Free Bets
*New members only. £10+ bet on sports (ex. virtuals) at 1.5 min odds, settled within 14 days. Free Bets: accepted in 7 days, valid 7 days; £20 use on sportsbook, £10 on Bet Builder. Stake not returned. T&Cs + deposit exclusions apply. Bet Responsibly. GambleAware.org. 18+
Bet £10, Get £30 in Free Bets
*New members only. £10+ bet on sports (ex. virtuals) at 1.5 min odds, settled within 14 days. Free Bets: accepted in 7 days, valid 7 days; £20 use on sportsbook, £10 on Bet Builder. Stake not returned. T&Cs + deposit exclusions apply. Bet Responsibly. GambleAware.org. 18+
Disclosure: This guide contains affiliate links. If you sign up to this bookmaker, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Our reviews and recommendations are based on independent research and remain 100% honest and impartial.
Bookmaker Overview
Virgin Bet, as the name would suggest, is part of the Virgin Group, and as such, comes with a lot of high expectations. So, we decided to put them to the test. They are licensed by the UK gambling commission and offer both sports betting and casino play on their platform, but for the purposes of this Virgin Bet review we will be focusing on the sports betting aspect.
We have tested every aspect of the sports betting experience, from creating an account and making deposits and withdrawals through to placing bets and contacting customer support. Below you will see all of our findings so that you can decide whether they are the sports betting provider for you or not.
Pros and Cons
- Extensive Live Streaming Coverage
- Welcome Offer with No Wagering Requirements
- User-Friendly iOS and Android App
- No Loyalty Program
- Live Chat is Automated
- No Phone Support
- Limited Payment Options
Key Features
To create an account with Virgin Bet, it takes around five to six minutes to complete if you have all of the information to hand. To help with the process we have created a step-by-step guide below so that you can know what to expect.
Begin the registration process.
To get started click on the white ‘Join’ button in the top right hand corner of the screen.
Enter personal details
Type in your full name and your date of birth and click on ‘Next step’.
Enter your contact details
On the next page enter your email address, mobile phone number and your postal address. When you're done click on ‘Next step’ again.
Set account details, deposit limits, and marketing preferences.
On the final screen you will need to create a username and a secure password. You can also set any deposit limits you would like on the account and also select your marketing preferences. We would recommend ticking at least one of the boxes to ensure you stay up to date with the latest offers and promotions. Lastly, confirm you are over 18 and click on ‘Create account’.
There are 43 categories listed in the sportsbook section at Virgin Bet. While some of them are crossovers, there is still a large offering. So much so that we have reviewed each sporting section individually. These have been reviewed by experts within those fields as they are best positioned to pass judgement. They have analysed the sports and markets available, as well as the Virgin Bet betting odds.
Because the Virgin Bet website and app are so responsive, in-play betting is a standard out feature. When you access the in-play section you will notice everything is organised very well. The first tab shows all the main live betting options available. From there, you can choose from different sports that offer live betting opportunities.
When you click on an event you will be presented with either a live stream or a virtual representation of the game. Underneath that you can access all of the event info and statistical data to help make a more educated decision when placing a bet. The data is comprehensive and better than many other sports betting platforms.
Also, the list of in-play betting markets available is excellent. We were especially pleased with extensive tennis options, even for lower level matches.
Virgin Bet offers one of the top live streaming services in the UK. You can watch a wide variety of sports, including football, horse racing, tennis, and numerous US sports. There is an extensive list of events available in each category!
The football offering is especially impressive. You can watch most top-flight matches and even stream leagues such as Bundesliga 2, along with other niche sports.
The streams themselves work great, with no lagging or interference and the commentary was synchronised with the matches well. We tested this on various laptops, tablets, and mobile devices running different operating systems, and the results were consistently positive across all of them.
While the mobile site and Virgin bet app probably won’t win awards for the way that they look, they both work incredibly well and are easy to use. Each page or section loads seamlessly, and there are so many categories to choose from that finding what you’re looking for is a doddle. You can use both menus at the top and bottom of the screen, meaning you’re just a click away from checking your betting slip or circling back to the home screen.
The find feature is pretty cool as it lets you know what sports have in-play betting options available at that time, as well as some of the features available within those categorie, like the Bet Builder for example.
The Virgin Bet app is available to download from both the Apple Store and the Google Play Store. There aren’t really any differences of note between the mobile site and the app, other than you can turn on notifications on the app to notify you on how your bets are doing.
Virgin Bet isn’t jam-packed with betting features but the ones they do have are done really well. If you’re someone that likes their sportsbook to have lots of different features we would recommend Betfred. Here is a small selection of our favourites.
Bet Builder – Virgin Bet has one of the biggest Bet Builder offerings within the industry. Not only are there lots of different sports to choose from, they also have a long list of markets within those sports. As well as popular sports such as football, you can also create Bet Builder bets on American football, baseball and even Aussie rules!
Price Boosts – Virgin Bet Offers so many price boosts that it has its own dedicated section. Within that section, you can then choose which sport you want to bet on and it will bring up the list of price Boosts available.
Their horse racing odds seem pretty decent and their site easy to navigate. Plenty of offers including best odds guaranteed and although not being around for long seem to be upping their game and an up and comer to watch. Their app is easy to handle as well.
The bonuses at Virgin Bet are decent in comparison to other bookmakers. While none of them are large in terms of value, they do offer a decent selection. Here are three of our favourites.
Virgin Bet Welcome Offer – New customers can get £30 in free bets. This welcome offer isn’t the best available, but it does have some advantages over others. For instance, your first bet only needs odds of 1/2 (1.5), while most other bookmakers require odds of 1/1 (2.0).
Weekly Acca Rewards – This works similar to a free bet club whereby you place four £5 accas that have either four selections in or odds of at least 2/1 (3.0) and you receive a free £5 acca afterwards.
Free Bet Builders – Virgin Bet gives current customers many free Bet Builders to use on certain matches. These are given out at random, so you might not always get one, but they seem to be offered often. In two weeks of testing, we got three. Virgin Bet says these free Bet Builders can be worth between £1 and £30. During our test, we got free bets of £1, £2, and £5.
Loyalty Program
Virgin Bet doesn’t offer a loyalty program at present. However, if you’re looking for a bookmaker that does, we would recommend using Ladbrokes, Kwiff or Bet365.
This is certainly one area that Virgin Bet could improve on. While all of the Virgin Bet payment methods they provide are safe and secure, there aren’t many to choose from. The one plus is that the minimum deposit is lower than most other sportsbooks. Here are the options available along with information on each one.
| Payment Method | Deposits | Withdrawals |
|---|---|---|
| PayPal | Instant | 24 Hours |
| Visa | Instant | 1-3 Days |
| Mastercard | Instant | 1-3 Days |
| Trustly | Instant | N/A |
| Apple Pay | Instant | N/A |
| Bank Transfer | Instant | 2-3 Days |
Customer support is probably the other area where Virgin Bet is lagging behind their competitors.
You can contact them via a ‘Live Chat’ feature or by emailing them at [email protected].
We used both services and were extremely underwhelmed with both. The live chat is Automated, meaning you can’t speak to an actual person. It’s very repetitive and highly frustrating to use.
While the email service was much better, it took Virgin Bet a day to come back to us. This is around the industry average in terms of waiting times. However, with the lack of a real live chat service, we would have hoped for this to be much quicker.
Punters Lounge Verdict:
Virgin Bet
However, we were underwhelmed when it came to the payment selections available and also the lack of Virgin Bet customer support provided. The bonuses and features offered by Virgin Bet were somewhere in between their amazing streaming service and their poor customer support, making it a real mixed bag.
Overall, Virgin Bet is a good bookmaker with plenty of pluses, however, they aren’t without their flaws.
Virgin Bet Review FAQ
Can you cash out on Virgin Bet?
Yes you can. Because Virgin Bet offers plenty of in-play markets, it means you have plenty of options when it comes to cashing out your bets early.
What are the payment methods for Virgin Bet?
The payment methods available at Virgin Bet include VISA, MasterCard, Apple Pay, PayPal, Trustly and Bank Transfer. It’s worth noting that you can’t make withdrawals using Apple Pay or Trustly.
Do you get free bets on Virgin Bet?
Yes, Virgin Bet offers quite a few different free bets. You can qualify for them in many different ways. These include creating an account (if you don’t already have one) and making a deposit, through to placing bets to achieve further rewards.
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