22Bet Sportsbook Review
If you seek a new sports betting site to join, you should add 22bet to your shortlist of selections. Despite being a relatively young company, being launched in 2018, 22bet boasts a loyal following of more than 400,000 registered users and has already made waves in the online betting world.
The brand also offers live dealer and virtual casino games but we shall focus on the virtual sportsbook for the purposes of this review. The sports section covers more than 1,000 sporting events per day, accepting punts on a variety of popular and less-known sports, including boxing, football, ice hockey, basketball, golf, cricket, water polo, floorball, soccer, tennis, and baseball.
The website is operated by a Cyprus-registered company under a permit issued by the Curacao Gaming Authority. The sportsbook embraces punters from many different jurisdictions but its main focus is shifted toward customers from major Asian and African markets like Kenya and Nigeria.
Betting Markets
The wealth of betting markets is one of the biggest draws of 22bet. The sportsbook has much to offer in terms of betting action, providing an impressive coverage of all major sports and leagues. Here you can make punts on over 1,000 events each day. The online bookie caters to sports fans with extra markets on certain events, including over/under, three-way handicaps, correct score, first team to score, and run of play.
The market diversity for individual sports, like boxing, golf, snooker, and cycling, is just as good at 22bet. In addition to the standard outright wagers, fans of individual sports have the chance to experiment with head-to-head wagers on two selected sportsmen.
Those who know their onions can experiment with more advanced wagering options like system bets and parlays. Of course, singles are also readily available to customers of 22bet. Punters on the lookout for the best daily offers should head to the Matches of the Day section where they will find the latest picks with boosted odds and higher stake amounts.
Soccer boasts the most comprehensive coverage at 22bet, which is not surprising considering the massive fanbase this sport boasts on a global scale. Moreover, the sportsbook has recruited several legendary soccer players to its team of ambassadors, including the now-retired Nuno Gomes, Kevin Kurányi, and the iconic Brazilian soccer star Ronaldinho.
But let’s get back to the betting options soccer fans will find at 22bet. Punters are facing competitive odds for all the events from major leagues like UEFA Champions League, UEFA European Championship, and Copa America.
There is also an amazing selection of markets for local championships like the English Premier League, the German Bundesliga, the Spanish La Liga, the Italian Serie A, the Russian Premier League, the Portuguese Primeira Liga, and the French Ligue 1.
Basketball, which is also very popular in 22bet’s target markets like Kenya, also enjoys great coverage and so does volleyball. Bettors keen on these sports can place a wager on major events from international and local leagues and competitions including the likes of the NBA, the EuroLeague, the Australian WNBL, and the Russian Volleyball Cup.
The sportsbook features an eSports section where you can bet on video game competitions like Dota 2, CS: GO, League of Legends, StarCraft, and World of Warcraft. Odds are available for less common sports like air hockey, badminton, futsal, table tennis, beach volleyball, keirin, marble football, and boat racing.
Avid racing fans are catered to with a selection of horse and greyhound races held at major Australian, Indian, and Japanese racetracks. Punters should head to the Live section for some action on in-play events.
Promotions and Bonuses
The gambling operator runs a nice range of compelling promotions that target sports betting fans and aim at keeping them engaged. The sportsbook has achieved a good balance between one-time and recurring offers that could give you good value depending on how you bet and your activity level.
The terms and conditions for each bonus are explained comprehensively to prevent confusion and misunderstanding. Keep in mind the bonuses available to punters may differ based on which country they sign up from.
Welcome Bonus
New sports bettors who come on board can opt in for a lucrative sign-up deal that will match their first deposits at 100% up to a maximum of $122 (the bonus amount is country-specific). The offer comes with a shockingly low minimum deposit requirement – you need to fund your new account with $1 only and the free credits will be automatically added to your bonus balance.
As normal, punters should stick to the promotional terms to fully benefit from their welcome offers. The bonus must be wagered at least 5x its amount and on parlays specifically. Each parlay should contain a minimum of three selections at odds of 1.40 or greater. Another thing to note is that this offer, along with all other bonuses at 22bet, is disabled for cryptocurrency accounts.
The wagering requirements should be met within a week after redeeming the bonus. Customers cannot request withdrawals from their balance until they cover the bonus wagering. The sign-up offer cannot be used in conjunction with other promotions available at 22bet and each punter can redeem it no more than once upon registration. Refunded wagers do not count toward the wagering requirement.
Friday Reload Bonus
Punters with already existing accounts can take advantage of a recurring promotion that runs weekly on Fridays. They can boost their sports wagering balance with the help of the Friday Reload Bonus. To participate, you must top up your 22bet account with $1 or more on Friday. The sportsbook will then match your payment at 100% with a bonus of up to $100.
Those who are unwilling to use the bonus but still want to process a Friday deposit can deactivate the offer from the “I do not want any bonuses” box. The promotion is subject to wagering requirements of 3x its value. These must be cleared with parlay bets with three or more selections at odds of at least 1.40 within 24 hours.
Weekly Rebate Program
Active customers will also benefit from 22bet’s weekly rebate program which entitles them to a cashback of 0.3% on the sports wagers they have made throughout the week. The more you punt, the higher the rebate you receive. The minimum cashback you can get is $1 while the maximum for the week reaches $1,000.
Certain wagers do not count toward your weekly betting action, including refunded bets, wagers at decimal odds under 1.50, and those made on the handicap, totals, eSports, and virtual sports markets. The rebate is credited to eligible accounts automatically each Tuesday. Bettors can redeem their rebate bonus by making a wager with odds of 1.50 or greater.
The 22bet Shop
The sportsbook has a dedicated shop where loyal customers can purchase original products from established brands. They can pay for the items with the 22bet comp points they collect each time they make a real-money bet. Apart from the products, the points can be exchanged for free wagers and free spins on the slots.
Each $5 spent on sports betting gets you a point. Keep in mind the qualifying wagers should be made at odds of at least 1.3 for singles and 1.5 for parlays. The points cannot be exchanged for real cash – they are intended solely to enhance your experience at 22bet.
Customers who wish to receive free bets can convert their points into free singles (with minimum odds of 1.80) or free parlays with three or more sections (at minimum odds of 1.40). Birthday girls and boys are awarded bonuses of 500 points on their special day. Check the email address you have registered with or the notifications panel in your account for your birthday bonus.
Banking
This online sportsbook delivers a massive selection of payment methods, giving bettors a choice from a range of bank cards, electronic wallets, self-service terminals, prepaid options, and online banking platforms. The number of cryptocurrencies supported here is beyond impressive as customers get to pick from 26 different options.
When registering their 22bet accounts, punters can select from a wild variety of base currencies, including USD, EUR, CDF, ALL, KES, ARS, CZK, TRY, CNY, HKD, TZS, UGX, CAD, MXN, JPY, NOK, RON, BRL, HUF, EGP, AUD, PLN, and SGD. Let’s break down the available
banking solutions based on type.
Card Payments and Prepaid Solutions
Loading funds into your 22bet balance is made beyond simple as the sportsbook works with some of the most popular card brands in the world. Customers can conduct instant deposits with Visa and Mastercard without paying additional service charges.
The minimum deposit with these cards varies based on what currency you have set up your account in. Those who choose EUR or USD can deposit as little as $/€1 to their real-money balance.
We cannot help but admit these are the lowest deposit limits we have seen in an online sportsbook so far. Punters who feel uncomfortable with using their Visas or Mastercards can deposit with the prepaid solution Neosurf, which again offers no-cost payments with a minimum of $/€1.
Electronic Wallets
Electronic wallets are another solution that works to the benefit of punters who seek anonymity and safety. Be mindful of the fact the availability of some options is restricted to certain locations only. Papara, for instance, is intended for use by payees from Turkey while STICPAY can be implemented by residents of Asian countries like China, Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Pay4Fun is an option for Brazilian bettors.
The sportsbook also supports some of the world’s biggest virtual wallet brands like Skrill and Neteller. Less known options such as BPAY, Perfect Money, Epay, Runpay, the above-mentioned Papara, and Inovapay are also accepted here. No additional fees are imposed by 22bet for e-wallet payments. The minimum you can instantly transfer to your account is again $/€1.
Online Banking Platforms
Those who have bank accounts with activated online banking can process payments to 22bet with the help of one of the numerous online banking platforms the website works with. Again, some of these are specific to certain territories. Such is the case with Boleto, which is available in Brazil, and UnionPay that caters to people based in China.
Other options from this category include CaixaBank, Itau, Multibanco, and Santander. Unfortunately, only UnionPay can be used for both deposits and withdrawals. Withdrawals via this method are cleared within 15 minutes according to the bookmaker and have a minimum limit of CN¥100. Another option is to initiate a bank transfer with Help2Pay (for Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam), PayGiga, and Hizli (for Turkey).
Self-Service Payment Terminals
Punters who do not own debit/credit cards or bank accounts can still conveniently process payments to their 22bet balance with the help of a massive range of supported self-service terminals. A self-service terminal (also known as a touch-screen kiosk) can typically accept both bills of different denominations and cards.
Such terminals can usually be found in train stations, parking lots, gas stations, airports, and big-chain grocery stores. You simply insert the bills into the machine, choose 22bet, and follow the instructions to process the deposit.
The betting site gives you a choice from self-service kiosks by EasyPay, e-Pay, Wideup, CityPay, 2Click, Sistema, iBox, Quickpay, Quickteller, PBCCreditos, and many more. Unfortunately, only PBCCreditos is listed as a withdrawal option, with a minimum of $/€1.50.
Cryptos
Many punters keen on betting online prefer to fund their gambling accounts with cryptocurrencies due to their decentralized and untrackable nature. If you are one of them, you will be glad to hear 22bet accepts a mind-boggling array of 26 cryptos.
You can deposit $/€1 or more to your balance without extra service charges by using popular digital currencies like Bitcoin, Dogecoin, Monero, Dash, Ethereum, Litecoin, ZCash, NEM, Verge, Ripple, QTUM, Tether, Chainlink, and PAX. Many of these are available for withdrawals, with a minimum of $/€1.50. Deposits are instant whereas withdrawals are handled within 15 minutes or so.
Mobile Support
Mobile punters will be thrilled by the sleek experience 22bet guarantees on portable devices. They can load the sportsbook in their smartphone or tablet browsers although the operator has also released intuitive native apps for Android and iOS-based devices. Those who use Apple smartphones visit the App Store to download their iOS apps.
The iOS application is a bit bulky (168 MB in size) but this makes sense considering the rich lineup of betting markets it offers. Available in Russian and English, it can operate well across all iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touch devices as long as they run on iOS 11.0 or above.
Android users should navigate toward the bottom of the 22bet website where they will find a link that initiates the free download for Android devices. This app is significantly smaller at 29 MB. Nevertheless, it manages to match the usability and features of its iOS-based counterpart.
Some users on the App Store complained that the time scores for live games were sometimes inaccurate and lagged. Others reported they kept seeing completed events on the live games list which made it impossible to see the ongoing matches. However, user feedback was generally positive, with the app boasting an overall rating of 3.3 out of 5 stars. We experienced no such issues while testing the iOS app of 22bet, either.
The interface is similar to that of the desktop version and retains most of its functionalities, including the Quick Bet Slip and 6 different odds formats: US, UK, Hong Kong, Indonesian, Malay, and decimal. Also included are live push notifications and bet slip generation, a feature that allows you to create betting strategies based on your own preferences.
Licensing and Jurisdictions
Being a truly global provider of sports betting services, 22bet runs a website that supports 50 or so language options. Some of them include Italian, Greek, French, Indonesian, Portuguese, Indian, Norwegian, Russian, Finnish, Romanian, Czech, and, of course, English.
The firm behind the operations of 22bet is TechSolutions Group N.V., a limited liability company that specializes in the provision of online gambling and sports betting services. It has registered offices in Curacao and Cyprus. The firm’s portfolio comprises several gambling brands including National Casino and 20bet.
The website does not provide much information regarding security, apart from the fact that its terms and conditions state it uses firewall software and 128-bit SSL encryption. This is something the operator can improve upon in the future. Where responsible betting is concerned, self-exclusion is the only option available to customers of 22bet.
While this is a global betting operation, 22bet does not accept real-money action from some locations because of licensing restrictions. The website is mostly geared toward the needs of customers from the African and Asian markets.
Punters will be unable to register if their permanent country of residence includes any of the following – the UK, the USA, the Netherlands, Russia, Cyprus, France, Belarus, Australia, New Zealand, Israel, Egypt, Latvia, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Tunisia, Moldova, and several more.
Customer Support
Punters can remain in touch with the support staff of 22bet via a convenient live chat feature. Consultants are usually quick to respond since the chat facility operates 24 hours a day throughout the entire week. They are always happy to help and strive to improve your overall experience at 22bet.
Apart from the live chat, there are plenty of other decent methods of communication. There is a dedicated support telephone line – the number is +357 99 816806. Also possible is to request a callback.
Click the main menu button, scroll down, and select the “Order Callback” in the support tab. You simply have to type in your telephone number and they will get back to you within a reasonable timeframe.
Another option is to write them an email at support-en@22bet.com. Kenyan customers should use support-co.ke@22bet.com while those from Turkey should send their inquiries to support-tr@22bet.com.
A separate email address is provided for different accepted countries. The security department can be reached at security@22bet.com while complaints are lodged at complaints@22bet.com. There is no FAQ section for the time being.
Conclusion
The Curacao license is pretty much the only thing that works to the disadvantage of 22bet since this is not the most established gambling regulatory jurisdiction in the world. However, this is not to say punters will be met with unfair treatment at this sportsbook. Customers appear to give predominantly positive reviews of their overall experience.
The main draw of 22bet is the huge lineup of events and betting markets it offers. The full functionalities of the website are also accessible on the go via two sleek applications available for a free download.
Customer support is another major strength of 22bet and so is the range of supported payment options. There are over 70 different ways to fund your account, which is something one does not see every day in the sports betting market.