Sky Bet Bonus & Review

Especially within the UK online betting scene, Sky Bet is one of the most established and well-known sportsbooks, and a popular online bookmaker amongst bettors. Offering an extensive range of markets, real-time live streaming, and regular promotions, Sky Bet has a particular strength when it comes to horse racing. With competitive odds, a slew of meetings and racetracks covered, as well as a variety of unique betting features, we have taken a close look at everything this platform offers right here at Racing TV.

As you can likely infer from its name, Sky Bet is affiliated with the media empire at Sky, with the brand originally expanding into the sports betting space in 2001. Owned by Flutter Entertainment, the same company behind other notable UK betting platforms, including Paddy Power and Betfair, and more, Sky Bet has expanded significantly over the years. This is thanks to its close ties to the British sporting world, having long-running sponsorships with the EFL, which have cemented its reputation in the sports betting industry.

Opening an account with Sky Bet is a rather straightforward process. After visiting the site on a browser or downloading one of their dedicated mobile apps, locate the blue ‘Sign Up’ button towards the top of the screen. From here, users will be directed to a page where they can enter details, including their name, date of birth, email address, and postcode. Additionally, users will be required to create a username and PIN, as well as set a security question. Upon signing up, users will need to provide proof of their age to ensure they are legally allowed to gamble with Sky Bet.

After these details have been input, users can then select their preferred currency and set a deposit limit before their account is fully created. At this stage, users will need to accept the terms and conditions and will also be asked if they wish to receive marketing updates about exclusive offers and promotions from Sky Bet. The latter is worth noting, as this could potentially offer horse racing free bets around specific meetings and major events. Once all of this has been completed, your Sky Bet account is ready.

One of the standout areas of Sky Bet’s extensive sports betting markets is horse racing. The sportsbook offers coverage of all major UK and Irish meetings, as well as a wide range of international competitions. Their daily horse racing racecards display the start times of each event, the distance around the track, the type of race, as well as detailed information about each runner. The latter could include factors such as the horse's form, the trainer behind it, the odds on race day, and the jockey who will be riding around the racecourses. 

Some popular betting options at Sky Bet include standard ‘win’ and ‘each-way’ bets for those who prefer to bet on horse racing results, which are available on most chases. Additionally, Sky Bet also provides access to place, forecast, tricast, insurance, and betting without the favourite markets, among other options. The platform doesn't just stop at these betting markets, either, as certain racecards even provide in-depth race previews and ongoing live streams, allowing users to watch horse racing in real-time on-site. 

Across both horse racing and other sports, Sky Bet consistently offers competitive odds, with their prices being displayed in fractional format by default. However, by accessing the account settings, users can switch to decimal or American-style odds, depending on their personal preference. One of the major highlights of the platform is the Sky Bet Bet Odds Guaranteed promotion, with this making sure that users on site get the best possible price on a specific event if the starting price is higher than the one taken. Depending on current form, statistics, and conditions, the odds are updated in real-time to give the most accurate reflection of potential outcomes. These constant adjustments keep the betting markets dynamic, especially for bettors who prefer to use in-play markets.

 There are many Sky Bet bonuses offered to both existing and new bettors, with one of their main ones being their sign-up offer. This welcome bonus could offer £30 in free bets when users place their first single or each-way bet. This must be valued at a minimum of £10 and be placed on a selection with odds of at least 1/1. Once the qualifying bet has been placed, users are then credited with 3 separate £10 bet tokens, which can be used on different sports or races.

 Beyond just the Sky Bet sign-up offer, the platform regularly boosts the odds of popular accumulators, particularly in horse racing and football. These provide bettors with pre-set bet slips that may offer greater return potential than those available on the standard market.

Another Sky Bet horse racing bonus, which is available on select UK and Irish meetings, is their extra place race promotion. This adds extra each-way places in events with larger fields of competitors, covering more finishing positions than would be available regularly.

One of the most creative promotions at Sky Bet is their trademarked Prize Drop, which enters users into daily draws if they meet a qualifying bet. This could potentially include features such as free bets, free spins, or cash prizes awarded to users, marking a unique element that diverges from the standard wagering experience.

✔  Good value sign-up offer with straightforward qualifying requirements. 

✘  Any reload offers aren't listed on their site.

There are a strong set of betting features that Sky Bet has designed to provide more control over betting, as well as adding more nuance to the experience on site. Particularly when it comes down to horse racing, their Popular Accas feature highlights accumulator bets that other users are backing in real-time. This shows how many people have placed the same combinations, potentially indicating a way to spot betting trends or simply find value wagers for your own multiple-tier bet slip.

Like many other top UK betting sites, Sky Bet offers the Cash Out option as a key feature. This could allow users to settle a bet early, before a fixture has started, or midway through a game or race, before it has actually finished. There is even a partial cash-out tool too, so that bettors could choose to leave a portion of the stake running whilst cashing out the other percentage.

One specific feature that Sky Bet pioneered was ‘Request A Bet’, which remains one of the platform's most defining aspects. With this, bettors can build their own customised markets, requesting a specific bet from the site. Their trades will then price the bet and make it available to back, with this having grown into a central part of the Sky Bet experience today.

The Acca Freeze feature, which is available at Sky Bet, is just as innovative. This works as its name implies, allowing users to freeze a specific selection on their accumulator during play. This means that if the result changes after the selection was frozen, it does not affect the outcome.

Finally, for horse racing and other specific events, live streaming on Sky Bet allows users to watch the action unfold directly on site. Most UK and Irish races are covered, requiring users to either have funds in their account or place a small bet on a specific race to access the stream and watch horse racing live. This makes Sky Bet a convenient hub for following live sport, should users also wish to place a bet.

When it comes to the payment methods at Sky Bet, these are all secure, most of which are widely accessible too. The most popular and conventional methods of making a deposit on-site are through Visa and Mastercard debit cards, both of which have a minimum deposit amount of £5. The same applies to Apple Pay, Google Pay, and bank transfer; however, the latter is not as instant as the other methods already mentioned. Although deposits at Sky Bet are usually instant, withdrawals may take between 1 and 5 working days, depending on the chosen method. Additionally, the minimum withdrawal amount on the site is £10.

Sky Bet has a dedicated page that houses all of its customer support tools and potential solutions. When accessing this page from the main menu, users are first presented with a series of tabs that break down frequently asked questions. Should users not be able to find what they are looking for in the FAQs, there is a ‘contact us’ box located underneath, which allows bettors to get in touch with the support team directly, either through email or SMS. 

There are also a myriad of responsible gambling tools that Sky Bet have put in place on their platform. They provide direct links to helpful organisations, as well as allowing users on-site to easily set deposit and loss limits, time reminders, and self-exclusion periods. 

When considering each aspect of the platform, Sky Bet is a strong, all-round sportsbook that offers an excellent focus on horse racing. From extra place races and frequent price boosts, all the way to their Request A Bet and Acca Freeze features, Sky Bet has many elements tailored towards racing fans. Thanks to its trusted brand reputation, sleek apps for multiple devices, and a range of other user-friendly features, Sky Bet is one of the top online bookmakers in the UK. 

✔  Clean user interface that is easily navigable on the app and browser site. 

✔  Good value welcome offer for new players. 

✔  Variety of betting markets and options for horse racing. 

✔ Live streams available directly from the platform. 

✔  Innovative Acca Freeze and Request A Bet features. 

✘  Fewer deposit methods compared to other popular sportsbooks.

✘ Higher minimum withdrawal compared to other brands.