Star Sports’ new customer offer entitles sign-ups to 50% back as a free bet up to £25, plus 25 free spins on their casino when they join today.
Star Sports also presents a rich suite of promotions for their existing customers. Here are some enticing regular promos available for current players after they sign up:
ATP Offer: Stake a bet on any main draw ATP tour event and if your selection is beaten in a final set tie break, get 50% of your stake back as a free bet.
Premier Extra: For EPL enthusiasts, select 5 or more teams to win over the weekend, and if all your selections score, you’ll receive 50% of your stake as a free bet, regardless of the outcome.
Best Odds Guaranteed: This offer extends to all UK and Irish horse and greyhound racing, ensuring you get the best odds.
Time & a Half: Sports can be unpredictable. If your money line selection is beaten in overtime or extra innings, you’ll get 50% of your stake back as a free bet.
Second Chance: Place a first goalscorer bet, and if your player doesn’t score first but scores second, get 50% of your stake refunded as a free bet.
Added Insurance: Bet on a correct score and if your score holds at 90 minutes but changes in added time, you’ll get 50% of your stake back as a free bet.
BTTS Bonus: Build a Both Teams to Score (BTTS) accumulator with 4 legs or more and enjoy a 10% bonus if your bet wins.
We registered with Star Sports to fully explore their services and existing customer offers.
Star Sports Reputation & History
Star Sports brands itself as a luxury bookmaker. Formerly Star Racing, launched before the turn of the century on the rails, other independent bookmakers were brought up by them, and the company grew.
The rebranding to Star Sports happened in 2009, and reviews of their online platform have returned mixed opinions, from being slow to price up markets to the site being good with decent withdrawal times.
Star Sports Existing Customer Offers & Regular Promotions
An online betting experience shouldn’t be defined by the welcome offer only.
Star Sports Mobile App
There is a Star Sports mobile betting app that you can download for either iOS or Android. The simple layout and design of the app make it very user-friendly, and the feel of it is very lightweight.
It’s not an app with any bells and whistles. It’s a basic mobile betting platform on which we can scroll quickly through market lists, change sports and call up the bet slip. We liked how functional and responsive it felt.
A click on the odds immediately saw the options appear on the bet slip without lag. The in-play section ran smoothly, and account management for deposits and withdrawals was easily accessible.
Star Sports Betting Markets
The coverage is pretty good, with around 25 sports listed in the Star Sports sportsbook.
Looking around in more detail, it quickly became apparent that football is where the bulk of the focus and bet variety rests.
Market and bet variety start to thin out a bit when you nudge towards the less popular sports. However, that’s understandable and not uncommon among betting sites, and if you stick to the main arenas of football, horse racing, tennis, there should be plenty of options.
It’s only really if you go searching for niche markets on the major sports, that you are likely to come up short. No eSports was a strange omission, and we couldn’t find a dedicated listing of price boosts.
However, there are some Bet Builder opportunities in the sportsbook, and all the basics are there for your day-to-day betting.
Star Sports Live In-Play Betting
In-play betting is a big part of the experience at an online bookmaker. It allows for blending pre-match, in-play, hedging strategies and more. We found the live in-play betting at Star Sports to be a particular highlight of the overall sportsbook experience.
That’s because it hits the right notes in terms of speed. Markets load quickly, and the odds updates are indicated as the action unfolds. The coverage of different sports for live in-play betting was also great, from the likes of NFL and MLB to cricket, tennis, snooker and, of course, football.
One thing missing, however, was infographics. Many sites deliver a representation of the flow of action via a graphic on a match page. That’s usually complete with statistics and text commentary to help punters along. However, it’s a noticeable feature missing from StarSport live-betting and an area which could be improved.
Star Sports Casino
For those who like to dip into casino play, there are slots and table games at Star Sports.
There are various slot titles from leading developers Barcrest, Elk Studios, Pragmatic Play and NextGen.
Punters will see many popular slot titles, including Megaways, Drops and Wins, LuckyTap, Classics and Jackpot features. Also, in the Star Sports Casino, there are plenty of table titles like roulette and blackjack but no live dealer games.
Instant Wins, Slingo and a Casino club where if you wager £500+ a week on selected slots,
you get 100 free spins, which seems like a massive minimum threshold to receive a bonus, in our opinion.
Star Sports Horse Racing
Punters can snap up both greyhounds and horse racing at Star Sports. It’s the area in which the company made its name. There is good racing coverage from the domestic and international scenes.
We did find the majority of the following day’s UK and Irish races priced up well in advance, which was excellent. The racecards are basic insomuch as you don’t get insights or any form data to browse through. But we particularly like the price history feature on the racecards. This infographic below demonstrates how the odds fluctuations of individual horses is shown, giving you a hint to where their odds are now compared to how they opened.
The racing markets are not extensive, limited mainly to the Win, Forecast and Tricast markets accessible within the cards. Including live domestic racing streams would have boosted the experience, as would Best Odds Guaranteed coverage.
Star Sports Sports Betting Features
The Star Sports betting platform is not loaded with features like live-streaming or even much in the way of promotional bonuses.
Bet Builder
We did experience some Bet Builder opportunities in selected football matches to play with. That’s an easy-to-use tool accessed by the Build-A-Bet button on the match page.
Cash-Out
Cash-Out is a valuable feature for punters, and while it is available on the Star Sports platform, it’s not extensive.
Customer Service
A nice feature about Star Sports customer service is that you can contact their support team via telephone. There’s a line for general enquiries and one for betting. Alternatively, they can be contacted via Twitter @Star Sports_Bet or email via info@Star Sportsbet.co.uk., but there’s no live chat.
Star Sports Payment Methods
Debit card deposits via Mastercard, Visa or Maestro plus Bank Transfer and Cheque are the only deposit methods available. Just log into your account and find the deposit link. You can also top up your account from the bet slip using your debit card if you don’t have enough left in your account to cover a required stake.
The minimum deposit is £/€10, and only pounds sterling and euros can be used for Star Sports deposits.
Star Sports Withdrawal Methods & Timeline
Find the Withdrawal link from the Account tab, and you can pull out your funds to your active payment method. After they have performed their security checks on a withdrawal request, expect a withdrawal to a debit card to take 2-5 working days. You must verify your account before the first withdrawal by sending them proof of ID and address.
Star Sports vs. Other Bookmakers
There are some noticeable differences between the Star Sports online betting experience and major bookmakers like bet365 and Coral. The main areas in which Star Sports doesn’t match up are features like live-streaming, in-play infographics and promotions.
The lack of a Star Sports welcome bonus is also a big one, and if they had included e-wallet deposits, that would have improved the payment area, too. But they perform reasonably well in odds comparisons against other bookmakers, and their app and user-friendliness of the site are strong features.
Star Sports’s Responsible Gambling Policy
Star Sports is committed to Responsible Gambling. They have tools you can set up, like deposit limits, bet limits and even the ability to put yourself on a break. There are quick links to sites that can help in this regard, like BeGambleAware.org.
Star Sports FAQ’s (frequently asked questions)
Is Star Sports & Trustworthy Legit?
Yes, they are a fully licensed and regulated online bookmaker with the Gambling Commission. They are a safe platform for punters in the UK and Ireland.
Who owns Star Sports?
Star Racing Limited operate Star Sports, and they were an amalgamation of different independent bookmakers.
Where is Star Sports based?
Star Racing Limited, the company behind Star Sports, is based in Hove, East Sussex.
How long does it take for Star Sports to pay out?
Expect to receive payments between 2-5 working days after the bookmaker has released them.
What verification documents are required by Star Sports?
Accounts have to be verified before the first withdrawal, as that’s to confirm age and proof of payment. It can be done by supplying a driving licence, bank statement or utility bill.
Is there a Star Sports sign-up bonus?
At the time of writing, there was no Star Sports welcome offer available.
How secure is the Star Sports betting app?
The Star Sports app can be downloaded for iOS or Android. It is secure with encryption, and you can use your phone features to secure them further.