Smarkets (not active)

When it comes to betting sites, Smarkets, or SMK, is offering something a little different to other sites out there. This site is actually a betting exchange, offering the chance to interact with peer to peer betting. It was set up when founder Jason Trost wanted to create a betting site that had much more customer participation. Does this new take on the regular betting site model create a fun experience for you as a punter? Let’s find out.

Pros:

• Lots of sports categories, as well as current affairs and politics markets too
• Excellent website design with professional flair
• Stocks style betting trading mixing up the sportsbook formula
• Only a 2% commission on net wins

Cons:

• No live streaming for in play betting
• No promotions or VIP club available
• Not a lot of payment options

Sports Markets Available

Smarkets, like most other betting sites out there, needs to give you a good range of sports to bet on. Having a wide array of sports markets means that you’ll find something that you’ll love, and maybe even come across some niche sports too. What are you going to find on the SBK site?

Right now there are around 20 categories you can choose from, so most people are going to find something they want to bet on. As you’d expect, football, horse racing and greyhound racing are all included, with a good range of games and markets within these categories. You’ll also find other popular sports, like boxing, MMS, basketball, golf, cricket, and more.

Sport isn’t the only thing you can find in their betting markets though. You’ll also see that there’s politics and current events offered, too. At time of writing, you could for example bet on the outcome US states changing their flags, the value of Bitcoin, and the next UK prime minister. It’s great as it mixes things up and lets you try something a bit different.

We like the markets that are on offer here, although we would like to see a few more sports available. Most punters are going to be very happy with all the options available here. With the most popular categories well stocked, there’s plenty to see here.

Betting Options

what about the bets themselves? What can you expect when you place a bet here?

Smarkets is aiming to carve out a niche for itself by being as transparent as possible in what they do. They also want to give you higher returns on your bets. To achieve this, they take a 2% commission on all net winnings, which is lower than many other sportsbooks out there.

Another difference here is that you’re able to bet directly against other users. That makes the act of laying a bet a lot more exciting, as you’re up against someone else rather than a faceless operation.

Of course, you’ll see most of the usual betting options here. There is also an in play betting section of the site, where you can jump on and bet on anything that’s happening right now. Scroll down until you find a game you like the look of, and you’ll be able to place your bet right then and there. There doesn’t appear to be any in play graphics or live streaming, which may put some users off, but this site is aiming to bring in a different audience. As such, that may not be something you want anyway.

When it comes to the odds, Smarkets are found to be very competitive. This is thanks to the stocks style trading that is happening with bets, every day. You’ll have to do a little more work to analyse the options and place your bet, but that hard work pays off.

We love the way SBK is offering something new and exciting in the online sportsbook world. If you’re bored of the same old sites, you’ve got to give them a try.

Site Design

As Smarkets have set themselves up to offer you something different from the norm, what can you expect of them when you sign up? Does the website have good functionality?

Whether you access it via your phone or your PC, you’ll see it runs smoothly and loads quickly. Everything is accessible from the home page, so there’s no hunting to find what you need. As a mobile user, you also have the option to use their mobile app. It’s available to use on both iOS and Android, and lets you access all the features that you would in the browser version.

The site itself features a subdued black and dark green colour palette, along with a design that intentionally mimics financial trading sites. It creates the feeling of a professional site, where only the best go to place their bets. If you take your bets seriously, you’re going to like it here.

Finding what you need is easy, too. Just look along the menu on the left hand side to find the market that you want to bet in. It will then bring up all the markets currently available, and you can click on the one that interests you. That gives you all the odds, and lets you place your bet there and then.

On the right hand side of the site, you’ll see all the popular events that are happening right now. You can click on them and jump right into the action, if you so choose.

We love the site design, as a lot of care has gone into it. You’ll be able to access what you need very easily, and start getting involved.

Welcome Bonus

As Smarkets is offering such a different take on the sportsbook formula, will you get a welcome bonus when you sign up with them? Many other sites offer one, but that doesn’t mean that you’re guaranteed one here.

While they are looking to be different, it doesn’t mean it’s throwing out all the traditions. If you sign up, you will receive a welcome bonus. This gives you a 50% matched bonus when you make a first deposit of £20 or more. You’ll also be given a starting sum of £10. It’s not the biggest option out there, but there’s not a lot of strings attached so you won’t find that it’s difficult to understand. It’s great to have that extra cash to try the site out, and see if it’s for you.

Promotions

Something else you’d expect to see on a lot of different sportsbooks sites is the option to take part in promotions. While Smarkets are offering a welcome bonus, are they giving you promotions too?

Taking a look at the site, you’ll see that promotions aren’t really a thing here. That does make sense as the site doesn’t have a lot of frills to it. There are some sites that forego promotions, instead offering better overall deals to their customers. That’s what’s happening here, as the 2% flat rate is SBK’s biggest selling point.

Is this a good thing or a bad thing? If you’re someone used to other betting sites, then you’re going to miss the promotions. They’re often a good way of earning extra cash on your deposits and bonuses, so you’ll feel like you’re missing out here. If you’re tired of those sites though, you may find this refreshing. You won’t have to keep wading through offers to see if anything will work for you. You certainly won’t keep finding offers in your inbox, too. It keeps things very streamlined, which many will like.

On the same subject, you’ll see there’s no VIP club here, either. These are usually used to reward top betters and give them extra bonuses for being loyal to the site. It makes sense that they aren’t available here, as a VIP club doesn’t fit in with the idea of a betting exchange. Again, you’ll need to decide if this is going to be a deal breaker for you.

Banking Options 

Now we’ve covered all the play options at Smarkets, let’s take a look at how you’ll bank with them. Are they offering you a good selection in terms of ways to make payments?

Right now, you can use your bank car,d such as a Visa, MasterCard or Maestro card to make payments on the site. You can also use a couple of eWallets, such as Skrill and Neteller. These are some of the most popular options available on most betting websites, and you may already have an account with the eWallet providers. However, it is a very small selection. We were hoping to see more options, especially from heavy hitters such as PayPal and Apple Pay.

When you do make a deposit, the minimum amount needed is just £10. That’s perfect for those that aren’t looking to put down the big bucks on their account, but rather just have a bit of fun. When you come to withdraw, be aware that if you want to withdraw to a card you’ll be charged a handling fee, but the eWallets are usually free. The withdrawals take around 1 and 6 days, which is the standard in the industry.

The payment options aren’t quite as impressive here as they are on other sites. With only a few options to choose from, and a handling fee when withdrawing to a car,d it may put some players off. With that small minimum deposit though, you don’t need to put down a lot of cash to start playing.

Customer Service

Any good sportsbook site should be taking care of their customers. Is that going to happen at Smarkets? They do have a customer service team available to talk to you, so let’s see how they can help out when you need them.

There’s plenty of ways to get in touch if you need help with your account. The most popular option is the live chat, which can be accessed right there on the site. It makes it easy to contact a rep, and get help with your issue. If you don’t want to use live chat, you can give them a call on the phone, or fire off an email to the team. However you get in touch, you’ll be able to get help quickly and easily.

You can also talk to the team via social media, if that’s what you prefer. They have active Facebook and Twitter pages, so you can send a DM if you need to chat to them. Again, it shouldn’t take you too long to get the answer you need.

We were pleased to see that the team are available around the clock. No matter when you like to use the site, you can get in touch and get help should you need it.

The customer service here is second to none. It’s clear that Smarkets are aiming to give you the best experience possible, and that includes having a team on standby to help you when you need them most.

Conclusion

Are Smarkets the site for you? When it comes to betting sites, they really are giving you something different. By treating their markets like a stock exchange, you’ll need to do a little more work to see what’s on offer, and whether you want to bet on certain outcomes. However, as it’s set up like this you’ll get much higher returns when you do win. There’s also that low 2% commission on wins too, so you’ll get a good amount of cash when you do win.

Just because they’re aiming to be different, doesn’t mean you’ll miss out on the best features from other betting sites. They have great markets available in most popular sports, as well as current affairs and politics. Plus, they have a welcome offer that you can put to good use. With all these features, you’re bound to have a great time betting on their well designed site.