888 Group was established back in 1997 launching their casino and poker sites. On 2008 their sportsbook came to the spotlight. 888sport.com is licensed in Malta, in the UK and in Gibraltar, where its headquarters are also located. Moreover, it holds many local licenses. The Israeli bookmaker is a member of ESSA, the European betting integrity body and is listed on the London Stock Exchange. The 888 sportsbook platform is courtesy of Kambi, coming with over 250.000 pre-match events yearly, 300+ extra football bets and unique features like Market Maker and Instant Betting. 888bet acts as a sponsor to the ACB League (Spanish Basketball) and the NFL giants New York Jets.
888 sport betting pre-match section comes with a 95%+ overall payout and that is the rate for most of the Top-5 football leagues, on the W-D-W market. This is not the case for secondary leagues or the alternative bets like Both Teams to Score and Correct score. The Asian Handicap odds are also lower than anticipated. The payout rises up to 96%+ on tennis on the Match winner market. The same applies to basketball, both on Match Winner and Point Handicap markets. Inevitably, 888sports' rating on odds will rise up to a high 8.1. The players can wager on 250.000+ pre-match events on a yearly basis, from more than 40 sports. The football lovers are able to choose among 300+ extra bets at every match, like Cards, Player Cards and Corners. As for the basketball and tennis enthusiasts, they are going to find lots of Alternative HCs and a wide range of player props.
Additionally, 888 bookmaker gives the punters the chance to place their bets on lots of outrights. Also, there is a wide offering on US Sports, Horse Racing, on awards like The Oscars and on various political bets. The sportsbook comes with unique and useful features like Market Maker and Bet Builder. With Market Maker, you may ask the traders to offer you any alternative market you may come up with. Bet Builder lets you create your own combo bet from your favourite matches. The players can choose among three odds formats, Fractional, Decimal and American.
The 888sport live betting section offers 10.000+ events on a monthly basis and an excellent UX. Just 2 clicks are enough to find and place your favourite live bet. Moreover, it comes with unique features, like Cashout, although the punters won't find partial and automatic. The 888sport live streaming service covers the best races from the UK and Ireland and a wide variety of main events, all in High Definition. The players can also feel an adrenaline rush through the instant betting feature. The payout ranges from 93%+ to 94%+ on the main markets and the bettors can place their wagers on 100+ extra bets, Like Next Goal/Corner/Card, Asian Handicaps/Totals and Throw In bets, at every Premier League match. For all other leagues, about 80+ extra bets are offered.
The sportsbook comes with native apps both for Android and iOS devices, while an optimized mobile site is also in line. The players can deposit through 20+ payment methods. Apart from the common ones, like cards, bank transfer and wallets, PayPal is also in line. All that comes along with various local systems like Trustly, Sofort and Interac, but Bitcoin is not part of the offering. The Customer Support is available 24/7 through live chat, e-mail, telephone and Twitter.
Apart from the existing sponsorships, 888Sport.com created important partnerships in the past years, raising this way its awareness. In 2011 it established the ex-national football player Santiago Cañizares as the sportsbook's ambassador, while the bookie has acted as a sponsor to various English football sides like Birmingham and Nottingham Forest.
888sport has been using their own proprietary software since their inception. Having their own in-house development team means the company can make modifications to the platform that they need, as opposed to waiting in the queue with a bunch of other licensees of a third-party software partner.
The software is excellent, providing lines quickly and allowing for wagering to take place without much buffer at all. Also, there is an 888sport mobile app available for iOS and Android devices (this is likely limited to jurisdictions the mobile providers will allow). What this means is that while you are sitting at a match, you can quickly and easily access the live betting options so you can wager in real time during the game.
The Good Stuff
Mobile Betting Options
I love the fact that there is a responsive mobile site as well as a native app for 888sport. These days, most gamblers are making their wagers on their devices, and having easy access to their 888sport account means that wagers can be made faster and more frequently. I know I will for sure be using the mobile app for in-game betting.
Loads of Promotions
The company has spent a lot of time coming up with a lot of small promotions that are sure to please even the stingiest of gamblers. Many of these promotions are insurance-based (see the promotions section below for details), which are perfect for people who feel they get screwed in the last minute of these games.
The Bad Stuff
Poker and Casino Nowhere to be Found
Yes, there is a link to the different 888 sites, but if you are looking for seamless movement from one game to another on the 888sport site, you will not be happy. It's a small thing, but I for one don't like having to leave a place even for a partner site.
Welcome Bonus Terms and Conditions
For their welcome offer, you have to make a wager on an event that has 2/1 odds or worse to qualify. That to me seems ridiculous; the maximum you can win is $30 ($20 of bonus money), so it isn't set up to have people take huge advantage of it. I hope the site sees the error in its ways and removes that restriction.
Game Selection
The sportsbook features all the betting options you could want. Everything from future betting on leagues and teams to game odds, parlays (they call them accumulators), and teasers is covered. Also, with the live betting feature, you can make wagers on certain sports like soccer and tennis as the matches are in progress. This is an excellent feature, as those sports, in particular, can be long and tedious if you only have a bet on the final outcome. Live in-game betting has become incredibly popular in the UK market and is slowly becoming more relevant in the North American sports.