Sportsbook review: 888sport

888sport

 

PROS

The number of side/prop bets available is stunning. For example, there were 187 betting options on the Pittsburgh Penguins versus Nashville Predators NHL Finals game only. Some examples: will both teams score at least 2 goals in regulation, Nashville -5.5 shots versus Pittsburgh +5.5 shots, several player matchups to score more goals (like Forsberg -139 versus Crosby +100), several player matchups to score more points (like Arvidsson +130 versus Malkin -182), etc. They have a wide array of alternatives too, for instance you could bet on the total number of goals to be over/under 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, …, 8.0, 8.5.

888sport interface, NHL alternative bets

Live betting is also great at 888 Sport. First of all, they have lots of games and even sports that you don’t typically see like table tennis and snooker. Once again, the scope of bets offered is wide. Let’s consider tennis, for example. Of course you can bet on who wins the match, but also who will win specific sets or specific games, or the total games per set, or the exact score for a particular game (like W-0 or W-15 or W-30, etc). There seem to be endless possibilities.

888sport live betting interface

888 Sport has an innovative “Cash-in feature”, which allows you at any time to get a set amount of money for your pending bets. Suppose you risked 100$ to win 30$ on a heavily favored tennis player to win the second set. If he is currently trailing the second set, you might be offered, say, 40$. If you accept the offer, the bet is off and you end up with a 60$ loss (your initial 100$ wager plus the 40$ they just gave you back). It does not matter how the rest of the second set plays out; you lost 60$. If your player ends up losing the set, you made a good decision because you avoided a worse loss (which would have been 100$). However, if he makes a comeback and wins the second set you will feel like banging your head against the wall for accepting the 40$ because you could have gotten 130$ back instead.

This is a giant company whose financials are not hidden since it is listed on the Stock Exchange, and therefore must file annual reports.

The deposit/withdrawal methods are numerous at 888 Sport.

 

 

CONS

The number one drawback from this bookie is how quickly they limit smart bettors. If you place bets on lines that are consistently higher than the general consensus (i.e. versus lines offered at other sportsbooks), 888 Sport will quickly detect it and drop your betting limits in a hurry. If your intention from the get-go is to take advantage of some weaker lines, I advise that you bet hard right from the beginning.

Small market leagues are harder to find at 888 Sport compared to other major bookmakers.

I’m stunned that such a big sportsbook does not have customer service available around the clock. They do have office hours, so you cannot contact them 24 hours a day. It seems a bit strange coming from a company with such a big budget. Speaking of customer service, I have read on discussion forums several complaints about how poor this department can be. See the stories below.

Their promotions are not bad, but I rate them below average. They don’t have the typical signup or reload bonuses. Upon opening a new account, the only promotion in place is called TREBLE WINNINGS; 888 Sport will triple the winnings of your very first bet whose risk amount must not exceed 10$. Nothing spectacular. On top of that, the extra winnings are not paid in cash, but rather awarded as free bets (so unless those freebies are winners, you are not getting anything).

On the positive side, they constantly have some “money back” specials but again with some restrictive conditions. Here are a couple of concrete examples. First, they were offering a 5$ free bet on NBA playoff games. Condition: having placed at least five bets on a NBA playoff match. A second promotion consisted of getting refunded if your “American acca” (i.e. an accumulator/parlay on American sports) failed by one. Conditions: at least 5 legs to your accumulator, minimum odds 1.3 on each leg and the refund was topped at 25$. Geez…

888sport promotions (money back specials and bonuses)

 

 

QUICK FACTS

  • Established in 2008
  • Located in Gibraltar
  • Email: support@888sport.com
  • Listed on the Stock Exchange as 888 Holdings plc since 2005 (ticker: 888.L)
  • The company started operating in 1997 as “Virtual Holdings Limited” when they launched Casino-on-Net, and eventually the more well-known Pacific Poker in 2002.
  • The company was launched by two brothers from Israel (Avi and Aaron Shaked) who teamed up with another couple of brothers (Shay and Ron Ben-Yitzhak). What’s funny is the concept of online casinos was first presented to Aaron Shaked during a conference gathering a bunch of dentists. Unfortunately, he passed away in 2010. He was known to be making generous donations to good causes.

 

 

 

METHODS OF DEPOSIT

  • Credit card
  • Debit card
  • Skrill
  • Instadebit
  • Neteller
  • EntroPay
  • Bank wire
  • Instant Banking
  • PaySafeCard
  • Trustly
  • iCheque Visa
  • QIWI Wallet
  • iDebit (Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Finland, Germany, United Kingdom, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Sweden)
  • Paypal (Germany, Spain, United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Finland, Denmark, Austria, Sweden)
  • WebMoney (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Uzbekistan)
  • AstroPay Card (Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Venezuela)
  • Yandex Money (Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan)
  • Postepay (Italy)
  • ApplePay (United Kingdom)
  • Boleto (Brazil)
  • Eps (Austria)
  • Giropay (Germany)
  • Todito Cash (Mexico)
  • Op-Pohjola (Finland)
  • Verkkopankki (Finland)
  • Przelewy 24 (Poland)
  • Sofortuberweisung / Sofortbanking (Germany, Spain)

 

METHODS OF WITHDRAWAL

  • Credit card
  • Debit card
  • Skrill
  • Neteller
  • EntroPay
  • Bank Wire
  • iDebit (Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Finland, Germany, United Kingdom, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Sweden)
  • Paypal (Germany, Spain, United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Finland, Denmark, Austria, Sweden)
  • WebMoney (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Uzbekistan)
  • Postepay (Italy)
  • ApplePay (United Kingdom)

 

 

 

GOOD AND BAD STORIES FROM PLAYERS

A user nicknamed PAUL1297 from the United Kingdom won a large sum of money, which made him go over the monthly maximum withdrawal of 30,000$ USD. He wanted to withdraw more, so he had to wait an additional 30 days, which he was fine with. Once the 30-day period elapsed, the nightmare began for him. He made several phone calls, while being transferred from one department to the other, trying to know when he would get his funds. They didn’t even know how much they owed him. The matter was finally resolved as the bookie claimed there was a “technical error”, but it does seem like customer representatives were not very helpful.

Source: https://www.askgamblers.com/casino-complaints/delayed-payment-and-terrible-customer-service

Analysis: If you need a good example of how to deal with sportsbooks when you have a problem, that’s a good one. The player stayed polite despite his dissatisfaction and he provided a lot of details and evidence (specific dates, screenshots, etc). Bookmakers are more willing to listen to you if you don’t yell at them. I tip my hat off to 888 for awarding a ₤200 bonus for the inconvenience. That’s not a small amount and it is always appreciated by players.

 

MRM_UK from the United Kingdom won a bit of money and asked for a payout. As is always the case, the sportsbook asked to verify his ID. The player completed the process and eventually received an email saying he was approved. So he went back on the website and asked for a withdrawal, which was declined a few days later because he needed to send ID documents, which he had already done and got approved!? The issue was resolved a few days later.

Source: https://www.askgamblers.com/casino-complaints/verification-accepted-withdrawal-denied-asked-to-verify-id-again

Analysis: Pretty weird that 888sport approved the verification process, only to decline a later payout for that same reason. Are there miscommunication issues among departments? Sure, the player got his money but his patience got tested.

 

A similar story to the previous one occurred to a guy from the Czech Republic. His payout request was denied for verification purposes, despite the player receiving confirmation three days earlier that his documents were fine and that he had been approved. But this time there was a new twist to the story: when the player finally received the funds, he only got half the amount he had requested! It seems to have taken another week before he got the other half.

Source: https://www.askgamblers.com/casino-complaints/withdraw-refused

Analysis: We are clearly seeing a pattern here. Are we talking about incompetence or bad faith? Either way, dealing with their customer service does not sound as fun as spending a day at the beach.

 

An American requested a withdrawal around 8am on a Thursday. He was told by customer service it would take 48 hours to process. He got upset on the following Saturday for not having received the money by 8am on that day. He eventually got his funds on the next Tuesday.

Source: https://www.askgamblers.com/casino-complaints/waiting-on-withdrawal

Analysis: This time I’m siding with the sportsbook. Maybe the customer representative did not mention the usual delay was 48 business hours, but I would expect that to be the case (some banks are closed on weekends). So by asking for a payout on Thursday morning that would lead us to Monday morning. The funds cleared one day later; I don’t believe it’s worth complaining about. I am aware that when it comes to money we tend to get testy, but sometimes we need to take a deep breath. I don’t blame 888sport in this case.

 

A player’s withdrawal was blocked due to a mismatch between the registration name and the one appearing on the verification documents. He says he used a nickname when he originally opened the account, not thinking it would do any harm. The name on the account was changed and the matter was resolved.

Source: https://www.askgamblers.com/casino-complaints/888-casino-trouble-c3042

Analysis: Don’t ever register by using a nickname or a false name!! You will run into trouble when you try to withdraw your winnings. Always be honest with sportsbooks. Lesson learned for that person.

 

A player had been waiting for eight days for his payout to be processed, and could not get information about its status. Again, a “technical error” was blamed before the player got paid.

Source: https://www.askgamblers.com/casino-complaints/888-casino-operation-cassava-c490

Analysis: As you can see, technical errors and lack of support by customer service seem to be recurrent. It looks like people end up getting paid, but that’s a bit of a concern to me.

 

BOTTOM LINE

The big upside to this sportsbook is its wide variety of live betting and side/prop/alternative bets. They are a dream come true for those who enjoy those types of bets. If you are a bonus hustler, 888 Sport is not the best option for you. Also, remember they are one of the quickest in the business to identify professional gamblers, so you need to hit them hard very early if you wish to earn serious money before they limit you. This bookie has a strong reputation in the industry, but I remain a bit cautious considering the many complaints about withdrawal problems and customer service not being very helpful or knowledgeable.

 

NEWS

Annual results (audited annual financial results for the year 2016) (March 21, 2017)

888 Holdings scores a full house with full-year results

Appointment of Zvika Zivlin as a Non-Executive Director (May 9, 2017)

Appointment of Itai Frieberger as Chief Executive Office (March 2, 2016)

888 licensed for internet gaming in Nevada (March 25, 2013)