King J Casino, which launched in September 2023, is one of the newest betting sites in the UK betting sector, and faces a tough challenge in establishing its brand in a congested market. The site, which is operated by ProgressPlay and owned by King J Entertainment, allows betting on a wide selection of sports. You’re also given access to the series of useful betting features that we’ve come to expect from ProgressPlay sites, which are familiar to many experienced online gamblers.
You’ll discover all you need to know about the new King J sportsbook in this comprehensive review. We’ll analyse all of the bonuses, betting markets, and customer service options, and more, all in an effort towards helping you to decide whether this is a site that you want to use for your sports betting.
As mentioned above, it is difficult for new betting sites to make a name for themselves in the highly competitive modern sports betting sector. One way that bookmakers try to attract new customers is therefore to provide a sign-up offer as a reward for joining the site, and King J have followed this approach with their ‘Bet £10, Get £10 Free Bet’ offer.
As with all sportsbook sign-up offers, the King J welcome bonus has both its strengths and weaknesses. Before we get into those, however, there is the issue of how to claim the promotion. Fortunately, this process has been made straightforward for new players, with these being the few steps you need to take:
As you can see, the steps for triggering the welcome offer are easy to follow, and not significantly different to the standard process that can be found on most sports betting sites. It is also important, however, to be aware of the extensive terms and conditions associated with any welcome bonus, as these can really affect how attractive the deal is. Here are the most significant conditions attached to the King J promotion:
So how does this deal compare to offers elsewhere in the sportsbook sector? The amount of the free bet is a fairly standard £10, and this is a typical 100% deposit match bonus deal. The cap on winnings of £200 is relatively generous, but the requirement to use the free bet within seven days is strict compared to the more typical industry standard of 14 days. With that said, overall the King J welcome bonus is a solid promotion that serves as a reasonable introduction to the brand.
A good sign-up bonus is important, but we also put a lot of weight on the extent to which a sportsbook site rewards its regular players. While ongoing promotions and bonuses that seek to do so are a regular feature of casino sites, sportsbook customers are sometimes neglected in this area. Let’s see how King J stacks up, by examining a few of its more notable deals.
One of the most interesting trends in the sports betting world over the last few years has been the increasing ‘gamification’ of sports betting. This has mirrored the changes taking place in the online casino sector, bringing the world of competitive gaming and betting closer together.
King J have also taken a step in this direction, offering sports betting fans a promotion called Wager Wars. We were disappointed, however, with the King J interpretation of a betting competition. Similar bonuses available on other sportsbooks reward those who make the most nominal profit from qualifying bets, but King J’s promotion rewards a cash prize to the customer who simply makes the most bets on sports during the period of the competition. Additionally, you need to wager £50 just to qualify.
The top prize of £150 is certainly a nice reward. Overall though, this competition is simply an encouragement to chuck as many wagers down as possible, rather than making the more considered, careful bets which are more likely to make you money.
King J appears to be on safer ground with their range of cashback offers that cover rugby, tennis, football, ice hockey, basketball and cricket.
These cashback offers guarantee to refund customers 10% of any losses made through betting on that particular sport, up to a maximum of £500. Checking the terms and conditions, it seems that the cash back is in the form of withdrawable cash, not free bets or bonus money, which is certainly welcome.
To qualify for the cash back deal, you have to make a minimum deposit of £10 and enter the relevant code when making that deposit. The code is different for each sport, and is displayed under the appropriate cash back link on the promotions page. Although you would have to make a pretty hefty deposit of £5,000 to be entitled to the full £500 maximum cash back, overall, we consider this to be a good offer.
It’s common for sports betting companies to offer promotions associated with certain events on the calendar, whether that’s big sporting events or public holidays, and it seems that King J also provides this type of promotion.
For example, when we checked the site, there was a St Patrick’s Weekend promotion that offered the chance to win £10 free bets on each of the four days from March 17 to March 20. While this particular deal seems fairly standard for a sports betting promotion, it does indicate that King J takes the effort to produce ongoing topical and relevant promotions for punters, which we take as a good sign.
Customers at King J are spoiled for choice when it comes to what to bet on, with the bookmaker’s sports coverage being among the most comprehensive we’ve seen. Almost every sport imaginable is offered for betting, including horse racing, football, tennis, darts, snooker, and basketball, as well as eSports, cricket, ice hockey, Formula One, and even chess.
If you stick to the top sports and events, such as Premier League football matches, you’ll have access to hundreds of betting alternatives for each game. In the case of football, for example, this includes Asian Handicaps, Players To Be Carded, Half Betting, and much more, in addition to the typical Match Result, Correct Score, and First Goalscorers bet types. Overall, the sports coverage is absolutely enormous, taking in over 40 sports.
In terms of odds, they’re not bad for a new bookmaker. Longer-term outright prices tend to be more or less around industry standard levels, in-play odds usually provide a fair reflection of the latest goings-on, and pre-match prices – while hardly outstanding – are also usually competitive with the bigger brands out there.
The beautiful game is the most popular sport in the world, so it’s no wonder that King J has made it their primary focus. It constitutes the bulk of the selections on the left hand side of the home page, and it also takes centre stage on the sportsbook’s pre-match and in-play home pages.
The variety of football markets available here is impressive. These begin with the most important European tournaments, such as the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, and so on, and go through the Europa League and Champions League. There are also top international events in play, such as the Euros and World Cup qualifiers, along with competitions from Asia, South America, North America, and other parts of the globe.
Aside from the aforementioned breadth of coverage, the depth of football markets is also impressive. You have a lot of alternatives when it comes to which markets you may bet on, which obviously includes all of the most popular football betting options such as:
Both Asian and regular handicaps are easy to use too, as are a whole range of more specific player bets. Just a few examples of the latter include First Goalscorer, Anytime Goalscorer and First To Be Carded. Finally, Bet Target also provides outright markets for the highest-profile competitions, allowing you to make long-term predictions for the winners of leagues and cups.
Overall, the sports coverage at King J Casino is excellent, but if there is one area where they need to improve, it is in horse racing.
Horse racing is included in the list of sports covered on the site, but only races held at racetracks in the United States are currently mentioned. You will not be allowed to wager on horse racing in the United Kingdom, Ireland, or anywhere else, which will be a major drawback for many.
Tennis doesn’t get quite the same priority in the sports betting world as football, but it is a fast growing betting sport, particularly when it comes to live betting, so we are pleased to see that the King J sportsbook offers solid coverage here.
Their all-year tennis betting coverage obviously includes the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open, along with all of the tournaments on the ATP and WTA Tours. That is true not just for match-by-match betting, but also for outright markets, which open months in advance of each tournament. These are backed up by a slew of additional tournaments on both the men’s and women’s tours, all of which are normally accessible for pre-match and in-play betting.
We mentioned this earlier, but it bears repeating – the selection of other sports on offer here really is excellent, with King J having provided for a far wider audience than just football bettors.
In addition to tennis, an array of other sports are in place, with golf, cricket, boxing, and plenty more all given their due. The likes of American football and basketball also get full coverage, along with sports that are often more popular in Europe than in the US, such as handball. Finally, even if you want to bet on the likes of water polo, chess or bandy, you can usually do so at King J.
One area of King J Sports that we were particularly impressed by is their in-play betting section. As with their pre-match betting markets, there’s plenty to bet on here, and navigating to the right market is easy. You can simply click on the Live tab on their website to check out all of the in-play events, then browse through the options and filter the events by both sport or competition.
We were also impressed by a couple of the other tools that are available for live betting customers. The Live Multiview feature, for example, enables you to add live sports events to the Multiview page, and can be extremely useful for in-play customers. The benefit is that you can see the odds and live scores for every game that you’re interested in on one, single screen. This can save a lot of time and effort, and it’s especially beneficial when betting in-play on a mobile device, which is obviously extremely popular nowadays.
We were also impressed with the Live Calendar feature. Clicking on this tab opens up a long list of events due to take place over the coming week. You can filter this list by sport or browse through the list for each day to check out what is happening, then – if you find an event you are interested in – you can then click through to the betting markets.
The emergence of smartphone technology has drastically altered the landscape of sports betting. For many bettors today, placing bets on the move is the primary – if not exclusive – method of wagering. Any new sportsbook that opens simply must take this into consideration.
For starters, there is no King J mobile betting app available for iOS or Android users at the time of writing. This is naturally disappointing, but is arguably to be expected from a brand-new betting site, since modern internet technology has vastly improved the mobile compatibility of mobile browser sites.
While the King J mobile site is not perfect, this is nonetheless a decent alternative, which offers all of the desktop site’s major functionality. You can use the mobile site to not only place bets but also make deposits and withdrawals, manage your account, and contact customer service. The mobile site runs smoothly with very few glitches, and the UI is pleasant and simple to use, just as it is on the desktop site.
Choosing newer betting sites over well-known ones has its advantages, but the range of special features that a new site is able to offer is one area where they naturally lag behind top-tier sportsbooks. But although the King J platform can’t match some of the more established brands, it does have some tricks up its sleeve.
The most notable special features here are those that deal with live betting. The variety of in-play marketplaces is amazing, but it is the quality of the live betting tools available that is truly outstanding.
The placement of in-play bets is handled very rapidly, which means you’ll be able to lock in your odds most of the time. Those prices also change at a decent pace – fast enough to reflect the most recent events, but not so fast that you’ll run out of time to place your wagers. The mechanism for cashing out is just as effective, regarding the responsiveness of both its pricing and the actual closing out of wagers. When you add in the benefits of the Live Multiview and Live Calendar features, as mentioned above, this is as close to an ideal live betting site as you’re likely to find right now.
Although it may not be as showy as a big welcome bonus, a high-quality registration process is still an important tool for a new sportsbook. After all, the last thing you want is to attract new consumers just to have them abandon the process because it takes so long to register. We’re happy to report that this is not the case with King J. Instead, the registration procedure is really simple, well-explained, and takes just a few minutes to complete.
To get the ball rolling, you simply go to the website’s homepage and click the orange ‘Join Now’ button in the top-right corner. You will now be sent to the first screen, which has a few areas that you must fill out in order to set up your account, starting with your email address, followed by a username and password.
After this, you’ll be prompted to provide a number of personal details such as your name, date of birth, and home address, and – if you have a promo code – you may submit it here as well. After completing this section, you can click on the ‘Open Account’ option. After a few seconds your account should be set up, and you’ll be able to make your initial deposit and begin betting.
Verifying your identity can be a frustrating requirement. While it is irritating though, it is important to remember that this is a legal duty for all reputable bookmakers registered with the United Kingdom Gambling Commission. ID verification is crucial in targeting both identity theft and underage betting, and in generally keeping the site safe for everyone.
The ID verification procedure on King J is relatively straightforward, meaning it should cause you only a minimum delay. These are the few steps you must take to do complete the process:
King J, as with other UKGC registered sites, will require two forms of identification from you. A recent utility bill or bank statement is required to confirm your home address, while the second piece of identification should be a picture ID that verifies your actual identity, such as a passport or driver’s licence.
You should hear from the King J customer care staff soon after uploading both parts. They will either seek further verification from you or, if everything goes well, they will authenticate your account and enable you to begin making withdrawals, and generally enjoy full use of the site.
Whatever your preferred deposit option – whether that is bank card, eWallet or pre-paid card – King J can accommodate you, since they offer an extensive list of banking options covering deposits and withdrawals. The full list is quite impressive, and includes all of the most popular options, ranging from Visa and Mastercard to Trustly, Paysafecard, Skrill and Neteller.
The minimum deposit in all cases is £10, and the withdrawal time will depend on which option you go for. Card and bank transfer payments take up to 5 days to go through, for example, while eWallet methods can be completed within a matter of hours.
The only main negative with the King J banking system is the small £2.50 withdrawal fee. This is absolutely unnecessary, and is extremely unusual on modern-day betting sites.
King J is a relatively new betting platform, but – as part of the ProgressPlay network of sites – it has a lot in common with sister platforms such as BetNeptune. To put it less politely, it’s pretty much a carbon copy, even down to the colour of the link buttons at the top of the page.
The colour scheme across the site is fairly drab, but the effect is to focus attention on the markets and the various links to site features. The centre of the home page is given over to ongoing and upcoming sports events, while the familiar left hand list of sports categories is nicely designed, with bright and colourful logos for each of the relevant sports. The category list also includes a handy search function, which is a nice touch, while all of the various areas of the site – including Promotions and Account tools – are clearly labelled, so navigating the platform will involve minimal clicking.
Overall, the layout of the site is functional and efficient, rather than eye-catching. It is certainly easy for newcomers to adapt to though, and has a ‘cut to the chase’ quality that experienced bettors will appreciate.
Effective customer support is not the most exciting feature to consider when reviewing an online sportsbook, but that doesn’t mean it is not important.
We were pleased to find that King J offers customer service through email and live chat 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Both contact options may be found under the website’s ‘Support’ page, with emails delivered using the on-site contact form.
There’s also a handy Help section, which effectively serves as the site’s FAQ.This contains information on frequent account difficulties, claiming bonuses and promotions, plus useful advice on how to authenticate your account, bet on the various sports, and utilise the responsible gambling tools to establish account limits, and keep your gaming safe.
King J is part of ProgressPlay, a white label platform based in Malta that offers all of a betting site’s core technological aspects, while allowing the operators of the site to customise it with their own branding and colour scheme. Although ProgressPlay are best known for their casino sites, they have also produced a range of sports betting platforms in recent years, including BetNeptune, Bet Jewel and 2Kbet.
This site has only been operating since September 2023, but holds a licence from the UKGC, as does ProgressPlay. This should reassure players regarding its credentials, and confirm it as a safe and fair gambling platform.
If you’ve ever used a ProgressPlay site before, you know what you are getting with King J, and there are few surprises here. Whether that’s a good thing will depend on your experiences with the other sites provided by this operator, although most of these do indeed provide a serviceable betting product.
The King J site gets a lot right. When you open it up there are no distracting gimmicks, and you are taken straight to the live markets, while navigating through the various sections of the site is straightforward. A big strength of the site is undoubtedly the range of sports and depth of markets available, while the odds are perfectly reasonable. The live betting platform is another highlight, offering a full range of in-play markets and useful features that will be appreciated by regular live bettors, and there is a strong customer support section offering the full complement of contact and help options.
On the negative side, there is nothing particularly new here, and you certainly won’t be blown away by the King J sportsbook. The promotions available have a samey feel to them, there is no reward scheme, and the lack of a mobile app – while understandable for a new site – is still disappointing. The withdrawal process also has its problems. It is hard to justify a withdrawal fee in 2024, and that irritation is compounded by occasional problems with payout speed, which can be a common source of frustration for sports punters.
Overall, the King J sportsbook is a solid, betting-focused site. It doesn’t stand out in too many areas, but ticks many of the most important boxes, and offers a modern, streamlined and in-depth betting platform. Even in its current iteration, there’s enough here for us to recommend creating an account, and grabbing yourself a £10 free bet courtesy of the welcome offer.
Five Key Advantages of King J: