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Is SBK Safe?
This is a new type of betting site that is available only as a mobile app and that takes the approach of a bookmaker site while offering the value of an exchange.
In this review, we will look at the value of their odds together with their welcome bonus and other important factors.
Company Overview
| Safety rating | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Owner | Smarkets (Malta) Limited |
| Address | Level 7, Ir-Rampa ta’ San Giljan Street, St. Julians STJ 1062 Malta |
| Live chat | 24/7 |
| Licensed in the UK? | Yes |
| Test period | 8 hours |
Pros of SBK
- Competitive odds
- 24/7 live chat
- High-quality security features
- Fair terms on welcome offer
- Great app
- Community feel with a social media-type of approach
Cons of SBK
- No desktop version of the site
- Doesn’t offer live streaming of games
SBK Security
Security at SBK
| Is SBK safe? | Yes |
| License | UK and Malta |
| SSL | 256-bit |
| Founded | 2019 |
| Player protection level | High |
| Problems withdrawing? | No |
| Fines? | No |
| Responsible gambling tools | Good |
The SBK app is offered by Smarkets Limited, which is a sports betting company based in London. They are best known for running the Smarkets betting exchange and SBK is their mobile app-based more on a bookmaker style than an exchange.
Responsible gambling is clearly something that they take seriously, as they promote this prominently on the app. Use their self-assessment to understand some of the main issues on this subject and identify any possible concerns.
SSL encryptions are in place to ensure your data is safe. In fact, SBK makes use of top of the range 256-bit encryptions which means your data is in good hands.
Overall, SBK is a highly trustworthy site.
License
The SBK app can be used in the UK thanks to the fact that they have a license from the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC). This is a huge mark of trust as we know that this is a difficult license to obtain.
Another license has been issued to them by the Malta Gaming Authority, demonstrating that this is a trustworthy sportsbook.
The fact that the company were able to secure two highly sought after licences show that they are legit. Holding a licence is a necessity, but two is a bonus.
Responsible Gambling
You will find a lot of resources on this subject in the SBK Help Centre. This includes sections on:
- Maintaining your control
- Self-exclusion
- Deposit limits
- Loss Limits
It contains everything we would expect to see and confirms that they have a sensible, responsible approach to gambling. In comparison with the rest of the industry, they offer above and beyond what is necessary to meet licence requirements.
Reasons to Trust SBK
- Licensed in the UK
- Part of the reputable Smarkets group
- Transport Layer Security (TLS) and Secure Socket Layer (SSL) used
- A comprehensive section on responsible gambling
- Work with the most reliable payment methods
SBK Bonuses
SBK New Customer Offer
| Offer type | Cashback |
| Amount | Up to £20 |
| Minimum deposit | £20 |
| Minimum stake | N/A |
| Maximum cash back | £20 |
| Payments accepted | Trustly or bank transfer |
| Bonus code | N/A |
| Wagering | 1x |
| Time frame | 7 days |
| Get bonus | Here |
This is a starting bonus that lets you get going with extra confidence. It essentially lowers the risk of your first wager. If you lose, you are given back the money you lost, up to the amount of the first deposit that you made. You can make this up in any number of bets.
It is similar to other UK betting offers we have seen, although some sites prefer to give you a free bet when you join. This is arguably better than the SBK offer in one aspect, as you get the free bet regardless. On the other hand, a cashback deal like this one doesn’t give you anything extra if you win with the money from your first deposit.
Having said that, the limit of £20 is decent, and there is no wagering attached to your winnings.
If we were to suggest one possible improvement to this promotion it would be some sort of bonus for those people who win on their first deposit.
1
Join SBK
by downloading their app and registering
2
Deposit a minimum of £20
using Trustly or bank transfer
3
Place your bets
with no minimum odds required
4
Get your cash back
if you lose up to £20
The limited number of terms & conditions makes this an easy bonus to understand and to use. All you need to do is a deposit, bet and then receive the cashback if you lose. Therefore it is suitable for someone who is new to online sports betting.
It would be more useful to a greater range of players if it was available on all deposit methods. However, apart from that, there is nothing of note in the terms & conditions that we would want to see changed.
SBK Bonus Terms and Conditions
- Minimum deposit: £10
- Payment restrictions: Bonus only for deposits using bank transfer or Trustly
- Wagering requirement: 1x
- Expiration period: 7 days
- Min odds and stake: N/A
Other Promotions
You can take part in other promotions from SBK, although the collection isn’t particularly extensive at the time of writing this review.
An example of what they offer comes with the SB10K competition, where any member can enter to stand a chance of getting their name drawn out at random and winning £10,000.
They are not your typical betting site promotions, but they do offer value. We’d say it’s worth keeping your eye out on the promotions tab as there is often prizes too, such as tickets to horse racing events.
Overall, we like the offers that SBK provides as they’re a bit different.
Sports Betting Markets
SBK Betting Markets
| Number of sports | 25 |
| Top sport | Football |
| Other sports | Golf, horse racing and cricket |
| Market depth | Excellent |
| Cash out? | Yes |
| Bet builder? | Yes |
| Live streaming? | No |
| Daily offers? | No |
| In-play markets? | Yes |
| Play | Here |
This sports betting app covers the main sports and markets you would expect to see. Football is the most popular sport and odds available on bets such as over/under, first goalscorer and so on.
The key difference between SBK and other betting sites is that the odds are better here. This is because they don’t take the typical bookmaker’s approach of building a profit into their odds. Instead, the odds are set by the punters.
This makes the value closer to that of an exchange, but the app has the feel of a bookmaker site.
Another difference is that they encourage a community approach where punters share information and tips with each other.
The top sports on this site are as follows:
- Football
- Cricket
- Golf
- Tennis
- Horse racing
- Basketball
- Darts
- Rugby
- American football
- Ice hockey
Maximum Payouts
When we got in touch with customer service through their live chat function, it was confirmed that there aren’t actually any maximum payouts on any of the sports offered. This is certainly welcome news if you manage to strike lucky!
Most bookmakers have these set per sport, or per day so this was a little surprising. In saying that, as we’ve discovered this bookmaker is a little different from the norm.
Football at SBK
Given the massive popularity of betting on football in the UK, it is no surprise to find that this is the top sport on SBK. They cover everything from the EPL to La Liga, the Bundesliga and numerous other leagues all over the planet.
You will find markets such as full-time results, total goals, team clean sheet and both teams to score.
The markets for more popular leagues such as the Premier League are excellent with hundreds priced up on the day of the match. In this respect, SBK matches the best in the business.
They don’t sponsor any teams, although the Smarkets brand sponsors Queens Park Rangers.
Odds Comparison at SBK
SBK has built a large chunk of its reputation on giving the best possible odds.
To put it to the test, we checked out a few upcoming events and discovered that it does provide the sort of value that it claims to offer across various markets.
The odds on SBK come out a lot better for players than on the country’s leading traditional bookmaker sites.
SBK Betting Margin Tottenham vs Liverpool
| SBK | bet365 | Coral | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tottenham | 21/5 | 17/4 | 19/4 |
| Draw | 37/10 | 15/4 | 16/5 |
| Liverpool | 11/18 | 8/15 | 4/7 |
| Overround (margin) | 102.58% | 105.33% | 104.85% |
In this market, we can see that SBK are highly attractive with their odds. They are adding only just over a 2% profit margin while the others are adding closer to 5%.
A look at the EPL winner market has SBK offering Liverpool at 29/10 and Manchester City at 11/18. Manchester City is at 8/13 with William Hill, who have Liverpool at 5/2. All in all, SBK are providing good value to players.
A crucial point to consider is that a 2% commission is charged on all winnings on SBK, as is the case with the Smarkets exchange. Their odds are still competitive, but you should bear this detail in mind when calculating how good their odds really are.
We also took a look at the upcoming golf events, to make sure that SBK is as competitive in this sport.
For the Ryder Cup, SBK has the USA team at 11/18, Europe at 17/10 and the draw at 23/2. This compares very well with bookies such as Betway, Bet Victor and 888Sports, who all have the USA at 8/15, Europe at 15/8 and the draw at 12, although the SBK overround is closer to that of their rivals in this example.
Live Betting
Live betting is one of the strong points of SBK, as you can check the constantly updated odds conveniently on the app.
Cashout is as easy to arrange as you would hope for, and the whole live betting process is smooth as well as being extremely easy to carry out.
We were also impressed with the number of markets on offer. It’s clearly an area that they have invested in, and an experience we highly recommend.
Live Streaming
One of the main areas where the SBK app could be improved is with live streaming, as it isn’t currently available.
It isn’t clear whether they have any plans to add live streaming, but at the moment you will have to settle for following the live updates on the app.
This is disappointing as it is something that the best betting sites offer, and can enhance a live betting experience.
Betting Sites with Live Streaming
- Live streaming on hundreds of events
- Valuable welcome offer
- Excellent odds
- Excellent live streaming coverage
- 24/7 live chat
- Great brand reputation
- Live streaming schedule available
- Top promotions
- Multiple licences
Cashout
The cashout option is hugely important in live betting, so it is a relief to see that SBK allows this.
Their help desk confirms that cashout requests might not be accepted if the odds move or the market is suspended before the request is processed. This is common and we are unaware of there being any major issues in this respect.
Partial cashout isn’t yet an option at SBK which is something we would like to be included in the future. Most big betting sites provide this as standard now, so SBK is missing the mark a little here.
Bet Builder
Add multiple bets to your betting slip with no fuss, as it is a highly intuitive process that you should have no trouble in getting to grips with.
It’s great to see that this feature is offered because it allows you to make the exact bet you want and is a hallmark of a quality sportsbook due to its popularity.
Blog and Community
There is no SBK blog, but they go to great lengths to encourage a community feel on their app.
This is the sort of place where you can exchange tips and information with other punters to increase your chances of winning.
Payment Methods at SBK
The list of banking methods accepted by SBK is fairly extensive, with debit cards, banking transfers and online wallets all covered.
Most of these approaches give you instant deposits, with the key exception being bank transfers, which can take up to five working days to reach your account.
SBK Minimum Deposit and Withdrawal Times
| Payment Method | Min Deposit/Withdrawal | Withdrawal Time |
|---|---|---|
 | £10/no max | Up to five working days |
 | £40/no max | Up to 24 hours |
 | £10/£5,500 | Up to 24 hours |
 | £10/no max | Up to 24 hours |
 | £10/no max | Up to 24 hours |
The withdrawal policy at SBK is similar to what you would expect to see from a good UK bookmaker, with fast withdrawal times on most methods and sensible limits. Bank transfers are once against the slowest means of moving money.
With some UK betting sites making their banking methods list bigger in recent times, this is around the average number of withdrawal methods. Most users should find a method that suits them, with the only major omissions from the banking list being the likes of Pay by mobile and cryptocurrencies.
SBK App
SBK Mobile
| Safety rating | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Available on iOS? | Yes |
| Available on Android? | Yes |
| Live streaming? | No |
| User experience? | Excellent |
| Two-step log-in? | Yes |
| Mobile web? | No |
| Number of sports | 25+ |
As a mobile-exclusive betting service, the SBK app is a huge part of their overall approach. This is a slick, easy to use app that makes getting started extremely simple. You can download it for Android or iOS for free.
With an attractive interface and easy controls, this is one of the best betting apps if you want to switch to mobile betting.
It is especially useful in the case of live betting, as you don’t want to waste a second when putting on a bet or cashing out.
Another good feature about the app is that it is very secure, with both FaceID and two-factor authentication available.
Customer Support
Customer Service Channels at SBK
| Live chat | 24/7 |
| Phone | +44 207 617 7413 (9am-12am) |
| [email protected] | |
| Response time | Within 2 minutes for live chat, and up to 48 hours for email |
| FAQ section | Extensive |
| Languages | English only |
We got in touch through live chat and got a response quickly, in less than a minute, but we did wait almost three minutes on a different occasion.
The answers to our questions were prompt and professional. The customer support strikes an appropriate balance between friendliness and professionalism.
If you’re looking for something specific then the FAQ section could be your first port of call. It covers a wide range of topics and we found it to be very useful.
Overall, we found the support to be above the average for the industry.
User Experience
This app has been well-designed to make it extremely easy to use. The key point to bear in mind here is that it offers the value of a betting exchange but with the ease of use of a bookmaker site.
If you have been put off the idea of betting exchanges by the complexity, you should feel more comfortable with the trouble-free user experience on this app.
Everything is well signposted and bonuses were easy to claim. Overall we rate it highly for customer experience.
Top Five Tips at SBK
- Explore the different betting markets on offer
- Use the community section to find tips
- Collect your welcome bonus
- Try the live betting section
- Look for ongoing promotions you can join
Improvements
Perhaps the key improvement would be with a welcome bonus that gives everyone something extra, as currently, anyone who wins on their first deposit doesn’t get anything. It doesn’t mean it’s not value, just that no everyone will benefit.
Apart from that, the introduction of live streaming would certainly make following live bets more enjoyable. It’s something that many bookmakers offer, although not all.
The lack of a desktop site might put some players off, but we have to say that downloading the app was easy. In saying that, it does take up space on your device. So, a mobile web version could be a nice addition.
Conclusion
Overall, this is a high-quality betting app that gives you competitive odds and an intuitive layout.
It provides a secure betting experience where you can feel part of a large community and sample many different markets without any hassle. We’re happy to give SBK the legit.org seal of approval.
SBK offers a unique community feel to it’s site making it stand out from the crowd.
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FAQs
Is SBK legit?
Yes, this is part of the well-respected Smarkets brand and is properly licenced in the UK by the country’s Gambling Commission.
What devices can I bet on?
The SBK app is available for Android and iOS operating systems. There is no desktop version of the site, so you can’t use it from a computer.
Do I need to verify my account?
SBK will attempt to verify your identity electronically. If they are unable to do this, you will receive notification that you need to send them ID documents to complete this process. This adds to the overall security of the site.
Can I use my Smarkets login?
Yes, you can use the same login credentials on SBK that you use for accessing the Smarkets exchange. If you don’t have a Smarkets account, you can set up a new account on either platform.