Blacktype Review:

Launched in 2016, Black Type is one of the newer names in the UK betting scene. Offering a decent selection of markets, odds and features and a unique selling point of not banning any customers for winning, they’re already establishing a reputation as one of the foremost specialist horse racing platforms in the market.

The brand was founded by David Gowers and Craig Nicholson, who cut their teeth at Kambi, overseeing strong performance in its horse racing business. Carrying this experience forward with Black Type, the duo hooked up with Mylo Sangster, the grandson of renowned horse breeder Robert Sangster, to create a sportsbook that was primarily built around racing.

Now, with a wider range sports and markets on offer, and a growing reputation in the UK, how does BlackType Sportsbook  stack up against the industry’s more established names?

Black Type was formed by true betting experts, with Gowers, Nicholson and Sangster each having careers at senior levels in horse racing and the betting space. As a starting point, it’s good to know that the company behind the sportsbook is coming from a place of expertise.

Black Type is regulated and licensed by the UK gambling commission, in any event a prerequisite for accepting bets from UK-based punters. This ensures the Gambling Commission have oversight over Black Type’s operations, which guarantees a fair, legitimate service you know you can trust.They are also a member of IBAS, the Independent Betting Adjudication Service, which exists to settle disputes in arbitration between Black Type and its punters. So, in the unlikely event you do find yourself at odds with Black Type, there’s another third party body you can refer to. While Black Type are comparatively new, there is nothing to indicate they are anything other than a fair, honest bookmaker.

When it comes to financial security payments are handled by respected third party services, each deploying their own security and encryption technologies to protect your payment data.

The Black Type betting platform itself is robust, powered by FSB Technology – a respected 3rd party software provider. This is the company that also provides software to the likes of DafaBet, and DabbleBet, each respected bookmakers in their own right. The software is encrypted, as is the Black Type web platform, so you should have no hesitations about the security here either.

Black Type haven’t yet been running long enough to amass any great number of player reviews. There are a couple of negative reviews from players at their casino, which is to be expected, given the industry norms around casino complaints.

It’s hard to draw any firm conclusions about this, other than to say that the very small number of complaints there are look like they come from individuals who don’t understand wagering requirements for casino bonuses, and in any event, they don’t relate to the sportsbook at all. All the trust indicators point towards this being a good place to play, and they’ve already gathered a loyal following. It’s clear they must be doing something right.

Probably the best trust signal for Blacktype though is its unique proposition not to ban or restrict customers for winning, unfortunately a common practice among many UK bookies. Whilst again it’s too early to say whether Blacktype has followed through on this pledge, it’s a positive trust signal to consumers that its set its stall out on this basis.

There’s a somewhat limited range of payments on offer here, with only Visa, MasterCard and Maestro supported. This is something they will likely improve upon in future, adding some e-wallets and specifically PayPal being a priority. Withdrawals processing time is 3 – 5 days, which is also on the long side, but it’s possible to withdraw as much as £100,000, making this a good option for high rollers.

Black Type have taken on board the importance of having a strong app early on, and their iOS app is as good as we’ve seen from any new entrant. It brings the same easy-to-navigate feel that makes their website simple to use and combines it with the same graphics and market selection to provide mobile gamblers with a highly usable app for betting on the go.

At the top of the screen, the app shows the latest bonuses and promotions you can take advantage of. Navigation through the main expanding menu allows you to find your way around, while the betting screens themselves are intuitive. If you’ve used other sports betting apps before, you’ll instantly recognize the Black Type app as a near equivalent.

One area of improvement here would be to launch an Android app – there’s no equivalent app in the Play Store. If you’re on an Android device, you can still bet in-browser, simply by heading over to the Black Type website which will respond to the size of your smartphone. It’s not as convenient as the app, but it will still do the job to access your betting account..

Black Type are offering new players the chance to bet £10 and get £10, with their new bettor sign up offer. This welcome promotion is open to new players only, and comes with a few terms and conditions attached. Firstly, the bonus is paid out as a £5 casino credit, plus a £5 free bet, and only if your bet loses. This is slightly different to a normal free bet, in that it’s conditional on you losing the first bet, but in practice, this means there are fewer restrictions on the free bonus if you do ultimately qualify for it.

You need to lose a qualifying bet in order to get the £10 bonus, which is defined as a single bet of £10 or more, at minimum odds of at least 2.0 or evens. This is actually pretty fair, and compares well to similar offers from rival bookmakers, where you often find more onerous odds conditions on bets of this kind.

The maximum amount you can win from these bonuses is a generous £1,000, and any bonus credit must be wagered 20 times before it can be withdrawn  The free bet is valid for 14 days, before it expires, along with any remaining bonus funds or un-withdrawn winnings from the bonus. You have 30 days to meet the wagering requirement for the casino bonus, and contribution weighting applies by game type. Check out the full details of the terms and conditions before signing up for this offer, but on balance, this is decent.

There are better betting offers out there, offering more generous free bets, or free bets to start your account, versus a free bet if you lose your first bet. However, the terms offered are reasonable enough to make this an attractive bonus for new players.

Even beyond the welcome bonus, you’ll also find other ongoing promotions like the ACCA cash bonus, where you can win an additional percentage on accumulator bets, or the Free Bets Club, which offers weekly free bets to qualifying players.

It’s easy to navigate through the different sports and betting markets available here, and if you’ve used Dafabet or 21bet before, you’ll recognise the structure of the software. The user interface complements this well, and even if you’re a complete beginner to online betting, you’ll find it straightforward to navigate between different sports and betting markets.

Black Type offers markets across 21 different sports, covering all but the most niche sports in their offering. Most punters will find what they’re looking for here, even if the selection of sports and markets isn’t a broad as you’d find at sites such as NetBet Sports. In addition to this, Black Type are open to larger bets than most online bookmakers, so if you’re betting a larger amount, you’ll definitely want to check them out.

This sportsbook started life as a specialist in racing betting, and that’s evident in the quality of odds across their horse racing and greyhound racing events, where they offer a best odds guarantee – if you back a runner and the starting price is longer, you’ll get the best odds available for your bet. But even beyond, into sports like football, tennis (especially when betting on Wimbledon), golf and basketball, their odds are comparable with top tier pricing across most of the markets they offer.

In-play betting is presented front and centre as soon as you log in to the ‘Live Now’ section. You can find your way towards the range of in-play events and markets by clicking the ‘In-Play’ tab from the main menu, where you’ll be presented with a list of the current events in progress, and odds in real-time. At the time of writing in-play was offered in 7 sports which is reasonable. Live betting  is expected from any decent UK bookie, so it’s good to see Black Type have made this a focal point of their offering.

You can also now enjoy Cash-Out on eligible bets and events. This is denoted by the 3 gold coins symbol, which is presented next to markets that are eligible for the cash out feature. Again, it’s a good sign that Black Type are embracing industry innovations like this, providing punters with a better experience, and more control over their bets.