The Humble Beginnings of 888sport
Before diving into the 888sport review, a little history. In just over 2 decades, 888.com has evolved from being a poker and casino brand into a full service online gambling provider. In 2008 they expanded into the sports betting arena by launching 888sport, covering predominantly European events. With the gambling landscape becoming more friendly across the pond, the next logical step for 888sport was to take on the US market by storm.
For any Americans who are skeptical of the newly legal sports betting market, 888sport should alleviate your concerns. Publicly held parent company 888 Holdings PLC is based in Gibraltar and listed on the London Stock Exchange. The company is large enough to be included in the prestigious FTSE 250 and has been filing public financial statements since 2005.
888sport Review: Who can play?
Grade: Incomplete
Currently us.888sport.com and us.888casino.com are only available to residents of New Jersey. We fully expect this to change in the coming months. Be sure to check back or follow us on Twitter as legislation spreads across the country.
888sport Review: Getting started
Grade: Pass
888sport requires the same basic information as every other provider. Many people get hung up on providing their social security number to a bookie. Trust us, it is required for age and identity verification. Questions regarding setting up an account were quickly and easily answered when I called the us.888sport 24/7 phone support (1-800-494-0364). There is also an email support option. ([email protected]).
Deposit and Withdrawal Options
Grade: Pass
888sport allows for 8 different methods of deposit. 3 of which can also be used for withdrawals. The selection covers all the usual suspects:
Deposit and Withdrawal
Bank Transfer/ACH
PayPal
Play+
Deposit Only
Visa Credit/Debit Cards
MasterCard
Discover
Online Banking Transfer
PayNearMe
The website offers what seems like a nice tidbit of an estimated processing time for deposits. However, all of them read as “Up to 10 minutes” so I question the relevance and accuracy. Additionally, there is no current option to deposit or withdraw in cryptocurrency. As sites move towards accepting digital currencies, I will be keeping tabs on how 888sport handles this.
Sign up bonus and Promo codes
Grade: Fail!
I was underwhelmed when reviewing the new player sign up bonuses. Currently there are only 2 options. A free $10 bet token when you place your first wager, or a one-time maximum $500 bet token if your first wager loses. In each case the play-through of the token is only 1x, so that’s a plus. However, the tokens expire in 7 days and must be used in full. No breaking them down into multiple smaller wagers. Tokens are not cash and cannot be withdrawn. Only straight bets (no parlays) with minimum odds of -200.
Caution: It looks like there have been changes to this promotion so check the T&C page. Previous reviews claim that tokens are distributed in increments of 10% of the wager amount and have a 6x play-through. However, the current verbiage on us.888sport.com specifically states a maximum of one free bet token with no play-through requirement.
Once you are established on the site as an existing player, the pickings were even more slim when looking for promotions. Four generic promos were listed. Of the four, one of the links was broken while the other three were small and unenticing. These promotions paled in comparison to the odds-boosts and incentives offered by the ultra-aggressive competitors like Fanduel and DraftKings.
888sport Review: Time to Bet!
Grade: Pass
US bettors have access to almost every sports betting market imaginable. The options are exposed by clicking the drop-down for “All Sports”. From baseball to rugby to MMA, 888sport seems to have it all covered. The 888sport live betting screen is fairly straightforward and self explanatory. The ability to navigate by sport, league, “Live”, and starting time is quite intuitive.
Navigating further, it is quite easy to find in-play action by simply looking at the “Live” games. Multiple odds/lines for each game along with the ease of in-play action really gave my 888sport review a boost. When viewing the slate of games there are options to click on “More Wagers” which opens a plethora of alternate odds, props, and teasers.
Next is the listing of game parlays, game bets, player props, in-game bets, and a host of other actions. For any random NBA game there are usually over 200 available points of action. Baseball games usually have around 100. This was plenty of variety for the average punter. At the very least, it compared well to the offerings of competitors.
After this weekend’s Kentucky Derby it should be noted that one element missing from their offering was horse racing.
If we tire of sports, it will be interesting to see if us.888sport begins taking action on esports as well. Their European site, 888sport, currently offers esports wagering. However, I could not find esports on the US version.
888sport Review: Conclusion
Grade: Pass
Overall, I give us.888sport.com a PASSING GRADE! As legalization spreads across the US, users are being inundated with offers and gimmicks from the new players in the space. While lacking in gimmickry, 888sport offers all the wagering options and something more: an intuitive interface, variety of wagering options, and the safety and security of an established provider. Once we get past the lack of sign up bonuses, the site more than meets the needs of gamblers.
Remember, successful gamblers rely on their skills.
