Unibet Review
I’m always baffled as to why Unibet don’t have a place in the consciousness of more UK punters because they really do offer one of the finest, fairest, and busiest sportsbooks on the web.
Unibet may not be as recognisable as the likes of Ladbrokes but they are one of the biggest betting companies in Europe. With a staggering array of markets and over 40,000 live streamed events each year, only Bet365 can claim to be bigger.
Unibet are a good solid option if you want the security of knowing you will be able to access pretty much every market and feature in the industry and at a fair price. They are also a good option for those bettors who like to explore markets a little further afield than usual.
About Unibet
Although not so well known in the UK, Unibet are actually one of Europe’s biggest online betting sites with over 15 million customers in over 150 countries. They have been operating in the UK since 1998.
The company was founded in 1997 an initially set up in Britain as a telephone betting operation. In 1999 they launched their first website in English and Swedish. In 2001 the company launched their offices in Malta from where they are now based and licenced.
The company were one of the first to launch live betting back in 2003, the same year they started their casino operation. They were also one of the first to have a mobile app back in 2005 when smart phones had barely begun. 2005 was also the year they acquired MrBookmaker.com and by 2006 the Unibet site was available in 20 languages, setting themselves out as a bookie with an international pedigree.
In 2008 the company acquired Maria Holdings to strengthen their bingo position and since then they have also incorporated sites such as 32Red. The group now call themselves the Kindred Group, although it is Unibet that remains the jewel in the crown.
The company is a also member of the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA). In 2009 Unibet made its biggest payout when a punter won €4.5 million on Mega Fortune in the casino.
Unibet are continually growing in the UK and bring a lot of European betting markets and deals that are not always available with other British bookies. One of the best and longest running live betting features available with some cracking minute by minute markets, a ton of live streaming and more. They have pretty much everything you want from an online bookmaker.
Award Winning App
Every bookie and his dog have a mobile app these days, or at least a mobile optimised website, well Unibet has both, and a few other apps as well for different products like poker and casino. This is necessary to keep performance sharp, since Unibet’s sportsbook is colossal.
They have done a good job of compacting everything into a smaller space though, with the home page kept helpfully clear apart from a few imminent or in-play events and next off races for those in a rush. I much prefer this to the homepage on the desktop site.
To find your market you can either use the search bar or the A-Z which has a quick link button to access, and since the app is so responsive you can have logged on and got to your sport category in about 3 seconds – there are even ‘most popular’ options to bypass this if you are betting on something…well, popular.
A combination of collapsible menus and innovative design keeps this app tidy and easy to follow – for example the betslip only pops up if you make a selection and can be minimised – and you should never be more than a few taps away from where you are going next.
Live betting, which is especially good with Unibet anyway, really stands out on mobile, and although it can take a beat longer than expected to carry out certain tasks, it’s a small price to pay for such a fully loaded and highly functional product.
Betting Options
What you need to know about Unibet is that although they are UK facing, they are really a bookie that concentrates on Europe as a whole. That means that their range of markets in each sports category – which is almost 40 strong – is massive.
Using some of their busiest markets to give you an idea of what was going on at about 9am on a Friday morning, so not a particularly busy time, have a quick look below:
| Sport | Leagues | Markets |
|---|---|---|
| American Football | NFL, CFL, NCAAF | 2,878 |
| Basketball | NBA, Euroleague, NBL, CBA, BBL Cup, + leagues in 13 other countries | 9,190 |
| Cricket | ICC T20 World Cup, One Day International, Test, Sheffield Shield and more | 426 |
| Esports | CS:GO, Hearthstone, League of Legends, Rainbow 6, Starcraft 2 | 242 |
| Football | Leagues from 50+ countries worldwide inc reserves and semi pro. | 97,589 |
| Handball (who knew?) | Champions League Men/Women + 13 leagues in 8 countries | 644 |
| Ice Hockey | NHL, KHL, +22 leagues in 15 countries | 9,127 |
| Motor Sports | F1, NASCAR, Speedway | 124 |
| Rugby League/Union | World Cup, Pro 14, Premiership, Pro D2/NRL, Internationals | 359/573 |
| Tennis | ATP (singles/doubles), WTA (singles/doubles), ITF Women, Challenger | 577 |
| Volleyball | 7 leagues in 6 countries worldwide | 190 |
This doesn’t tell the whole story but is clear proof that you get a heck of a lot of choice at Unibet. I should also emphasize just how deep the football markets go; you can bet on every kick of a ball from Uganda to the UAE and you will find more markets per event here on average than anywhere else, around 350+ for top football.
Sports not mentioned include futsal, bandy, lots of boxing and MMA, and full darts and golf coverage.
This quality translates to the live betting as well, and there are plenty of betting features to get hold of to enhance your time on the site:
- Bet Builder
- Cash Out
- Live Streaming
- Statistics Tool
- Results Service
- Blog
- Betting Guide
As betting sites go this is about as fully rounded as you can get. There’s also a casino, live casino, bingo, poker, and lottery betting, but that’s for a different review.
Horse Racing
Of course, horse and greyhound racing are also available and Unibet seem to have taken a leaf out of RaceBets books here, have a look and you will see what I mean.
Racing has its own interface which serves its purpose much more effectively, and you can bet on races from what seems like every country that runs them:
| Singapore | USA | Korea |
| South Africa | UK/Ireland | Japan |
| New Zealand | Australia | UAE |
| Chile | Korea | France |
Their racing offering could rival a specialist bookie to be completely honest, there is so much on offer and the interface is a pleasure to use, with all of the info you need to plan your betting for the week.
Odds and Offers
As if things weren’t already good enough, Unibet also have a stonking list of offers and promotions across all of their products on any given day of the week.
These are in addition to odds that don’t really need enhancing a lot of the time, not that any of us are going to complain, The odds at Unibet, especially on major football, are some of the best you will find anywhere, and even when they aren’t they will be fair and not a millions miles away.
Nevertheless, scores of daily odds boosts will be put into action, and the promotions are varied enough to cover more than just the usual sports. Plus, they are a healthy mix of long term and short term deals so that returning customers always have something to come back to.
Obviously, promotions change all of the time, but here are some of the offers Unibet have run in the past:
- Weekly Jackpot on American Sports – Betting on NHL, NBA etc gets you a ticket.
- Multi-Boost – Profit boosts on winning multiples.
- Extra Place Specials – Paying out on extra places on specific races.
- Best Odds Guaranteed – UK and Irish Races.
- Refer a Friend – Cash bonuses on offer.
- Free Bet Club – Specific to in-play.
- Freerolls – Sports bets get you free poker tournament access.
- Lucky Bet Bonuses – Bonus winnings on successful Lucky bets.
And that’s just the sportsbook. There will usually be the same amount again for poker, bingo, and casino players. That means that if you are someone who gambles between the various products it will seem like you are claiming promotions on practically every other bet, spin, or hand.
Room for Improvement?
The one bugbear I have with Unibet, and I really do love this bookie, is that their customer service is a little lacklustre.
They are obviously keen not to be contacted unless it really is pressing, as to find a contact option you have to first go through the FAQ and try and find the answer yourself. This must save their support team a lot of time in unnecessary contacts, but I object to having this decision made for me.
At least the FAQ is good from a functional point of view though, even if some of the answers are a little light on actionable information, and the player community message board is a unique touch that I haven’t seen at any other bookie. You can read about other people’s experiences in the same situation as you.
Still, customer support is a 24 hour service once you find it, although they aren’t always exactly chomping at the bit to answer live chat.
