BetStars Sports Review

BetStars at a Glance

Top highlights: Abundant sports betting to enjoy on both desktop and mobile; close ties with the poker and casino opportunities on PokerStars

    VIP or loyalty programme: Yes

    Other offerings: Poker, casino

About BetStars

BetStars is a relatively recent entry to the sports betting world, having arrived in early 2016. However, the company behind it certainly isn't new; it's PokerStars, the globally renowned poker site that has been licensed as an online gambling portal since way back in 2001

PokerStars has doubtless poured much of its online gambling expertise into BetStars, and it really shows; BetStars is already a very promising and accomplished-looking product. However, we still decided to comprehensively review it to verify for sure.

Promotions

Considering that BetStars is relatively little-established sports betting site, it already offers an impressive breadth of promotions. You can see details of some of them on the homepage; however, an ‘All’ link can send you to the full choice

When we checked this choice, we saw that the horse racing opportunities seemed to have the most promotions available. However, the range catered for fans of football, golf and rugby as well, while there were other, more general promotions for everyone else.

Sports Betting Types and Betting Markets

Although you wouldn't have to look too far among online sports bookies to find one with a broader selection of betting types and markets than BetStars, many mainstream sports are still covered by the site. They include..

• American football

• Basketball

• Boxing

• Cricket

• Football

• Golf

• Horse racing

• Ice hockey

• Rugby league

• Rugby union

• Tennis

• Volleyball

Betting Coverage

If you have used PokerStars’ services so extensively that you have grown familiar with the apps that it offers for both poker and casino fans, you probably won't be surprised to see that there is a pretty full-featured BetStars sports betting app as well

You can download it onto either an iOS or Android device, though we are especially taken with the iOS version due to its support for Touch ID, the fingerprint-sensing technology that Apple has placed in iPhones and iPads for years; it makes logging in especially quick

Like the main site, the mobile app lets you make in-play bets - although, right now, the live streaming options are pretty limited. Currently, BetStars uses just two streaming providers, ‘Racing UK’ and ‘At The Races’ - and only via the desktop site.

Software and Graphics

The BetStars website both looks and runs slickly, even as it forgoes a standard design for sports betting sites. For example, several of the available sports are listed horizontally; to see the rest, you have to click ‘A-Z’ at the far right of the navigation panel

The sportsbook software is integrated nicely into the site's distinctive black-and-white design, while BetStars also offers downloadable software for both Windows and Mac.

Extra Value

If you are already a member of PokerStars, then you won't need to sign up a whole new account to start enjoying BetStars as well. This is because you will already have a Stars Account, as it is officially known, and you can use the same login details for BetStars

This system certainly helps to unify the PokerStars and BetStars brands - and if you fancy taking a break from sports betting to sample the poker and casino games offered by PokerStars, leaping to them is a breeze.

Loyalty or VIP Programme

Although BetStars does have a VIP program, it is not extensively detailed on the site itself. Even the criteria for becoming a VIP player are not specifically defined on the site

However, BetStars has cited various factors that influence whether you will be handed what is officially called a BetStars VIP Status. These factors include the amount and frequency of your betting and the period of time for which you have had your Stars Account

BetStars says that it regularly reviews all accounts – and if you are indeed handed VIP Status, you will be notified of this by email.

Other Offerings

As we have already mentioned, you can also readily enjoy poker and casino games if you are a BetStars member. Nonetheless, they are not available on BetStars itself, but instead on PokerStars, which you can easily access using your BetStars account details

Given the amazing reputation that PokerStars has for its poker offerings, you shouldn't be disappointed; you can even take part in a live PokerStars championship with other players

Meanwhile, the games in the PokerStars casino section include - not too surprisingly - Starburst and Aloha! Cluster Pays, as well as live casino games if you like the idea of playing and chatting with an actual, human dealer as you play.

Deposit and Withdrawal Methods

The range of available deposit methods with BetStars definitely impresses

*Current as of March 2018; please check BetStars’ website for updates

Payout Policy

Seeking to withdraw from an account? You can select a method from this range:

*Current as of March 2018; please check BetStars’ website for updates

Customer Support

If you want to contact BetStars in the event of struggling with the site, getting in touch is a convoluted process which, from the site's Help Centre, starts with clicking ‘Help & Support’, hitting ‘Contact Us’ and clicking a provided link to a contact support form

BetStars claims that it can reply to queries at any time of the day or week. However, it also implies that if you attempt to reach it through the live chat facility, an operator might not always be available. Using the contact form might, therefore, be the most reliable option

BetStars does, however, provide support in a good variety of languages. These include English, French, German, Italian, Czech, Danish, Estonian, Spanish, Dutch, Polish, Norwegian, Portuguese, Slovakian, Romanian, Swedish, Greek, Russian, Japanese and Chinese.

Who Can Play?

Countries in which BetStars can be used for betting on various sports include

     United Kingdom

     Algeria

     Canada

     Belize

     Bhutan

     Australia

     Bangladesh

     China

     France

     Fiji

     Germany

     Georgia

     India

     Iraq

     Japan

     Kenya

     Macau

     Maldives

     Malta

     Monaco

     Norway

     Romania

     Poland

     Portugal

Licence

The BetStars owner and operator, Stars Interactive Limited, is based on the Isle of Man and subject to licensing and regulation by the UK-based Gambling Commission.

Bottom Line

BetStars has hit the ground running, doubtless helped along by its prestigious parent, PokerStars. If you want to try a new sports bookies site that nonetheless firmly hits the spot, you are unlikely to be disheartened by giving BetStars a try.