GoldBet Sports Review

GoldBet Sports Summary

GoldBet Features

• Extensive statistics section
• Wide range of payment methods
• Mobile friendly website

Website

The website’s default language is Italian, and when customers hit the site, they will find themselves on a landing page with a large graphic in the centre of the page and a number of smaller ones beneath, giving access to the different areas of their business. The language can be changed in the top right hand corner of the page.

The bookmaker covers the whole screen and adopts a dark blue, gold and white theme. The list of sports can be found down the left hand side of the page, with a useful search bar above, helping customers reach their desired bets faster. The centre of the page has sliding graphics listing some of the more popular sports, and beneath there is a list of the most bet on events and upcoming matches, as well as quick access to the top football leagues from around Europe. The bet slip and live betting can be found on the right hand side of the page and users can flick between decimal and fractional odds by changing the preferred display at the top of the page.

Like an increasing number of firms, GoldBet Sports have utilised the services of Betradar to provide an extensive statistics section on their website. This lets users research teams/players over a wide range of sports and enables them to make more informed betting decisions.

The site follows the typical modern bookmaker layout, although some of the text and design seems a little outdated. No major complaints though.

There is a mobile version of the site which is automatically loaded when customers visit the site on a mobile device. The web app is definitely one of the better around, with access to the bookie, live betting and most features, in addition to live scores and a search bar.

Languages

The site can be viewed in Italian, English, Bulgarian, German, Russian and Spanish.

Markets

In total, GoldBet Sports offer 23 different disciplines, including non-sporting events such as the lottery, elections and music and entertainment. Naturally, football is the most popular sport and is followed by tennis and basketball. There are also all of the other mainstream sports such as American football, ice hockey, rugby, boxing, golf and volleyball and some fringe disciplines such as floorball and beach soccer.

All of the main European leagues and domestic competitions from around the world are priced up. As the Italian market is GoldBet’s primary concern, the coverage for the country is extensive. Not only do they have Serie A, Serie B and the Italian Cup, but there are also odds for Lega Pro – Girone A, B and C. There are typically around 130-140 extra bet types for each match, which at that low level, is impressive.

The number of additional markets for the English Premier League is also very solid. Eight days out from the fixtures, GoldBet Sports had between 153-155 extra bets for each of the ten games. This compares favourably to established football specialists BetVictor (67) and Coral (128).
GoldBet’s ante-post football market is reasonable, with odds for all of the top leagues around Europe for title winners, promotion, top 4 finishes and relegation etc. There is also betting for Euro 2016 and the World Cup. Additionally, GoldBet compile a number of specials for the football, giving customers the chance to bet on a number of different original markets such as which stadium will have the first goal, who kicks off first and over/under goals totals for different leagues etc. These bets can give punters fun across all games and are a strong addition.

The basketball is strong, which is not surprising as most of GoldBet’s clients are European based, where the sport is growing in popularity. There are games from 13 different countries around the world, international fixtures and ante-post betting. Again, Italian matches receive particular attention, with each contest having an addition 13 bet types, including various handicap options, odd/even bets and total points.

Tennis betting extends to the ATP, WTA, ITF men and women’s tours and there is ante-post betting on the four grand slam events throughout the year.

Odds

GoldBet’s football odds are fair and sit mid table in terms of competitiveness. Their Italian football matches run to 105% books. (If the bookmaker had no inbuilt profit, then the odds when expressed as percentages would equate to 100% – therefore the closer the percentage is to 100%, the more desirable). In comparison, BetVictor’s odds equated to 102.5% books, whilst Corals compiled to 106.9%. BetVictor are considered one of the very lowest margin football firms around, and therefore being less competitive than them is to be expected.

The English odds tend to run to similar percentages for both GoldBet and BetVictor whilst Coral were slightly more competitive, at 106% even.

Tennis odds at the Australian Open are just okay – 106.5% for first round matches. This is marginally less competitive than Coral (106.4%) and a little way poorer than BetVictor (104.6%). Many smaller firms often work out their tennis odds to up to 110%, so GoldBet’s odds can’t be considered terrible.

Italian basketball is compiled to 106.9% and the NBA is a little better at 106.0%. BetVictor and Coral both work their NBA odds to 106.9%, so GoldBet do well in this sport.

Promotions

While there is a sign up bonus for users of the GoldBet casino, there is nothing in the way of a bookmaker bonus. The only concession on offer is one for accumulators. Bets with 5 selections at odds of 1.20  or bigger, receive a 5% bonus on winnings. For each additional selection, the bonus increases by 5%, with a maximum bonus of 120% – that is 28 selections. Obviously any seasoned punter will be aware that as the number of selections increases, invariably the ‘value’ goes down, and this doesn’t strike as the most generous of bonuses.

Customer Services

A transparent and accessible customer services department is usually indicative of a reputable and dependable company. GoldBet Sports have several avenues through which customers can discuss their queries. There is a live chat feature, an email service, a Skype number (open 9am-midnight) and a telephone number (+43 512 396439 704 – open 9am-midnight). The contact button is located at the bottom right of the page.

Payment Methods

There are several methods through which customers can fund their accounts:

• Postepay (Italian Post Office prepaid credit card)
• Credit card – Visa/Mastercard/Maestro,
• Skrill
• Neteller
• Bank transfer

All of the deposit methods require a minimum of a €10 deposit, apart from bank transfers which have a higher minimum of €50.

Overall

GoldBet Sports have a decent number of sports and some reasonable odds on offer. They are not the most competitive online bookmaker, but they are certainly not unfair. The coverage of football and basketball is solid (particularly in Italy) and the website is easy to use. The customer services are comprehensive and the only real gripe would be the lack of a strong sign up bonus for bookmaker users. Recommended.