SBK UK Review - Is It Safe or a Scam? (2024)
SBK is unlike most major betting sites in the UK as it currently only exists as a mobile app. Using the odds from the Smarkets betting exchange means SBK claims it has some of the top prices in the business, but how does it stack overall? In this review, we will highlight the pros and cons of the site.
SBK offers
SBK Overall Score
| Bonus | 8 |
|---|---|
| Sportsbook | 8 |
| Customer Support | 8 |
| Payment | 7 |
| Licensing Safety | 8 |
| Design and Usability | 9 |
| Overall | 8 |
While mobile betting has become a lot more popular in the UK in recent times, dedicated mobile betting apps such as SBK are still quite rare. Having said that, the mobile betting experience at SBK is a very good one. The app works very well on a range of devices, with fast loading times and a sensible design that is easy to navigate.
All the main features that UK sports fans expect from a mobile betting app - such as a bet builder tool and cash out - are present and correct, but live streaming is limited. There is also a lack of regular betting bonuses to back up the decent welcome bonus up for grabs here.
A key selling point of SBK is the fact its odds are taken from the Smarkets betting exchange, which the app claims means it can provide a lower margin than its major rivals. Indeed, odds on the SBK app for Premier League matches were significantly better than those at bet365.
Overall, it is easy to recommend joining SBK for those who want to use a mobile betting app. The £30 in free bets that are on offer to new customers is a juicy bonus to start with.
About SBK
In a time where punters have plenty of great bookmakers to sign up for, SBK stands out from the rest with an app-only product, placing all of its focus on mobile convenience. Given just how popular betting apps have become in the last few years, with many punters now preferring this way of betting, SBK made a good decision to launch back in 2019.
SBK was launched after a year-long period of beta testing, with the new mobile betting app coming from the brains behind the Smarkets betting exchange. Founders Hunter Morris and Jason Trost set up Smarkets as a technology company first and foremost all the way back in 2008, with the latter still involved in the running of the firm today.
"We are extremely excited to fully launch SBK having made substantial improvements since the beta introduction last year," said Trost, who is currently the chief executive at Smarkets. The latter also claims that SBK offers 'industry-disrupting odds', since they are taken from the exchange, which is typically better value than betting sites.
In this review, we take a look at everything you need to know about SBK, from the welcome offer to the sportsbook offering. This should help you make an informed decision about whether to sign up on the site or not.
Is SBK Safe?
Smarkets Limited, which is based in Malta and owns SBK, is licensed and regulated by the Gambling Commission in the UK. This means that it is completely safe for punters to sign up on the app. Of course, the latter has also been approved by Apple and Google, which is another layer of safety for the customers.
Having said that, the Gambling Commission licence is never a guarantee for quality. Taking a look at Trustpilot, SBK has a rather poor rating of 1.7 out of five stars, though based on under 100 reviews. The main issue seems to be the verification process, which is often the case with new UK bookmakers, while some customers are also complaining about bets not being paid out correctly.
On the other hand, SBK has a rather good average rating on both app stores and this is something we will discuss under the 'SBK Mobile Apps' section. The reviews on Trustpilot, as such, could be outliers as SBK generally has a decent reputation in the business.
SBK Welcome Offer
Those who download the SBK app and sign up for a new account can get £30 in free bets, which is in line with some of the most generous new customer offers out there right now. To get the free bets from the SBK app, customers need to deposit at least £10 into their new account and then place a bet of £10 or more, which must be at minimum odds of 1.5.
The first £10 in free SBK bets will be credited upon settlement of the initial qualifying wager. Another £10 SBK free bet will be added to the account after seven days, with the final £10 in SBK free bets coming a further week after. It is worth pointing out that while the SBK app offers a variety of top banking options in the cashier, only new debit card deposits will qualify.
SBK Promotions
A significant downside of choosing SBK is a lack of promotions. While the big bookmakers in the industry offer a raft of deals and offers for existing customers, this is not the case at SBK. In fact, the promotions section at SBK is completely empty, which a lot of potential new customers will be disappointed to hear.
Horse racing fans are used to getting deals like best odds guaranteed, which is not in place on the SBK app. However, it is worth keeping in mind that the odds on SBK are usually up there with the best in the business - if not right at the top - which helps to balance it out. The latter is the case for football punters too, but an acca boost or perhaps predictions game would have been nice.
SBK Deposit
Customers who sign up at SBK will find a decent selection of payment methods, with popular e-wallets such as PayPal, Neteller and Skrill available on the app. However, while the number of payment methods is up there with some of the best bookmakers, the same cannot be said for the minimum deposit amounts. Those who like to use PayPal, for example, need to deposit a minimum of £25.
This is a lot higher than the other sites that offer PayPal, with the minimum deposit often being £10 or sometimes even as little as £5. It does not end there, though, as the minimum deposit for Trustly is a whopping £40. If you are keen on using this method, we recommend checking out the best sites for Trustly.
Below, we have collected everything you need to know about deposits at SBK, which is worth checking out given the aforementioned surprises.
| Payment Method | Minimum Deposit |
|---|---|
| Debit Cards (MasterCard, Visa) | £10 |
| PayPal | £25 |
| Neteller | £10 |
| Skrill | £10 |
| Trustly | £40 |
| Instant Bank Transfer | £10 |
How to deposit at SBK
- Log in to the SBK app and tap on the middle button at the bottom of the page
- This will open up the cashier, where the user's account balance is on view
- Tap on the green 'deposit' button in order to add funds on the SBK app
- Add a new payment method if making a deposit on SBK for the first time
- Decide how much to deposit and add the figure into the relevant box
- Follow any remaining on-screen instructions to complete the SBK deposit process
SBK Withdrawal
As for withdrawals, customers at SBK will at least be able to use PayPal at a more reasonable amount (£10 minimum withdrawal) and Instant Bank Transfer is another great option. The latter will take up to 12 hours, as per SBK, but it can be much faster than that. Some sites that have Instant Banking offer withdrawals within a few minutes, so this will likely be the case at SBK in the future as well.
The traditional bank transfer is available for those who prefer that, though withdrawals with this method take 5-10 business days and the minimum withdrawal is also £20. Below, we have collected everything you need to know about withdrawals at SBK:
| Payment Method | Minimum Withdrawal | Processing Time |
|---|---|---|
| Debit Cards (MasterCard, Visa) | £10 | Up to 6 business days |
| PayPal | £10 | Within 48 hours |
| Neteller | £10 | Within 48 hours |
| Trustly | £10 | Within 48 hours |
| Instant Bank Transfer | £10 | Within 12 hours |
| Bank Transfer | £20 | 5-10 business days |
How to Withdraw from SBK
- Make sure you are logged in to your SBK account
- Access the SBK app's cashier by tapping on the card icon at the bottom of the page
- Select the withdrawal option and pick from the payment methods on offer
- Enter the amount of money to withdraw - the minimum limit is set at £10
- Follow any further instructions to receive winnings out of an SBK app account
How to Verify an Account at SBK
New customers joining SBK for the first time will need to go through account verification. During the sign-up process, users receive an email with a link to click on to get started. SBK will also attempt to verify accounts electronically. It does this by running the details provided by the user when signing up against a number of official databases.
If an SBK account cannot be verified electronically, users can verify their new account by uploading a copy of a photo ID and proof of address via the file upload page in the SBK app:
- Proof of ID: Passport, Driving licence with photo, National Identity card
- Proof of Address: Bank statement, utility bill, tax bill (dated within the last 3 months)
SBK says that it will aim to complete this verification process within just 24 hours. This means that most new players will be able to get fully up and running in a single day here.
SBK Sportsbook
With no casino side, the full focus is on sports betting on the SBK app. After initially launching with quite a narrow range of sports and markets, SBK has gradually expanded the list and it is now quite comprehensive. In total, punters who sign up on the app will find around 30 different sports to bet on, which is indeed decent.
Football is naturally the most popular sport at SBK, though horse racing is not too far behind. While there are no special betting bonuses on offer for either of these top sports, testing indicates that the betting margins offered at SBK are among the main reasons to download the app. We looked at a handful of Premier League games and found that the SBK margin was lower than 3.3% for each when assessing the match odds market.
This is among the lowest margins in the UK, with SBK living up to its promise, and punters on the app will not have to worry about excessive fees. Taking the popular bet365 as an example, it has an average betting margin of 5.4%, so signing up for SBK instead can indeed make a big difference in the long run.
Bet builders are all the rage these days and SBK has a quick bet builder option that many sports fans will enjoy. This feature puts together a selection that can be added to the bet slip and placed as a wager in a matter of moments.
Something different offered at SBK is the tips section. The app works hard to foster a sense of community and by hosting tips that can be sent in by its users, the aim is to create a sort of social network for sports betting fans. Customers can choose to follow other users to see their tips more easily, while a page collects the winning tips that users have provided
Although some minor sports like bandy and sailing are not yet offered, a lot of effort has gone into esports betting. Among the main esports betting markets provided are options for Dota 2, CS, Valorant, League of Legends and Call of Duty, but it is not always easy to see which is which. There are live in-play esports betting markets available too, which is another tick in the box here.
Something lacking on the SBK app is live sports streaming. While it is possible to tune in to live horse racing action from courses around the UK, there is not much else to offer here. It is also worth pointing out that users need to be logged in to their SBK account and it needs to be funded, otherwise they will not be able to access the streams.
Away from sports, there are a handful of markets for SBK app users to check out, including political options such as the winner of the next presidential election in the United States. It is also possible to bet on which party will get the most seats in the next UK general election. TV markets include the winner of Eurovision, BBC Sports Personality of the Year, various awards ceremonies and others that users would expect to find at a major UK betting site.
SBK Mobile App
SBK is currently only a mobile betting app with no desktop option available. This means that the full focus here is on providing a top-notch experience when using a smaller screen to bet online. The SBK app has been designed to provide a seamless mobile betting experience.
The SBK app for iOS has been better received than the Android option, with ratings of 4.6 and 4 out of five stars respectively. At the top of the screen, users can easily navigate around the many different sports that are offered by SBK, with in-play live markets taking pride of place on the home screen.
The bottom menu offers a search option, making it easy to find a specific bet, while the cashier is also accessible in this part of the SBK mobile betting app. Additionally, there is a button to access 'my bets' where customers can check out the progress of their wagers.
SBK's app is always fast to load, but cash out might not always be available to trigger. Those who are hoping to lock in some guaranteed profit will want to keep a close eye on when the cash-out option is offered, as waiting too late might result in the chance to take it going away.
In short, while there are some areas of improvement, SBK's app must be considered among the top betting apps in the UK.
SBK Responsible Gambling
Like all top online bookmakers these days, SBK has a strong responsible gambling policy in order to stay in line with the Gambling Commission. This involves giving customers a range of tools to help them stay in control of their spending. Many of them are usually offered these days and some of the tools at SBK are:
- Deposit limits (daily, weekly, monthly)
- Time-out
- Self-exclusion
- And more
Users are encouraged to start with deposit limits as these can go a very long way in preventing gambling addiction. The more 'hardcore' solutions are important to have, though, as deposit limits can be changed relatively quickly. SBK's mobile betting app also provides information about GAMSTOP as well as other third-party organisations.
SBK Customer Support
There are a few different options for contacting SBK customer support, with the help centre a useful first port of call for those who are experiencing an issue with their account on the app. Common queries such as how to verify a new account on the SBK app are covered here, so it might not be necessary to contact the support team immediately.
Those who want to get in touch with a customer support agent can do so via the app's live chat. Users must be logged in to their SBK account in order to be able to access live chat, which is offered on the app from 09:00-23:00 GMT. An alternative way to access SBK customer support is via email or through social media. Users can drop a line to the support@getsbk.com email address or try out Twitter/X @sbk.
To make a complaint, the first step is to email the support@getsbk.com address. SBK says that it will "endeavour to resolve your complaint within two working days" and any UK-based customers who are unhappy with the outcome can then get in touch with the Independent Betting Adjudication Service to take a complaint relating to the SBK app to the next stage.
| Chat | Yes |
|---|---|
| support@getsbk.com | |
| Phone | NA |
Opening hours
| 7 days a week | 09:00-23:00 (GMT) |
|---|
How to Get Started at SBK
Follow our simple step-by-step guide to how to get started at SBK below:
Head Over to getsbk.com or Your App Store
You can also use our link at the top of this page, or in the bottom banner, which will bring you straight to the welcome offer. There, you will also find a link to download the app from your app store.
Open the app and tap on 'Join SBK Now'
In the first step of the registration, you will be asked to provide your phone number. You then need to tap on 'Continue', at which point a verification code will be sent to your number. Once you have it, enter it in the box.
Enter Your Personal Information
In the second step of the registration, you need to provide your personal information such as full name, date of birth, address and so on. You will also need to enter your email, as well as choose a password for your SBK account. Tap on 'Continue' once that is done.
Set Account Preferences and tap on 'Complete'
In the third step of the registration, you will need to opt in/out of marketing messages as well as decide the odds format. Tap on 'Complete' once that is done, and that's it!
SBK Betting App FAQs
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