitting through a boring 0-0 match where not a lot is happening.
You can bet on things like corners, goals, and free kicks etc to happen within the next 1 minute or 5 minutes, so you are essentially creating your own little mini pockets of excitement.
Obviously these are only available when live betting, but that does give you advantage of being able to read the game and trying to pre-empt the direction it might be heading in.
Pulse betting is similar in that you bet for something to happen inside a specific time period, except the closer to the end of the time period the event happens, the more money you win. So a goal scored 2 seconds before the end of a 5 minute period will be worth more than one score 2 seconds after you made the bet.
Cash Out
It’s a common feature amongst bookies now but it’s good to know that at a brand new sportsbook they have kicked off with this feature available. It shows they mean to be taken seriously if nothing else.
Cash out availability is good at Mr Play, and if you don’t know what it is then think of it as ending a bet early and buying your way out of any remaining risk.
If you bet is winning your cashout price will give you a profit, but a smaller one than if the bet is left to run until the end. So you can take an early profit and eliminate the remaining risk of your bet losing, but it costs you the difference between the current cash out price and what you stand to win if the bet runs.
You can also use cash out to cut your losses if your bet isn’t going well. You won’t get much by cashing out a bet that is losing, but it’s better than losing the whole stake, right?
Play Bot
Ever been stuck for something to do?
This is one of the newest features to hit the online betting scene, and it provides betting tips throughout the day that punters can decide if they agree with.
If you are thinking a bookies betting tips might not be all that trustworthy then I get where you are coming from, but these come with plenty of stats to back them up so it even does a bit of your research for you.
You can build on that and make your own decisions, but when you are looking for fun and at a bit of a loss as to what to bet on, it might just spark your imagination.
Player Battles
This feature allows you to go head to head with other punters to duke it out and see who is the better bettor. The great thing is that anybody can make use of it.
Only £1 from each of your bets is used for the competition, which makes it fair for everyone, and also means you can just bet as you normally would and take advantage of this fun extra feature.
It’s simple enough to get involved, you just pick the tournament (or battle) you want to take part in then bet on whatever you would usually and see how you do on the leader board.
The top 3 finishers win prizes. Simple.
A Few More Things
I will whip through a few other key aspects in brief:
- Customer Support – It’s available 7 days a week but not 24 hours a day. Still, 8am to midnight daily isn’t bad at all, and they offer email and live chat support which is totally acceptable.
- Banking – This is another strong point for Mr. Play. Every method except phone payments is accepted, and as a company that serves customers outside of the UK there are also some options you might not be used to. Handy for anyone who travels a lot or perhaps lives between two countries.
- Mobile Betting – There is an app for the casino and for the sportsbook. Both can be accessed via the mobile website too so betting on the go shouldn’t be an issue at all however you prefer to do it.
- History – There is very little information out there about Mr. Play or the company that own the brand, Marketplay Ltd. They are based in Malta (aren’t they all) and seem to be an online marketing and advertising company as well, offering e-commerce solutions amongst other things, which may explain why Mr. Play has done so well out of the gate.
Casino & Games
Since this was the product Mr. Play launched with it’s only right to give it a bit of review time. That and the fact that it’s really really good.
Studies have shown that a sports bettor is much more likely to use a casino than a casino player is to use a sportsbook; there’s a bit of trivia for you.
Anyway, Mr. Play has a particularly strong casino from a sports bettor’s point of view because they haven’t overloaded the site with so many games that you don’t know where to start. There are still 700 of them so you aren’t going to come up short either, but it is a manageable amount.
It’s nicely balanced too between slots, scratch cards, casino games, and a live casino, and all four categories are easy to jump between. There’s even a search bar if you know exactly which game you are looking for.
This means you can quickly hop over to the casino during half time or between games and get a little 15 minute session in with no hassle or delay.
