Gambling.com Rating: 8.5/10
Our Verdict: Virgin Bet offers an outstanding user experience and well-rounded service that rivals more established bookies.
I signed up for Virgin Bet and immediately found its clean design and straightforward navigation appealing.
I like betting sites that get the basics right, so I was happy to find that the whole process - from registering my account to placing bets and withdrawing winnings - was smooth and hassle-free.
Football takes pride of place, but the horse-racing section is equally impressive here, with competitive odds, a good selection of promotions and lots of variety in the markets.
The welcome bonus is modest compared to what you'll find at Betfred or William Hill and the live streaming service doesn't quite match bet365's offering.
But overall, Virgin Bet nails the fundamentals, making it a solid choice for both new and experienced punters.
Category | Score | Reasoning |
---|---|---|
Sports & Markets | 9/10 | Excellent racing and broad sports coverage. |
Promotions | 8/10 | Lots of existing customer offers. |
Payments | 7/10 | Fast withdrawals, fewer niche options. |
Customer Support | 8/10 | 24/7 help across chat, phone, email. |
Reputation | 8/10 | Trusted Virgin/LiveScore backing. |
User Experience | 10/10 | Clean, intuitive, and reliable UI. |
Mobile Platform | 10/10 | Smooth, feature-rich app. |
Responsible Gambling | 9/10 | Comprehensive RG tools. |
Live In-Play Betting | 8/10 | Fast interface, rich stats, partial cash-out. |
Value of Odds | 8/10 | Consistently strong odds and price boosts. |
Gambling.com Rating: 8.5 (Highly Recommended)
Find out more about how we rate betting sites.
Virgin Bet’s Bet £10, Get £20 in free bets welcome offer is pretty modest compared to top competitors.
It’s not the worst sign-up offer I’ve claimed, but it’s not as good as Betfred’s Bet £10 Get £50 deal or the £40 in free bets offered by William Hill.
On the plus side, claiming the deal was simple - I deposited £10 by debit card, placed my qualifying bet and received two £10 free-bet tokens within minutes of settlement.
I was able to use these free bets on any sport I wanted - this is something I value in a welcome offer, as many bookies require you to use your free bets on certain sports or bet types.
Here’s how Virgin Bet’s offer compares to the competition:
Bookmaker | Qualifying Bet | Free Bet Bonus |
---|---|---|
Bet £10 | Get £20 | |
Bet £10 | Get £30 | |
Bet £10 | Get £10 | |
Bet £10 | Get £50 | |
Bet £10 | Get £30 | |
Bet £5 | Get £20 | |
Bet £5 | Get £25 |
After the welcome offer, Virgin Bet keeps bettors engaged with ongoing promos - here are my top five:
Promotion | Description |
---|---|
2UP Early Payout | Football bets paid if your team leads by 2 goals |
Best Odds Guaranteed | You get official SP if it's better than your odds |
Weekly £5 Acca Free Bet | Free £5 acca bet when you place four accas |
Money Back 2nd/3rd | Up to £10 free bet if horse places 2nd or 3rd |
Daily Price Boosts | Enhanced odds on selected markets each day |
Virgin Bet put football front and centre, but I really like the horse racing section here.
I accessed free live streams of UK, Irish, US, French and South African races, without placing a bet (you just need a funded account).
And was pleased to find best odds guaranteed offered on all UK/Irish meetings - I bet on a runner at Newmarket at 10/1 that paid eventually out at 12/1 SP.
Other racing promotions include a money-back offer that returns your stake if your horse finishes 2nd or 3rd on selected cards and a great extra-place deal.
Market variety is impressive - I was able to place everything from forecasts and tricasts to place-only accumulators.
In my experience, Virgin Bet is up there with the UK’s best horse racing betting sites.
"Virgin Bet’s mix of streams, promos & market depth makes it a dark horse in the industry."
Virgin Bet prides itself on its football betting section, which mostly lived up to my expectations.
Premier League matches boast an average of 190 markets, which is on par with talkSPORT Bet and BetVictor, but a little less than bet365.
While football promos like weekly £5 free acca bets and regular odds boosts keep things interesting.
I like the 2up early payout offer here - I got paid out early after Arsenal took a two goal lead against Villa - even though they ended up drawing the game.
There are no football live streams - which is an area for improvement - but the in-play interface shows live stats and an intuitive scoreboard and match-tracker.
"I love the football “rocket boosts” - they’re some of the most generous odds boost promos i’ve seen."
I used Virgin Bet during the IPL and World Cup and thought it compared well to the best cricket betting sites in the UK.
I found a good variety in the markets - from match winner, top batsman and session runs, to in-play ball-by-ball odds, mirroring Unibet’s depth.
Unlike Unibet, there are no cricket live streams, but the detailed match tracker adequately fills the gap.
I compared IPL match odds against Betway and found prices identical or just a tick apart.
Live betting odds updated swiftly, while regular price boosts during the Ashes added some extra appeal.
Virgin Bet’s tennis betting offering is strong.
Odds are pretty consistent with market leaders - I placed a total games bet on a US Open match and got odds that matched bet365 exactly.
And I like that Virgin Bet offers live streaming for many ATP and WTA events.
The main downside here is a lack of tennis-specific bonuses, though general price boosts often surface during Grand Slams.
A few dedicated promos would really add to an already strong section.
Virgin bet’s golf betting coverage spans all Majors, the PGA/European Tours, Ryder Cup as well as smaller events.
Virgin Bet frequently pay down to 8 places at 1/5 of the odds for each way bets on Majors.
These are pretty generous E/W terms, but they aren’t the best I’ve found (BoyleSports often pay down to 10 places)
I’ve also claimed a few golf-specific promos here, which usually pop up around major tournaments.
To get a sense of Virgin Bet’s pricing, I did a few side-by-side comparisons with bigger bookmakers.
I found that Virgin Bet’s odds are generally on par with the market, neither notoriously better nor worse.
In one Premier League match, the home win was EVS at Virgin Bet versus 21/20 elsewhere - I saw similar tight pricing during tennis and rugby comparisons.
One area Virgin Bet adds value is through price boosts and specials, which effectively improve odds for you.
Every day I logged in, there were boosted odds on outcomes across a range of sporting events.
If you take advantage of these, you can often get better odds than the standard market.
In summary, while Virgin Bet may not consistently offer the absolute top odds on every single outcome (few bookmakers do), it holds its own admirably.
Virgin Bet’s bet builder covers five sports: football, American football, baseball, basketball and ice hockey.
You can include up to 10 legs per bet, which is more than enough for most punters in my opinion.
I found it easy to build an 8-fold bet and liked the “popular bet builders” carousel, which offers one-click combos to edit.
In-play Bet Builders are also supported for football here, which is a nice touch.
Here’s how it compares to the competition:
Bookmaker | Maximum Selections | Sports Available |
---|---|---|
Up to 10 | 5 Sports in Total | |
Up to 10 | 5 Sports in Total | |
Up to 12 | 14 Sports in Total | |
Up to 5 | Football Only | |
Up to 8 | 3 Sports in Total | |
Up to 12 | 6 Sports in Total | |
Up to 12 | 5 Sports in Total |
Live betting on Virgin Bet impressed me thanks to its mix of match trackers, graphics and detailed stats.
In football, a visual match tracker shows attacks, possession and shots. Meanwhile, you get point-by-point tennis updates, aces and serve percentages.
I particularly like the in-play bet builder, which is available for football.
Virgin Bet is found wanting a little when it comes to its live streaming service.
Streams are limited to racing and tennis, while football and basketball require TV or external streams.
So, while Virgin Bet isn't among the best live streaming betting sites in the UK, the overall in-play experience overall is a highlight.
Payment Method | Minimum Deposit | Average Withdrawal Time |
---|---|---|
Visa Debit | £10 | 2–3 hours (Fast Funds) |
Mastercard Debit | £10 | 1–3 working days |
PayPal | £10 | <1 hour |
Neteller | £10 | <24 hours |
Skrill | £10 | <24 hours |
Bank Transfer | £10 | 2–5 working days |
Virgin Bet's colour scheme is instantly recognisable in red and white, which gives it a clean, modern look.
The sports menu is clearly laid out - you can quickly toggle to popular sports or use an A-Z list.
There’s also a search function at the top; typing in “Arsenal” or “Cheltenham” instantly brings up relevant matches or races.
One thing I noticed is how consistent the design is across devices.
The desktop site uses a top menu and side navigation, whereas the mobile app uses a bottom menu bar, but the overall feel is similar.
Everything is where you’d expect it.
Once or twice, the in-play odds refresh caused the screen to jump a bit when markets reordered, but that’s me being very picky.
Overall, Virgin Bet delivers a user-centric design that feels modern and intuitive, on par with 10bet and better than many legacy bookies.
Virgin Bet offers a dedicated betting app for both iOS and Android.
I primarily use an iPhone, so I downloaded the iOS app (which has a high user rating of 4.7/5 on the App Store with thousands of reviews).
The installation was quick and logging in for the first time was straightforward.
The app supports Face ID login, which I enabled - this made accessing my account as simple as a glance, a feature I really value for convenience.
The design of the app mirrors the clean layout of the website, but optimised for mobile.
Scrolling is smooth and the app’s responsiveness is top-notch; odds update in real time without needing manual refresh.
Even with live streams running (like a horse race), the app didn’t stutter on my device.
During several weeks of use, the app never crashed on me once. This stability is reflected in user reviews too, and I can see why it’s rated so highly.
Virgin Bet offers 24/7 support via live chat, phone, and email. I tested all channels:
Channel | Availability | My Experience |
---|---|---|
Live Chat | 24/7 | Connected in 30 s and an agent resolved my query swiftly. |
Phone | 24/7, UK Freephone | Instant pick-up by a friendly, knowledgeable rep. |
24/7 (support@…) | Detailed reply in less than 4 hours. |
Virgin Bet places responsible gambling front and centre with tools accessible from the main menu:
Links to GambleAware, GamCare, blocking software
I tested a £50 weekly deposit limit - when I tried exceeding it, the system blocked the transaction immediately.
The proactive prompt to set limits during sign-up shows genuine care. Virgin Bet’s RG suite rivals bet365’s and exceeds many older bookies in flexibility.
Virgin Bet impressed me with its straightforward approach and excellent mobile experience.
I'd recommend it to mobile-first bettors who value simplicity over bells and whistles.
VirginBet is also an excellent option for horse racing punters who'll appreciate the comprehensive racing markets, promos and live streams.
While the welcome bonus is pretty modest, the clean interface, reliable withdrawals and daily price boosts make it ideal for most bettors.