Established in 2019, Virgin Bet is yet another arm of famed billionaire Richard Branson’s global empire. Part of the LiveScore Group, the betting site is licensed and regulated in Great Britain by the Gambling Commission (No: 54310).
In this guide, we’ll walk you through the Virgin Bet sign-up offer and how to claim it. We’ll cover the details of the Virgin Bet sportsbook – including existing customer offers, and the Virgin Bet sign-up bonus. Finally, we’ll compare Virgin Bet against its main competitors – comparing the quality of odds and the welcome bonuses offered to new bettors.
Virgin Bet Sign-Up Offer Explained
The Virgin Bet sign-up offer is a very straightforward “Bet 10 get 20” concept where players simply need to place a £10 qualifying bet at odds of 1.5 (1/2) or greater, and once that bet is settled, the player will receive two £10 bets. There is no promotional code you need to enter on sign-up to trigger the bonus and it’s available when you set foot into your new account.
Virgin Bet Sign-Up Offer Terms & Conditions
The Virgin Bet sign-up offer must be completed within two weeks of signing up and the bonus comes in the form of two £10 tokens, as opposed to the slightly more fluid bet credits you may receive elsewhere. Finally, the free bets are valid for only seven days from the point of acceptance.
Step By Step Guide on How to claim the Virgin Bet Welcome Offer
Looking to claim the Virgin Bet Sign Up Offer? Follow the step-by-step guide below to avoid missing any key details.
1. Create an account with Virgin Bet
Use any of our links to visit the Virgin Bet welcome promo landing page. Select the “Join Here” option and follow the on-screen instructions. The platform will require the following information:
- Full name
- Date of Birth
- Email address
- Mobile telephone number
- Postal address
- Username and Password
If necessary – follow the instructions to verify your identity to successfully open the betting account.
2. Deposit a minimum of £10
With the account opened bettors are required to make an initial deposit of at least £10.
Pre-paid credit/debit cards, disposable cards or virtual cards will not qualify for the welcome promotion.
3. Place an initial qualifying bet
Next, new account holders must place an initial bet of at least £10 on any sportsbook market with the minimum odds of 1/2 (1.5).
The bet must settle within 14 days. Virtual markets do not qualify.
4. Claim and use your free bet
Once your qualifying bet settles, you must claim the welcome offer via an on-screen pop-up within 7 days.
The £20 in free bets are then issued as 2x £10 free bet tokens. These must be used within 7 days on events with the odds of 1/100 or greater. The stake will not be returned. Further terms and conditions apply.
Virgin Bet Reputation and History
Established in 2019 – Virgin Bet is one of the more recent entries to Richard Branson’s Virgin portfolio. It comes after the partnership with LiveScore Bet, offering a foot in the door to the UK betting market.
As with everything Virgin aims to disrupt, fantastic customer service is at the core. Alongside the generous welcome bonus, Virgin offers a range of ongoing customer promotions, daily odds boosts and a fantastic support team on hand to help with any queries.
Virgin Bet Pros
Below is a list of our favourite aspects of the Virgin Bet sportsbook.
- Generous welcome and ongoing customer promotions;
- Dedicated mobile app;
- Great customer service team;
- Live streaming for all UK and Irish horse racing.
Virgin Bet Cons
We had a difficult time finding things to complain about at Virgin Bet, with the limited number of banking solutions being the only potential gripe we could come up with.
Virgin Bet Deposit and Withdrawal Methods
Virgin Bet offers just a small selection of banking methods available for both deposit and withdrawals.
Deposit Methods
Looking to deposit at Virgin Bet? There are just two options to choose from, debit card or PayPal. A breakdown and comparison of the two can be found in the table below:
Deposit Method | Min Deposit | Maximum Deposit | Processing Time |
Debit Card (Visa/Mastercard) | £5 | £20,000 | Instant |
PayPal | £10 | £20,000 | Instant |
Withdrawal Methods
In addition to the available deposit methods, bettors are also given the option of bank transfer when making a withdrawal at Virgin Bet. A breakdown and comparison can be found in the table below:
Deposit Method | Min Withdrawal | Maximum Withdrawal | Processing Time |
Debit Card (Visa/Mastercard) | £10 | £20,000 | 1-3 Working Days |
PayPal | £10 | £20,000 | 24 Hours |
Bank Transfer | £10 | £20,000 | 2-3 Working Days |
Comparison of Virgin Bet Sign Up Offers vs Competitors
Sportsbook | Sign Up Offer | Bonus Expiry |
Virgin Bet | Bet £10 Get £20 Free Bets | 7 days |
BetMGM | Bet £10, Get £40 in Free Bets | 7 days |
SkyBet | Bet 5p, Get £40 in Free Bets | 30 days |
CopyBet | Bet £20, Get £60 in Free Bets | 7 days |
Paddy Power | Bet £5, Get £30 in Free Bets | 30 days |
Midnite | Bet £10, Get £20 +50 Free Spins | 7 days |
Boylesports | Bet £10, Get £20 in Free Bets + £10 Casino Bonus | 7 days |
bet365 | Bet £10, Get £30 in Free Bets | 7 days |
Betfred | Bet £10, Get £50 in Free Bets | 7 days |
Virgin Bet Quality of Odds
The quality of the odds is one of the most important features of any bookmaker – it’s how we find the best betting deals.
We compared the odds offered of three random upcoming events from four bookies to see how Virgin Bet stacks against Bet365, Sky Bet and Paddy Power.
Event | Selection | Bookmaker | Odds |
Newcastle vs. Manchester United (Football) | Newcastle | Virgin Bet | 13/20 |
Newcastle vs. Manchester United (Football) | Newcastle | Bet365 | 7/10 |
Newcastle vs. Manchester United (Football) | Newcastle | SkyBet | 7/10 |
Newcastle vs. Manchester United (Football) | Newcastle | Paddy Power | 8/11 |
Event | Selection | Bookmaker | Odds |
US Masters (Golf) | Scottie Scheffler | Virgin Bet | 9/2 |
US Masters (Golf) | Scottie Scheffler | Bet365 | 9/2 |
US Masters (Golf) | Scottie Scheffler | SkyBet | 9/2 |
US Masters (Golf) | Scottie Scheffler | Paddy Power | 4/1 |
Event | Selection | Bookmaker | Odds |
Luke Littler vs Gerwyn Price (Darts) | Luke Littler | Virgin Bet | 2/7 |
Luke Littler vs Gerwyn Price (Darts) | Luke Littler | Bet365 | 30/100 |
Luke Littler vs Gerwyn Price (Darts) | Luke Littler | SkyBet | 2/7 |
Luke Littler vs Gerwyn Price (Darts) | Luke Littler | Paddy Power | 30/100 |
Virgin Bet does not actually come out on top when comparing odds against some of the heavy hitters in the industry. The odds are comparable against some of the top bookies – but the betting site doesn’t tend to offer the best deals.
Virgin Bet vs Other Bookmakers
It’s very easy to get lost in the mix as a new UK bookmaker but Virgin Bet stand out as one of the most promising newcomers to the market.
They seemingly have all the important bases covered. Firstly, the depth of sports on offer is excellent, while the odds on offer are competitive enough to keep people coming back.
The Virgin Bet welcome offer is steady – if not totally spectacular – and it provides customers with a genuine hook to step onboard and give the site a try. At that point, it’s also important to give players incentives to return, and their free bet specials on horse racing and football are just the tonic.
Betting on the go is a piece of cake too, so on the whole, we are very impressed with what Virgin Bet has to offer. They could perhaps do with upping their game in terms of making their contact options more visible, but that is the only minor blot on the Virgin Bet copybook.
Virgin Bet Existing Customer Promotions
Once you have your feet under the table at Virgin Bet, it’s important that you continue to be looked after by the promo department, so let’s take a look at what they have to offer for existing customers:
Spin And Win
Wager at least £50 on the range of Virgin Bet Casino slot games between Monday and Thursday of any given week and earn a bounty of free spins on their Finn and Swirly Spin slot game.
Weekly £10 Acca Free Bet
Simply place two accumulators with stakes of at least £10 between Monday and Sunday and receive a £10 bet to use on an accumulator the following week. Each qualifying accumulator must have at least five legs and the final odds of the accumulator must reach at least 5/1 (6.00).
Big Match Bet Builder
Simply log in to your betting account (within 72 hours before kick-off) and claim the Free Bet to use on any Bet Builder market to use of the selected football match each week.
The free bet token, worth £1 – £20 can be used on any Bet Builder market in the match specified by Virgin Bet. The selection must be with odds of EVS or greater. Terms and conditions apply.
£5 Free Acca Bet
Claim a £5 free acca every week when you place a minimum of four £5 accas (minimum overall odds of 2/1) between Monday and Sunday.
Be sure to opt-in for this promo and ensure each qualifying acca has a minimum of four legs with the minimum overall odds of 2/1. In return, you’ll receive a £5 free acca for use on any sportsbook market accumulator bet (minimum four legs). Stake is not returned. Terms and conditions apply.
Virgin Bet Mobile App Features
A high-quality mobile app is imperative for any bookmaker in 2021 and we’re pleased to report that Virgin Bet delivers the goods for punters on the go.
The iPhone app – available on the Apple Store – has a 4.7-star rating from more than 12,000 reviews. After a play around, we feel it’s very much deserving of that accolade. The menus are crisp and clear, while navigation between different sports and markets was a breeze.
Sports You Can Bet On at Virgin Bet
The list of sports available at Virgin Bet us long with more than 35 different categories to browse and choose from.
A short list of featured sports takes the lion’s share of wagers. These include football, horse racing, greyhounds and tennis. However, the betting site features a range of lesser popular markets from lacrosse and netball to floorball and politics. There’s plenty to wager on at Virgin Bet.
Virgin Bet Betting Markets
Virgin Bet offers an in-depth A-Z of sports, starting with American Football and going all the way down to Virtual Sports and Volleyball. In between, punters can look forward to a nice sprinkling of niche sports if they fancy trying something new, such as Gaelic hurling, Aussie rules football, and chess.
Virgin Bet Sports Betting Features
You would be forgiven for thinking that, as a new bookie, Virgin Bet may be lacking some of the bells and whistles that some of the more established brands have.
But you’d be wrong! Virgin Bet is home to a range of fun, free features that just take the edge off when you’re looking for a slight change of pace.
Virgin Bet Fives
Virgin Bet offers customers a free chance to scoop cash prizes via their Bet Fives feature. Each week, customers can reveal up to five players for their “Squad”.
Once your squad has been put together, you then spin a wheel that lands on one of many cash amounts. If a member of your squad scores during the designated fixture, you will receive that cash prize in your account.
Virgin Bet Betting Accumulators
Virgin Bet is a particularly attractive proposition for customers who enjoy placing accumulators, thanks to their weekly free bet offer. This allows players to earn a free £10 bet if they wager two qualifying multiples in the previous week.
As far as odds are concerned, we built a range of accumulators and compared the potential returns with their UK counterparts. The results were mixed, but across the board, the prices on offer were very respectable and represented a good offering for a new UK bookmaker.
Virgin Bet Acca Insurance
Unfortunately, at the time of writing, Virgin Bet does not offer Acca Insurance on its multiples. Acca Insurance is a promotion that refunds punters their stake – usually in the form of a free bet – if their accumulator is let down by a single leg. We will keep you updated as and when this feature is added to the Virgin Bet offering.
Virgin Bet Live In-Play Betting
Despite being a relatively new bookmaker on the UK scene, Virgin Bet doesn’t disappoint in the in-play betting department. Punters can bet on a huge range of sports as the events are unfolding, such as football, tennis, eSports, ice hockey, volleyball, and much more.
The most prominent and popular in-play sports are presented in the “Highlights” section of the in-play bracket, but next door is their “streaming” tab, which gives you all the events that you can watch on-site as you bet on them.
Virgin Bet Casino
In addition to the impressive sportsbooks, Virgin Bet also offer a range of casino and live casino games under the same digital roof.
Navigate from the sports markets to the casino to unlock slots, table games, live games and so much more. Benefit from a range of promotions – including free games and spins, dynamic tournaments and daily cash drops. Check out the current promos at Virgin Bet now.
Virgin Bet Horse Racing
Especially in the UK market, a solid horse racing offering is an essential box to tick for all UK bookmakers. Virgin Bet are clearly taking horse racing seriously, having recently sponsored the Ayr Gold Cup back in mid-September of 2021.
Virgin Bet has an extensive offering of not only UK & Irish horse racing, but their global coverage is also impressive. Their offering of racing from all four corners of the globe means punters will never find themselves undernourished at any hour in the day.
In addition, Virgin Bet also offer Best Odds Guaranteed on all UK & Irish horse racing, meaning you will receive the biggest price (and returns) on a horse if its price drifts after you place the bet.
Finally, their existing customer promotion that offers punters a free bet if they land a winner at odds of at least 3/1 on a designated race is particularly appealing and will attract customers who love to chase value on the horses.
Virgin Bet Customer Service
Customer service is an important pillar of any UK bookmaker and unfortunately, this is one area that lets Virgin Bet down somewhat.
The “Contact Us” button on the site is tucked away at the bottom of the main page, and even when you click it, you’re given a very limited selection of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to click on, which means you’re unlikely to get to the bottom of your query by merely browsing their FAQs.
You have to dig quite deep into the site to find their Live Chat service, as well as their email and telephone hotlines. This is likely to be a ploy to keep a relative lid on the volume of queries hitting their potentially limited amount of on-duty staff, but some clearer signposting wouldn’t go amiss.
Telephone: +44 808 169 7700
Email: [email protected]
Responsible Gambling at Virgin Bet
Virgin Bet takes responsible gaming very seriously and encourages all bettors to retain control of their betting. The brand offers a range of responsible gaming tools with the following available to all players:
- Deposit limits
- Account closure
- Account cool-off
- Reality check
- Account self-exclusion
In addition to the tools available – Virgin Bet provides the details for a range of companies/charities that can help those experiencing problem gambling. These include GAMSTOP, BeGambleAware and GamBan.
Our Expert’s Take
‘Sir Richard Branson’s entry into the world of online bookmakers was a welcome surprise – but I don’t think it’s quite lived up to the hype. Virgin Broadband, Cruises and Atlantic are all special in their own right – and whilst Virgin Bet does provide a highly competent betting experience, it does little to differentiate itself from other brands.
‘Don’t get me wrong, the site itself is absolutely good enough – but that’s just it – it’s good enough. The Virgin name brings the promise of something more and I think it’s lacking in that department. It’s missing a certain magic that some of the other bigger betting brands boast. Having said that, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and there’s lots to like about Virgin Bet.’ – Andy Francis, betting expert.
Virgin Bet FAQ’s (frequently asked questions)
If you’ve gotten to the end of our Virgin Bet review and still have a couple of queries, then fear not! Check out our list of FAQs to fill in any final blanks:
While Virgin Bet and Virgin Games share the same branding and aesthetic, they are in fact two separate entities and are accessible via different websites. Virgin Games is focussed around the live casino sector, while Virgin Bet is a more of a conventional sportsbook.
In the first instance, free credits can be obtained by signing up to the Virgin Bet welcome offer, which gives you two £10 free bets once you have completed a qualifying £10 bet.
In addition, players can receive further free bets by completing Virgin Bet’s range of existing customer promotions, which you can find out more about at https://www.virginbet.com/promotions.
Withdrawing your funds from your Virgin Bet account is simple. Just click the stick-figure icon in the top-right-hand corner of the homepage to open up your dashboard, then select “Withdraw” and follow the on-site instructions to complete your request.
Yes, Virgin Bet offers complete flexibility on how and where you use your free bets.
Upon completion of the Virgin Bet new customer offer, you receive your £20 bonus in the form of two £10 bet credits. These must be used within seven days of receiving them.
We did not have to submit any verification documents whilst signing up, but that doesn’t mean that you won’t be, so be prepared to send over a photo of your passport or driving license during the joining process, or when you are making your first withdrawal.
In total, withdrawals with Virgin Bet should take no longer than four days to hit your account. The initial request usually takes around 24 hours to process, before a further 1-3 day wait for the funds to finally hit your account.
If like the majority of customers, you’re looking to deposit and withdraw via bank transfer, then the maximum amount you can process at any one time is £10,000. If you use PayPal, the max payout is £5,500.
The virgin bet mobile site and betting app have all the required security certifications to ensure you are betting in the safest possible environment.