PokerStars Review – Great Variety of Sports Betting Markets
PokerStars is one of the leading players in online poker, so when they added a sportsbook to the operation in 2015, the betting public was excited by the prospect of a high-quality sportsbook being added to the iconic brand.
The BetStars sportsbook lived up to all expectations and has gone from strength to strength with a branding name change to PokerStars in 2020.
In this PokerStars review, we are going to talk about everything you need to know about opening an account with this sportsbook and whether this is an operator you should consider doing business with.
- Great selection of sports
- Regular bonuses for existing players
- Generous betting limits
- In-play betting options
- Decent price boosts
- 24/7 Customer Support
- Regulation: UKGC
Is PokerStars Properly Licenced and Regulated?
PokerStars is licenced by the UK Gambling Commission, so players can be assured that this is a sportsbook which ticks all the right boxes in terms of regulation and reliability.
It is also reassuring that they have gone above and beyond the responsible gambling guidelines, which is always a good sign of a reputable online bookie because they offer help and advice for anyone who is experiencing problems with their online gambling.
PokerStars sport also work with GamStop, which is a free service which punters can use to voluntarily exclude themselves from playing on remote gambling websites.
How to Open an Account with PokerStars Sports
The PokerStars sign up procedure is an extremely straightforward, simple two-step process which takes less than a couple of minutes to complete.
The first step requires you to include your country of residence email address and choose a username and password.
The second step of the sign-up process requires you to accept the terms and conditions.
After completing these two steps, your account will be created, but there is just one more step which is the PokerStars verification of your account.
Name, address, and mobile phone details are required in order to satisfy the PokerStars verification process, and once that has been completed, you will be able to make a deposit into your account and start betting.
PokerStars will carry out a check in order to confirm that you are who you say you are, otherwise, you will receive a KYC (know your customer) request in which you will be asked to send a copy of your passport/driving licence, a copy of a utility bill (under three months old) and confirmation of your payment method.
How to Make a Deposit into Your PokerStars Account
Once you have completed the PokerStars sign up procedure, you will be ready to make a deposit into your account.
There is a wide range of deposit options available, which can be accessed from within the banking section of the PokerStars website.
The process for making a deposit into your account is extremely straightforward, and to get started, you will just need to click on the green ‘Deposit’ button, which can be found in the top right-hand corner of the website.
You will be taken to a separate page which will invite you to choose your required deposit method and the amount you would like to deposit.
It seems that the default amount is £50, so if you would like to deposit a smaller amount, enter the amount in the box which contains ‘Other’.
Click on the green arrow at the bottom right-hand corner of the page, and if you are making your deposit by card, you will be asked for the 3-digit CVN code or if the deposit is being made by e-wallet, you will be taken to the appropriate page to confirm the amount.
Once you have gone through this process, your funds will be available to bet with.
When it comes to making a PokerStars withdrawal from your account, click on your username, which can be found at the top right-hand corner of the website, directly to the left of the ‘Deposit’ button.
Click on the withdraw button, and you will be taken to a page which will ask you to enter the amount you would like to withdraw and the payment method you would like the withdrawal amount paid to.
Bear in mind that the default method apart from paysafecard is for the PokerStars withdrawal to be paid back to the same payment method from which the deposit was made.
| PokerStars Banking Options | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sports | Min. Deposit | Withdraw |
| Football | Horse Racing | Tennis | cricket | Other | £10 | Up to 72 hours |
| Payment Methods Mastercard Visa Skrill NETELLER PayPal paysafecard Bank Transfer | ||
An Interesting Range of PokerStars Bonus Offers
Perhaps one of the most surprising things about the PokerStars promotions is that they do not have a welcome bonus in place.
Whilst this is not set in stone (some sportsbooks do chop and change their welcome offers depending on various factors), it is rare for a leading sportsbook not to have a promotion of this type as an incentive for new customers to open an account with them.
When questioned about the absence of a welcome offer, PokerStars state that they would rather concentrate on giving their existing customers a first-class experience, hence the promotions which are available once a new account has been opened.
An example of offers for existing players are the leader board promotions.
The way that these promotions work is that points are awarded for every pound of new winnings that are achieved over the course of each month.
Up to £30,000 in prize money is available, which includes £10,000 for the monthly leader board and £5,000 for the weekly leader board.
It might sound like a long shot but if you have a decent-sized win, let’s say from a winning multiple, you could stand a decent chance of getting your hands on an extra prize or two.
A special mention should also be made of the daily ‘extra place’ horse racing offers which will appeal to each-way backers.
Two UK and two Irish horse races are chosen each day, with an extra place on offer for each race, an offer which astute bettors will no doubt be able to take full advantage of.
To sum up the available bonuses, the PokerStars sign up offer might not be the most spectacular on the market, but the other bonuses more than make up for that.
A Decent Range of Markets
There are no complaints about the range of markets that are available on the PokerStars website, and this is a trend which has continued since the days of BetStars.
Let’s take an average football match, for example, over 200 different markets are available based on different aspects of a match, corners, bookings, under/overs, goal scorers etc.
Even sports such as snooker have a range of markets available which means that anyone who has a degree of knowledge about any sport will be able to find a potentially lucrative angle to exploit.
Sports – From the Popular to the Obscure
The most popular sports for UK punters have always been football, and horse racing and whilst PokerStars offer a comprehensive range of markets within these sports, they also cater for lovers of the not so popular sports, some of which you may not have even considered placing a bet on.
Table tennis and Floorball, for example, are not exactly top of the list in terms of betting interests for UK punters, but it goes to show that this is a bookie which looks after the needs of a wide range of punters as opposed to leaving them to find betting opportunities elsewhere.
Placing a Bet on the PokerStars Website
Placing a bet couldn’t be easier, and due to the fact that the PokerStars website is easy to navigate, it is not difficult to find the bet which you are looking for.
The range of sports are listed across the top of the website, and there is also a list of the most popular sports listed vertically down the middle of the website.
Once you have decided on the bet you wish to place, simply click on the selection, and the betting slip will open automatically on the right-hand side of the website.
If you choose multiple selections, the bet slip will display the different bets which you will be able to place, trebles, fourfolds, accumulators etc.
Directly underneath your selection, you will see a box in which you enter your stake.
In these days of bookmaker restrictions, a handy tip would be to click on the ‘max’ link to the right of the stake box, and you will be able to see the maximum stake you will be allowed to place on the bet.
The most popular bet is a single, but punters will often try their luck with a multiple bet in an attempt to land a big win from small stakes.
It is worth mentioning that one of the most profitable bets and one which you rarely see advertised by any bookies is the horse racing each way double, providing that the each way part of the bet pays out to at least three places.
If the cash out option is available on a particular bet, there will be a cash out button on the betting slip, and it is just a matter of clicking on the cash out button if the cash out amount on offer is acceptable to you.
Is Live Betting and Live Streaming Available?
Live betting can be accessed by clicking on the ‘In Play’ button, which can be found at the top left-hand side of the website.
The list of in-play events is listed by sport across the top of this section of the website, with the events which are taking place at that particular time displayed on the page.
Bear in mind that when you place a live bet, there will be a ten-second buffer before the bet is actually placed.
There is not a live streaming service available at PokerStars.
Playing PokerStars on the Move
The mobile offering from PokerStars is excellent.
Mobile apps are available for both Android and iOS, and there is a mobile version of the website.
- Intuitive design
- Ease of access
- Live bets
- Native iOS app
- Withdrawal requests
The same PokerStars login details are used as the PC version of the website, along with the same cashier.
Therefore, if you make a deposit whilst playing on the PokerStars app, the cash balance will be able to be used across all other PokerStars platforms.
There are no specific mobile bonuses, but any bonus or promotion can be used when playing on the mobile version of the sportsbook.
The colour scheme and overall layout is the same across all platforms, and it must be said that all mobile version of the website is particularly well laid out, so it is extremely easy to navigate the site in order to find the bet that you are looking for.
The Design of the PokerStars Website
It would be fair to say that most bookies look very similar, but there is something about PokerStars which is a little different, clutter-free without the flashing banners etc.
The website is easy to navigate, and the betting slip is very informative, displaying the maximum bet etc., so you don’t have to keep getting your bets referred to the traders.
All in all, everything from registering an account to finding the selection you would like to place a bet on is very straightforward and not frustrating in any way.
Customer Protection
It goes without saying that PokerStars exceeds all the necessary requirements when it comes to safety and security.
The UK Gambling Commission requirements to obtain a licence is rigorous, to say the least, and it should be noted that PokerStars also take their responsible gambling obligations extremely seriously, always a sign of an ethical operator.
PokerStars are monitored by the IBIA (International Betting Integrity Association), whose task it is to report any operator who is not operating in an integrative manner.
Online Support
This is a strange one because in this day and age, it is unheard of for a reputable bookie not to offer live chat and telephone customer support.
PokerStars do not offer either of these support channels, so to say it is frustrating to get hold of support would have to be an understatement.
There is a live chatbot, but in order to get support, you need to fill in a PokerStars contact form.
The best advice would be to give as much details as possible regarding your query in order to ensure that your question gets answered.
To be fair, you do usually get a reply within the hour, and the response from the support agent is friendly, but as already mentioned, it is frustrating if the agent doesn’t understand your initial question.
You will receive a response to your question by email, but if the question hasn’t been answered to your satisfaction, don’t reply to the email, go back to the PokerStars contact form and go from there because your email won’t be responded to!
Conclusion
PokerStars are one of the biggest and most reputable operators on the market, so as you have read in this PokerStars review, this operator has an awful lot going for it.
There are a great range of sports available to bet on, and the odds on offer are usually competitive, so punters who can see the value in this aspect of a bookie will be over the moon with PokerStars.
It is difficult to understand the lack of telephone and live chat customer support, but it is what it is, the rest of the site is above average, so it could be argued that the support aspect could be overlooked.
Looking at the bigger picture, we would have no hesitation in recommending PokerStars, so this is a bookie which you should definitely consider opening an account with if you haven’t already signed up under the BetStars branding.
