STS - Closed
STS were a breath of fresh air when they came to the UK in 2019 but by 2023 they had packed their backs and left, stopping taking registrations from 16th January.
Unlike many new brands that are poorly funded white labels STS is Poland’s biggest bookie and has been around since 2008. They offered genuine competition for the established multi-billion brands and were very much liked by UK punters – especially those who enjoy non-UK focused markets where they were very strong.
It wasn’t like they were not making money in the UK it is just that they were doing better in their traditional European markets and in other countries they had expanded too. With the UK market stagnating and with new rules due that STS would need to invest in they felt early 2023 was the time to call it quits.
Customer funds can be withdrawn as normal, the company is not at risk of going bust so money is safe – indeed they announced record revenues in Q4 of 2022. If the site has closed by the time you read this funds can be withdrawn by dropping customer support a line.
Bets can be placed by existing customers until 14th February when the site will only be open to withdrawals. A final closure date and a date to which advance bets will be honoured has not yet been stated.
STS leaving is a shame because they enriched the bookmaking market online in the UK. Their exit reflects the state of the current market, the UK is not quite as attractive as it once was. The group remain active in their other core markets.
At a time when bookies seemed to be going into administration or abandoning the UK market almost on a weekly basis, this fearless Polish giant made its entrance.
STS Bet is an already established fully functioning online bookmaker (or Bukmacherskie) in its homeland with plenty of experience behind it, and that shows from the moment you land on the homepage.
It’s a rare thing for a new bookmaker to pop up with so much ammo on its belt, but having been in operation since 2008, this household name in Poland is well equipped to survive in the UK market and it has a lot to attract UK customers too.
STS Bet boasts a genuinely interesting and varied book complimented by numerous other betting products making them one of the most diverse online bookies you will find.
Plus, after launching on a white label license they have quickly manged to get one of their own which is no mean feat, and evidence that they are clearly in this for the long haul – and that means they are going to be fighting hard for your business.
About STS Bet
Stroll around any major town or city in Poland and you will probably walk past an STS betting shop. They have scores of stores all over their native country, and are as well know over there as Betfred is over here.
It was 2008 when STS first declared itself open for business, and while that might make them a baby in comparison to the likes of Ladbrokes or Coral, in around a decade they have managed to amass around about 50% of the market share in their home country.
With progress like that it’s no wonder they were soon looking to expand their horizons.
It is notoriously difficult for new brands to gain a foothold in the lucrative but overcrowded UK market, but this move has been in the planning since 2016 for STS. They officially relocated to Malta in that year in order to expand, now offering markets in Germany, Iceland, Slovenia, and others, and they went live in the UK in Feb 2019.
You could say that STS Bet truly arrived at the very end of 2019 though, because although they were originally operating on a white label from BetConstruct in the UK, it was in December of that year that they were granted their own UK licence from the UKGC.
STS Bet are the Polish national football team’s official sponsor and also have sponsorship deals elsewhere in order to increase brand awareness, and they have their own in house team of over 300 traders.
Betting at STS Bet
The practicalities of betting here are spot on.
The website is big and bold in its design, making the most of what the TG Lab platform has to offer across both the sportsbook and the casino.
The level of technical detail on display from one page to the next outshines some other bookies of the same level without clogging up the interface, and while there are one or two fiddly extra menu’s and the like, they tend to enhance the experience rather than slow it down.
You can jump easily from the sportsbook to the casino, the live casino, promotions, or dedicated blog section of the site, although I would say that page loads could be improved.
There is no mobile app yet either which they would do well to remedy, but the site works perfectly on a mobile browser so as long as there is wifi or your data allowance can handle it you won’t have any issues betting on mobile.
Sports Markets
Being a Polish bookie you will find Polish markets (especially football) getting special treatment here, and rightly so. The company’s plan is openly to appeal to the 2 million Poles living outside of Europe as a first port of call, and those people are going to want to bet on Polish markets.
Esports is also something of a speciality here with the bookie spending sponsorship cash in this area, and giving special attention to markets which are probably the best I have seen in terms of market range and depth.
For more traditional sports bettors you can have a punt on around 40 different sports with all of the major UK and European football leagues available inc National league, and there are some genuinely interesting markets around for those of you who like to try new things: 3×3 basketball? Give it a shot.
This goes for the in-play markets too. There is always something available and not just the usual stuff either. I have seen table tennis, futsal, and handball at 9pm on a Monday night alongside tennis, football, ice hockey etc.
You can’t even fault them for the market availability per event – there will regularly be around 300+ markets on Premier League games, for example, including Asian lines.
One thing UK punters did miss is horse and greyhound racing, but fortunately in 2022 they added a full racing product to make them a fantastic all round sportsbook.
Betting Features
These days, a lot of bookies offer more or less the same thing.
Even though that’s not the case with STS Bet, it could still be the extra’s that swing you towards one bookie rather than another.
Cash Out
Any established bookie has cash out available but some newer bookmakers still haven’t got it set up, and as a new entry into the UK market it’s good to know that STS have cash out available in spades.
It’s an option on most events big or small but not on all markets within each event, so look out for the yellow coin symbol which indicates when it is an option.
Where a bet is placed with cash out available, you will be able to see the current value of your bet on your bet slip if you wanted to take the bookie’s offer. Just wait until you see a price you like and then hit the button before anything changes – it can move quite fast at times.
Stats
The stats tool isn’t as advanced or in depth as some of the others out there but it gives you plenty to work with. If you are used to the sort of rabbit hole stats tools provided by some of the bigger bookies you will notice the difference, but you can still look at head to heads, current form, previous meetings etc.
Promotions
Aside from welcome offers the promotions are a little thin on the ground, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any. A few staples like acca insurance might well be available, and they also like the do random bonus drops around special dates in the diary like valentines etc.
Blog
Not everyone’s cup of tea (or pint of Skol), but those of you who enjoy following a blog might enjoy this one, which doubles as a tipping service and how to guide of sorts as well.
There are guides on betting on all sorts of different sports and markets, and although the tips are only semi-regular they tend to cover big events like the Australian Open and the Premier League.
It’s lacking on opinion pieces and general interest pieces but it’s searchable and the content is generally interesting to read, plius you don’t need 20 minutes to get through an article as it is usually fairly concise.
Other Features
This is a fully rounded betting company with plenty more besides sport to take your interest. Those of you who do enjoy dabbling in other areas might want to have a look at some of the following:
- Casino – To say that the STS casino is anything less than an equal to the sportsbook would be an outright lie. It is packed full of fun games from an enviable list of game providers. There are almost 1000 video slots alone, plus a good number of jackpots and plenty of table games including loads of roulette and blackjack, plus craps, pontoon, baccarat. There are more than 40 variations of video poker too so if you have the right strategy to hand STS are sure to have the game you need.
- Live Casino – What you get here is a great spread of different game types and from three different developers too; Evolution Gaming, Progress Play, and Real Dealer (which is actually pre-recorded so a bit of a cheat). There’s roulette, blackjack, baccarat, sic bo, poker, even game show style games; and again they are all hosted by professional hosts who know how to keep things interesting and immersive.
Help & Finance
Lastly, let’s have a quick look at the technical side of things.
STS is a very reasonable bookie when it comes to money. There is a £10 minimum on deposits and a 10p minimum on bets, which are both in line with the industry standard, plus withdrawals generally only take 2-3 days and there are no fees from STS at any point.
The list of payment providers they accept could be longer, but it won’t cause any headaches for most people and may well be improved upon as the company settle in over here.
Here are the methods you can use:
| Payment Method | Minimum Deposit/Withdrawal |
|---|---|
| Card | £10/£10 |
| Skrill | £10/£10 |
| Neteller | £10/£10 |
| ecoPayz | £10/£10 |
| MuchBetter | £10/£10 |
If you happen to need a question answering then you could try their FAQ, although it’s skeletal and unlikely to provide much assistance with anything other than the most basic of questions. A good job then that they provide 24/7 support via email and live chat.
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