Founded back in 1997, STSbet has plenty of experience but for those outside of Poland they still appear to be a relatively new brand.
They are beginning to make great strides and have learned to compete with the biggest sports betting brands around, their casino bonuses and sports betting offers standing up to scrutiny.
To be brutally honest and impartial, we have to rank STSbet in exactly the same way as we would the biggest names in the business. As such, there are definite flaws to be found with this brand but they are improving all the time.
Those looking for a comprehensive list of promotions across various sports, as well as all the extra features now commonplace in sports betting, may be disappointed but that’s not to say STSbet doesn’t have something to offer.
Here’s how we rated STSbet as they stand, section by section:
It goes without saying then that there are major areas to work on with STSbet. They are heavily focused on football, while even finding their other sports markets is difficult owing to the fact that rather than a permanent list of them, they show you only what is coming up in the next few hours or days.
Promos match this too, concentrating on football, while the lack of a dedicated app very much brings down the mobile experience score. Customer service is decent, as is the banking process, and it seems more features would drag the score up in the near future.
Even the best betting sites have their occasional let-downs, but no matter the brand every bookmaker has its plus points too. STSbet is essentially trying to break into the UK market, one that is extremely competitive, and thus needs to have as many pros as possible. These are the highlights and lowlights as we see them:
Apps are more and more important these days for punters. Admittedly from the point of view of people who don’t develop apps, it seems that with such a good interface already designed and a mobile version of the site workable, a decent app should be a no-brainer for STSbet.
A few features are missing too, as we’ll discover below, but the banking and customer service systems are strong which is important to us.
Company
Petfre (Gibraltar) Limited, trading as Betfred
Via Account
Phone
01942 613 068
Live Chat
Yes
Founded
1967
Location
Cheshire (headquarters)
Licence
UK Gambling Commission
Mobile App
Yes – for iOS and Android devices
In-Play Console
Yes
Live Streaming
Yes
Minimum Deposit
Customer Support Types
Telephone, email, live chat, FAQ
On the one hand, we expect there to be some problems to iron out with a brand looking to break into an important market and that is the case here. On the other hand, STSbet has been going for a long time and really should have had certain features in place beforehand.
The lack of a dedicated app, no support number, no bet builder and a lack of promotions covering various sports are not deal breakers on their own. Put together however, they make the brand look a little short of what is required overall in a very competitive marketplace.
There are positives however. A decent welcome bonus, good customer service team, good banking system and lovely interface make the experience of betting with STSbet a pleasant one.
STSbet can’t call upon decades of well-built reputation in the UK and other western European territories, so really does need to rely on strong bonus deals to get new players through the door.
In that regard, STSbet have appeared to offer a reasonable new player deal, at least in terms of the cash value it can reach which is £50. However, a closer look reveals the bonus to actually be frustratingly expensive. Here’s how it breaks down:
Sports Welcome Offer – advertised as giving new players ‘up to £50 in cash’, the value looks fair at a glance. However, a minimum first deposit of £20 is a lot while a qualifying wager of £100 at odds of at least 4/5 must be made, just to get a £5 free bet. Players can repeat this ten times in order to get the full £50 value.
This is a very poor way to go about offering a bonus. True, any bonus is in theory better than nothing, but when we see ‘up to £50’ we do not expect to read that customers will have to wager a grand total of £1000 before receiving it!
That is a huge amount of money to ask new players to bet, especially at £100 a time, meaning that it comes across as though STSbet really don’t want to hand out a new player bonus at all.
All good sportsbooks and online casinos need a strong portfolio of ongoing promotions to keep customers happy. It could be argued that brands seen as up-and-coming should concentrate on this even more, however promotions as a whole are an area STSbet do not excel in.
When adding in casino promos the overall list at STSbet doesn’t look too shabby, however within sports and taking out the new player bonus, only three promos are offered and they all concern football.
Here’s how they look:
This is not a bonus as such, but actually a money back offer. Customers can bet from £5 to £20 on Champions League match markets, and if the game finishes 0-0 they can claim their money back as a free bet.
This is a very niche bonus; players must stake £30 or more on a Champions League game and, if the bet loses because of a goal scored from 87:01 on the clock or onwards, then a sports bonus of £10 will be granted.
A more traditional promo. Players can place accumulators of 6 teams or more on football, at odds of 3/5 or bigger per selection, from £5 to £50. If one team lets the accumulator down, stakes are returned.
These promotions are particularly disappointing. As well as what proves to be a very expensive new player offer to get, the lack of promos, their focus on football and their lack of value makes these offers among the worst we’ve seen on the market.
The £20 CL bonus is not a bonus at all, but a standard money back deal, while the £10 football bonus is only achievable for those wagering a rather large £30+ bet and only if a very specific match scenario occurs.
Bonuses and promotions are very much an area this brand needs to work on, as our STSbet reviews have highlighted. We’re not simply advocates of players getting something for nothing, but the fact is this brand is now in a very congested market and needs to stand out when it comes to offering customers something extra.
Furthermore, not offering this would be fine too! But advertising promotions that are not all they seem comes across as rather disingenuous which seasoned punters can spot a mile away.
There are various ways to deposit funds into your STSbet account. By clicking on profile, then wallet followed by deposit, players can use Visa, MasterCard, PayPal, Neteller, Skrill, MuchBetter, ecoPayz and Trustly to fund accounts.
Bank Transfers are also available, but while all other payments are instant and free, transfers will take 1-3 days to go through.
Minimum deposits are pretty much industry standard at £10, while the maximum is £10,000 and it may be those high rollers the company is looking for given the way the bonuses and promotions are structured.
Withdrawals are made very simple at STSbet. Via the same wallet in ‘profile’, cash outs are made simply and are usually dealt with in just a matter of minutes, especially for eWallets. Funds heading to bank accounts may take a little longer, but are still quick and secure meaning this is not an area we can criticise in any way.
It’s obvious that STSbet are concentrating in markets they believe they are already very familiar with, rather than trying to break into new ones. This has its good points, but to be honest they offer nothing more in their football and hockey markets than you’d find with other well-established brands so it really comes down to the markets that are missing.
There’s lots of football, some basketball, tennis and hockey, but the bread and butter of horse racing and greyhounds isn’t apparent, nor is a list of sports they offer overall.
Instead, the focus is on live, in-play betting meaning you can only check out what’s coming up that day, or in the coming days. Their betting odds are fair in all honesty, but not totally comprehensive with many sports seemingly omitted by the brand.
STSbet is fully licenced and regulated by the Gambling Commission in the UK, so has strict standards to adhere to. Bet limits and deposit limits can be set too, so there is a focus on safer gambling which we always like to see.
As well as their Gambling Commission certification, STSbet is also certified by eCOGRA so they are working with an organisation that oversees fair gambling for all which is a plus.
A number of tools are available for players over and above limiting bets, such as the reality check tool which allows self-exclusion among other things.
Time-outs are allowed if you don’t want to take yourself away from the platform for any great length of time, with a temporary lock available at up to 6 weeks. Via STSbet, you can sign up for free to GAMSTOP, another charitable organisation which helps those suffering from gambling related harm.
Overall, there are no security worries with STSbet who have their encryption in order meaning that all players’ personal and financial data is kept secure at all times.
The STSbet customer service is well set up and professional. There are a number of ways to get in touch with what is a good team of people, all very polite and friendly, with the FAQ page being the first port of all.
The best tool available to you however is the live chat feature, something we always recommend customers use given that you can chat in real time and get answers in writing. This service is available 24 hours a day and in fact, once you’ve been on the site for more than an hour, the bot will come up automatically to ask whether or not you need some assistance.
If your query isn’t too urgent, you can also email the STSbet team. Their dedicated address is [email protected], with questions sent here often answered within a day or so. The information you garner is bound to be, as we found out, pretty comprehensive but could probably be answered via the FAQ’s.
There is no telephone support available for STSbet players, so be prepared to get online if you need any help at all as it will be your only option.
As you’ve probably gathered by now, there is work for STSbet to do to be classed as one of the better sports betting brands available. One of the reasons is their lack of features versus their main rivals.
The biggest things they are missing in terms of features is a bet builder and a dedicated sports betting app. Live streaming is available on some markets, which is a plus, but despite a really professional and easy to use interface the lack of features after a while just starts to make the overall offering look a little weak.
Here’s what STSbet does have to offer:
Live, in-play betting is offered on the range of sports STSbet is already comfortable with, mostly football and tennis. Odds are shown live in real time, giving you the chance to bet after a game has kicked off and see how it begins to play out before you decide whether or not to bet.
Cash outs are offered by STSbet, meaning you can either lock-in a profit you’re your bet is going well, or at least cut your losses when things aren’t quite going to plan.
Live streaming is offered on some of STSbet’s in-play markets, so you can bet and watch in the same place, including when you’re on the go if using the mobile site.
Going right along with the pattern we’ve found emerging with STSbet, there is a major positive and a major negative when it comes to their mobile betting offering.
Firstly, the STSbet mobile site is excellent and behaves even better than the desktop site. You can access it on any good smartphone or tablet, whether powered by iOS or Android, and of course it means no download is required.
The downside of course is that there is no dedicated app. Apps are becoming the lifeblood of online sportsbooks, players betting from their sofas or on the go more than ever before.
There is often better security in apps, especially when it comes to safe and speedy biometric log-in capability, and that’s something STSbet may want to think about.
Back to the mobile site however and at least it does work very well no matter the browser. The interface is excellent, slick, fast, with everything exactly where you would want it to be. There is no lag in the loading time, all markets and promos are available, and live betting and streaming are also supported.
STSbet really is a mixed bag. If you are interested in football betting in particular, are not bothered by bonuses and fancy promos and don’t need the extra features offered by some bookmakers then they will still do the job for you.
Their customer service is good and can be reached any time, security is top-notch and the all-important user interface is an excellent one whether you’re viewing via desktop or mobile.
Even though features are missing and there is no app, our main gripe comes with the bonuses and promotions.
At STSbet, they really shouldn’t bother. It would be more honest of them to offer nothing and simply treat their existing customer with respect, which they already do.
However, by advertising bonuses of £10, £20 and £50 (new customer) it would seem they are trying to appeal to mass customers much like any other brand. On closer inspection however, asking punters to bet £100 at a time to get a £5 bonus, or allowing only those betting £30+ to be included in a promotion is very exclusive.
It’s also counterproductive, as those willing to place bets of this size really don’t need small bonuses and wouldn’t be too interested in them.
With those promotions fixed, STSbet would take a big jump towards entering the big leagues but for now they have plenty of work to do before they are there.
Yes. Originally started in Poland, the brand is now fully licenced and regulated to operate in the UK among other territories.
Primarily football, though hockey, basketball and tennis are also supported on the site.
A strong list of game providers working with STSbet includes Pragmatic Play, Playtech, Red Tiger Gaming, Play’n Go, NetEnt, Evolution Gaming, Yggdrasil, Microgaming and more.
A strong new player bonus is offered giving players up to £50 in cash, while ongoing promotions include £10 and £20 bonuses and a 6+ team acca deal.
Among other territories, STSbet can operate in the UK with a full licence from the Gambling Commission.
Service is good at STSbet, and via live chat can be accessed 24 hours a day. Players can also email [email protected] for further help.
Deposits can be made with STSbet from £10 up to £10,000.
Withdrawals are available without fees from £10.
Very quick. Debit card withdrawals take anywhere from 15 minutes to one day, eWallets are often instant and the longest you should wait for a withdrawal is 3 days for a bank transfer.
There is no VIP program for sports bettors at STSbet.
There is no dedicated STSbet app. Players instead can use the mobile version of the website via iOS or Android devices.
Yes, much of STSbet’s concentration is on live betting action.
Some live streaming is offered on the site, with a funded account needed in order to watch.
New players only. 3x buy-in bonuses. % varies between 50% and 100%. Min £20 cash buy-in per bonus. Max bonus £700 in total. Bonus valid on classic slot games only. Exclusions apply. Max £2 stake. 20x wager requirements on total of buy-in and bonus amount. Bonus valid for 7 days. Keep it fun - set your deposit limit. T&C's apply.
Applicable to users over the age of 18.
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