SBK is a relative newcomer to the UK sportsbook scene, having only launched in 2019. In this SBK review we’re going to give you the lowdown on the product and explain how they have introduced a number of unique selling points that mark them apart from the opposition. Read on to find out about their odds, markets, customer service and the SBK free bet for new customers.
Deposit £10 Get £30 in Free Bets
Deposit £10 Get £30 in Free Bets
- Great odds from Smarkets exchange
- Fun social media feature
- Superb mobile app
What is SBK?
SBK launched in 2019 as an offshoot from Smarkets, who are one of thebiggest betting exchanges in the world. Smarkets launched themselves in 2008 and created SBK in order to infiltrate the sportsbook market in a fresh and unique way.
While betting exchanges generally give great odds and the ability to place lay bets, they can be a little complicated, particularly for users that are new to betting. Smarkets decided to launch SBK, as a product that could combine the odds from a betting exchange, with the simplicity of a mobile sportsbook.
As a mobile-only product, SBK is a hassle free way to access the generous prices from the Smarkets exchange. Betting exchanges, can look a bit cluttered when translated to the smaller screen of a mobile device. Everything is clear and easy, even for complete novices.
This is no one-trick-pony though. Aside from the exchange/sportsbook mash up, they can offer a number of other genuinely innovative features that you won’t see anywhere else. You’ll find out all about them as you read through our SBK review.
How Safe is SBK Betting?
When a new bookmaker appears on the scene, an obvious concern for potential new customers is how safe it is. Those worries are eased somewhat for the SBK sportsbook, by the fact that it has derived from such a well established company as Smarkets.
When you deposit funds your monies will be held by Smarkets (Clients) Limited. This company has been formed for the sole purpose of holding the funds of SBK/Smarkets customers, under the terms of the Trust Deed. SBK is licensed and regulated in the UK by the Gambling Commission, who deem the Trust Deed to offer a high level of protection.
Outside of the UK, the SBK sportbook is regulated by the Malta Gaming Authority. These organisations are highly respected and any gaming company governed by their rules has to abide by a code of practice that protects the customer.
When you sign up for a SBK new customer offer, you will have to supply documentation to confirm your identity and address. This is to ensure that all users are the of requisite age and to guard against potential criminal practices such as money laundering.
The SBK app also provides plenty of tools that help their users to gamble responsibly. You can set a limit of the amount of money you can deposit over a certain amount of time, or set a limit on the amount of money that you can lose. Should a customer feel that they are developing a problem with gambling, they can set a time out that prevents them from using the app. There is also a self-exclusion option which will stop you ever being able to use the app again.
SBK reviews are in general agreement that the site provides an extremely safe environment for users. We think the same and can wholeheartedly recommend SBK from this perspective.
SBK Sign Up Offer
Just about every online sportsbook offers a welcome bonus for new users and SBK is no exception. The SBK sign up offer is generous and adds to the reasons to open an account with them.
As you’d expect from the SBK/Smarkets team, the welcome offer is an innovative one. SBK will give you £30 if you; deposit £10 and bet £10.
It is a simple bet-to-get offer, where you make a deposit of minimum £10 as a new customer on your first deposit, and proceed to bet a minimum of £10.
This offer applies to new UK, IE & Malta customers only. The £10 bet has to be at a min odds of 1.5 and you will get £10. Further £10 credited after 7 days and a further £10 credited after 14 days. Full T&Cs apply so be sure to read the full terms, and of course – you need to be 18 or above to register at SBK and get this offer.
They refund your losing bets in cash, rather than giving you a SBK free bet. The SBK welcome offer also doesn’t restrict you in regards to the odds of the bets you place.
To be eligible for the offer, you don’t have to enter the SBK betting promo code when opening your account. T
| SBK Sign Up Offer | Minimum Deposit | Minimum Odds | Offer Expiry | SBK Sportsbook promo code |
| £30 Free Bet | £10 | 1.5 | 7 days | N/A |
Ongoing SBK Promotions
Once you’ve used the SBK promo code to receive your welcome offer, you will probably be wondering if there are any other bonuses to be had.
It’s normally the case that online bookmakers reward the loyalty of existing customers by giving them a regular stream of promotions and bonuses. This can include free bets, acca insurance and odds boosts, amongst others.
So far they have decided against going down this route. They clearly feel that their product is sufficiently unique, that they don’t need to use such tactics to retain users. It’s a little disappointing, especially since their welcome offer is a generous one.
Hopefully, the time will come when SBK reviews this policy and offers some regular promotions for existing customers. They have a great product, but this is one area in which SBK are lacking somewhat.
SBK Free Bet
SBK regularly change their welcome offer, below you can read about one of the previous offers that will surely return in the future:
In essence, their money back welcome offer, gives you a series of free bets. They will repay all losing stakes up to a maximum of £40. So you could place one £40 free bet, safe in the knowledge that your cash will be refunded should you lose. Or alternatively, you could place a number of smaller stake bets, knowing that they are risk-free up to a total of £40.
This guarantee allows you to take a bigger risk than you might ordinarily, were your money on the line. You could place a £40 bet on a selection available at relatively high odds. The worst that could happen is that you would get your money paid back, but you could win big.
Hopefully there will be more SBK free bet opportunities in the years to come. For now, the welcome offer is a very good one.
How to Claim SBK Free Bet
In this section we’re going to explain how to successfully get a free bet offer when you join the SBK betting app. We’ll take you through it step by step, to ensure that it’s impossible for you to make a mistake and miss out.
- Download The App – The first step is to download the SBK app. This can be done by searching on the Apple App Store, or on the Android or Google Play equivalents. Alternatively, you could scan a QR code to download the app.
- Enter Your Details – Once the app is downloaded, you’ll need to enter your personal details. SBK will send you a link so that you can confirm your email address.
- Add the SBK Promo Code – Make sure to add the promo code, or you won’t be eligible for the welcome offer. The code is SBS21.
- Make a Deposit – Before you make your first SBK bet you’ll have to make a deposit. The minimum that you need to deposit in order to be eligible for the welcome offer is £10. If you want to take full advantage of the offer, you’ll need to deposit at least £50. Click on the Funds tab at the bottom of the app, to add some payment details and make your deposit.
- Place Your Bets – Finally, you need to place some bets. Look through the A-Z list of available SBK sports and find the event you want to bet on. Any losing bets will be refunded up to a maximum of £40. The only condition that you need to adhere to, is that all bets must be settled within seven days of you making your first deposit.
SBK Sports Betting Options
We’ve mentioned that SBK have a unique product. In the following section, we’re going to go through some of the various areas that comprise the app and give our verdict on how they fare in these categories.
Odds
In total there are 22 different sports/categories that you can bet on. SBK cover individual events and markets in some detail and generally have everything covered that you would expect.
Yet as good as their market coverage is, it’s their odds which are always highlighted in any SBK betting review. Betting exchanges always have bigger prices than regular sportsbooks, as they do not need to factor in the bookmaker’s margin of profit.
The SBK bookmaker/exchange hybrid model, gives you all the convenience of a sportsbook, with the bigger prices that can be found at a betting exchange. SBK are so proud of their prices, that they have a feature that compares them to other leading UK bookmakers. The Price+ feature compares their odds with nine competitors and puts a green triangle next to any odds, where SBK have the best available price. This feature is currently only available on football, but there’s clearly the potential for it to be rolled out across all sports and events.
Live In-Play Betting
SBK have a tab marked ‘Live’ at the top of their app. Press it and you’ll instantly be sent to the in-play section.
The in-play football games are displayed on the home page and you can scroll horizontally through a list of other sports, where live events are taking place. Latest scores are provided, along with further details, when you click through to the market.
Extra Features
SBK have some extra features that makes them unique. There is a social media element to the app, with the capacity to create a username and post your own tips. You can also follow other users, allowing you to monitor the advice of successful tipsters.
There’s an Auto Acca feature, where you enter how many selections you want in your acca and it randomly picks them for you. It’s a little like having a lucky dip on the lottery, though having no control over the selections in the acca, won’t be everyone’s idea of a good investment.
SBK gives you the ability to Cash Out on a good number of in-play markets, but they are lacking any live streaming service at the moment. There is an SBK Bet Builder feature though, which is really easy to use.
Customer Support
Just go to the Account section of the App and you’ll find Help Topics. This contains an FAQ page which has the answers to many of the most common queries, as well as all of their contact details.
There is a live chat feature that is available 24/7 and seems to be the quickest way to get a response. Alternatively, you can phone them between 9am and midnight, or email, or even send a letter.
Bet Limits
At SBK betting with very small stakes is not a problem. You can place a bet with as little as £0.05p, when most other betting sites have a £0.10p minimum bet. The maximum bet amount is £99,999.99.
SBK Casino
Many online gaming companies have a casino offering alongside their sportsbook. At SBK, sport is well catered for, but if you’re looking for a casino, you’ll be disappointed.
Currently, there is no SBK casino product available. That could be a good or a bad thing, depending on your preferences. Obviously if you love playing casino games, then the lack of such an option is going to be a negative.
If however, you have no interest in casino games, then it’s probably for the best. At many online bookmakers, the links and adverts for the casino, can be a distraction. At SBK, sport betting is the priority.
This could change. If SBK reviews the situation at some point, they might decide to add a casino. It’s a relatively new product, after all and we should expect it to evolve.
Signing up to SBK Sportsbook
Signing up to the SBK betting app is pretty straightforward. Just to make it even easier, here are some step-by-step instructions that will guarantee success.
Step 1: Download App
Just search on the app store of your mobile device to find SBK. Alternatively, go to the SBK website and you can click through to download the app.
Step 2: Enter Your Details
The first step is to enter your email address and then select a password. Next, you have to add your name and address, select your currency of choice and the promo code – if there is one at the time. Finally, add your date of birth, mobile number and select what format you’d like the odds to be displayed in.
Step 3: Deposit Money
Click on the Funds tab at the bottom of the screen and you will be sent to a page listing the available deposit methods. Make your choice and deposit at least £10, with the maximum amount that you can deposit being £10,000. There are no deposit fees at SBK.
Step 4: Place a Bet
Now it’s time to make your first bet. Choose the sport and then the event that you want to bet on. Click on the price to add the selection to your bet slip. You then choose a stake. If you want to add more selections to make it a multiple bet, these can be added. When ready, click the green Bet button to confirm your wager.
Step 5: Withdraw Any Winnings
If you’re lucky enough to enjoy a win, you may wish to make a withdrawal. To do so, click on Funds at the bottom of the screen and then Withdraw. Choose your method of withdrawal, followed by how much money you want. You have to withdraw at least £10.
The SBK App
No SBK betting review would be complete without mentioning their app. While a mobile app is often something of an afterthought for other bookmakers, its SBK’s entire product.
With no casino to act as a distraction, SBK have more space to devote to their sportsbook than other gaming companies do. It’s crisp, clear and well laid out. Often sportsbook apps are just a sea of text and numbers, but SBK have the room to add pictures, creating a more pleasing visual atmosphere.
The app is super quick and extremely intuitive. All the major markets of the day are prominently displayed, so you should have no trouble finding what you want.
With the app being the only way to use SBK, it has to be perfect. So far it is just that. That challenge is to keep it that way, while expanding their range of services in the future.
Payment Options for SBK Betting
SBK reviews well for the swiftness and safety of their payment options. It would be nice to have the options of using Apple Pay or Google Pay, but otherwise they have a wide range of payment methods available, which are detailed below.
| Payment Method | Minimum Deposit | Minimum Withdrawal | Withdrawal Time | Fees |
| Visa & Mastercard | £10 | £10 | 1-6 Business Days | None |
| PayPal | £20 | £10 | 1-2 Business Days | None |
| Trustly | £10 | £10 | 1-2 Business Days | None |
| Skrill | £10 | £10 | 1-2 Business Days | None |
| Neteller | £10 | £10 | 1-2 Business Days | None |
SBK Review Pros & Cons
In this SBK betting review, we have told you the things we like about their product and what they could do better. Just to clarify, here’s a breakdown on what SBK do well and the areas in which we think they can improve.
What We Like:
- Great odds taken from the prices on the Smarkets betting exchange
- Generous welcome offer of £30 in free bets
- Perfect app that is uncluttered, clear and easy to use
- Create your own social profile on the app, upload your tips and follow other tipsters
- SBK Price+ feature compares football odds with competitors
What We Don’t:
- No offers or promotion for existing customers
- Lack of live streaming
- Auto Acca feature a bit pointless
Conclusion
SBK have decided to carve their only little niche, rather than try to cater to everyone. What they do, they do well. It’s a comprehensive sportsbook, with great prices and a really good app. The welcome bonus is a good one and the social feature is a difference maker.
The things that they currently lacks, such as a casino, bonuses for existing users and live streaming, will put off some punters. There’s every chance that these features will be added in time. Until then, we still think that SBK has a lot to offer and the plusses massively outweigh the minuses.
Deposit £10 Get £30 in Free Bets
Deposit £10 Get £30 in Free Bets
- Great odds from Smarkets exchange
- Fun social media feature
- Superb mobile app
