VirginBet

Virgin Bet is one of the newest bookmakers to join the community of online sports betting platforms. What differentiates them slightly from other rookie bookies, is that they are part Virgin Games, which also provides punters with an online casino, live casino and poker room. Although they currently have a decent number of sports and markets, the bookmaker is still adding more to the mix. The available betting options include football, fantasy football, horse racing, cricket, boxing, tennis, golf, darts, as well as politics. Players on VirginBet can expect to enjoy a generous welcome offer and fair wager odds.

Virgin Bet was launched in 2019 as a sportsbook section for Virgin Games, which has been operating as an online casino since 2013. It is part of the Virgin group of companies, which is involved in entertainment, aviation, and other businesses. The Virgin brand is well-known in the UK and not only because of Sir Branson’s plan for space travel but the various other industries pies, they have their hands in.

The online betting site is licensed and regulated by the Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner, as well as the UK Gambling Commission. They are also a member of the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) and are regularly tested by the independent testing agency, eCOGRA. Virgin Bet is a result of a partnership between two of the sharpest gaming software developers in the industry—the Gamesys Group and SBTech. Therefore, although the bookmaker is exceptionally new, it’s backed by a lot of experience in online gaming.

Visiting VirginBet

The VirginBet online betting site has a sleek and straightforward design, with a red and black colour theme on a pervasive white-coloured background. If you’re a new customer, you can create an account using the red Join Now tab. Existing customers can enter their online login details and click the VirginBet login button on the top right corner, beside the Join Now tab. On the centre on the website header, there’s the sportsbook logo, with the immediately recognisable Virgin brand typeface. As you’d expect from an SBTech-powered website, the VirginBet betting platform has a familiar layout. This makes it easy for anyone looking to add virginbet.com to their sportsbook portfolio.

On top of the left sidebar, you’ll find links to the in-play and VirginBet casino sections, as well as promotions and your pending bets. Further down the left sidebar, there are featured sports—which, at the time of writing were horse racing and VirginBet football. There’s also a complete list of all the available sports. Unfortunately, the website does not yet have a search bar, and punters might have to make an extra effort to find some more obscure markets or sportsbook features. However, we know most punters already have a particular favourite sport which you prefer to bet on or at least specialise in – making this lack of a search bar almost moot.

On the right sidebar, customers can find their bet slip, which has categories for single, Acca, and multiples bets. The bet slip stays hanging, when you scroll down, making it easier to keep track of your selections. The page loading speeds and website navigability makes the VirginBet sports betting site a platform that most punters gamers will likely enjoy using. On the middle of the screen, you’ll immediately see a scrolling banner that shows the bonuses and other features that the bookie has on offer.

On the VirginBet games lobby, you’ll find odds for various sports, starting with top sports and top coupons. Bettors can click pop-out links to change the sports, leagues, or markets on the current view. The website footer has a display for affiliations, payment options, responsible gaming, the new customer offer, and other information. As the VirginBet online sportsbook is still brand new, players might struggle to find a lot of VirginBet reviews or varied information about the site. However, by the end of this VirginBet review, you’ll be well-versed on all aspects of the online betting site.

VirginBet Bonuses

It is not unnatural for players to expect some form of a signup reward. In fact, it is almost a standard courtesy sportsbooks extend to their new customers. The VirginBet welcome bonus lives up to this expectation and is:

• Bet £10, get £20 VirginBet free bet

At the name suggests, when punters bet £10 or more at minimum odds of 1.5, then they can receive this offer. The bonus is awarded as two, £10 free bet bonuses. Players must use the free bets less than 14 days after they log in for the first time. The free bets come without any wagering requirements. A VirginBet promo code or bonus code is not required to become eligible for this promotion.

If you’d raised your expectations based on the great welcome bonus, you might be a little perplexed by the VirginBet promotions that cater to existing customers. As you might expect from a brand online betting site, there aren’t that many VirginBet bonus offers available yet for regular players. However, punters are not left wanting, as they can benefit from the ongoing offers.

Players stand to benefit from daily price boosts across several sports, including boxing, golf, cricket, and football. There’s also a Best Odds Guaranteed promotion in the UK and Irish horse races. Both price boosts and Best Odds Guaranteed don’t require players to enter a promo code. At the time of writing, there weren’t any VirginBet no deposit bonus offers or VirginBet free spins available. However, given how new the sportsbook still is, it’s understandable that they don’t yet have a long list of promotions in place.

VirginBet Mobile

Players can place all their pre-match and live bets using the fully-featured VirginBet app, which is available for Android and iOS devices. The apps provide bettors with the same betting opportunities as they may get from the desktop website. Players can get the iOS app via a link from the desktop site. Once the app is installed, you can add an icon to your home screen for easier access. Making your first mobile login and placing bets on the app is as easy as 123. The app is also easy to navigate, with a lot of betting sports and events. Android users can get their version of the app from the Google Playstore.

Players who’d rather not install extra software on their mobile devices can use the VirginBet mobile website to place their bets. The mobile site is available on all platforms, allowing bettors to place bets from their iOS, Windows mobile, Android, or Blackberry devices. Navigating through the mobile site is a breeze, and bettors can reach any particular market with just a few taps. It also has the same account manager and features as the desktop site and dedicated apps. Punters can catch every opportunity to wager on a winning bet, as it’s possible to access the website from smartphone browsers, such as Chrome, Firefox, and Opera. Customers of the Virgin Bet betting site can, therefore, log in using the same username and password on all three platforms. Mobile users don’t have any mobile-specific promotions that cater to their needs. They can, however, claim the same benefits that desktop site users enjoy. Making payments on-the-go is also a very straightforward issue. You can also add a shortcut to the website on your device’s home screen.

VirginBet Betting Markets and Software

While VirginBet UK might have a host of other brands associated with them contributing to promoting their brand recognition, their core product is an exceptionally diverse sportsbook. The bookmaker covers over thirty sports, with the most popular ones being football, horse racing, cricket, boxing, rugby, volleyball, motor racing, and more. They also provide betting opportunities on more obscure sports like futsal and darts. The VirginBet sportsbook also covers esports like fantasy football.

Football is the most popular sport on the betting site, with the most bets being on the EPL and international tournaments like the World Cup. The available betting markets include totals, outright tournament winners, handicaps, match, scorers, and other critical match events. UK punters expect a decent dose of horse racing events, and Virgin Bet indulges them with a wide selection of the UK and Irish races. Bettors can wager on races from major competitions like the Cheltenham Festival, the Grand National, and Derby. Horse racing punters also stand to benefit from Best Odds Guaranteed.

Players can place more in-play tennis bets than before the event begins via the VirginBet live betting section. You can take advantage of the ups-and-downs that are inherent in tennis matches to score significant returns. The bookie features events from the WTA Tour and ATP Tour, with markets such as totals, matches, and handicaps. You’ll also find some pre-match odds for upcoming Grand Slams. If you want to try some American sports, there’s ice hockey, baseball, basketball, and American football to choose from.

In addition to the regular betting sports, Virgin Bet offers bets on extras like politics, TV, and entertainment. At the time of writing, the VirginBet streaming service was limited to horse racing. Bettors who want to follow the race must place a minimum token stake of £1. The live stream starts two minutes before the start of the race and ends a few seconds after the end. Live betting on other sports is aided by real-time match results and graphical representations of the match action. There’s an excellent casino section, which means that bettors can try their luck on VirginBet slots. They also have a VirginBet live casino where various table games can be played – giving a variety when it comes to betting options.

Deposits and Withdrawals

Fortunately, funding your Virgin Bet sports betting account is quick and straightforward, thanks to the selection of available payment methods, which are:

• MasterCard
• Visa
• PayPal
• Bank Transfer

The minimum limit for deposits is £10. Deposits are free and instantly processed. Bettors can use the same payment methods to withdraw funds. The minimum withdrawal is also £10. You can have your winnings in your e-wallet in less than 24 hours or less than four days for the other banking options.

Bettors on the Virgin Bet website can contact customer support via telephone, online contact form, or live chat. Before contacting customer support, you can go through the comprehensive FAQ section.

Responsible Gaming

When most punters start betting on a new sportsbook, they don’t usually give the site’s responsible gaming policy a second thought.  We all think that the adverse effects of online gaming will only affect other gamers and not us. VirginBet makes it easier for punters to bet responsibly and stay in control of their gaming activity through tips and a variety of tools.

The bookmaker takes the issue of problem and underage gaming seriously.

They comply with the eCOGRA guidelines for transparency and player protection. Thorough age-verification checks are made for every new customer. Adults are also encouraged to use filtering software to ensure that their children never access online gaming sites. The betting site also has several tools to help customers play responsibly, including:

• Self-Limits – As part of its responsible gaming policy, VirginBet gives punters the ability to control the amount of money they use to place bets on the site. Punters can set deposit limits and request to adjust them at any time. Decreasing the limit will take effect immediately, but increasing it is subject to a cooling-off period.
• Reality Check  – To help players keep track of the time they spend betting, the betting site sends a pop-up notification to continually remind you of how long you’ve been playing, after set intervals.
• Account Cool-Off  – If at any point, you wish to take a break from betting, you can cool off for a day and up to six weeks. During this period, you won’t be able to login to your account. After the end of the cool-off period, your account will automatically be reactivated.
• Self-Exclusion – If you think a break might do you good, while you get back some balance in your life, you can choose the self-exclusion option to suspend your account for six months, up to five years. Players have to make a formal request for their accounts to be reactivated after the self-exclusion period expires. You might also consider using GamStop to self-exclude from all betting sites that are registered with the UK Gambling Commission. You can also take advantage of organisations that offer free responsible gaming advice and support, like Gamblers Anonymous and GamCare.

Conclusion

Although they are still a new player in the online bookmaking industry, Virgin Bet gives the impression that they have been operating for quite some time. That’s probably partly because they’ve borrowed a lot of experience from the Gamesys Group and SBTech. Their website has a familiar and straightforward design that’s easy to navigate and get started on. The bookmaker also managed to come right out with dedicated mobile apps for both iOS and Android users, which is quite commendable.

They also have a great welcome bonus, although promotional offers for existing customers are still a bit lacking. Other strong points about the VirginBet sportsbook include a wide range of sports and markets. The online betting site covers more than thirty sports, ranging from football and horse racing to snooker and futsal. Players can place bets on on-going events in the live betting section, with live streaming on horse races and animations on most other sports. At the time of writing, there were only four payment options available. Customer support is also available via email, telephone, and live chat. Even before they’ve fully fleshed out their online betting platform, you can tell that the Virgin Bet platform has all the makings of an excellent betting partner.

Pros and Cons

To ensure you come out with a clear take away from the review, we’ll list VirginBet’s strengths and weaknesses.

Pros

• Availability of a diverse sports selection
• Mobile apps are available for iOS and Android devices
• Live chat link to customer service
• Simple and navigable website

Cons

• The bookmaker is still new and inexperienced
• Limited promotions for existing customers
• Payment options are still limited