BetDukes

BetDukes launched in December 2020 and is trying to make its mark in the competitive online betting and casino market. With hundreds of competitors, from big names and small upstarts it’s hard to make an impression and BetDukes initial form has been mixed.

One of the most impressive aspects of the site is the huge range of markets and games that it offers, there are all the sports you’d expect but these are joined by sports you’ve will have never heard of before. The site’s margins are around the industry average, so you can be confident you aren’t getting poor odds and can test the site out without feeling the need to check competitors.

However, there are some negatives. The new customer offer is poor, which is especially surprising since it’s a new site and trying to attract customers. The site does not have any live streams, which are offered by several competitors, which is a particular drawback if you like in-play betting. And while the site is well put together, the mobile site — crucial to the modern betting market — will not be to everyone’s taste.

Introducing BetDukes

While BetDukes is a new name in online gambling the site might look familiar. That is because it’s actually a white-label casino operated by Progress Play Limited, so much of the layout and features will be familiar to anyone who has used any of the other casinos they operate like Betosino, Interbet or 2kBet.

Progress Play are a Malta-based operator with lots of experience. Although they tend to focus on the casino and gaming market they do operate a number of betting sites. They are licensed with the UK Gambling Commission, as well as the Maltese Gaming Authority.

Although BetDukes looks a lot like other Progress Play sites similar does not mean identical. BetDukes does attempt to distinguish itself in some areas, albeit with mixed results.

New customer offers and promotions

As a new site BetDukes is reliant on signing up new customers and has the obligatory introductory offer. This is, sadly, rather disappointing. The initial offer is a bet £10 get £10, while this alone would be rather deflating when compared to some of the more generous introductory offers out there, the small print reveals it’s very limited.

You must wager winnings from your free credit at least ten times before you are allowed to withdraw them. They also have a seven-day expiry on both the credit and any winnings from it, so you have to be quick. Even if you manage this, your winnings are capped at £20. It is safe to say that their introductory offer budget is not high.

Once signed up — and their sign-up is quick and easy as it can be — there are a lot of other promotional offers. However, these suffer from similar restrictions. While these are a little less restrictive, offering more time for example, they all share the wagering requirement. Getting any winnings from promotional credit is, therefore, the equivalent of winning a ten-bet accumulator. It might be exciting to play, but you should have low expectations of it paying off.

Sports and markets

One place that BetDukes does shine is the range of sports and markets it offers. Football has become the central focus of betting sites and is the biggest gambling market. However, sadly for some sites it seems to be the only focus. This is not the case for BetDukes.

While football is there, and their football bets are competitive, a dig into the site reveals a host of sports that you can bet on. There are more than thirty sports with odds offered. Whatever you like to bet on, you’ll probably find it on their list of odds.

There’s actually a good chance you’ll find sports you’ve never heard of on BetDukes, and it certainly caters for niche markets. It might be the first time you have been able to bet on ice hockey, and it’s a chance for you to research the differences between floorball and bandy.

The betting offered goes beyond traditional sports. As well as offering some common niche markets like politics, virtual and eSports are well represented. While markets like virtual football are becoming more commonplace there are still relatively few betting sites that offer odds on games like Counter Strike or Overwatch. This makes BetDukes an appealing site not just for those looking for specific niche bets, but also for those punters who like exploring markets for their next bet.

The user experience

The website is crucial to online betting sites and the advantage of a white-label site is that, even when brand new, the site has been tried and tested with other brands. The same is true for BetDukes where, if you have accounts with other Progress Play sites you may find yourself having to check where you are from time to time.

This is not necessarily a bad thing. Once you are used to the site it is easy to navigate whether you are looking for something specific or just exploring. The main website is clear and visually appealing.

Unfortunately, whether the same is true of the main site is a matter of preference. BetDukes does not have an app, so the mobile site is the only way to access it on a phone or tablet, an increasingly important market segment.

BetDukes does a good job of keeping the same look and feel on a mobile site, and all the functionality is there. This is to be expected because it is the same site using a mobile-optimised layout. This, however, can leave the mobile experience feeling ‘busy’. While some may appreciate the sense they aren’t missing out, many people prefer mobile because it offers a simpler, clearer layout, that’s easier to navigate and where use isn’t frustrated by fat thumbs.

One area where the jury remains out is on customer service. Progress Play sites have had a bad reputation in the past, often operating at restricted hours and leaving customers dissatisfied with outcomes. BetDukes appear to be trying to improve on this offering a 24/7 customer service, although it will be a while until customer reviews indicate whether the overall service has improved.

Betting and winning

The betting offered by BetDukes could be said to be unremarkable: but this is a good thing. The odds are around the market average. While this means they have resisted the temptation to attract customers in with better odds than their competitors it also means that they think they have a good, sustainable model in place and aren’t trying to make money with bad odds.

Likewise, they have the range of betting options you would expect, so both cash out and in-play betting are offered. These, especially in-play betting, are vitally important to a betting site and BetDuke would be missing a lot of betting if it wasn’t on offer.

However, the site does not have any livestreaming which can be very important for those gamblers who actively cash out or bet in-play. BetDuke does offer some extensive live statistics, depending on the sport and fixture, that can inform in-play decisions, but many would say this does not compare to a live feed.

Another place that BetDuke falls short is when you have a balance you want to access. The restrictions on winnings from free bets have been noted, but getting at your cash is also likely to leave a sour taste. BetDukes, like all Progress Play operations, has a £2.50 withdrawal fee. While not a huge amount, it’s likely to be off-putting to the occasional gambler who might only expect small wins from their flutters. Even when you have a big win, having to pay £2.50 to get to your money is one of those small things that leaves a disproportionately bad feeling.

BetDukes are also a slow payer when compared to other betting sites. While payments to eWallets are advertised as being within 24 hours the advertised times to other payment methods tend to be longer than most competitors. This additional processing time, again, might not seem like much, but is another small annoyance when getting to your money, especially when you’ve paid for the privilege.

Conclusion

A new site, BetDukes might well expect a mixed review. It has still to fully establish itself and there will be rough edges that need smoothing. It is interesting, for example, that despite the broad range of betting markets it currently only offers US horse-racing. However, given the range of other sports this is, presumably, a launch issue that will be addressed.

There are some distinct negatives. The opening offer could certainly be more generous, or at the very least promotions could be less restrictive and, at the other end, they could be a little freer in letting people get their winnings. However, these should not outweigh the positives.

BetDukes is on a solid platform and offers a huge range of betting markets with good, industry-average odds. Giving them the benefit of the doubt with a few teething issues it should develop into a good betting site, especially for those looking to bet in niche markets.