By Simon Head

With strong coverage across multiple sports and a great exchange betting interface, Smarkets offers a well-presented alternative to standard fixed-odds sports betting.

Key information

What is Smarkets all about?

Bonuses

Smarkets’ lone promotion isn’t a welcome bonus as such, but it is aimed at new customers. If you use the code COMMFREE when registering a new account, Smarkets will drop their already competitive 2% commission on exchange betting right down to zero for a period of 60 days, meaning you have two months’ worth of commission-free exchange betting and sports trading from Day 1.

Available sports

Smarkets offers a comprehensive range of sports, though it’s worth remembering that the availability of specific odds and markets doesn’t depend on Smarkets themselves, but on your fellow Smarkets account holders, with customers able to back or lay bets on an exchange. Often, the odds are better than you’ll find on fixed-odds betting sites, but sometimes the depth in markets, or the amount you can bet on them, isn’t always the same.

User experience and interface

To an experienced bettor, the Smarkets website is a thing of beauty. There’s a tonne of information staring you in the face, but it isn’t overbearing, so long as you already have a good handle on exchange betting. If you’re new to betting exchanges, Smarkets (and pretty much any online betting exchange) will probably look pretty intimidating.

However, once you’ve familiarised yourself with exchange betting and how it works you’ll find that Smarkets offers the best-presented betting exchange on the market today. If you want fixed-odds betting in a similarly-presented environment, Smarkets’ sister site SBK is well worth a look.

Mobile and app compatibility

People who use the Smarkets app seem to really like it, especially those using Apple devices. From a strong sample of 4,600 reviewers, the app has a stellar 4.8-star rating. Using the app, it’s easy to see why. The design is beautiful. The information is clearly displayed, and the app moves swiftly and without lags. All in all, it’s a pretty impressive piece of kit.

App Store: 4.8 stars (4.6k reviews)

Google Play: 3.0/5 stars (1.32k reviews)

VIP programmes and loyalty rewards

Probably due in large part to the peer-to-peer nature of betting exchanges, there is no VIP or loyalty reward programme with Smarkets. 

Diving deeper into Smarkets

Licensing

Smarkets is licensed in the UK by the UK Gambling Commission.

Payment methods

Smarkets accepts a range of payment methods including debit cards, plus e-wallets including PayPal, Skrill and Neteller, plus Paysafecard and bank transfers. 

Security and fairness

All communication between a customer and Smarkets is encrypted to ensure your personal data is not accessible by any external party. The site is regulated for UK customers by the UK Gambling Commission.

Responsible gambling measures

Smarkets offers a Safer Gambling Toolkit, which includes the ability to set deposit, loss and stake limits, take timeouts and self-exclude from the site. They also provide safe betting tips, a self-assessment test and other helpful information, including links to external support organisations, including GamCare, Gamblers Anonymous, Gambling Therapy (Gordon Moody), National Problem Gambling Clinic, Big Deal and Samaritans.

FIRST rating

4.1/5 stars

Payment methods available at Smarkets

Smarkets FAQs

Is Smarkets legit?

Yes. Smarkets is a regulated sports betting exchange website and app, based out of Malta and regulated for UK bettors/traders via the UK Gambling Commission.

How can I contact customer support at Smarkets?

There are multiple ways to get in touch with the customer support team at Smarkets, these include email, Twitter (@SmarketsTech) and, for logged-in users, live chat. You can also write to them via old-school snail mail. Head to the Contact Us link at the foot of the site for full information.

How do I reset my password at Smarkets?

To reset your Smarkets password, go to the account settings page, select login, and then enter the new password. 

Alternatively, if you are not already logged in, you can click the ‘forgot password?’ link underneath the password box on the login screen. Follow the prompts and enter your account email to receive a link to update your password.