Virgin Bet is one of our favourite new betting sites in the UK, but we wanted to test the mobile app to see if it could break into our overall list of the best UK bookmakers. Mobile betting is becoming an increasingly preferred tool for most punters, so having a solid app is a must for bookmakers.
Founded in 2019, the site is still very much in the early stages of growth, but it has still gained a reputation as a rising bookmaker. A good sportsbook and passable casino largely help, but the promotions available make it a fantastic addition for most punters.
Below are links to download the official Virgin Bet apps for both Android and iOS users. Depending on your country, you will either download the Virgin Bet straight away, get redirected to the official app stores, or be redirected to the Virgin Bet website so you can download the official app directly from their site.
Security is paramount for UK sports fans who want to use their smartphone or tablet for betting. TLS (Transport Layer Security) is used, which encrypts all data such as debit card information and personal details.
On its website, Virgin Bet states that it uses 'advanced encryption technology', while third-party services are also used to ensure account safety. In other words, your funds will be safe when using the bookmaker.
Virgin Bet is also fully licensed and regulated, having secured the relevant licence from the UK's Gambling Commission. As such, the Virgin Bet app can be considered safe and secure to use.
Operator | Welcome Offer | Bonus Code | Claim Offer | |
---|---|---|---|---|
| Welcome Offer Bet £10 Get £20 in Free Bets | No code required | Claim Offer | **New members only. £10 min deposit & bet on sportsbook (ex. virtuals), placed & settled at 1.5 min odds in 14 days of sign-up. Win part of E/W bets. Free Bets: accept in 7 days, valid 7 days, use on sportsbook only (ex. virtuals), stakes not returned. T&Cs and deposit exclusions apply. Bet Responsibly. GambleAware.org. 18+ |
There are plenty of good promotions for existing customers at Virgin Bet, as the bookmaker regularly offers free bets, free spins and event-specific boosts. Although these are nice, we do have another favourite when it comes to the offers at Virgin Bet.
Indeed, our preference would have to be the weekly 'Fives' promotion, which gives customers the chance to win nice amounts of cash every week just for revealing a new player every day. The best part is that it is completely free to play, so there are really only upsides!
Reveal a new player every day and win money every time they score during the weekend's fixtures with Virgin Bet's Fives!
UK sports fans who are yet to join Virgin Bet and get an account can register using its mobile app. Signing up with Virgin Bet is a simple process, and new users can claim a rather generous £20 in free bets along the way.
When opening up the Virgin Bet app, you will be presented with a 'Login' and 'Join' option. Tap the latter and let's begin!
The first step of the sign-up process is to provide your personal details. Virgin Bet will ask for your first and last name (as they are shown on your identification) as well as your date of birth.
Following this, you will be asked to provide your email address, mobile number and home address. The first two are for contact reasons - with your email also being used to log into your account - and the latter is for verification checks.
Finally, you must create a username and password for your account, and choose your deposit limit as well as contact preferences. Once you have done this, confirm you agree to the terms and conditions, and tap the red 'Create Account' button.
Virgin Bet offers a solid list of payment methods to use in its cashier for deposits and withdrawals. Below, we have collected everything you need to know about the different methods at Virgin Bet, from the minimum deposit to the withdrawal time.
Payment Method | Min. Limit | Max. Limit | Transaction Fee | Processing Time |
---|---|---|---|---|
Visa | £5 | £20,000 | No fee | Instant |
Mastercard | £5 | £20,000 | No fee | Instant |
Paypal | £30 | £20,000 | No fee | Instant |
Payment Method | Min. Limit | Max. Limit | Transaction Fee | Processing Time |
---|---|---|---|---|
Visa | £10 | £20,000 | No fee | 1-3 business days (2-3 hours Visa Direct) |
Mastercard | £10 | £20,000 | No fee | 1-3 business days |
Paypal | £10 | £20,000 | No fee | Within 24 hours |
Bank Transfer | £10 | £20,000 | No fee | 2-3 business days |
The quick and easy steps to add some funds on the Virgin Bet iOS or Android app are as follows:
Once you have logged into your Virgin Bet account, the next step is to head to the ‘Deposit’ cashier. Luckily, this is very easy to find. Simply tap on the ‘Profile’ icon in the top right corner, and then select the ‘Deposit’ option.
The first step to depositing is to enter the amount. VirginBet allows a minimum deposit of £5, however, we chose to deposit £10 as is the standard in our testing. This is also because a £10 deposit is needed to claim the welcome offer at Virgin Bet.
Once the amount has been entered, the next step is to select the payment method. We could use a debit card or PayPal - as with all of our tests, we use a debit card but the £30 minimum deposit with PayPal would have pushed us to use a card regardless. Once you have selected your method, insert your details.
If the above has been completed, tap the red ‘Deposit’ box at the bottom of the screen, and you will be taken to a confirmation page to show that your deposit was successful. From here, you can begin betting, good luck!
The straightforward steps to withdrawal out of the Virgin Bet iOS or Android app are as follows:
Just like when depositing, you must go to the ‘Profile’ area of the home screen. However, the withdrawal cashier is not as easy to spot as it is located at the bottom of the screen.
Now, you must select your payment method and we had to opt for a debit card, as we did when depositing. In cases where your net deposit amount is lower on one payment method, VirginBet requires you to withdraw to zero before you can switch the method. For example, if you have a net deposit amount of -£25 on a debit card and £0 on PayPal, you must go with the debit card.
Finally, enter the amount that you would like to withdraw and then tap the red ‘Withdraw’ option at the bottom of the screen.
In our test, the withdrawal was completed within minutes thanks to the Visa Direct system that is used by Virgin Bet. This is fantastic as it means customers can receive their funds very quickly. For customers that do not have Visa debit cards, it states that withdrawals could take three days.
Right from the start, using the Virgin Bet app is very nice. We created our test account on the mobile app, and the process was not only very smooth but very quick, and this was a good introduction to things.
Once you are in the app, immediately you are presented with several highlighted sports that are popular among customers - for us, this was football and horse racing, and interestingly, a dedicated tab for Champions League games was promoted.
Alongside these options, Virgin Bet promotes its 'In-play' area. Whilst there are no examples shown immediately on the home page, tapping the 'In-play' icon will show a complete list of the available sports.
Furthermore, in this area, there is the chance to watch live sports, which can be easily found by using the 'Streaming' option shown at the top of the screen. Virgin Bet also shows which channel(s) is broadcasting the event in case streaming is not available.
Sticking on the homepage, Virgin Bet highlights some of its best price boosts for the day's fixtures, showing three high-value profit boosts when you first load onto the app.
Users can also easily find the fixtures of their favourite sports. For example, Virgin Bet offers a 'Leagues and Competitions' area on the app to find every possible market.
The promotion itself has already been mentioned, but Virgin Bet does not beat around the bush with its headline promotion 'Fives'. On the home screen, the promotion is presented clearly through an icon, whilst also being shown in the banner rotation.
We also must mention Virgin Bet's horse racing promotions. Not only does the bookmaker offer Best Odds Guaranteed, but it also offers free bets for certain things happening - such as your horse losing. A fantastic offer, certainly.
It has to be said that we were pleasantly surprised by the Virgin Bet casino. Given that the bookmaker is still growing, having a fantastic casino isn't really expected, but there is certainly something for everyone.
There is a range of traditional slot games, as well as a nice mix of the newer games that customers love - such as Le Bandit (a rare game to find in the UK) and Fishin' Frenzy which is one of the classics.
Customers will also be glad to hear that a search feature is utilised on the app, meaning finding games is very easy and quick - which can only be appreciated. The same can be said for the Live Casino, so navigating the area is very pleasant.
Overall, there is a good enough selection of slots, table games, and live casino options for customers to get their casino fulfilment without having to download another app. The only negative is that there is no casino welcome offer at Virgin Bet.
In the event that customers need support on the Virgin Bet app, there is a way to quickly get it. Simply tap the 'Profile' icon in the top right corner, and then scroll down to the 'Help and Info' option shown towards the bottom end of the menu.
Following this, you will be shown several options including the rules of the sportsbook, the Terms and Conditions of the app, and then the typical support area options: a contact link, and a FAQ area.
Tapping the FAQ option allows customers to search for answers to their questions via the search bar. Alternatively, there are pre-available areas readily available to browse in case you are unsure which category your issue comes under.
Should you still need assistance, there is a 'Chat' pop-up in the bottom left corner which will initially connect you to a live chat. From here, you can ask directly to speak to an agent, but the chatbot is just as good at assisting.
Virgin Bet certainly has all the needed factors to become one of the best betting apps in the UK. Not only is the sportsbook really nice, but there is also a good range of Casino games, making it an all-in-one option for customers - which is often sought after.
The app itself is nice to use and looks great - which does not help when winning bets, of course, but helps the experience - and we have to give it marks for this. With 13 updates so far in 2024, the developers are consistently looking to improve the experience, and again, we have to give credit for this.
Ben is an accredited football journalist who follows anything from League One to Serie A, also working for the likes of SempreMilan and Total Italian Football. As an avid punter, he has become the master tester at BettingLounge, refusing to take bookies by their words when it comes to withdrawal times and much more.