Virgin Bet Review UK (2024)
- Free bets as a welcome bonus
- Wide range of sports markets
- Combined casino and sportsbook
Virgin Bet Quick Facts
- Secure, reliable website
- Dedicated mobile app
- Also has a casino
- Live streaming on certain games
- Certain sports absent
- Only three esports covered
- Minor interface issues on mobile devices
- Live chat support is automated
Virgin Bet Introduction
Important: Virgin Bet offers are no longer available or not accessible from our site. You can check out similar betting offers .
Tailored for the British market and available only in English, Virgin Bet aims to be a UK player’s one-stop destination for sports betting. Just what does it have to offer the eager punter? Read on…
Registration process 5/5
- Quick and easy
- Takes three steps to complete
- Allows you to set a deposit limit
The sign-up process at Virgin Bet is straightforward and very easy to get to grips with, even for somebody who has never used a sportsbook before. All you need to do is complete three short steps to create a personal account.
First, you will be asked to enter your basic details: name, gender and date of birth.
The next information that you are required to enter is your email address, mobile number and home address.
The third step is a little more in-depth: choose a username, password, and your deposit limit (you can pick anywhere from £10 a month to no limit at all). Enter the info, and you’re good to go!
It would be hard to imagine a more straightforward and intuitive registration process.
Deposits and withdrawals options 5/5
- Virgin bet accepts Visa, MasterCard and PayPal
- No fees for deposits or withdrawals
- Accepted deposit/withdrawal range is usually between £10 and £20,000
Virgin Bet makes its deposit system straightforward and accessible. Click the “deposit” button in the upper right to open the relevant window. Here, you will be able to choose your payment method from a drop-down menu, along with your preferred amount: the standard options are £10, £30 and £100, but you can enter different sums by clicking the “other” button; the minimum will be £5 for Visa and MasterCard, or £10 for PayPal while the maximum is £20,000.
Payment Options
The deposit menu has two payment options. The first is a debit card (both Visa and MasterCard are accepted), and the second is PayPal. Please note that PayPal will not be accepted on your first deposit. Virgin Bet does not currently accept cryptocurrencies.
The withdrawal system can be accessed from the “My Account” page. Once again, your two options will be a debit card and PayPal, and you can only use a given withdrawal method if you have already used it for a deposit.
Fees and Limits
Virgin Bet never charges fees for deposits, no matter which method you have chosen. Likewise, the site itself does not charge fees for withdrawals, although the provider of your payment method might apply a fee: check with the relevant provider if you are concerned.
The maximum amount accepted for deposits is £20,000, while the minimum ranges from £5 for a debit card to £10 for PayPal. For withdrawals, the minimum is £10 and the maximum £20,000, regardless of your chosen method. Virgin Bet typically processes your withdrawal within 24 hours; after that, how long you have to wait for the money to arrive in your account will depend on your method. PayPal withdrawals are instant; Visa will usually take 2-3 working hours, while MasterCard, the slowest method, can take 1-3 working days to clear.
Proof of Identity
When you carry out a financial transaction at Virgin Bet, you may be asked for proof of identity (note that the site bars you from using any payment method that does not match the name of your account). To comply, you will need to provide both proof of ID (a driving license, ID card or passport will be accepted) and proof of address (a utility bill or bank statement).
| Method | Min | Max | Processing Time | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £5 | £20,000 | Instant | None | |
| £5 | £20,000 | Instant | None | |
| £10 | £20,000 | Instant | None |
| Method | Min | Max | Processing Time | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £10 | £20,000 | 2-3 hours | None | |
| £10 | £20,000 | 1-3 working days | None | |
| £10 | £20,000 | Instant | None |
A solid variety of payment methods that should satisfy the majority of players.
Welcome Offer 4/5
- Bet £10, get £20 in free bets
- Bonus given as two free bet tokens of £10 each
- Requires a first deposit of £10 plus a qualifying bet
Introduction to Virgin Bet’s Welcome Offer
Virgin Bet has a welcome offer for its new members, one that is summed up in a simple slogan: bet £10, get £20 in free bets. Note that this bonus applies specifically to Virgin Bet’s sportsbook and not to the casino portal of the site. For the most part, the offer is as straightforward as it sounds, although, as with all such sportsbook promotions, it has a number of strings attached that should be taken into account.
Virgin Bet Bonus Description
First of all, to qualify for the offer, you will need to be both at least 18 years old and a resident of Great Britain (for the purposes of Virgin Bet’s definition, this involves being physically located within the country). Players from elsewhere in the world cannot claim the bonus. If you fit the bill and have registered your account, then you will need to follow these steps:
1: Make a first deposit of £10 or more.
2: Within 14 days of joining, place a qualifying bet. To qualify for the offer, a bet will need to be £10 or more in cash, settling within the user’s first 14 days, having minimum odds of 1/2 (1.5 in decimals) and, if an accumulator or multiple bet, will need to have odds greater than 1/100 (1.01 in decimals) per selection. Note that this bet will need to be a minimum of £10 in a single go: so, for example, making two £5 bets each way will not count as a qualifying £10 bet. A qualifying bet will no longer qualify if it is cancelled, voided or cashed out, but in these instances, you will be able to place another qualifying bet.
3: Once you have made your qualifying bet, wait for a pop-up notification to appear asking you if you would like to claim your free bets. This will usually happen within 24 hours. However, Virgin Bet’s guidelines advise you to allow up to 72 hours, as the pop-up might be delayed by technical difficulties. Note, also, that you will need to be logged into your account for it to be visible. You will need to respond to the notification within seven days, or the offer will be voided.
4: Now, you can claim your free bets via the notification window. Rather than a single lump sum, these will consist of two free bet tokens, each worth £10. These bets will be automatically added to your account upon acceptance and will remain valid for seven days after that time.
Once you get your hands on the free bet tokens, remember that they have their share of strings attached. The tokens must be used one at a time and only for a single £10 bet: you cannot split a token into smaller bets by, for example, using a £10 token to make two $5 bets. You will not be able to use the tokens on each-way bets or multiple bets like Lucky 15s, although you will be able to use them on accumulator bets with two or more selections. The tokens can also be used only on odds of 1/100 or greater.
Finally, all of the standard caveats apply to the free bet tokens: you will not be able to use them to claim any other bonus; you cannot withdraw them as cash, and they will not be returned as a stake on a winning bet.
Perhaps not the largest welcome offer imaginable, but the prospect of £20 in free bets is hard to turn down!
Virgin Bet promotions 4/5
- Weekly £10 ACCA bonuses
- Horse-racing promotions
- Price boosts up to £20
Virgin Bet has a number of promotions; some apply only to the casino part of the site, but the range of sportsbook offers should please punters nonetheless.
Players who place two ACCAs of £10+ or more every week on any sport will be entitled to a weekly £10 free bet. Horse racing fans, meanwhile, can take advantage of extra places in selected races every day. Another horse-racing promotion allows a user whose chosen horse finishes second or third to claim their money back as a free bet; the maximum free bet refund here is £10. Also on offer are price boosts of up to £20.
We would like to stress that, as with all sportsbook promotions, the offers at Virgin Bet are subject to change. At the time of writing, the site is currently running two promotions for the 2022 World Cup. One is the FIVES bonus, which is really more of a casino-style “Wheel of Fortune” game that gets you prizes based on randomly-chosen players and their performance in the cup. Another is the £1 Free Bet which is given to players simply for logging in on a particular day.
At the time of writing, Virgin Bet has no loyalty or VIP scheme.
The lack of a loyalty scheme is a disappointment, but the range of sportsbook promotions is still generous and well worth keeping an eye on.
Pre-match Offer 4/5
- All major sports covered
- Oscars, politics and other special events featured
- Use Bet Builder on football.
Virgin Bet’s sportsbook is designed to show you a handle table of current and upcoming matches for any sport you choose from the menu, with the odds of each potential result clearly visible. The site also allows you to choose between viewing fractional and decimal odds but does not recognise the American odds system.
Sports
The sports covered by Virgin Bet are listed in alphabetic order on the left-hand column of the site, with a few singled out as Featured Sports. All of the big-name sports are present and correct: football (soccer, American football and Australian rules), baseball, basketball, rugby (league and union), tennis, badminton, cricket, golf, boxing, animal racing (both greyhounds and horses), GAA football and hurling (each given its own section), volleyball, table tennis, snooker, pool, vehicle racing (motor racing, speedway and cycling), darts, ice hockey, futsal, handball and MMA, plus a section devoted to winter sports. Note that football, horse racing and greyhounds are all available as virtual sports.
Clicking one of the bigger games will take you to a list of submarkets. For example, at the time of writing, the cricket page includes a total of eight submarkets from specific events (Sheffield Shield, Vijay Hazare Trophy) through to a couple of more generic submarkets (One Day Internationals, Test Matches). For bigger sports, like football and tennis, you can expect the submarkets to be well into the dozens.
In football matches, Virgin Bet uses a “Bet Builder” feature that allows the bet to be fine-tuned. For example, here is where you can select a winning margin (accepted margins range from 2+ to 6+).
The minimum stake accepted across the sportsbook is 5p, while the maximum will vary between events.
Most of the game pages have tabs along the top, the contents of which are variable: in some cases, the three tabs will be “Competitions”, “ACCAs,” and “Outrights & Specials”. In others, they will be “Matches”, “Outrights,” and “Specials”. Amongst the outrights & specials are such events as the Tennis Grand Slam Specials. Virgin Bet’s system of handling outrights turns out to be much the same as that for handling regular matches and competitions.
eSports
Virgin Bet has an esports section that covers three games: Call of Duty, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Dota 2. The game leagues are divided geographically, but not evenly: Counter-Strike: GO has five leagues, whole Dota 2 has two and Call of Duty has a single global league.
The system for betting on esports is similar to that of physical sports, complete with a variable upper limit on stakes. When you assemble your betslip, you will be using a straightforward system of “Winner”, “Spread”, and “Over/Under”.
Other Specials
Among the games are three non-gaming categories: Oscars, Politics and Specials. We can report that, even though we accessed the site months before the finalists for the next Oscars were decided, the section is up and running: punters can currently bet on the four categories of Best Winner, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Director, with dozens of contenders listed and odds given for each one.
The Politics area is divided into sections for UK, EU, Irish and US politics, and at the time of writing, includes such topics as the 2024 US presidential election and the identities of the leaders of Britain’s two main political parties. Finally, we have the Specials section, which turns out to be entertainment-focused: when we accessed the page, we found three competitions, namely BBC Sports Personality, Strictly Come Dancing and the UK Christmas Number One.
Cashout & Bet Builder
Virgin Bet has a Bet Builder feature, although this applies only to football matches. With the Bet Builder, you can bet on march results (halftime, first half or second half), both teams to score, total corners, the number of goals to be scored (over, under or exact) and more specific details such as a red card being presented or the ball hitting the goal-post.
Users are able to cash out their bets via the “my bets” section of the site. There are a number of restrictions on this feature: for example, the selection will have to be under 100/1, and cashouts will be prevented if the odds slip above this sum.
While some sportsbooks might have a few more bells and whistles in their betting systems and perhaps wider ranges of niche sports (sumo wrestling is nowhere to be found here!) Virgin Bet has more than enough for most punters.
Live Offer 4/5
- Live streaming for football, tennis and more
- Streaming virtual sports
- Icon to help identify streaming matches
Unlike some sportsbooks, Virgin Bet draws little distinction between live and pre-match betting, so all of the details described above will also apply to the sportsbook’s live coverage.
The main distinction is that certain games can be viewed in streaming form when live. This applies to bigger sports like tennis, football and American football but not to smaller sports like cricket and handball. If a game allows streaming, a “play” icon will be beneath each match on the table that can be viewed.
Some may be disappointed that certain sports are not available to be streamed, but given that certain rival sportsbooks don't allow streaming at all, Virgin Bet still deserves praise.
Security 5/5
- SSL encryption
- Spending controls
- Fully licensed and officially regulated
Given the size and reputation of its parent company, you can count on Virgin Bet to take security seriously. The site is fully licensed and regulated by the Gambling Commission of Great Britain, as well as by the government of Gibraltar and the Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner. Meanwhile, it uses 128-bit SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encryption to keep your personal details secure.
See this page for the site’s privacy policy. Virgin Bet allows users to place limits on their accounts. When these are in place, then any bet that goes over the limit will activate the Spending Controls: a message will appear telling you that the bet was unsuccessful.
Virgin Bet also has a complaints procedure that is detailed below.
Service and customer support 4/5
- Automated live chat
- Wide-ranging FAQ section
- Telephone and email for complaints
Virgin Bet has a comprehensive FAQ section that has both a categorisation system and a search function. It is also regularly updated: at the time of writing, it has an entire section devoted to the 2022 World Cup.
For players who have read their way through the FAQ and still need help, Virgin Bet directs its users towards the live chat window that automatically appears when you click the “Contact Us” links found at the bottom of the site or in the “My Account” page. This turns out to be an automated service that puts you in touch with a bot rather than a member of the customer support team, although it does at least admit this up front: when the window opens, one of the first messages to appear is “I’m a bot.”
We gave the support bot a try and found it to be generally satisfactory, although prone to some of the misunderstandings that inevitably come with automated help services. For example, when we asked, “what are your current promotions?” — it apparently took this as a question about technical issues, giving us a list of suggested help articles, like “Incorrect Settlement” and “Bet not accepted”. However, when we gave it the more specific question — “Do you have any World Cup Promotions?” — it upped its game, giving us three links. The first two, both redirected to the same page, were not especially relevant, although the third did indeed lead to a page on the World Cup Free Bet Drop.
Virgin Bet does offer alternative means of getting in touch via email and telephone, but each of these methods is presented as being specifically for complaints rather than the minor issues that the automated live chat is expected to cover. The relevant contact details are found on a page of the FAQ.
The lack of staffed customer support for everyday questions makes us knock off a point, but the FAQ and bot-chat services are both satisfactory.
Design & Usability 4/5
- Clear, straightforward layout
- FAQ is easy to search
- English-only
Virgin Bet has a straightforward layout, decked out in Virgin’s company colours of red and white. The main areas of the site are all available from the left-hand menu, with a few additional areas linked to at the bottom of the home page. Special credit is due to the FAQ section, which is a pleasure to navigate. When you visit the sportsbook, meanwhile, all relevant stats are there to see.
Please note that Virgin Bet is available in English only.
Mobile 4/5
- Layout clear on small screens
- Some interface issues on mobile
- Dedicated mobile app
For all of its values, the site’s design perhaps loses something on the small screen. In using it on a tablet, we found that we had trouble adjusting the size of as stake: we often had to press the screen a few times to add a single digit. Fortunately, Virgin Bet provides a dedicated mobile app with all of the functionality of the desktop version.
Other products 4/5
- Virtual horse racing, greyhounds and football
- Dedicated casino
- Casino has promotions
Virgin Bet also has a dedicated casino section, including slot games, roulette, blackjack, and virtual sports (horse racing, football and greyhounds are covered), as well as game show-style titles, like Monopoly Big Baller and Crazy Time. Also notable is the exclusive Virgin Bet FIVES game — which essentially combines scratchcards — a “wheel of fortune” and sports betting: five random players are revealed for you, and if those players score in the game, you will be given a randomly-decided prize sum.
The casino uses the same deposit system as the sportsbook, with a debit card and PayPal once again being the accepted methods. In terms of promotions, the casino has some exclusive offers that are tied to particular games. At the time of writing, there is a £2,000 prize draw connected to Lightning Roulette. Also on offer are a daily free-to-play slot game and an ongoing lost tournament. Note that the casino is available only to UK players.
Players looking specifically for an online casino might want to stick to a dedicated casino site. But as an add-on to the sportsbook, the Virgin Bet casino doesn’t disappoint.
What Other Punters Are Saying
Virgin Bet Casino is a very good online casino. You can expect to be treated well and have an enjoyable experience if you choose to play at it.
ThePuntersPage Final Say & Overall Rating 4.6/5
On the whole, Virgin Bet is a good all-around sportsbook tailored specifically to UK punters. Accessible to beginners but also accommodating to advanced sports betters, it stands out from the crowd. Its dedicated app and exclusive game, FIVE, add to the general atmosphere of fun.