Royal Panda Sports Betting Review

Note: Royal Panda is no longer accepting new accounts from UK residents – we recommend you explore our other popular brands.

Royal Panda offers a casino, live casino and sports betting. Their core product has been casino gaming since 2014 but the operator launched a sportsbook in 2017. The company is part of Royal Panda Limited and is incorporated under the license of LeoVegas Gaming. Royal Panda is licensed and regulated by the Malta Gaming Authority and the UK site is regulated by the Gambling Commission.

The casino software is supplied by leading companies in the field and the sportsbook is not a White Label but is controlled internally by Royal Panda staff. The operator has followed a recent trend for casino sites to add a sports betting product to their portfolio. The sportsbook provides a betting experience that should improve in time.

Royal Panda Sports Sign Up Offer

Royal Panda offers new customers £20 in the form of a free bet after making an initial deposit and placing the first bet. The Royal Panda sign up offer is subject to the following terms and conditions:

• New customers only and existing customers are not eligible.
• Available in countries that have access to the sports betting product which includes the United Kingdom.
• The initial deposit after creating a new account must be for £20 or more.
• The qualifying bet or bets must have a total stake of at least £20.
• Initial bets which can be placed on virtual or real events have an odds requirement of Evens (2.0) or bigger.
• New customers will be credited with £20 in the form of a free bet once the first bets have been settled.
• The £20 free bet cannot be withdrawn and must be used on a sports bet.
• The free bet has to be used in one transaction and not a number of bets.
• The free bet stake will not be included in any returns which accrue from the fee bets.
• Deposits using Skrill, PayPal, Neteller and Paysafecard will not count for the purposes of the welcome offer.
• Customers have 90 days to use the free bets and after that time any balance will be lost.
• Royal Panda’s more detailed Terms and Conditions apply to this new customer offer.

The value of the free bet is modest compared to other operator’s similar offers which in some cases can have a value of £50. It is a 100% matched deposit and bet bonus because the value of the free bet is the same as the value of the deposit and free bet. The terms and conditions are easily achievable and the window of days to use the free bets is fair.

The odds restrictions are more demanding than other qualifying bets at 2.0 when other online bookmakers specify minimum odds of 1/5 (1/2). The rules of the Royal Panda’s welcome offer comply with the guidelines set by the UK Gambling Commission which regulates free bets and bonuses.

Royal Panda Betting Ongoing Promotions (Last Updated: April 2023)

At the time of writing there were no sports promotions for existing customers on the Royal Panda site. However, casino players can benefit from the following concessions:

• Free spins.
• Casino bonuses.
• 100% bonus to the value of the initial deposit for a maximum of £100.
• Tournament winnings credited to an account.
• Loyal Panda Points.

The absence of free bets and bonuses for existing customers is one of the negatives of the Royal Panda service. Just about every other UK online betting operator offers promotions to current players. It might be that once the Royal Panda sportsbook has become established existing customers will be able to benefit from sports and event specific concessions.

Other operators offer Best Odds Guaranteed on horse racing in the UK and Ireland, acca insurance, price boosts and acca boosts but Royal Panda offer nothing extra for current players who bet on sports.

Royal Panda Markets & Betting Options

Royal Panda focuses on in-play betting and pre-match odds and markets are secondary. The Royal Panda main sports page does not have an A-Z list of sport. The sports on offer are represented by a small icon. The sports site offers a limited number of sports but the sports betting product could grow as Royal Panda become more established in this area of gaming. At the time of writing there were only 1589 live pre-match markets for upcoming events. Royal Panda does not offer betting for horse racing and greyhound racing which are the core betting sports in betting offices in the UK. Significantly these sports do not lend themselves to in-play betting.

The most popular betting events of the day appear independently of the sports menu and most of these events are related to football and tennis. The three sports that appear highest on the graphic are football, tennis and basketball. Here is more information about the three most popular betting sports at Royal Panda:

Football

Football is the first option on the graphical menu of betting sports with this operator. Royal Panda offers football betting on the main European leagues and leagues from other parts of the world. The most popular betting league with customers in the UK and located elsewhere is the English Premier League. Fixtures are broadcast live on television in many countries and this generates betting interest. Betting turnover on live matches is mush greater than for those matches not live on television. The match result three-way market is displayed for fixtures in the EPL. Royal Panda offers over 120 additional markets which appear under the following headings:

• All
• Match
• Handicap
• Total
• Half
• Corners
• Cards
• Fouls
• Players
• Minutes

The range of markets is comprehensive and covers all the significant incidents. Other operators offer twice as many markets but Royal Panda cover the most popular ones without featuring some of the more obscure. The operator focuses on the biggest betting leagues in England, Spain, Germany, France and Italy which account for most turnover individually compared to the minor leagues.

The match result three way market in the Royal Panda sportsbook is compiled with a margin of over 6%. The average for the Home/Away/Draw market with other UK betting brands is less than 5%. The odds are displayed in fractional format by default but the traditional UK odds are not used so much by Royal Panda. Instead the odds are more precise so whereas a price of 2/1 (3.0) is on offer with other operators Royal Panda might use 201/100 which equates to just over 2/1 or 3.01.

The differences are only marginal but could be significant for big staking customers who look to place bets at the best value. The more exotic football markets have about average built-in margins. Royal Panda customers place more bets on football than any other sports and the operator provides plenty of football betting options.

Tennis

Tennis is the second option on the menu of sports on the sports main page. Clicking this option takes users to a list of countries for which there are tennis odds. The name of the Tour and tournament is not displayed but the players involved in an upcoming match are shown. Only when you select a match does the tour, tournament and surface appear. The most prominent tennis market is the match result which is a two way market. There are up to 50 related markets for each tennis match which appear under the following headings:
• Match result
• Games total
• Handicap
• First set markets
• Match correct score
• Set correct score

Other bookmakers offer a better tennis service numerically but Royal Panda covers all the most popular betting markets. The two way match result is compiled with a margin of 8% which is above average compared to the other leading UK betting brands. The margin applied to the more exotic markets is also greater than average. Tennis is a popular betting sport at Royal Panda and customers are well catered for with a decent tennis betting service.

Basketball

Basketball is the third choice on the sports menu. This sport is much more popular in other parts of Europe than the UK. Royal Panda must take bets on the sport in quantity due to its position in the sports menu. However, at the time of writing there were very few basketball matches being covered. The two match market results markets have a built in margin of almost 9% which is significantly above average.

For each basketball match customers with Royal Panda can bet on the match result, handicap and totals and some half and quarter related markets. Totals betting for the match and the halves and quarters is also available for each team. The range of additional markets is comprehensive and the odds are competitive. Basketball generates plenty of betting interest at Royal Panda.

Royal Panda Mobile Betting and Sports App

The Royal Panda mobile app is compatible with the main mobile devices. The mobile version of the desktop site can be downloaded to Android and iOS devices and it can also be accessed on Blackberry and Windows appliances. The sports app is fully functional and mirrors the website in terms of the welcome offer and betting sports. Royal Panda focuses on in-play betting and the app is suited to this activity.

He operator offers live events for the main betting sports including football, tennis and basketball. The sports app provides a good in-play interface and mobile live betting is covered effectively for the customers of Royal Panda.

Royal Panda Bookmaker Features

In addition to the new welcome offer Royal Panda provides customers with the following bookmaker features which are available on the desktop version and mobile sports app:

Live Betting

Sports is the third option on the Royal Panda main menu after Casino and Live casino. Clicking this option takes users to the main sports page where it becomes obvious that in-play betting is covered more than pre-match betting. One of the current live events appears by default and this is usually a football match from one of the main leagues.

The focus on in-play betting is reflected on the menu options on the main Sports page which are Event View, Dashboard, Live Overview, Live MultiView Live Calendar and Results. At the time of writing the site featured in-play events in football, tennis and basketball. The calendar for upcoming live events showed fixtures in volleyball, ice hockey and cricket. Other sports are covered when there are major events.

Football accounts for most in-play events and in any day about 50 matches are covered. There are over 80 markets on offer for a typical in-play football event which appear under the headings of All, Match, Handicap, Total and Half. In-play tennis events feature totals and handicaps. Basketball live events also feature handicap markets and totals.

For any sport betting is suspended after a key event but after a few seconds the amended odds appear. All the relevant statistics appear and the figures are updated in real time to provide useful information. A graphic shows the position of the ball in a live football match. Odds can be displayed in decimal, fractional and other regional formats. In-play betting is one of the positives at Royal Panda.

Cash Out

Cash Out is available for a range of markets and sports with Royal Panda. Customers can close the whole bet for a full cash out or a part of a bet for partial cash out. The amount of the bet that is cashed out will affect the position once the result of the fixture is known. Cashing out a bet guarantees a profit or limits a loss regardless of the outcome of the in-play bet.

Royal Panda players have more control of their bets with this facility which mirrors something similar in other sportsbooks. Other sports may be added to those for which cash out is currently aloud and more in-play betting markets could become available in time.

Live Steaming

Live streaming is available for a number of sports, including football, tennis and basketball. Customers must login and place a bet on an event to gain live streaming. There is a short delay and customers are warned that events are not strictly streamed live but there is only a few seconds variance between the live stream and the real live event. Live streaming encourages betting on an event because customers can see how their bets are performing and can take up the option of cash out.

Royal Panda Banking Options

Banking is secure and customers are protected by the latest encryption technology. This means personal information is safe and the operator is committed to security. Even though PayPal is not one of the sites banking methods there is a decent choice when it comes to transferring funds.

Debit cards, e-Wallets and bank transfer are methods of banking available to customers of Royal Panda. The minimum deposit and withdrawal is £10 and maximum amounts vary according to the method. Generally there are no fees, deposits are immediate and withdrawals take 1 to 5 days.

Opening an Account, Deposit and Bet

Existing customers login by entering the unique combination of a Username and Password. Potential new customers click the Join now link to begin the registration process. To create new account users must enter account, personal and contact information. At this point in the registration process new customers select the currency they would like to operate in and choose a username and password. Once all the required fields have been populated new customers click the Join now button and after a few seconds registration is confirmed.

Once the new account has been created customers are prompted to deposit funds. The process involves selecting the deposit method and specifying the amount involved. Depositing funds is subject to minimum and maximum amount restrictions. Transfers are immediate and generally there are no deposit fees. The first deposit activates the welcome offer which comes in the form of £20 in free bets. The account balance is updated to reflect the deposit and betting can begin.

Navigation is not particularly easy and locating a specific event is not intuitive. Once the event has been found customers click on the odds for one of the events to take place. When an option is selected the Bet Slips appears. The available bets is dependent on the number of selections. Customers specify if they are placing a win or each way bet, enter the stake and click PLACE BETS. On confirmation of the bet the account balance is updated to reflect the stake unit for the bet.

Customer Support

Customers with Royal Panda can contact support staff by email, phone and completing a contact form. There is also a Live Chat facility to deal with queries immediately. The quality of customer service is excellent and staff are courteous and knowledgeable. The customer service hours are from 09:00 to 00.30 CET and the department operates every day of the week. There is a comprehensive FAQ section which covers the main functions and processes on the site. Royal Panda is committed to responsible gaming and the site features links to support bodies.

More On The Bookmaker

Royal Panda has five years experience in online casinos. The Malta registered operation added sports betting to the product range in 2017. The operator is competing with some trusted brands in the UK so gaining market share will be difficult. In-play betting is clearly the main area of focus and Royal Panda offers live events for a number of sports. The site provides all the basic sports betting functions but more features that are available on other sites will improve the service.

Royal Panda Review Summary

At the time of writing there were several missing features and sports. The lack of concessions for existing customers is a negative. The absence of horse racing and greyhound racing is something that has to be rectified if the target market is the UK. Royal Panda has some strengths such as the range of markets and the number of in-play events.

The site will improve when some of the missing features appear but at the moment the Royal Panda sports betting product is a work in progress.

18+, first deposit only, T&Cs apply. Minimum deposit and stake £20 (min odds 2.0). Credited after all qualifying bets settled.