888sport, as a sportsbook, is part of the gambling group 888 Holdings plc. The website www.888.com is operated by Cassava Enterprises, a subsidiary of 888 Holdings. 888’s focus is undoubtedly their casino and poker offerings. However, the sports betting product they offer, 888sport Sports Betting, is growing rapidly.
There are investors from Israel behind 888sport and 888 Holdings plc. and the gambling group is now listed on the stock exchange as well as part of the FTSE 250 index on the London Stock Exchange. 888sport was established in March 2008 and is already available in five languages: German, French, Spanish, Swedish, and of course English!
The result of the OpenOdds 888 bookmaker review
888sport provides a well-rounded sports betting offering on a transparent and modern website. The account opening offer and the betting odds are not yet worthy of a top ranking among the best bookmakers just yet, but the numerous special betting markets and the focus on mobile betting make 888 a force to be reckoned with in our opinion.
Even though 888sport is a relative newcomer to the world of sports betting, the impressive rating of 88 out of 100 points makes it possible for our 888sport review to break into the top ten bookmakers within OpenOdds’ bookmaker comparisons. 888sport was only surpassed in our rating by top bookmakers such as bet365 or William Hill. Are 888sport professional? We can answer that question in one word, absolutely! As a sports bettor, there is no need to fear being scammed by 888!
888 experiences: The strengths of the bookmaker who just came on to the scene in 2008
- Many bettors now make use of smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices to place bets these days, and 888 were quick to catch on to this and offer a fantastic mobile betting product.
- The sports betting offering is enhanced by a number of excellent special betting markets.
- Good value betting odds over a broad range of sports and markets.
- The 888 VIP program, which allows for an even better sports betting experience for passionate sports bettors even when they are offline.
- Withdrawals from 888 accounts, much to the enjoyment of the bettor, free of charge and deposits can be made from a huge range of payment methods including PayPal.
888sport: Our comprehensive review of this surprise contender in the top 10 bookmakers!
For our 888sport review, the site was extensively tested by our team and, as a newcomer, reached a ranking in our top 10 bookmakers without ever having had a ’honeymoon period’. All bookmakers tested by the OpenOdds team must prove themselves in the following 10 review categories, even 888:
- Bonuses
- Betting odds
- Customer service
- User-friendliness
- Sports covered
- In-play product
- Payment methods
- Other products
- Security
- Betting limits
1.) Bonuses: New customers flop, existing customers top!
888 currently lures new customers in with a free bet bonus, fitting to its name, of £88. The terms and conditions are reasonable, but actually acquiring the bonus is quite tedious. Other bookmakers offer comparatively easy to access bonuses and also offer a real-money bonus. The new customer bonus from 888sport is not exactly what we at OpenOdds would like. Here, at 888 Bonus, you can read about our 888 bookmaker rating regarding the bonus! The fact that the evaluation of the bonus program provided by 888 still achieves quite a high score is due to the VIP bonus program for loyal and successful 888 sports bettors. This bonus program for existing customers of 888sport is suitably entitled ‘VIP’ and offers customers better bonuses and additional free bets. Highlights for the biggest customers include invitations to sporting events and increased betting limits for 888’s high rollers.
2.) Betting odds: Very good odds for numerous sports types
If you place bets with 888, you can generally take advantage of good betting odds. There’s even the odd runaway for bettors in the know to take advantage of. The football odds are of great interest to players, but there are also above average prices to be found for typical English sports such as rugby, horse racing and greyhound racing as well.
If you are one of those people who specialises in sure bets, then you cannot afford to miss out on having a betting account according to our 888sport review! Sure bettors also do not have to fear having their accounts restricted after just a few bets or, worse still, being ’bounced out the door’. Limiting successful sports bettors would completely undo the hard work that 888 has clearly put into its VIP program.
3.) Customer service: An almost perfect customer service which is unfortunately hard to find…
Our experience with the 888 customer support team itself is quite positive. However, the contact options at the 888 website seem almost intentionally hidden. With that being said, there is no apparent reason for this because 888sport is available by phone or email. The only downside is that currently there is no live chat option available. Sports bettors can reach the 888 telephone customer support by calling 08000 964 780.
We have listed the number here because, in our experience, 888 customers have often gotten lost while searching for the contact information of this bookmaker. It would’ve been much better if, like other top bookmakers, 888 included a contact info box on their homepage. We found that 888 reply to email inquiries quickly and they even guaranteed to answer a query within 24 hours. Within the contact form found on the 888 website, it is possible to select the reason for the email contact; very practical!
4.) User-friendliness: This is an area that needs fast improvement
The website of 888sport is a classic black platform and is clearly arranged. In the main sports, in-play and VIP pages, it is very easy to find your way around. However, chaos can be found in other equally important areas such as Security & Privacy, FAQs, Payments and many others. The pages are untidy due to the fact that the text boxes require a lot of scrolling to navigate the pages, both up and down and side to side! This is not what is expected of a website these days and this explains the weak score 888 received concerning user-friendliness.
5.) Sports covered: There is not much left to do to become one of the absolute top bookmakers
Unfortunately, our 888sport rating did not quite make the cut concerning the betting offering, when compared to the perfect score that market leading bookmakers bet365 and bwin received. Our experience during our 888sport sportsbook review did in fact discover a very positive aspect of the site, as since its inception in 2008, the site has continuously grown and developed. Something we at OpenOdds particularly enjoyed was the wide range of sports that are offered alongside the wide range of football and tennis markets. At 888 bets can be placed on sports such as American football, baseball, basketball, UFC fights, cricket, darts, golf, horse racing (both UK and Irish), Rugby League, Rugby Union, snooker and greyhound racing. For all sports types there are numerous markets available and of course various options for multiple bets which can be taken advantage of. The 888 football offering was able to convince us with its unbelievable selection of special markets!
6.) In-play product: Numerous in-play bets, perfectly complemented by a statistics section
The selection of in-play bets offered by 888 was fairly small when this bookmaker got started but since 2009, 888 has made a big improvement. Football bets dominate most of the in-play area, but this is only due to the tastes of the average sports bettor, novice or professional. Not only does 888sport offer the possibility to bet on football within their in-play product, but also on baseball, basketball, golf, snooker and numerous other interesting sports.
Below the menu items you’ll find “STATISTICS” and “QUICK STATS”, which contain valuable information regarding leagues, teams, suspensions, injuries, form and player statistics can be found to help the discerning bettor pick out a winner.
7.) Payment methods: PayPal is here, that is reason enough 888 to score extra points!
Concerning payment methods, 888 sports is multi-talented. For customers, the option to use PayPal as a payment method is a big plus. For credit and debit card deposits, 888 accepts all major providers such as Mastercard and Visa . Additionally, there are several other payment methods available: Skrill (formerly moneybookers), Neteller, ClickandBuy, GiroPay, POLi, Paysafe card and Ukash. The classic bank transfer is also offered in several variations. With payment methods, 888sport is somewhat reserved, however withdrawals tend to be free of charge. There are only a few specific cases where withdrawals are subject to a charge. The payment conditions listed on 888’s website are not overly clear and this aspect should be rectified in our opinion.
8.) Other products: 888 is definitely more focused on casino and poker
Unfortunately, it becomes obvious through 888’s website menu navigation that the other products offered by this gambling group are still very much the main focus. Behind casino and poker, you will find the sports betting section, but still, it is in third place. This isn’t so bad when taking into consideration that this part of the 888 site only went live in the spring of 2008although we’d definitely like to see sports become dominant in future. Not only are casino and poker games available, but also a huge variety of games such as slots and online automated games as well as bingo.
By far the most interesting of 888’s other products are, of course, the mobile betting product and the VIP section. Within the VIP section, the sports bettor is, much to their delight, the centre of attention and they can take advantage of a far wider range of bonuses and free bets. Some of the biggest customers receive invitations to go to major sporting events and enjoy the comforts of corporate hospitality. Increased betting limits are also a significant part of the 888 VIP program which is sure to lure some of those high rollers!
9.) Security: 888 are professionals and will definitely not try to scam you
This bookmaker is completely professional and safe. Some sports bettors are sceptical about 88sport, but this is only because the poker and casino specialists are not as well known among sports bettors as they should be. 888’s professionalism becomes apparent through its various website sections relating to security and privacy, such as the ’User Agreement”, “Legislation” and “Security & Privacy”. Here, everything is described to the letter although when taking design and usability into consideration, these could use some improvement. We have awarded 88 the maximum possible points in this category because as far as security is concerned, there is nothing left to be desired from 888sport.
10.) Betting limits: A bookmaker where it is okay to win – even if you are a sure bettor or high roller
Concerning betting limits, just about all of our experiences were positive ones. This bookmaker is, of course, not a paradise for those sports bettors who win all the time, but the limits are definitely substantial. For placing bets, there are generally no limits and everything is set according to the sport and the profile of the individual sports bettor. Thanks to the easily accessible customer services team, it is quite possible, in most cases, to raise the limit considerably for a certain bet. The maximum possible daily winnings is almost 350,000 Euro, but such earnings are cashed out in 30,000 Euro payments and only after a bettor has verified their identity with 888 first.
888: Opinions & experiences of users
Now, it is time to tell us your sports betting experiences with the bookmaker 888! Write to us and tell us about your experiences with this provider and allow the OpenOdds community to benefit from your knowledge. Are you able to confirm our positive review of 888sport or do you have some negative experiences you would like to share about 888? Your experiences are of great value to other users who would like to know all about 888 before they sign up for an account!
