188Bet

About 188Bet

188Bet was set up in 2006 and it is owned by Cube Limited a company that is based in the Isle of man and licenced by the island’s Gambling Supervision Commission. 188Bet is very popular in Asia, but it accepts punters from all over the world.

188Bet claims that the odds it offers are by 20% higher than the odds offered by an average betting exchange, once the commission fees are deducted. The profit margin on Asian handicap bets for the popular football leagues is below 1.5%. 188Bet is the official sponsor of the Wigan Warriors rugby league club. In addition to sports betting, 188Bet offers online casino, poker, bingo, as well as financials betting.

Pros and Cons

Interface and Usability

At 188Bet you can select your region and the appropriate language based on that. The site is available in English and a number of Asian languages. 188Bet also features a news page where you can read the latest sport, esport and poker news and important information. The design is very simple, there are two sliding menus, on the left and in the middle, whereas the bet slip is on the right.

The background colour is dark grey, whereas the middle menu is white. Simplicity and functionality are the two words that we would use if we were to describe the design of 188Bet in just one phrase. The website has both an international and an Asian view.

Esports Betting Offer

188Bet features more than 20 betting categories, most of which are regular sports, but you can also bet on special events, financials and politics. The odds can be displayed as European (decimal), or Hong Kong, Malaysian or Indonesian. Once you select esports you can choose to see just matches from one competition, you can sort them by time, and you can add a competition to your list of favourites, so that you’ll be able to access it via a shortcut later.

When it comes to esports 188Bet offers Dota 2, League of Legends, CS: GO, StarCraft II, Hearthstone and Heroes of the Storm, but other games may also be included depending on their popularity. In addition to match winner markets, there’s also a range of other possible bets, often up to 15 markets per game, depending on the popularity and prominence of the tournament in question.

For example, if a Dota 2 game is played in a best of 3 format, you will be able to bet on the winner, on the total number of rounds, and if you like to make things more interesting you can also place a handicap bet. Moreover, you can also bet on the outcome of each individual round, on what team will draw first blood, what team will be the first to reach 10 kills, and even the duration of the game as a whole, or the duration of the individual rounds.

There’s really a multitude of options when it comes to esports markets, and in addition to match betting, you can also place outright wagers. An outright wager is usually a bet on the outcome of a tournament as a whole, i.e. which team is going to win the tournament.

Selections are added to the bet slip with a simple click on the odds. You may add multiple selections and one a selection isn’t compatible with the other chosen selections, i.e. you can’t place a multiple on that combination, the non-competitive selection will be marked in red. The more combinations you add, the more bet combinations will be available to you. You may combine esports games with conventional sports.

In-Play Betting

On the esports betting page, there’s an ‘In-Play’ button and if you click on it you will see all active events that are available for betting. In-play betting functions just like pre-match betting, but it is a lot more dynamic and you’ll have to act quickly, as the odds may change or the selection might even be suspended and no longer available.

Mobile Betting

188Bet’s website has a mobile version. You can check it out on your computer if you wish and if you open the website in your mobile browser, you will always be redirected to the mobile version of the website. The mobile betting site has the same features of the desktop version, it is basically a mobile-optimised copy of the regular site and if you log in, using the same username and password you will have access to the same services that are otherwise available.

Odds and Rules

188Bet currently doesn’t offer any esports betting bonuses or promotions, or any bonuses and promotions for that matters. In the past, this bookmaker has offered certain bonuses to all new customers, but the favourable odds still remain the biggest reason why many punters choose to join 188Bet.

188Bet has a specific set of rules for esports betting and all esports bet types are explained in the FAQ section, where there’s a particular question on it. The rules are pretty standard and straightforward and can help you avoid any confusion or misunderstandings. For example, if the match format is different from the one listed on the website, all bets will be void.

Payment Methods

The range of payment methods that will be available to you, depends on your country of residence and your choice of currency. 188Bet accepts euro, pounds sterling, US dollars and many Asian currencies. Generally, in most cases Visa/MasterCard deposits, as well as deposits via Skrill, Neteller and Entropay are accepted and for residents of some countries, direct bank transfers are also available.

The minimum deposit amount is €10/£10/$10 if you use Neteller or Skrill, whereas if you use your credit card or Entropay the minimum deposit is twice as much (€20/£20/$20). With Skrill you will be able to deposit as much as €50,000/£50,000/$50,000.

Deposits are processed instantly in most cases and are free of charge.

As for withdrawals, you can withdraw your winnings using Skrill, your debit or credit card, Entropay and international bank transfer and cheques are also an option. Withdrawals are free of charge, unless you wish to have your winnings paid out in cheques or via bank transfer, in which case it will cost you $25 per cheque/transaction. The minimum withdrawal is just €1/£1/$1 if you withdraw using Skrill, whereas by card it is €5/£5/$5. EntroPay and credit card payments take between one and three days, but Skrill withdrawals are completed much faster, in just 2 hours.

Customer Support

188Bet provides 24/7 customer support. You can reach their representatives via email, live chat and over the phone. There are separate European and Asian telephone lines. You can activate the live chat window directly on the website and get in touch with a support agent directly. At the FAQ section you will find a lot of useful information and it might be wise to check there before calling customer support.

Conclusion

188Bet is an Asian betting operator that also accepts players from all over the world. Its biggest advantage are the low margins and the best thing when it comes to esports betting is that it offers a decent amount of betting markets.