Star Sports Review
We’ve been thinking about it a lot lately (okay, we do a lot of sportsbook reviews), and it’s occurred to us that not all online bookies are created equal. In fact, there are several important factors to consider when it comes to choosing where you want to spend your hard-earned cash that goes way beyond the available price.
Keeping that in mind, we thought it was high time we did a thorough review of Star Sports’ online sportsbook. If you’re a fan of the more traditional mold of sportsbooks, this is a good choice for you. Star Sports is the gentlemen’s bookies. It’s discreet, exclusive, and high-quality in terms of service and sports markets. Not often terms you’d come across in the same breath as bookmakers if you’ve ever dealt with live chat or high street chains.
As a company, Star Sports was well and truly born on the tracks but has over the years grown to become a premier sports betting brand for discerning punters. The bookmaker originally launched in 2009 under the name of Star Racing. Not long after its launch, the brand acquired a number of independent bookmakers, resulting in its fast growth. Nearly 20 years later, the company rebranded itself, complete with the catchy Star Sports name and a larger portfolio of services. The site focuses mainly on hedging, credit betting, and debit betting and the top-class online bookmaker offers something rather unique in what may often seem like a saturated betting market. Loaded with an array of sports, markets, and loads of casino games complete with friendly and knowledgeable customer support agents, you can look forward to being treated like the star you are at Star Sports online sportsbook.
So, if you’re after a different betting experience where you can place big bets and enjoy big rewards, you’re going to want to read our review and sign up for Star Sports now. Just remember, you must be 18 years or older to open an account and that betting promotion is open to UK and Ireland residents.
Welcome Offer and Promotions
If there is one area where Star Sports falters, it is with promotions. In fact, while we were getting our review together, we couldn’t find a dedicated bonuses and promotions page. However, there are one or two free bet offers if you go searching in the site’s blogs. But, it’s nothing really to write home about and is typically a once-off for a certain match. We’d say hosting one-time deals seems the norm for Star Sports bookies which could really do with some work.
An example of the free bet promotion would be this: if new punters sign up to Star Sports at the time of this review, you could claim a €50 free bet, which the site states is a 50% deposit and that means to take full advantage of the offer, you need to deposit at least €100.
Naturally, there are a few terms and conditions you need to know. Namely, the offer is only valid for the match-winner market. What’s more, you have to bet at least €10 if you want to claim the offer. You will also have to use it in the following seven days, as after that period, the offer will expire.
Sports Markets
So, you might lose out on welcome bonuses and promotions at Star Sports, but we’re going to say it again – this bookie has almost 20 years’ experience in the industry and that means you can look forward to an array of markets and usability. You’ll find everything you need at this site and then some. There are golf and tennis, horse racing, football and plenty of other markets to have a flutter on. Star Sports also makes it super-simple to filter by region, country, time and competition which is a tidy feature for sure.
Besides the popular markets, you’ll also find baseball, American football, darts, basketball, Gaelic football, boxing, golf, cricket, greyhound racing, motorsport, ice hockey, tennis, snooker, rugby union and rugby league. There’s even a dedicated section for TV and specials.
There’s no getting away from the fact that this site provides relatively comprehensive football betting. In fact, there are markets listed from plenty of countries around our globe, including marketing from the higher profile competitions like La Liga and Premier League. There are also lesser known competitions such as the fascinating Icelandic Second Division. What’s more, you’ll find continental football like the popular Champions League and international tournaments, including the World Cup and European Championships. We should note that high profile competitions like these tend to have the most markets along with obscure leagues and cups and, at times, are limited to Match Odds only.
That all might sound a little daunting if you’re new to the world of online sports betting but fear not. Star Sports online sportsbook lets you filter football by time, region, country and competition, too, so it’s quick and easy to find the event you’re looking for. There’s even a handy search function you can effortlessly use to find markets in a jiffy.
Let’s talk ponies, where Star Sports started. Horse racing with this bookie gives you comprehensive coverage of everything from All-Weather racing to National Hunt and Flat racing from both the UK and Ireland. There’s not much in the way of international racing right now, but we don’t see any reason for the bookies not to add some in with time. There’re even ante-post markets for future Irish and UK meetings, which means you can place your early bets on events like the Grand National and the Cheltenham Festival if you like.
As for the day of the race markets, there is each way bets, fixed-odds win, forecasts, reverse forecasts and Start Price betting. There’s even a section labelled Quick Pick along with Build a Racecard.
Across the board, the betting odds on Star Sports are reasonable. The more high-profile televised events tend to offer the best value, but you’ll typically find the prices to be in line with other big brands in the industry.
Let’s talk about different kinds of betting. Star Sports offers a variety of bookmaking services to its discerning punters and that means you can indulge in an array of betting types, including:
- Credit betting
- Debit betting
- Hedging
There’s exciting in-play betting, too, so if you have your heart set on betting on your favourite marketing during live play, you can do so at Star Sports bookmakers. In fact, there’s an entire section dedicated to doing so. While the in-play console itself is nothing spectacular, it does get the job done and you will find in-play markets for all the major football matches and other popular sports you’re keen to punt on.
Online Casino
It can be quite nice to kill some time between games, which is exactly why Star Sports has included a rather slick-looking online casino to its offerings. There are more than 120 online slots titles, around 11 table games and 35 casual or instant win games to be enjoyed. As with most online casino mobile offerings, the mobile selection is somewhat limited compared to playing casino games on your desktop, but it’s still plenty of gaming fun to keep you busy.
All in all, the online casino platform at Star Sports is impressive, with the majority of games, as we’ve mentioned, being ever-popular online slots. The brand has patterned up with leading game providers like Elk Studios and NextGen which means you’re unlikely to have a tough time finding both old favourites and brand-new releases.
As far as table games go, you have a good choice of blackjack and roulette variants, including Blackjack Pro and European Roulette. The casual game section is filled with more than 30 instant win scratch cards, too, based on a host of popular slot games like Merlin’s Millions and Irish Eyes. Best of all, if you have a tablet or smartphone you get to have fun on the go!
Besides regular casino games, Star Sports also offers a live casino feature. It’s not very big nor diverse, but it should get the job done for most punters. Most players don’t use a sports betting site for live casino games, but it’s good to know that this website offers them. All in all, you’ll get the chance to play live blackjack, roulette, and baccarat games.
Website Design
If you are used to sports betting sites, then you are probably used to them having terrible platforms. Naturally, most of them work well, but too many use an outdated design that’s definitely not pleasing to the eye. Star Sports’ website is, in many ways, similar to all other betting sites, but it’s still different enough to stand out.
The most important thing we noticed on the site, is that it is easy to navigate, which clearly shows that the site owners care for user experience and thus how good of a time you’ll have while placing bets and scrolling through the pages. Everything is laid out on the main page, which might not be appealing to some, but we love the fact that you can instantly see all the betting markets Star Sports covers. You can find all of that on the left side of the homepage, while every service they offer is listed above. The right side is reserved for signing up or logging in, but it also features all the promotions currently available.
Whichever option you choose, be it Starsports betting or the live casino, for instance, all of it is prominently displayed in the main part of the page. More importantly, whatever you do on the site, the response will be quite fast, so it’s clear that Star Sports owners care a lot about convenience and user experience. All in all, you won’t run into any problems, and you’ll have a great time using Star Sports Bet.
Mobile and App Gaming
Speaking of mobile gaming, it should be said that if you want to join Star Sports for sports betting and casino games, there is no dedicated Star Sports mobile app to download as yet. However, you can still participate in everything your desktop version has to offer by heading to your mobile device’s web browser, logging in and having fun. This means you can place your bets whenever you want to, wherever you are, you’re simply limited by the reliability of your mobile connection.
Even though Star Sports betting is not available on a dedicated mobile app, the mobile website is more than functional. It functions mostly the same as the desktop version of the website, with slight alterations in the design to get it to operate well on any phone. And this is very true, as the site works great on both iOS and Android, and even on some older phones. All you need to do is visit the site on your phone, and you’ll see what we’re talking about! We have to commend the owners of the site as there are many betting sites that have a terrible desktop and mobile site, which is definitely not the case with Star Sports.
Licensing and Regulation
Star Sports is licensed and regulated in the UK by the UK Gambling Commission, which means you can rest assured it follows strict rules in terms of fairness and regulation. The brand, as a whole, wholeheartedly supports responsible gambling, too.
Customer Support
At the time of doing our Star Sports review, the site doesn’t offer a live chat function if you want to talk to a customer support agent right away. However, while this is definitely something we would like to see implemented soon, there is a telephone line and you can always reach out via the site’s Twitter page. There’s a small FAQ section, too, so if you have a relatively common question or concern, we’re pretty sure you’ll find it there. There’s also the option of email or post if you like.
The customer service agents of Star Sports deserve praise as well. We’ve noticed that they really take their jobs very seriously and that they are always quick to respond to all of your queries, no matter the method you chose to use to reach out to them, or the time you chose to reach out. So, even though there are no live chat options, the agents still deserve praise for doing their job well. We hope that the site will introduce a chat option at some point in the near future, as this is one of the most important and convenient ways for players to reach out to the betting site they love to use if they run into some problems.
Payment Options
We need to be completely honest here: there aren’t a great deal of deposit and withdrawal banking options at Star Sports bookmakers. In fact, there are just 4 methods available here: Maestro, MasterCard, Visa and Visa Electron. They’re certainly efficient and secure banking methods and withdrawals take around 2 to 5 working days to process.
Naturally, the times might differ, depending on the exact method you choose, but in most cases, it will be between 2 and 5 working days. As for other payment methods that players often find on betting sites and gambling sites in general, none are available. So, no common deposit and withdrawal options like Skrill and Neteller. In fact, there are no e-wallets at all, but you can still use things like bank transfers and cheques, which are slower than the four debit cards we mentioned before.
Furthermore, it’s important to note that credit cards are no longer available as a deposit or withdrawal method at Star Sports, as of April 2020. Debit cards still function in the same way and will remain available, so there’s nothing to worry about.
Safety and Security
Star Sports uses SSL encryption to keep all your financial and personal data safe and secure.The site is also regulated by the UK Gambling Commission, as we’ve mentioned before. This is a well known British regulatory body that only awards licences to the best betting sites and other gambling platforms. So, Star Sports having its licence can only mean that Star Sports is completely safe and legal for you to use.
All of these security measures and licences are usually enough to prove that the website offers stellar service and that all transactions are completely safe and assured. We also love the fact that Star Sports clearly cares about their customers, as they are quite big on responsible gaming and offer various resources that can help you out if you have problems with gambling addiction. It’s not really important for safety and security on the website, but it shows that the company cares about its customers, which is sometimes as important as the rest of the safety measures.
Business Information
As we said earlier on, Star Sports started out in 1999 as Star Racing and eventually rebranded to Star Sports in 2009. Besides providing a convenient and comprehensive online betting service, this bookmaker also has a betting shop in Mayfair in London along with a couple of racecourse betting pitches. Ben Keith is founder and owner of Star Sports and the online sportsbooks were only launched in 2018.
From the moment the company acquired independent bookies Waldron, Vickers, Turner, and Kendrick, Star Sport really advanced in the sports betting industry. The acquisition is an important moment in the existence of this firm, and it ensured the platform has all the options and services it boasts of today.
News at Start Sports
Star Sports has a separate section at their main website that’s specifically dedicated to sports news. We are mentioning this as this is, in fact, a separate site where you can learn about the latest news in the world of sports, be it local or global news. What’s more, you can also find articles on sports betting, even some tips and tricks that might come in handy to a regular and dedicated punter. All in all, it’s a nice addition to everything that Star Sports offers, and it’s certainly a refreshing change to the standard offering every sports betting site has.
How to Open an Account at Star Sports
Opening an account at Star Sports is quite easy, and the good thing is that you only need a single account for all of their services, be it sports betting, live casino, or something else. All you need to do is visit the website and use the Sign Up button located in the top right corner of the screen. Then, you only need to follow the steps and enter all the information the site requires you to enter. This information includes your name, email, address, date of birth, and more.
The entire procedure is quite standard, and every bit of personal information you need to give is required at any other gambling website that’s licensed by the UK Gambling Commission. Naturally, as the site falls under the auspices of the UKGC, it also means that the site has to follow the entire KYC (know your customer) procedure. This means that you will have to prove to the site that you are 18 years old. Most of the procedure is automatic, as the website can see your age once you register a deposit method at the site and make your first deposit. However, Star Sports may also contact you to ask for additional documentation, which might include a passport, a driver’s licence, or some other document that proves your identity and age.
All of this is standard procedure and required under British law, so there’s nothing to be worried about. Naturally, you can always cover some of the numbers on your debit card, if they ask you to scan it for verification if that’s something that will make you feel safe. All in all, the whole process shouldn’t take more than a couple of minutes, so it won’t be long before you are able to place your first bet and start having fun!
BetOpin’s Verdict
While Star Sports online bookmaker and casino is brand-new, this is a brand that has been around for 2 decades and is going from strength to strength. For horse racing and football fanatics, this is your go-to site, along with plenty of other options on offer. Aside from one or two issues, like no live chat support and only 4 deposit and withdrawal methods, this site provides plenty of action both on the sportsbook pages and at the online casino.
Sure, there could be more odds on sports and it would be nice to see more welcoming bonuses and promotions, but what you do get is a user-friendly and tidy interface, powerful data tracking features and plenty of value to be had. While Star Sports online bookmaker has room for improvement, it’s still a fantastic bookmaker for punters.
FAQs
Which payment methods does Star Sports accept?
Star Sports allows for all major payment methods, including Mastercard, Visa, and Maestro debit cards. You can also use cheques and bank transfers if that’s what you prefer. The site used to accept credit cards as well, but as of April 2020, they no longer accept credit cards for either deposits or withdrawals.
How long do withdrawals take at Star Sports?
The withdrawal times depend largely on the payment method you decide to use. You can take a closer look at our Star Sports review to learn more about withdrawals, but you should know that the times will always vary on the method you use and how long it takes for the site to review your request. In most cases, most debit card transactions take anywhere between two and five days, plus the time it takes for Star Sports to check your request.
Which currencies can I use at Star Sports?
Star Sports is largely oriented towards the UK and Irish players, which is why the main currency used on the site is the Sterling. However, the site also accepts euros as there are many Irish players registered at the site, as well as others coming from various EU countries.
Are there any bonuses at Star Sports?
Yes, plenty of them! You can check some of the bonuses in our Star Sports review, but you can also take a look at the Promos page on Star Sports website. Here, they list all the current promotions and bonuses, which even include a welcome bonus and some free bets as well.
Which betting markets are offered at Star Sports?
The best thing about Star Sports is that the site offers all major betting markets available. You can place all sorts of bets on football, horse racing, badminton, tennis, volleyball, cricket, boxing, MMA, and many other sports. All in all, you won’t be lacking options if you decide to register at Star Sports.
Does Star Sports offer live betting?
Yes, it does. You can bet on live sports by selecting the In-Play tab on the main website. Naturally, the options available here are not as numerous as the ones you find in the full betting offer, but there are still a lot of options to choose from. All in all, you get to bet on football, tennis, basketball, ice hockey, and volleyball matches that are available at the moment you decide to bet.
Is Star Sports safe and legal?
Yes, completely. This is all thanks to the fact that they use SSL encryption to ensure all transactions are safe. It’s also thanks to the fact that the UK Gambling Commission has awarded the site with their licence, which always means that the platform complies with British gambling laws, which is more than enough to ensure that it’s compliant and safe.
