Vbet Review
Vbet, or Vivaro Bet to give them their full name, are still new to the UK market having only gained a licence here in 2018. They are not new to the bookmaking game however; established in 2008, this stylish looking betting site has become a favourite in many European countries and has steadily built on early success before entering the crowded UK market. They have a different style and feel to almost every other UK facing betting site too, meaning they have an advantage and a USP.
Having been in operation for over ten years punters can get a lot more from these guys than you would usually get from most ‘new’ betting sites. The site runs on BetContruct software and is their premier brand, i.e. the brand used by BetConstruct to show off their platform – therefore, you can expect the very best interface at Vbet without any bugs.
Vbet provide over 30,000 live events a month, cash-out, tons of payment methods and top customer service. Their European pedigree also gives them a different angle with many markets and events available that are not so common with UK only focused sportsbooks.
European Pedigree
Having been in business for a decade before entering the UK market, Vbet have had plenty of time to perfect their product both in terms of website design and functionality, and when it comes to the markets they offer.
The sports list is longer then most others usually standing at 40 at the least, and a lot of them will be hard to find at other UK serving bookies. If you get a bit fed up with all of the usual options you might want to try your hand betting on alpine skiing, for example, or perhaps a bit of curling. E-sports get some attention at Vbet too.
It’s not all about the weird and wonderful though, football is by far the busiest market and as you would expect European leagues and competitions have especially good depth of market. You can see what sort of numbers I’m talking about:
| League | Pre-match markets |
|---|---|
| Premier League (UK) | 260 to 290+ |
| Championship (UK) | 150 to 170+ |
| La Liga (Spain) | 240 to 280+ |
| Bundesliga (Germany) | 240 to 290+ |
| Serie A (Italy) | 220 to 270+ |
| Ligue 1 (France) | 220 to 270+ |
| Primeira Liga (Portugal) | 50+ |
| A-League (Australia) | 50 to 160+ |
| Super League (China) | 30 to 40+ |
| MLS (USA) | 160+ |
You will find between a handful up to around 40 or 50 markets for leagues in less dominant footballing countries.
Horse racing is restricted to the UK, USA and Ireland so it’s not the best place for that if you are a global bettor, but there is plenty of tennis, badminton, ice hockey, etc., and you can bet on Mexican greyhounds too. Plus, they have run acca insurance and bore draw promotions in the past so there is scope for extra value.
The base odds tend to be able to fight their corner though, especially in some of the leagues ignored by the big UK bookies – there can be some real diamonds in there.
Navigation and Functionality
The website might feel new to you if you have never used the BetConstruct platform before, but it’s worth investing some time into seeing just what it can do, because when used optimally it gives a smooth, slick performance with well thought out navigation options and plenty of opportunity to personalise.
For example, the menu bar can be hidden, but this is also where most navigation will happen, with each step either producing more filtering options or displaying the results of your search to the right. You then jump across to the next column and so on. So you might search for:
- First Column: Football, England, League 1
- Second Column: Browse fixtures, choose MK Dons v Coventry
- Third Column: Browse pre-event odds markets.
Of course you can search direct as well as favouriting leagues/sports you bet on a lot which will speed things up no end, but when browsing this is a fantastic system. Especially because you can jump between columns and change your search without any page reloads. It’s a very clever interface that allows for new ideas.
Live Betting
Moving to in-play betting, which is actually the site’s default setting, and you can see an overview where all available in-play fixtures are displayed by sport along with upcoming matches beneath; event view which displays all the odds with filtering options, a live feed if available (you can also toggle the menu to show only live streamed fixtures), with stats, cash out availability, and also some display options; then multi-view which allows up to at least 12 (I stopped adding them at this point) different in-play fixtures to be dragged onto the interface so you can monitor them all at once.
That’s a lot of options for the live bettor, and there is even a live calendar and results service too.
Casino and Gaming
The casino interface is a much simpler affair than the sportsbook, but no less effort has gone into designing it.
The games are split into sensible categories such as video slots, video poker, table games, etc. and the live casino has its own area of the website entirely. Games can also be filtered by provider in the Games section (not in the Casino section) which is a bit of a Godsend if you have a favourite developer and hate trawling through game lists. You can also favourite any games you find and enjoy or search direct for something specific.
Some of the developers powering the casino are Microgaming, NetEnt, Thunderkick Yggdrasil, Realistic Games, and Wazdan. A couple of smaller studios are also present so it’s a nice mix of up and coming and old reliable. Plus, there are around 800 of them so good luck trying them all!
The live casino is an interesting one because unusually it is powered by 3 different game providers; BetConstruct themselves, Evolution, and Pragmatic Play. Great news for you and pretty rare to see.
BetGames TV
This is still fairly unique over here; I haven’t seen it at many casinos yet.
A series of 9 games are streamed live in 3 minutes bursts. So there is a game of dice, or Lucky 7 etc. every 3 minutes or so with a real life host, and between games the live feed is turned off.
You can make various bets depending on the type of game with odds clearly displayed and even bet type filters where applicable, plus, previous results are on display so you can keep up to speed with what’s been going on.
The games are:
- War of bets
- Baccarat
- Bet on Poker
- 6+ Poker
- Wheel of Fortune
- Lucky 7
- Lucky 6
- Lucky 5
- Speedy 7
- Dice Dual
- Andar Bahar
About Vivaro Bet
Vivaro Betting Ltd, the owners of Vbet, formed in 2003, launched their first betting and gaming products in 2008 and are now based in Malta, employing in the region of 1,000 people – so not a small operator by any means.
You might be wondering then, why you haven’t seen much of them in the UK market thus far. Well that’s because they only attained a UK licence in 2018, operating all over Europe prior to that, but never reaching out to our shores.
The company are originally from Armenia and you can see the continental influence in the more obscure markets available, ranging from freesytle wresting to hurling, bowls, table tennis, and sailing. There is also something about the site itself which tells you it is not specifically UK focussed – although there is still plenty here for UK bettors to enjoy, I’ve had fun betting on some sports I didn’t even know you could wager on with these guys.
Vbet provide a great looking sportsbook that is powered by BetConstruct, probably the most stylish sports and casino betting platform out there right now. They are the original BetContruct brand too, so like a show home they’ve packed it with all of the features and options they have and use Vbet as a flagship.
The UK may be new ground for them, but with so much experience they have a serious head start over other ‘new’ online bookmakers. The proof of this was clear in their sponsorship of Arsenal; they signed a deal lasting between 2019 and 2020 which will have cost some serious change. What other new bookie can buy that sort of countrywide attention?
One wonders if the name change was anything to do with the UK expansion too. The Vbet icon is the V for victory sign made famous by Winston Churchill during WW2; everyone knows how patriotic people in the UK can be, which leaves me wondering if they did it on purpose to try and strike a chord.
Is Vbet Right For You?
It’s all about versatility at this online bookie.
From the diverse range of sports markets on offer, right through to the extra features and the build of the website, Vbet is a flexible bookie that can be personalised to an extent so that it suits you and your betting style. There are even six different ways to display the odds.
The site works especially well for live betting thanks to the incredibly adaptable interface and market availability, and bettors who enjoy gaming on the side have plenty to keep them busy too.
It’s also a great place for betting on interesting markets that other bookies just don’t offer. The sports list is in a constant state of flux but with around 40 different categories on there at any one time you will always have plenty of new interesting sports to explore.
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