This Sky Bet review introduces you to one of the UK’s most popular online betting sites. Furthermore, its first-class betting options can be enjoyed through a desktop and mobile browser and its free-to-download mobile app. We’ll get into the details of the Sky Bet sign-up offer & promotions, what to expect with the mobile app, what punters are saying – if they have any complaints, and if we’d actually recommend you sign up with this top UK bookmaker.

  • Betting offer: 10/10
  • Welcome bonus: 10/10
  • Website: 9/10
  • Mobile: 9/10
  • Payments: 7/10
  • Customer service: 7/10
  • Global note: 8/10

Intro to Sky Bet sports and markets in the UK

Sky Bet offers 31 betting markets, 28 of which are sports, esports, and virtuals (there’s also politics and entertainment markets). Sky Bet has built its reputation primarily around football and horse racing. In the past, it has invested in sponsorship deals with both sports and is currently the main sponsor of the three divisions of the English Football League.

All of the usual betting options are available. You can use the Sky Bet bet builder tool to assemble many combinations or browse from thousands of RequestABets that have already been priced up.

Sky Bet available sports and markets

SkyBet betting experience, odds & limits

For the most part, Sky Bet offers better value odds than its competitors, although this isn’t always the case. Of course, regular price boosts are available for even more value.

Sky Bet does establish winning limits, but these differ between sports and events. The maximum that can be won on a bet depends on the event and market. For example, the maximum payout for a football event is £500,000.

This ranges between £50,000 and £250,000 for all other sports except golf’s PGA, USPGA Tours and majors, including the Open Championship, where the maximum winning limit is £500,000.

Sky live & in-play betting review

Sky Bet’s live betting is an essential feature of the online betting platform. Punters can wager on more than 30 sports across pre-match, live betting, and ante-post markets. The Sky Bet live betting section can be found under the In-Play section. Players engaging in live betting can access real-time match data before placing their bets.

Sky live & in-play betting review

When you choose this option, you will be directed to the Sky Bet in-play betting interface. Customers visiting the Sky Bet online betting site can place live bets on most sports, with football and tennis being among the most popular choices.

Reviewing the Sky Bet sports sign up offer & other promotions

There are a few offers to choose from when signing up for Sky Bet. Here are the main ones:

Sky Bet welcome offerSign up
Sky Bet standard £30 sports offerClaim this offer
Sky Bet £40 horse racing offerClaim this offer

Sky Bet standard sports betting offer – £30 free bets

When you register for your new Sky Bet account, you can claim a welcome bonus worth up to £30 in free bets. Best of all, it only takes a bet of five pence to unlock. The bonus is available on first single and each way bets only at odds of Evens or greater. The bonus will be paid out in three £10 bet tokens and will expire after 30 days.

Sky Bet standard sports betting offer - £30 free bets
  • Maximum bonus: £30
  • Bonus type: 3 X £10 bet tokens
  • Bonus code: N/A
  • Minimum deposit: £5.00

Sky Bet horse racing offer – £40 free bets

Sky Bet is offering £40 in free horse racing bets when you place a £10 bet. This offer is exclusive to new customers and is available for single and each-way bets at odds of 1/1 or greater. The free bets are non-withdrawable and can only be used on horse racing markets. They expire 30 days after being credited.

Sky Bet horse racing offer - £40 free bets
  • Offer: £40 in free horse racing bets
  • Minimum bet: £10
  • Free bet tokens: 4 X £10 bet tokens
  • Expiry: 30 days after crediting

Reviewing my Sky Bet sign up experience

I signed up for the Sky Bet sports betting website so that is the deal I accepted. While the horse racing offer would have given me £10 more, I prefer to bet on other sports.

The signing-up process was nice and simple. It only took a few minutes. My account has now been fully verified and currently has a positive balance.

sky bet sign up process reivew

You will simply need to enter your first and life name, date of birth, country of residence, address, mobile number, email address and user name. Then you will need to set a PIN to secure your account and answer a security question.

You can set a deposit limit before agreeing to the site’s terms and signing up.

Sky Bet website review

During this Sky Bet UK review, I explored the website and found it to be highly user-friendly. Everything is clearly laid out and easy to find. The site is presented in a familiar red, white and blue with the occasional flash of yellow to highlight a promotion.

At the top of the page, you can see all of the Sky brands and the links to their various sites. As well as the other Sky gaming platforms, you will also find links to the free-to-play football Super Six and its horse racing equivalent, ITV7, alongside links to Sporting Life and Sky Sports.

Sky Bet app review and mobile site

While the Sky Bet website will work excellently on any mobile browser, there’s a dedicated mobile app that can be downloaded from both the iOS store and Google Play. Just like the Sky Bet website, the app has a sleek design, and it runs without lag or bugs. I would highly recommend that you download the app for yourself if you do go ahead and open an account with this bookie. Sky Bet payment options

Sky Bet primarily offers debit card payments, including Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, Instant Bank Transfers, Apple Pay and Google Pay. While e-wallets like PayPal were previously accepted, they are no longer an option for new UK users.

Sky Bet app review and mobile site

To make a deposit, log in and visit the Deposit page. From there, select My Account then Payments. Next, choose the Deposit, select an available banking method, enter an amount and confirm the transaction. Your money will be in your account in seconds. The process is very similar for withdrawals at Sky Bet, although these can take a little longer to complete.

Sky Bet customer service

You have a few options for contacting Sky Bet, but the live chat feature is probably the most convenient and quickest in terms of response times. This service is also available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

However, if that doesn’t sound like your preferred option, here are alternative ways to reach out to Sky Bet.

Sky Bet user reviews & testimonials

I could talk all day about the things I really like about Sky Bet in my SkyBet review, but why take my word for it, what do your fellow UK bettors think about this online betting platform? Here are some genuine user reviews for you to consider.

Sky Bet app - user reviews & testimonials

“Very easy app to use great virtual assistant. Very competitive and straightforward to open and close account”

– C Mesha, Trustpilot

“Good app, better cash out than some. The football sections should be in league categories rather than individual games. Plus need to study some bets thoroughly as certain bets come with conditions that you could quite easily not see. (Small print). I’ve woke up with a smile on my face thinking I’ve won, then bang, small print beats me. But all in all good app”

– Google user, 4/5 stars, Google Play Store

“Love the app. Would be great to start making this a bit more modern though in terms of design. For example, dark modes and reducing white space from the open bet screen. I’d rather have a single line of data showing the bet type and current score. Would be great to be able to have an option to hide open bets.

I want to place certain bets for events happening next year or for season long accumulators, but I don’t want to see them every time I go to Open Bets. Having a settings option against each open bet to hide would be brilliant.”

– HarrisJames16, 5/5 stars, Apple App Store

So now you can see that the platform has picked up some pretty impressive reviews that I would agree with.

Sky Bet on responsible gambling

Sky Bet takes its commitment to safer gambling extremely seriously. As such, it provides a range of tools to keep you safe when gambling online. As well as providing links to numerous charities players are able to use the following:

  • Deposit limit
  • Transfer limit
  • Reality check
  • Cool off
  • Close my account
  • Self-exclusion

If you feel like you need help and support when you spot the warning signs, such as chasing losses or betting more than you can afford to lose, there are links provided for the following charities:

  • GamCare
  • BeGambleAware
  • Gordon Moody
  • GAMSTOP
  • Gamban
  • Samaritans

SkyBet vs its competitors

BookmakerNumber of sportsApp average RatingsWelcome offerBest known forTop feature
Sky Bet284/5Bet £5, get £30 in free betsCash Out featureSuper Six
William Hill324.3/5Bet £10, get £30 in free betsHorse racing coverageImpact Sub
Betfred224.4/5Bet £10, get £50 in free betsBonusesEarly pay outs
Kwiff204.2/5Bet £10, get £30 in free betsPrice boostsSurprise bets
bet365404.6/5Bet £10, get £30 in free betsBet builderLive streaming
Ladbrokes374.4/5Bet £5, get £20 in free betsDaily promotionsLadbucks

All of the above recommended betting sites have merits and benefits, each offering something different. Some score more highly than others in certain categories, but each is a top-performing bookmaker.

This could be based on the number of sports offered or how well the app is rated. Then, of course, there are the bonuses, promotions, and other standout features that are available.

A history of SkyBet

Sky Betting and Gaming began with the Sports Internet Group, a dot-com set up in Harrogate in 1999 by Jeremy Fenn, Chris Akers, and Peter Wilkinson, three Yorkshire-based entrepreneurs. The group was made up of football sites, Opta, and a telephone-based bookmaker.

In May 2000, BSkyB bought the Sports Internet Group for £300 million. Following the takeover, the football site was shut down, and Opta was sold, leaving the betting service to justify the price tag.

The bookmaker was launched on the internet and interactive TV and then rebranded as Sky Bet, focusing on betting using the Sky TV remote control. A relationship with Sky Sports was developed, and a TV football betting service, complete with betting commentary, was made accessible via the red button on the Sky remote.

As interactive TV started to decline, the focus shifted towards the internet and mobile betting. The company grew further in 2006 when established online bookmakers Total Bet and UK Betting were acquired by Sky Bet following BSkyB’s purchase of 365 Media Group.

In 2015, Sky plc sold an 80% stake in the company to CVC Capital Partners for £600 million, with Sky retaining a 20% stake. In 2018, CVC and Sky sold Sky Betting & Gaming to The Stars Group for £3.4 billion, which was then acquired by Flutter Entertainment in 2020.

Sky Bet is today still part of the Flutter Entertainment group.

Recapping the Sky Bet bookmaker review – 100% recommended

The betting options at Sky Bet are immense, but it doesn’t do anything particularly unusual. In truth, it doesn’t need to, as it has everything a bettor could want. First-class website? Check. Well-working app? Check.

Plus, the welcome offer is unlike anything else I have come across. For anyone who needs reminding, the Sky Bet sign up offer dishes out £30 in free bets when you bet a minimum of just 5p on any bet. Too good to be true, right?

Most sports betting punters will find plenty to like about this site. From the sheer variety of markets to the live coverage and the excellence of the promotions, it’s easy to see why this is one of the UK’s highest-rated online bookmakers.

Perfect for the casual user but with enough scope for higher rollers, Sky Bet is recommended to anyone looking for a mainstream sportsbook experience and happy to use debit cards for banking.

SkyBet FAQs

Can I trust Sky Bet?

Yes you can as it is a part of the huge Flutter Entertainment group who own a number of famous gaming brands.

Is Sky Bet a fully licenced bookmaker?

Yes it is. Sky Bet is licensed and regulated by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission under the number 38718 and the name Bonne Terre Limited.

Does Sky Bet provide acca insurance?

No, Sky Bet isn’t currently offering acca insurance, however they do offer enhanced acca odds.

Does Sky Bet offer free bets?

Yes, it often provides free bet builder promotions for the weekend’s biggest Premier League football matches.

Does Sky Bet have a mobile app?

Yes, there is a Sky Bet app that can be downloaded for both Android and Apple devices.