Skybet are one of the truly modern bookies in the UK. They go all the way back to 2006, but they have opted to deliver their products in a purely digital form, opting out of all land-based properties. Their focus on the online segment has yielded satisfactory results, and the adopting of exciting new betting products, such as eSports, has been most welcome by their customers.
And insofar as content is king, Skybet does its best to deliver it via its TV channels. Will eSports debut on TV, too, backed by the bookie? We explore this and more in the lines below!
- Excellent odds for a number of eSports titles
- Tempting & achievable welcome offer
- Responsive and available customer support
Skybet are the incarnation of betting done right in the 21st century. Some may consider them late to the party, but their digitization has been cutting-edge. They arrived on the market in 2006, creating a multi-purpose sportsbook. When eSports started making a splash, the operator has decided to add them to its offer in a way that suggests commitment. Even though eSports didn’t end up in a dedicated part of the website, and still remain an option in the sportsbook, they are very much vibrant. Up to scratch payment facilities and customer solutions, plus an unblemished reputation, make Skybet a place to make an honest wager.
| Hits | Misses |
| A continuously developing selection of games | May benefit from more eSports titles |
| Arguably the best overall odds throughout multiple segment | Could use more game-specific bonuses |
| Availability of a multi-purpose gaming facilities | |
| Promos & welcome offers that don’t burden customers | |
| Allows punters to knock off some bit of the cable bill |
Game Selection – Esports by the Pixels
Skybet doesn’t stint when it comes to introducing exciting new titles. Instead of opting out of most of the competitive products out there, the operator has decided to do the works. The selection of games is pleasantly refreshing. You end up picking from MOBAs, such as League of Legends and Dota 2 or dive straight into the FPS, including CS:GO, the Call of Duty franchise, or Blizzard’s fantasy shooter Overwatch.
That’s hardly it, though, as RTS titles also make the cut, with StarCraft 2 on top. The popular Hero Brawler, a genre of its own, Heroes of the Storm is also often featured on the pages of Skybet supplemented by the card-based game Hearthstone.
The availability of bets is also quite remarkable. The open positions usually pick towards the evening as it’s then when most matches take place while you won’t find as many running bets in the wee hours. Odds wise, you can often expect the spread to be between 1.50 and 3.00 and the most active titles featured will remain CS:GO and LoL, whereas the remainder of eSports games picks off around the time of a major tournament.
With this in mind, it’s worth mentioning that Dota 2 will be getting quite the attention soon on account of the 2018 International, the game’s most prestigious meet-up. Match winners are the most common type of bet you can place, but futures and outright tournament winners are also there.
Esports being slightly more exotic in nature, you can wager on the barmiest things, as well:
- What team will draw first blood?
- How many maps are going to be won by X squad?
- Will the losing team destroy more buildings?
- Who will score the most kills?
Another distinct betting option is the In-Play feature which gives you the opportunity to stake your money on events as they unfold before you. Giving the unpredictable nature of eSports, though, and the panting, out-of-the-blue turn-arounds, it may be wiser to hold back on this type of wagering before you start dabbling into live betting.
Now that we have cleared the selection, let’s focus on the technical aspects of staking your money at Skybet. We will explore the full range of possibilities on how to turn a pretty penny out of your love for electronic sports and taking a chance on the outcome of a match. We will dwell on important features, such as bonuses and exclusive promotions, wagering requirements, and the underpinning software that makes the whole portal happily chug along!
Software – Getting Things off the Ground
When we talk about software and bookies, we mean the general feeling we get out of browsing the website. Of course, the software section entails more, from how the portal operators, to how easy it is to place a single wager or find a specific item of information you are interested in. Skybet doesn’t let the side down in the slightest. With its bulky yet elegant buttons, browsing the portal becomes as easy as pie. And we do mean the good sort.
Above the fold you will find all useful functions of the portal, beginning with the left panel where you familiarise yourself with a number of nifty features, including Promotions, your current bets, the In-Play option, and of course Responsible Gambling. Help is never too far away and if you select the question mark, you will be redirected to an elaborately crafted user section where you can find an answer to most of your queries at once.
Looking below the main feature, the sports dominate the rest of the bookie’s offer. You have the main panel with all the eSports titles and odds available, but to get there, you will first have to scroll down to the general section and pick the respective part of the website. It’s a complete no-brainer to get ‘to the bottom’ of it, as it is.
Placing a wager is rendered simple by the underlying software, which relieves you from any trouble in the matter of a few clicks or seconds. Skybet makes an extensive use of drop-down menus, which allow it to pack as much information on the front screen without causing and overload of numbers, statistics and options that generally serve to only confuse the customers.
Speaking of the software, the portal is fully SSL secured, ensuring the safety of your information and also successfully warding off any third-parties from laying greedy paws on your bankroll or mishandling your data. Skybet has elaborated sure-fire ways to guarantee that what you choose to share with the bookie remains confidential and is solely used to advance the cause of responsible gambling and comply with the law.
Bonuses – Spending Other’s Cash
Let’s face it – playing with someone else’s money is always fun. You save yourself a bit of the risk, albeit you will still very much want to win. Skybet has elaborated a network of bonuses that will keep you busy for a while.
Even though most of these promos and treats are easy to obtain, you have a fair variety, which affords you the opportunity to do some number-crunching yourself and decided which option are best and how these promos can be combined to your distinct advantage.
Now, if there is one drawback, it lies in the fact that eSports don’t often get their special freebies. Whilst you will be delightfully taken aback when wagering on cricket, eSports may have to wait a bit before they see their committed offers. That’s just as well, though, as the wagering requirements that come along with such offers are rarely appreciated by eSports fans if at all.
The Welcome Bonus – A Quick Top-up of the Bankroll
And yet, why say no to a tempting welcome bonus? Skybet has never been dabbling with the sorts of promotions that will have you tethered to impossible and infuriating wagering conditions. Instead, you need only stake £5 to get a quick and reliable £20 in free bets. Free bets are good, because they are the fast-and-loose members of the bonus community.
In other words, you will not need to worry about any serious repercussions from not fulfilling the bet, although you will almost certainly will because the only condition here is to stake both £10 free bets. Skybet even takes things up a notch – the bookie won’t limit you in time nor slap you with impossible playthrough requirements. Bet once, and that will suffice.
There are a few things you may want to know about this sort of promo, though. For starters, the free bets will not be credited as returns, i.e. you only get to keep the winnings that you have made based off the £20 goodies. However, they will disappear from your balance once you have completed your wagers.
Bear in mind that if you wager with an e-wallet, such as Neteller or Moneybookers, you will be automatically disqualified from the bonus.
Why is that? Skybet has opted to introduce simple bets which allow you to quickly clear the requirements while winnings something extra. The bookie is part of multiple campaigns that fight gambling addiction and insidious bonuses are often the way people get unhealthily attached to (e)sports betting.
What are the Wagering Requirements?
This is the most persistent question since the dawn of betting. If you are interested in discovering the subtleties of eSports betting, the WR may not constitute a significant part of it, as the trend is for these to disappear. However, they are very much alive and certainly expected to continue making our lives interesting, for a want of a better word.
These prerequisites simply ask of the punter to fulfil a given criteria – stake a bonus amount they have been credited from the bookie, for example, multiple times, before all his winnings can in fact be cashed out from the operator and into a bank account.
Excellent Fun for the Portable Screen
Skybet has decided to cater to the most tech-savvy segment of the punters while leaving no luddite behind. If you don’t like flicking bets on the go, checking up on your statistics while you jump from one commute to another can be useful indeed and it certainly helps you break into the habit of being abreast with the latest developments.
The portable solution Skybet has prepped for you will be available in both iOS and Android, albeit the website notes that some Huawei Android users may experience technical difficulties downloading and then running the apps. Apart from that minor technical wrinkle, we hold Skybet’s software solutions to be quite up to scratch and deliver the necessary comfort for reliable betting sessions.
A Cry for Help at Customer Support
If you haven’t found your answer at the Help page, or let’s face it – you didn’t feel up to browsing the slick and elaborately made tiles of information, we understand. This is when the customer support comes in handy. The suave and knowledgeable chaps and ladies working here will have you hooked up with a solution pronto!
You may get hold of them via phone at 00 44 330 024 4777. If you feel like dropping them an-email, we encourage you to do so and not worry about a single thing. And finally, the live chat option seems to be the one that produces the quickest results as you can also use some visual aids and take your time to explain rather than come up with explanations on the spot over the phone.
Ultimately, the choice is very much yours. What we know for sure is that Skybet does provide solutions to your queries on the spot.
Deposits and Withdrawals – A Way to Handle Money
Skybet provides you with an easy way to move your money around. All you need to do is select your preferred option, which ranges from bank cards to e-wallets, prepaid plastics, gift cards, and bank transfers. In fact, you do get quite the treatment.
You may experience slight issues with a Tesco or Metro Bank Mastercard, though, as Skybet warns that some issues have prevented them to pay out to customers in the selected fashion. Everything else, however, works swimmingly and without any defects. For a complete list, do visit Skybet to get the complete list.