Overview
StarSports is a British online gambling platform which has been around since the late 1990s. It offers sports betting alongside casino games and bingo. As a British sportsbook, it focuses on popular UK sports such as football, cricket and horse racing, although it covers more than 20 different types of sports. The Star Boosts feature is available every day, offering a variety of bets with boosted odds.
StarSports Sportsbook, which initially launched as Star Racing in 1999, is operated by Star Racing Limited, which is a company that is based in the UK. Currently, it’s the only sports betting platform that the company operates, although it does own several different domains which could become active in the future.
Safety and Trustworthiness
Star Racing Limited is based in Hove, East Sussex. The company holds a license with the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) to offer legal sports betting, casino gambling, bingo, and virtual event betting.
Under the terms of its UKGC licence, StarSports must protect players from unfair practices and comply with strict rules and regulations. As such, it’s safe and legal for UK online gambling users to sign up to the site and start placing bets.
The company Star Racing Limited faced a regulatory sanction from the UK Gambling Commission in 2023 due to failing to comply with licence conditions that are designed to promote responsible gambling and prevent financial crimes. As a result, the company had to pay a monetary penalty of £594,000.
Deposits & Withdrawals
StarSports online sportsbook accepts a few popular methods for deposits and withdrawals. When you sign up, you’ll be able to make payments using Mastercard, Visa, bank transfer and cheque.
The lack of prepaid options and e-wallets will be a drawback for some, but using a debit card or bank transfer to add funds is very simple. The UK online sportsbook accepts a minimum of £10 for deposits and withdrawals. You may use either a debit card or a bank transfer to withdraw funds, though debit cards can only be used for withdrawals if you previously made a deposit with them. The sportsbook will take up to 48 hours to process your withdrawal request.
Mobile
StarSports is compatible with mobile devices, including iOS and Android smartphones and tablets. The sportsbook is built using HTML5 technology, which means that pages load quickly and are optimised for mobile browsers like Safari and Google Chrome. To log in from your mobile device, simply open the site in your browser. As long as you have a stable internet connection, you’ll be able to bet from anywhere in the UK.
If you prefer, there’s also a dedicated StarSports Sportsbook app. The app is available to download for free from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store, depending on the type of device you use. If you’re using an Android, you’ll need just under 13 MB of free space and Android 5.0 or higher. Meanwhile, iOS users will need 18.3 MB of space and iOS 13.0 or later to download this UK sportsbook app.
The StarSports app provides convenient access to the full range of sports betting markets, along with Star Boosts and other features that you’ll also find on the desktop site. Ultimately, it offers a more bespoke mobile betting experience than the HTML5-optimised mobile browser site.
Bet Offers
New users at StarSports Sportsbook can claim a generous free bet when they sign up with the StarSports promo code and place their first bet over a specific amount. The qualifying bet has to be a single bet placed at certain odds and only applies to the first bet you place. Cashed-out bets won’t qualify for the offer, so you have to let your bet run even if it looks like it’s going to lose.
Within 24 hours of placing the qualifying bet, your free bet will be credited to your account. Once the free bet is awarded, you’ll have a limited amount of time to use it before it expires. You can use your free bet on any sport and at any odds. If your bet wins, you’ll keep any winnings, but the stake itself won’t be returned.
This is a really easy bet to claim and use, although you’ll need to remember to use the promo code when you first set up your account. Since you’ll need to stake your own money first before claiming your free bet, this welcome offer may not suit budget bettors, although experienced bettors should be able to get value from it.
Betting Markets And Odds Quality
There’s a total of 22 different event types to bet on at StarSports UK Sportsbook. All the most popular UK sports such as football, cricket, tennis, horse racing and Formula 1 are covered. However, you’ll also find betting options available on Australian rules, darts, ice hockey, American football, mixed martial arts and even politics. The coverage of different events is good compared to other UK bookies. Although it has slightly fewer options than other sportsbooks, all the most popular sports are covered.
The main homepage of the sportsbook shows you all the current in-play betting options, as well as upcoming races and star events, which are the most popular upcoming matches to bet on. Although there’s no listed number of how many events are available to bet on, the coverage is very good, with a wide range of competitions and tournaments available in all sports.
The availability of betting markets depends on the sport and the popularity of the event. However, when we looked at the star events, football matches offered a significant number of markets, including:
- Match winner
- 1st half winner
- Correct score
- Double chance
- Half-time full-time
- Total goals
- Both teams to score
- Player to score
- Draw no bet
StarSports also offers build-a-bet markets, which let you create your own bets from any available markets. Simply select the build-a-bet option to see the available markets, then add as many selections as you like before confirming the bet. Note that these aren’t available to cash out.
We compared odds at StarSports Sportsbook to other major UK betting sites and found them to be very similar, especially with football odds. However, there were better odds out there, even if the difference was only marginal in most cases.
In-Play Betting
In-play betting options are found at the top of the StarSports Sportsbook, but you can also open the in-play section from the main menu to see the full list of live games currently available to bet on.
From the top of the in-play betting section, it’s possible to switch between sports and the most popular options are shown at the top. Scores are displayed next to the current match winner odds, and you can select any match to see the live tracker. This page provides a wide range of stats, including live match events and an indicator of what’s happening on the pitch/court/field.
Unfortunately, live streaming isn’t available at StarSports Sportsbook, although the live match tracker does still provide useful insights into the action. Coverage of betting markets is generally good, although the availability will depend on the popularity of the event.
You can cash out some bets in your bet slip while they’re in play. If the cashout is available, it will be shown next to your bet, with the available profit from it displayed. However, this isn’t available on every bet.
Support
If you have any questions about StarSports, there’s an FAQ page available. This answers a few of the most common questions about payments, account verification and rolling net deposit limits. However, it’s by no means comprehensive.
If you have other questions or need assistance with an issue, it’s possible to speak to the customer support team via telephone, live chat, email, or Twitter (X). There’s a telephone number for enquiries, and you can also reach out to StarSports over social media. Better yet, the live chat feature is available 24/7, meaning no matter when you prefer to bet, there is always a helping hand available.
Review Summary
StarSports Sportsbook may look fairly dated compared to some of the most popular UK sportsbooks, but don’t let that put you off. The platform is really easy to use and offers a wide range of betting options. It also has its own dedicated mobile app, which is available to iOS and Android users.
If you’re joining for the first time, make sure you use the promo code when setting up your account to claim the free bet when placing your first wager. There are also Star Boosts to enjoy on a variety of sports and a free bet to claim every week.