*New members. £10 min deposit & bet on sportsbook, placed & settled at 1.5 min odds within 14 days of sign-up. Win part of E/W bets. 2 non-withdrawable £10 Free Bet Tokens: accept in 7 days, valid for 7 days from acceptance (ex. E/Ws & Multiples), stakes not returned. Click here for Rules & Exclusions. Bet Responsibly. BeGambleAware.org
Virgin Bet have added a mobile sportsbook to Virgin Games which has been in operation as an online casino since 2013. Virgin are joining forces with the Gamesys Group to introduce sports betting to their range of gaming products. Virgin Bet sports betting is currently only accessible on mobile devices but a PC version may be introduced in the fullness of time. The new sportsbook has the Virgin branding which is well known due to the founder of the company, the British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson. Virgin Bet betting firm is rare in that it has initially been developed for mobile devices and a desktop version may be added sometime in the future.
New customers with Virgin Bet can claim £20 in the form of free bets.
This welcome bonus for mobile users is awarded when the Terms & Conditions described below are adhered to after registration:
The Virgin Bet sign up offer is a 200% matched deposit bonus because the value of the free bets is twice the value of the initial deposit and qualifying bet. The offer is mobile specific and few competitors offer anything similar for smartphones and tablets. The amount is relatively small but the rules are clear and the requirements are manageable. Other operators offer more lucrative new account bonuses but the specific Terms & Conditions negate some of the financial benefits. The Virgin Bet new customer bonus is not a huge incentive to open an account and is more a gesture and being seen to give new customers free bets, despite the low value.
As a new sports betting operator Virgin-Bet have not invested heavily in the welcome offer and dynamic promotions for all players. Other UK based online bookmakers offer a range of sports and event specific concessions. VirginBet are new to a crowded market and may be looking to gain some market share before committing to promotions related to a sporting event. The Virgin brand is recognisable and its activities include entertainment and rail travel.
At this stage it is unclear if new customers will be attracted to the brand. It’s a departure from convention to introduce a mobile-specific release before developing a develop sportsbook. When the Virgin Bet mobile sports betting product was launched in June 2019 customers could enjoy the benefits of the following promotions:
Virgin Bet are promising daily price boosts on a variety of sports and markets. Most online bookmakers offer enhanced odds on specific events but they are usually high-profile football fixtures in the Premier League and Champions League. A typical price boost would be 4/1 from 7/2 which equates to about 12%. Virgin Bet bookie will give existing customer price boosts for the most popular betting sports, including horse racing and tennis. It is unclear at this stage if stakes and winnings are restricted.
A typical price boost involves the winnings paid at the regular odds in cash and any additional winnings paid in the form of free bets. Virgin Bet pay extra winnings in cash. The odds boosts will focus on the major events across all sports and not just football.
Customers with Virgin Bet will have bets on horse racing in the UK and Ireland settled at the best odds. If a mobile customer takes an early price and the Starting Price varies returns are calculated on the basis of the biggest odds. BOG is a common concession with UK online bookmakers so Virgin Bet bookmaker are not offering anything outstanding.
However, BOG is a good incentive for all customers using mobile devices to deposit funds and start betting on horse racing and other sports. Generally, BOG applies to the win element of each-way bets and is available for singles and one line multiples.
Virgin Bet Fives is a fun and straightforward game, which blends betting and fantasy football. During the week leading up to each round, five football players will gradually be added to your team. If they score at the weekend, you’ll be given cash prizes.
The amount of money you’ll actually win from this Virgin Bet betting offer is random. Since the game is completely free-to-play anyway though, that doesn’t matter too much.
Mobile customers with Virgin Bet can bet on over 30 sports which are displayed on a A-Z menu on the main sports page which is accessed from the Homepage.
In addition to the regular sports, customers with Virgin Bet can place bets on a number of novelty and special markets. In keeping with the position in the UK market Virgin Bet’s most popular betting sports are football, tennis and horse racing and here is some information about each of those sports:
Football is by far the most popular betting sport in the UK and other parts of the world. Football betting on mobile devices has seen massive growth in the last five years. It is appropriate that Virgin Bet offers an entirely mobile specific sportsbook and covers football comprehensively. The mobile release covers the main leagues in Europe such as the Premier League and many more obscure football leagues from all the five continents.
The match odds are displayed for a typical fixture with a link to additional markets such as handicaps, totals and correct score betting. At the time of writing Virgin Bet did not offer customised betting whereby customers create a multiple bet from events in a football match. The site features outright betting on the main domestic leagues, European competitions and international tournaments such as the World Cup and finals of the European Championships.
Tennis is rare in that more bets are placed on in-play markets than before matches begin. In-play betting is suited to mobile devices so it is apt that Virgin Bet covers tennis comprehensively as part of the mobile-only sportsbook. Tennis lends itself to live betting due to fluctuations in the scoring and odds. Customers with Virgin Bet have many in-play options when betting on tennis. The most popular bet is on the match result but there is also plenty of activity using the Virgin Bet mobile sports betting app on totals, handicaps and the match and set correct score.
Mobile sports betting customers in the UK expect a decent horse racing service. It is now a common sight on British racecourse of individuals forgoing cash betting with on course bookmakers to place bets on smartphones. However, Virgin Bet not only covers racing from Britain and Ireland but offers betting options for overseas meetings and the major international races. The mobile app also features ante-post betting on upcoming races at the Cheltenham Festival and individual jumps races like the Grand National and the Classics on the Flat. Virgin Bet promises customers the best odds on meetings in the UK and Ireland. This guarantee may apply to greyhounds at some time in the future.
There was no Virgin Bet mobile app at launch, but this crucial feature has since been added. Now, you can get the app on both iOS and Android devices. The user reviews are impressive in both cases, and – after downloading the app for ourselves – it wasn’t hard to see why.
For starters, both the Virgin Bet app for iOS and its Android counterpart are extremely easy to navigate, with smart usage made of both collapsable and scrolling menus. The simple black and white colour scheme also makes it easy to see the odds and written text.
Elsewhere, both the Virgin Bet app for Android and the iOS version already have an impressive amount of special features. Alongside a vast range of betting markets, you can enjoy live horse racing streaming, place and cash out live wagers, access a constant stream of price boosts, and more. The entire Virgin Bet casino section is also included in the app, if you fancy a change of pace.
Finally, all the same key account management features have been carried over to the app. You can use it to create your account, make deposits and withdrawals, set betting limits, and more, all while you’re on-the-go.
Here is a summary of the features on the Virgin Bet football, horse racing and other sports app:
These betting services are covered in other parts of this review but overall they create a positive betting experience with Virgin Bet but attracting new customers will not be easy. Any sports app must be easy to navigate and have a quick journey to a specific match and market. The Virgin Bet mobile sports betting app is fully functional and users can locate a specific market with a few taps. The app is suited to in-play betting and betting on horse racing on the move or at the track before the race.
The Virgin Bet mobile app provides a comprehensive sports betting service in terms of sports, leagues and markets and the following features
The brand’s app provides customers with many live betting events but in particular for football and tennis. Customers can bet on events over the next five minutes in a football match and on points in tennis. The in-play service covers many elements of a football match and the outcome of each point in tennis. Betting is suspended when something significant happens and this can be a goal in football or break of serve in tennis. The betting markets soon reappear with amended odds. There are detailed match statistics and scoreboards showing the latest score.
Customers using the Virgin Bet app can follow the action across a number of sports as it happens. Live streaming is suited to horse racing because races take from as little as one minute. There is a big turnover of live events and Virgin Bet makes quick payments. Customers immediately have the funds to place more bets. Live pictures increases betting turnover and this is certainly the case on the Virgin Bet betting app. A bet must be placed on a horse race before that race can be live streamed. If there are no bets access to live streaming of a horse is denied.
There is a huge amount of data online about teams competing in a football match or players meeting in tennis. Statistics are now seen as an aid to betting and Virgin Bet provide an excellent service in this respect. The information is available before a fixture and the statistics are updated during a live match. Head-to-head records and form guides are available for football opponents. Head-to-head records and form by surface help tennis bettors make their selections. The comprehensive range of statistics for several main betting sports is a strength for the bookmaker.
While Virgin Bet didn’t launch with a bet builder, this feature has now been added. Accessing it is very straightforward – just pick the matchup you want to bet on, and you’ll see the ‘Bet Builder’ tab above the markets.
The Virgin Bet bet builder lets you craft same-game multiples with ease. You’re presented with a list of popular bet types, which can then be combined into a single wager, with the odds for that Virgin Bet acca updating as you go.
The ‘Auto Acca’, which creates accumulators for you using intelligent algorithms, is gradually becoming more popular among online sportsbooks. At the time of writing our Virgin Bet review, this feature is not yet available here, but it could well be added in the near future.
Customers with Virgin Bet can make payments using the main methods of debit cards, e-Wallets and Bank Transfer. Deposits are immediate and free while withdrawals also carry no charges but are subject to delay. There are daily minimum and maximum amounts for deposits and withdrawals. The operator adheres to responsible gambling measures with the amounts that can be credited and withdrawn.
We found both the desktop site and mobile apps extremely easy to use for this Virgin Bet review. This also extends to the signup process, which can be completed in these few steps:
After you’ve done this, you’ll be free to make your first deposit, and claim the Virgin Bet sign up offer. You’ll need to verify your ID before making a withdrawal, but this is also very easy to do.
Virgin Bet seems strangely reluctant to let you actually get in touch. It is very hard to actually find details on their customer support options, as you are almost constantly directed to the Help Centre, whatever you click.
With that said, it does appear there are three main ways to contact the Virgin Bet customer support team:
Live chat can be accessed by opening up the help wizard, then finding the ‘Live Chat’ button. The coverage hours don’t appear to be stated anywhere on the site or the Virgin Bet app, so – in short – you must simply hope that your issue occurs at the right time. In short, this wasn’t the most impressive part of our findings for this Virgin Bet review.
Firstly, and most importantly, Virgin Bet is fully licensed and regulated. A Virgin Bet license is held with both the UK Gambling Commission and the Government of Gibraltar, both of which hold it to the highest standards for security and fairness.
Aside from that, Virgin Bet does provide a few details on its security measures. 128-bit SSL encryption is in place, as you’d expect, which is the same method which banks use to protect their communications. Your personal information is also stored on highly secure servers, and third-party companies are used to carry out regular anti-fraud checks, and screen any suspicious-looking transactions..
As of now, we found no major complaints regarding the Virgin Bet security levels. In fact, the bookie seems to enjoy a good reputation online. Between this, the licenses, and the track record of the Virgin brand, the sportsbook would seem to be completely legitimate and trustworthy.
Virgin Bet is still relatively young, having only launched in 2019. With that said, it is already establishing quite a reputation.
SBC News, for example, published a positive piece about the brand, praising its customer service. While we’d like to see that feature being a bit easier to access, as noted earlier in our Virgin Bet review, we do agree with the positive opinion of Virgin Bet within the article. James McKay – the Sportsbook Director – certainly seems to prioritise the bettor’s needs above all else.
VirginBet’s software providers have developed a mobile sports app that looks attractive and is easy to navigate. Getting customers to download and open the app is difficult because there are so many alternatives. When new players complete that process there is a fully functional mobile sports betting experience to enjoy. The app has many familiar features that enhance the betting experience.
The minimum stake you can place on Virgin Bet is five pence (£0.05). This applies to both singles and multiples bets, across all sportsbook markets.
Absolutely. While partial cash out is not yet available, you can execute a full cash out with ease, via either the betting app or the main desktop site.
It depends on the withdrawal method you choose. Virgin Bet processes payouts within 24 hours, but after that it will take 1-3 days to receive a debit card withdrawal, 2-3 days for bank transfers, and almost no time at all when using PayPal.
As with most sportsbooks, there is no specific maximum payout amount. Instead, the maximum stake sizes vary significantly between different markets.
Absolutely. 128-bit SSL encryption is in place, your data is stored on highly secured servers, and regular anti-fraud checks are carried out. The likes of 2FA also help you to protect your own account.