In this review, we provide a comprehensive analysis of PokerStars UK to tell you everything that really matters before you sign up: how the website works, what it’s like to navigate it, how betting works, the variety of markets, the odds and security.
It’s a bookmaker offering a wide range of betting options, with deposit and withdrawal methods that we found to be secure and comprehensive.
Although it is a brand best known for poker, we believe it is worth giving it a go in the sports betting sector too, and that it can compete perfectly well with other bookmakers in the industry.
Something else we really liked was seeing that it also had an eSports section. Lately, this is something we tend to bet on a lot, so for us it’s now almost essential for a bookmaker to offer it. Within this section, we found competitions for games such as League of Legends, FIFA, Dota 2 and eFootball…
The football section was probably one of the ones we spent the most time looking at on PokerStars. As soon as we logged in, we were surprised by the sheer number of competitions on offer. As well as the best-known leagues and tournaments, such as the UEFA Champions League, the Copa Libertadores and the major European leagues, we also found loads of smaller, less common competitions.
We found leagues from practically every corner of the world: lower divisions in Argentina, Australian leagues, women’s football, divisions in Iceland, Sweden and Finland, Asian tournaments, South American leagues… Although other bookmakers may offer more sports in general, when it comes to football, PokerStars does indeed have a fairly comprehensive range.
We also really liked the in-play betting section. When we accessed a live match, we saw statistics and live data displayed, which are a great help in following the match whilst placing bets. We could see markets for practically everything: match winner, over/under goals, correct score, both teams to score, handicaps, corners, cards, or even who would score the third goal.
In a single match, we found a whole host of different markets, ranging from classic bets to much more specific ones. We found the Bet Builder section quite useful for combining several selections and creating more personalised bets.
We found the horse racing section quite easy to follow. As soon as we logged in, we saw that it was organised simply, with upcoming races listed by time and by country – mainly in the UK and Ireland, although others such as those at Riccarton Park also feature. You can see which races are about to start and which ones are coming up next.
What caught our attention most was how straightforward the information for each race is. For each race, the participating horses are listed along with their odds and the options for winner and place bets. Each race offers the option to view the full card, which is great for analysing things in more detail before placing a bet.
We also liked that the odds are clearly displayed and easy to compare across horses; in just a few seconds, you can get an idea of who the favourites are or which horses might spring a surprise.
When we were reviewing the tennis section, Roland Garros was on, so there was plenty of action on live matches and upcoming fixtures. There are quick links to live coverage, popular matches and tournaments.
As for betting, we tried out a few markets on the Roland Garros matches. For example, in the match between Felix Auger-Aliassime and Daniel Altmaier, we saw fairly tight odds, which caught our attention as it was a fairly evenly matched contest. We also looked at bets on other matches in the draw, such as those featuring clear favourites like Swiatek or Djokovic; the odds were very low for the favourite and higher for the underdog.
What we liked most was that, for live matches, you could follow the score in real time and see how the odds changed as the match progressed. The variety of tennis markets is quite good, with options for match winner, sets or more specific outcomes.
We also looked at all the competitions it covers, which aren’t limited to Grand Slams such as Roland Garros or Wimbledon; it also includes Challenger tournaments, ITF events in various men’s and women’s categories, and circuits such as the UTR Pro Series in different countries.
In basketball, we find some of the biggest matches of the moment, such as the Spurs versus the Oklahoma City Thunder or the Knicks versus the Thunder, as well as a good variety of games across the NBA, European leagues and national leagues.
The offering isn’t limited to big matches; there are also plenty of live matches, so there’s always something available to bet on.
What caught our attention most was the sheer number of markets available within a single match. You can bet on the winner, the point spread, totals, or even quite specific accumulators, and the odds are clearly displayed and updated in real time. In live matches, you can also clearly see how the options change as the score progresses.
We also liked the fact that it isn’t limited to the NBA alone; it also includes top-tier European competitions such as the ACB League, the EuroLeague and other major leagues such as the Turkish, German and French leagues.
PokerStars offers a good range of sports; for example, in sports such as American football and rugby, we found a fairly varied selection of markets, including match winner, handicaps and totals.
For sports such as baseball, cricket and ice hockey, it’s very similar: live matches, odds that fluctuate and different types of in-play bets. We found the ice hockey coverage to be quite comprehensive, with plenty of live markets and detailed match tracking.
We were also surprised to see sports such as boxing and martial arts, where betting tends to focus more on the final result or the manner of victory; it’s simpler but also more straightforward to bet on. In golf, darts and table tennis, you can bet on major events as well as smaller competitions.
The offering for motor sports is also quite comprehensive, with plenty of events and options for live betting and upcoming races.
The bookmaker also covers less popular team sports such as futsal, handball and Australian Rules football, so it’s certainly not limited to just the most popular sports.
One of the things that struck us most when trying out PokerStars was that, no matter how hard we looked, we couldn’t find any welcome bonus specifically for sports betting. We were quite surprised by this, as it’s something we’ve seen at practically every bookmaker we’ve tried so far.
We’re talking about a fairly well-known and high-quality website, so we expected to find some sort of promotion to give us a head start when placing our first bets, even if it was just a free bet or an offer for new users.
To be honest, we found this a bit disappointing, especially as welcome bonuses are usually one of the main things that encourage people to sign up to a bookmaker and try it out for the first time.
Even so, we hope they’ll add a sports promotion for new users soon, as we believe it would be a welcome addition and something quite necessary to compete with other bookmakers on the market.
The only promotion we did find was Star Sub, and we thought it was quite original because we hadn’t seen anything like it at other bookmakers. Although it appears in the promotions section, to be honest we see it more as an extra betting tool than as an actual promotion. Ultimately, it doesn’t give you any credit, free bets, cashback or any typical welcome or loyalty benefits. For that reason, we really don’t consider them to have any active sports promotions as such at the moment.
We tested it on a Premier League match by placing a bet that Florian Wirtz would score at any time during the match. Whilst we were watching the match, we saw him being substituted and thought the bet was practically lost. But that’s where this promotion comes in: if the player you’ve chosen is substituted, the player coming on can fulfil the bet in his place. In this case, Cody Gakpo came on, and if he’d scored, our bet would still have been valid.
We thought it was quite a useful idea, especially for player markets, because often a bet is ruined simply because the player is substituted in the 60th or 70th minute. With this promotion, at least you still have a chance right up until the end of the match. We noticed it applies to quite a few different markets – not just goalscorers, but also assists, cards, shots on target and more.
We didn’t have to activate anything or take any extra steps; we simply placed the bet as normal and the promotion was automatically applied to the eligible markets.
It’s good to have original features like this, but we really miss more comprehensive and varied promotions, especially for new users or regular bettors.
We also looked to see if they had any kind of loyalty programme – such as points, tiers, rewards for betting or something similar – but we couldn’t find anything of the sort.
It was something we’d already anticipated from the moment we entered their promotions section, as it was clear from the outset that it was rather limited. Even so, we wanted to check thoroughly in case there was a VIP section or a tiered system, but no, we didn’t see anything of that sort.
We found creating an account to be quite simple and quick; within a few minutes, our profile was set up and ready to use.
To create the account, we had to meet the following conditions:
When it comes to depositing, we found that you can do so using a card (Visa or Mastercard), Pay by Bank, Skrill, Neteller, Apple Pay, Google Pay, MuchBetter, Paysafecard, Luxon Pay and other similar methods – there are options to suit everyone.
With the Fast Deposit system, you can make very quick deposits directly from the betting platform itself without having to leave the site. We tried it out and it works quite well: you choose the method, set it up as a fast deposit, and then you can deposit money almost instantly.
We noted that players’ funds are held in segregated accounts managed by a European bank, which in theory ensures that users’ money is protected and kept separate from the company’s operating expenses.
We liked the fact that you can set weekly deposit limits; it’s useful for keeping spending under control.
| Deposit methods |
| Card |
| PaybyBank |
| Skrill |
| Skrill 1-tap |
| Neteller |
| Maestro Card |
| MuchBetter |
| Apple Pay |
| Paysafecard |
| Google Pay |
| Luxon Pay |
We also found making withdrawals to be quite straightforward. You do this via the Cashier: select ‘Withdraw’, choose your method and confirm. There are also plenty of options available, such as card, Pay by Bank, Skrill, Neteller, bank transfers, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Luxon Pay, so there’s certainly no shortage of choice in that regard. We didn’t encounter any issues and the whole process is quite intuitive.
| Withdrawal methods |
| Card |
| Pay by Bank |
| Skrill |
| Skrill 1-Tap |
| Neteller |
| Wire Transfer |
| MuchBetter |
| Apple Pay |
| Paysafecard |
| Google Pay |
| LuxonPay |
We found the app quite user-friendly and practical, especially when you’re out and about and want to check your bets without having to use a computer.
You can do everything on the app that you can on the desktop version. You can access games, place bets, manage your account, make deposits or follow live events without missing out on any features.
The only direct method of contact is a live chat, but it’s actually powered by a bot. On the one hand, this has its advantages, as it’s available 24/7 and you can get answers to your queries at any time without having to wait. We tried it quite late one night because we had a query about a deposit, and the response was immediate. The bot guided us step by step and we eventually managed to sort it out.
It’s true, however, that the fact there isn’t a real person behind it can limit the conversation somewhat. When you have a more specific query or a more serious problem, you notice that the responses are more automated and less personalised. That’s where we do miss being able to speak directly to someone from the support team.
We were also surprised that there aren’t any more traditional contact methods, such as an email address or a phone number – something that’s usually available at other bookmakers, especially for more serious issues.
Where it did help us a great deal, however, was the FAQs section. It’s very well organised by topics and categories, and we found answers to practically all the queries we had without needing to contact anyone. It’s quite comprehensive and easy to navigate, which means that often you don’t even need to use the chat.
We had a look to see if they’d won any awards or received any recognition, particularly in the sports betting section, which was what interested us most.
We couldn’t find any section listing sports-related awards or recognition.
That in itself doesn’t tell us much either; whether or not a bookmaker has won awards doesn’t always reflect the user experience. There are some excellent websites without public recognition and others with awards that don’t quite live up to expectations. What matters most to us is how the sports section works, the odds, the promotions and the overall betting experience.
We found the user experience to be smooth on both desktop and mobile. Pages load quickly, the markets update well, and we didn’t experience any crashes whilst using the site.
We read reviews from other users to get a more complete picture. We came across quite a variety of comments. Among the positives, many users highlighted that the website is very stable, easy to use and that everything is quite well organised. Some said things like “very easy to navigate and place bets quickly” or “one of the smoothest apps I’ve used for betting”.
But it wasn’t all positive; we saw quite a few complaints, particularly regarding promotions. Some users commented that they were very limited, with opinions such as “promotions are almost non-existent compared to other sites” or “expected better bonuses for such a big brand”. This largely matches what we observed.
Other negative comments focused more on the lack of human interaction in customer support or the feeling that the site is stronger in poker than in sports betting.
