188bet Review

A veritable veteran of the industry, 188Bet has been up and running for more than a decade now. They’ve spearheaded the expansion of Asian bookmakers into Europe and have become nothing less than a household name on a global basis. 188bet offer a seriously impressive range of betting markets, their casino is almost as impressive as their sportsbook and when it comes to football leagues and big limits, it’s hard to pinpoint many other online sportsbooks that come close to the Asian bookmaker. They have sponsorship deals and/or are the official betting partners of many top-name football and rugby teams, including Aston Villa, Liverpool, Chelsea and more.

Getting Started with 188bet.com

Accounts at the Asian bookmaker are free to set up and can be opened in minutes, simply by submitting a few details and depositing cash in your account. Once up and running, there are plenty of games that can be played free of charge, though sports betting of course requires real money wagering. That being said, new customers may be asked to provide additional proof of identity before being able to make withdrawals, or carry out any financial transactions in general. This may mean providing a copy of a driving license, passport, utility bill or other document that serves as proof of address.

188Bet Safety and Security

Safety and security are of no concern whatsoever when betting with 188Bet. There are both fully regulated by the British government and the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission. Along with the use of Thawte security software for all cashier services, the Asian bookmaker carries out and publishes the results of regular audits, in order to guarantee fair and safe operations. From personal data to financial information and all else besides, 188Bet is a supremely safe online sportsbook.

188Bet Markets and Odds

It has to be noted that due to its Asian heritage 188Bet specialty is football and in-play betting and this is where they excel.

With more than 400 football leagues available, it’s impossible to dispute 188Bet’s claim to fame as the web’s number-one for football betting. Major leagues and tournaments take precedence, but there are also plenty of offers for national leagues from all over the world, youth leagues, women tournaments and all these come with decent betting limits and high odds. On 50-50 markets you will often find 1.97 - 1.97 odds highlighting the very low bookmaking margin of 188bet that makes them extremely attractive for advanced players looking to maximize their gains.

Coverage on other sports though is rather lackluster and there is plenty of room for improvement. Of course the major events in Basketball, Baseball, Ice Hockey, American Football, Rugby and Handball are all covered, but you will hardly find offers in these sports for anything but the top leagues.

For Horse racing the Asian bookmaker covers pretty much every event that takes place in the UK and Ireland with superb odds across the board. And for those who prefer to bet on dogs instead of horses, there’s also excellent greyhound racing coverage available. However these two features are only available to UK players.

E-sports and Financial bets are also available with adequate coverage at 188Bet.

188bet Asian View

Players at 188Bet get to choose their interface - Asian or International. This is a great option for Europeans that might find it intriguing to explore the exciting world of Asian bookmakers. Switching to Asian view will show you a much more professional and practical approach at betting and is definitely the template preferred by advanced and professional bettors. The International version offers a traditional European style look and you can always switch back to it, if you find the Asian interface confusing.

188Bet Live Streaming and Stats

While the vast majority of bookmakers these days offer some kind of live streaming for at least some of the events in their in-game betting offer, the Asian bookmaker by contrast actually provides none. Instead, they have livecast that gives live updates, stats and info as the games play out, as opposed to showing TV stream of the games as they happen. This is one area where 188bet seriously falls behind the competition and should improve urgently.

188Bet Limits

Unless you’re planning on putting huge sums on the line, you won’t have to worry about what 188bet limits are. As an Asian bookmaker, they offer well above the average limits on most football leagues and could only be rivaled by industry leaders like Pinnacle. However many reports have surfaced in recent years that 188Bet has started limiting wining players, which is in stark contrast with their Asian heritage and is seriously jeopardizing their image as the bookmaker of choice for the advanced bettors.

Payments and Withdrawals

While the range of currencies accepted by 188Bet isn’t quite as large as elsewhere, the Asian bookmaker still covers most bases for players on a global basis. Right now, the list of accepted currencies includes:

BRL: Reais - Brasil, GBP: UK Pound Sterling, EUR: Euro, USD: US Dollar, HKD: Hong Kong Dollar, MYR: Malaysian Ringgit, RMB: Chinese Renminbi, THB: Thai Baht, IDR: Indonesia Rupiah, VND: Viet Nam Dong, KRW: Korean Won

Payment types accepted for deposits include Bank Transfers, Visa, MasterCard, Skril and Neteller, while withdrawals are limited to personal cheques, credit cards, bank transfers and Skrill. Processing time for withdrawals come in at about 24 hours, which is about the average.

Note that withdrawals can be made once daily and only in the method used for deposit. Therefore, we recommend using Skrill.

188Bet Casino

The casino at 188Bet is polished and professional, though doesn’t feature the largest range of games. Nonetheless, Baccarat, Roulette and Blackjack are covered pretty well. Then again, the vast majority of people don’t come to 188Bet to play casino games – they come for sports betting, which is generally quite fantastic here. And if it’s poker you’re after, 188Bet Poker usually has in the region of 7,000 players online at any one time, which given the fact that it isn’t what these specialise in is pretty impressive.

188Bet Mobile (Android only)

While some argue that that 188Bet mobile app doesn’t have quite a many bells and whistles as some of its rivals, it’s by far one of the most user-friendly and enjoyable apps to use of its kind. It’s compatible with most Android devices, isn’t too data-hungry and providers access to the whole desktop experience. It’s also one of very few mobile apps that also feature live dealer table gaming, which is nice. Of course many punters will find it as temporary disadvantage that the iOS version is still to come, but we have assurance from the Asian bookmaker that it will not be a long wait.

Customer Support

Customer support is an area in which 188Bet scores pretty big, but could still do with one or two improvements. On the plus side, not only is the team a real joy to work with, but they’re also available 24 hours a day and seven days a week. In addition, the Asian bookmaker offers multiple methods of getting in touch, which include telephone, live chat, email, Skype, fax and more – much better than most. Replies at all times of day and night are rapid and they really couldn’t be more helpful. At the time of writing, customer support is offered in Chinese, English, Thai and Korean.

Contact 

The customer service team of the Asian bookmaker can be contacted by telephone on 44 20 3608 4015 (European region), or emailed directly at support-en@188service.com. Live chat is available via the site itself – check out www.188bet.com for more information.