Unibet Sportsbook Review

Unibet Sportsbook
Up to $500 Free First Bet Last verified on March 19, 2024 21+, T&Cs Apply. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER

Unibet is one of the largest online gambling and sports betting operators to enter the US market to date. The company was founded more than two decades ago by a Swedish sports bettor who felt his experience gave him greater insight than the competition into customers’ wants and needs.

After the US legalized sports betting, Unibet made its stateside debut in New Jersey and soon followed with launches in Pennsylvania and Indiana.

With multiple gaming licenses in the US and abroad, Unibet leaves us with no questions regarding its safety and security. With that in mind, this Unibet review will instead focus on the experience from the customer’s point of view. Namely, we will discuss how the odds compare to other sportsbooks, how it rates for in-play betting, what handicapping features it offers, and more.

Key Facts

  • Established: 1997
  • Licensed and operational in: IN, NJ, PA
  • Welcome bonus: $20 free + $250 free first bet
  • Bonus code: None needed
  • Deposit methods: Credit card, debit card, PayPal, ACH/eCheck, Play+, PayNearMe, cash at the casino
  • Withdrawal methods: ACH/eCheck, PayPal, Play+, cash at the casino

Unibet Bonus and Promotions

Unibet Sportsbook promotions take various forms, ranging from free bets to offers that extend into the real world, such as drawings for tickets to watch the NJ Devils live.

One important thing to note about Unibet’s approach to promotions is it does not advertise large bonuses only to eliminate 90% of their value by backloading them with terms and conditions.

Instead, Unibet promotions tend to be smaller but more straightforward and ultimately more valuable. For example, Unibet is one of the only sportsbooks with a welcome bonus delivered to customers as withdrawable cash.

No-Deposit Bonus: $20 in Free Bets for Signing Up

All new Unibet users qualify for two $10 free bets just for signing up – no deposit necessary. After you sign up and receive your free bets, you can use them by adding any selection to your betting slip and selecting the “free bet” option.

The free bets do not come with complicated wagering requirements or onerous terms and conditions. The two important things to know about the free bets offer are:

  1. You must be physically located in a state where Unibet operates
  2. The free bet is not returned with any winnings – if you use a free bet and it wins, you will only receive the net profit

Welcome Bonus: Up to $250 Free Bet

Customers who go on to make a first deposit also receive a 100% free first bet.

After you fund your account, place a wager of $10 or more on any sport to qualify. If it loses, Unibet with refund it with up to $250 in cash. No bonus code is needed to claim this offer or the free bets described above.

Although some other sportsbooks offer bigger free first bets, Unibet’s is especially attractive because it is issued as withdrawable cash and comes without excessive terms and conditions.

From the Unibet T&Cs page discussing the welcome offer:

Wagering Requirements/Exclusions

No wagering requirement because the players will be receiving cash refunds.

Restrictions on Withdrawal

Any refund is cash so there are no restrictions on withdrawing this money.

Other Ongoing Promos

Other promotions for existing customers change frequently, but below are some examples of past promos Unibet has run to provide a sense of what types of offers to expect.

Unibet does not offer as many promotions as some of its competitors in the US sports betting space, but its promos feature some of the industry’s most customer-friendly terms. Bettors who value promotions that are easy to understand will find Unibet a welcome breath of fresh air.

Past Promo Examples

  • Weekly Parlay Boost: Get payout boosts of 10% to 30% each week when you place 3-leg, 4-leg, and 5-leg parlays. Maximum winnings boost of $5,000.
  • Win NJ Devils Tickets: For every $10 wagered during the promo period, customers earned one ticket into one of five drawings for glass tickets or suite tickets to an NJ Devils home game.
  • $100K Pigskin Parlay: Place a $10, 6-team parlay consisting of spread bets on the week’s NFL games for a chance to win up to $100,000 extra on top of your parlay. The catch is all six teams must cover the spread by an additional 9.5 points each to earn the extra $100K.
  • Daily Odds Boost: Login to Unibet Sportsbook every day and visit the “Odds Boost” tab on the navigation menu to find a list of wagers whose odds have been enhanced for the day.
  • Weekly Profit Boost: Unibet occasionally names specific games and enhances the net profit (up to $5,000) on a single wager of your choice. For example, Unibet recently boosted payouts by 50% on a Monday Night Football game.
  • Level Up Parlay Booster: Place a parlay with Unibet and get up to 50% extra on your payout. Unlike other sportsbooks with similar parlay promos, Unibet pays extra winnings as cash, not as free bets.
  • 5th Inning Refund: Place a $10 or more pregame moneyline wager on select MLB games. If your team is leading after the end of the 5th but goes on to lose the game, Unibet will refund your bet with up to $50 back, paid in cash.

Tip: the Unibet online casino also offers a plethora of frequent bonuses and promotions targeted at gamblers.

Unibet Sports Betting Review

It becomes apparent shortly after logging in that Unibet’s approach to sports betting is efficiency and simplicity. Simple and straightforward bonuses, a clean betting interface, and simple navigation menus all give Unibet Sportsbook a sense of minimalism.

Whereas other sportsbooks such as DraftKings and BetMGM load up on features and extensive menus, Unibet focuses purely on displaying games and listing wagers.

Some bettors may find the approach appealing, while others will miss the lack of features. Unibet is not a feature-heavy sportsbook. This is the book to visit if you want to log in, place your bets, and move on with your day. This is not the book to visit if you want to watch games live or study in-depth statistics and betting trends.

Market depth is commendable, with upcoming games offering upwards of 250 betting options. Similarly, Unibet maintains a busy in-play betting schedule but lacks advanced features, with one notable exception being its “action betting” markets.

Action Betting

Action Betting is the fastest form of in-play wagering at Unibet. Action Betting markets only last for a few moments and pay winnings instantly as the game continues.

Examples of Action Betting markets include betting on the outcome of the current drive in an NFL game, the next score in an NBA game, or the next point in a tennis match.

Customers can find the Action Betting markets by visiting any in-play game and looking for the red lightning icon. Selecting any toggle with the Action Betting icon will expand that category of wagers to show all short-term betting markets for that game.

Pre-Game Statistics

Unibet provides pregame statistics for matchups in major US sports, but the information is limited to basic win-loss info.

For example, viewing the stats for an upcoming NBA game shows each team’s recent wins and losses, the final scores for each team’s recent games, and the outcomes of recent meetings between the two teams.

Other stats such as scoring percentages, betting trends, and line changes are missing in action. Unibet is at a severe disadvantage in this regard compared to other sportsbooks that offer detailed stats and handicapping info for each team.

Pre-Packs

Pre-Packs are preassembled same-game parlays provided by Unibet ahead of some games. Bettors can visit any game’s betting page and select the pre-packs category to find one-game parlays such as wrapping the moneyline and point total into a single parlay.

Cash Out

The cash out feature at Unibet allows bettors to close their wagers for a reduced payout before the game has concluded. Bettors may choose to use the cash out feature to lock in their winnings if the game is going well or cut their losses if the game is going poorly.

Unibet Odds Review

Unibet’s odds run the gamut from worst in the business to the best. Like many sportsbooks, Unibet offers the best odds on some games and not so much on others – it varies significantly from sport to sport and game to game.

That said, Unibet seems stronger in some sports and worse than others. Unibet is strong on NBA spreads and moneyline, competitive on NHL moneylines, but very poor on NHL spreads.

For reference, below is a comparison of the lines provided by Unibet and two other sportsbooks for three NBA games chosen at random.

GameUnibet OddsBetMGM OddsDraftKings Odds
    
Kings
Vs
Spurs
+114

-136
+115

-139
+114

-135
Bulls
Vs
Suns
+245

-305
+240

-303
+245

-303
Bucks
Vs
Lakers
-360

+280
-385

+300
-357

+280

Sports Covered and Types of Wagers Offered

The list of sports covered by Unibet is quite in-depth, with wagers offered on all major pro leagues, college leagues, and international events such as cricket and cycling. Furthermore, coverage of each sport is extensive, with thousands of wagering options on offer some days.

For instance, on a random day during the last NFL season, Unibet had more than 1700 NFL wagers, 2100 college football wagers, 2000+ hockey wagers, and more than 50,000 soccer wagers on games hosted around the world.

The following Spring, Unibet was back again with thousands of betting markets for the NBA, college basketball, the NHL, tennis, and more. Unibet typically offers something in the range of 250 betting markets for all major pro and college sports.

The large number of markets offered for most events naturally leads to a wide variety in the types of wagers on offer. Bettors will find standard moneylines, point spreads, and totals for each game, plus dozens if not hundreds of alternate lines for some events.

Other bet types include premade same-game parlays, game props, player specials, player stat totals, player points (first scorer, last scorer, etc.), half-time results, quarter results, futures, and more.

Unibet also offers parlays, round robins, and teasers. Bettors can build parlays by adding multiple wagers to the betting slip, selecting the “parlay” tab on the betting slip, and inputting an amount to wager.

Sports Covered (varies by season):

  • Athletics
  • Australian Rules
  • Badminton
  • Baseball
  • Basketball
  • Beach Volleyball
  • Boxing
  • Cricket
  • Curling
  • Cycling
  • Cyclo Cross
  • Darts
  • Esports
  • Football
  • Golf
  • Handball
  • Ice Hockey
  • MMA (UFC and Bellator)
  • Motor Sports
  • Netball
  • Olympics
  • Pesäpallo
  • Racketlon
  • Rugby League
  • Rugby Union
  • Snooker
  • Soccer
  • Speedway
  • Squash
  • Squash
  • Surfing
  • Swimming
  • Table Tennis
  • Tennis
  • Trotting
  • Volleyball
  • Winter Sports

Sports Betting Interface

Visiting the Unibet website or launching the mobile app makes it clear simplicity is given high priority. From a design standpoint, the best word to describe the app is “clean.” The homepage presents a manageable number of options in tile format that include a few popular games, a tile that shows how many live events are in play, and another tile to view a list of soon-to-start live events.

Unibet manages to provide these options without going into information overload as any other sportsbooks do.

The benefit to customers is a simpler, easier-to-use interface. It is very easy to find the sport you want and place your bets. The disadvantage is it is sometimes difficult to find certain features or to figure out if they even exist. For example, it isn’t always clear if Unibet provides live stats or a match tracker for some games.

If you don’t see a wager that catches your attention, you can use a simple navigation menu to browse various sports and view all active promotions. Unibet also provides a search tool to find specific sports, leagues, and teams.

Desktop Screenshots

Unibet Mobile App

Unibet offers mobile betting apps for iOS and Android devices. Bettors can point their mobile browsers to Unibet.com for links to download the latest version for both devices.

Unibet’s penchant for simplicity expands to the mobile app as well, with a clean and almost minimalist interface. Logging in to the Unibet app takes users directly to a basic homepage that simply lists upcoming games and their odds with no fanfare whatsoever.

The approach is nice because it doesn’t distract from the ultimate goal, which is to bet on sports. On the other hand, it would be more convenient to view current promotions and additional info at a glance.

Tapping the name of any team listed on the homepage takes users to a dedicated page for that event, with a complete list of all available betting markets for that game. From there, bettors can tap the odds next to any market to add that wager to the betting slip.

With the betting slip open, users can input an amount to wager and confirm the bet right there. Bettors can also hide the betting slip from view, add more wagers to the slip, and then use it to create custom parlays.

Overall, the Unibet app is easy to use and responds quickly to user commands.

Mobile Screenshots

In-Play Betting Review

Unibet’s live betting product is quite strong in some areas and lacking in others. What Unibet does well with in-play betting is coverage of many events. It is common to log in any time of day or night and find 20 or more games in play at that moment, with more scheduled the rest of the day.

Unibet Sportsbook provides in-play betting for all major US sports, college games, and international competitions – including some very niche events. If you can’t find a particular live event elsewhere, there is a good chance you will find it at Unibet.com.

Where Unibet lacks is in live updates and stats. In many cases, visiting an in-play betting page reveals nothing more than updated odds and maybe a handful of stats related to each team’s recent record.

While other betting sites provide in-depth live stats and match trackers (graphic representations of what’s happening on the field), Unibet rarely offers such capabilities. Even for games from the major pro leagues, such as the NBA and NHL, Unibet only provides the bare minimum of live stats on its in-play betting pages.

The result is you are often left watching the odds at Unibet while having to look elsewhere for game updates and detailed stats.

Moving back to strengths, Unibet does excellent work in providing a large variety of live markets during ongoing events. For example, Unibet covers golf tournaments in greater detail than the average sportsbook. Not only does Unibet offer in-play bets on the winner, but it also does the same for head-to-head matchups on a hole-by-hole basis.

Unibet also provides extra short-term wagers under the “Action Betting” category. Action Betting markets resolve within a minute or two and cover shorter events such as the next point in a tennis match or the outcome of the next play drive.

In-Play Betting Screenshots

Unibet Deposit Methods

Unibet offers a standard range of deposit methods that should work for most customers. Options for credit and debit cards, cash, electronic payments, and e-wallets make Unibet accessible to the vast majority of customers. All deposits are processed instantly or on the same day.

  • Credit and debit cards: Unibet accepts Visa and Mastercard. Some banks still restrict card deposits to online gaming sites, but any of the following options should work as an alternative if you have any trouble.
  • PayPal: Sign up for an account at PayPal.com or login to your existing account to send a payment straight from PayPal to Unibet.
  • ACH: The ACH (or eCheck) deposit moves money from your checking account to Unibet instantly.
  • Online banking transfer: If your bank has an online bill pay feature, you can use your existing banking login details to authorize a transfer of funds to your Unibet account. See the cashier for an updated list of banks that work with this method.
  • Play+: Sign up for a Play+ account online and fund your Unibet account instantly with Visa, Mastercard, or Discover. You will also receive a physical Play+ card in the mail for ATM withdrawals and purchases where Discover is accepted.
  • PayNearMe: Fund your Unibet account with cash at your nearest 7-Eleven, CVS, and other locations.
  • Cash at the Casino: In some states, Unibet customers can visit a nearby casino affiliated with Unibet to make cash deposits and receive cash withdrawals

Customer Support

Unibet offers live customer support seven days a week from 8 AM to 11 PM ET. Customers can contact the support team via phone, live chat, and e-mail.