When you visit the Bookmaker.eu website, you’ll notice two slogans: “Where the line originates,” and “Old school meets new school.” While these marketing phrases certainly sound impressive, it’s impossible to tell whether or not they’re true without digging below the surface. That’s the purpose of this article: to inform potential customers of the site’s true value relative to their competition.
Quality of Odds
Bookmaker prides themselves on being the first to set lines for games. This provides unique opportunities for the customer, as the site isn’t just waiting to leech numbers from the competition. Add live betting into the mix, and you have a sportsbook that consistently offers a positive experience.
Their parlay odds, which consist of two or more wagers on a single ticket at an increased payout, are identical to those found at rivals such as Bovada and 5Dimes. Two teams would amount to +264, five teams would be +2435, and the customer has the option of betting up to a 15-team parlay.
Bookmaker.eu also has football teasers, and these bets allow customers to place wagers on two or more teams while moving the point spread. The site is slightly behind 5Dimes in the quality of its teaser odds, but they’re exactly the same as those offered by BetDSI. There’s a maximum teaser limit of $10,000 when betting against the spread for NFL or college football games.
Mobile Betting
With mobile betting, the customer is no longer shackled to their laptop or PC. Instead, they can place wagers on their smart phone or tablet, and it’s not unusual to see someone winning big while waiting in line at the grocery store.
Bookmaker.eu supports mobile gaming, and it’s compatible with iPhone, Blackberry, and Android. Customers can sign up without having to download anything, although withdrawal requests do require a phone call or visit to the main website. It takes an average of seven touches on your screen to place a wager, which puts their service on par with what’s offered by BetDSI.
According to customer reviews, the most frequent complaint about their mobile betting app is poor navigation between various betting markets. This isn’t as bad as it sounds, however, and further technological innovations should mean a decrease in this issue over time.
Customer Service Options
Customer service representatives are available to help you in Chinese, English, and Spanish. They can be reached 24/7 by phone, fax, or email. I suggest contacting them by phone, however, as the most consistent complaint revolves around the amount of time it takes them to respond to email (up to 2 days).
Payout Options
Customers wishing to make a withdrawal have the following options available:
- Neteller – Accounts are credited within 24 hours, although it may take seven to 15 days to process. There’s no maximum withdrawal amount, although a $25 fee is charged for requests between $0 and $8,000.
Person to Person Transaction – Usually arrives the same day, but it can take from seven to 15 days. The transaction fee depends on the amount being withdrawn. - Bank Draft via Snail Mail – $2500 limit with a $50 fee. One request every seven days, and checks may take up to 30 days to arrive.
EcoCard – Requests take seven to 15 days to process, with a $1000 maximum. No U.S. customers. - Click2Pay – Limited to $1000 per transaction, and the customer is charged 3% the withdrawal amount. Only available to customers outside the United States.
Strengths of Bookmaker.eu
There’s a lot to like about Bookmaker.eu, but the following items are what I consider to be their greatest strengths:
- Customer Privacy – All sportsbook sites talk about privacy and security, but Bookmaker.eu makes these items a priority. Mailing lists are never sold or traded, and no government agency or third party will ever have access to your information. Each client is provided with a personal pin number and password, and these can be used to access an account by phone or PDA.
- Global Customer Base – While many sportsbooks and casinos shy away from U.S. players, Bookmaker welcomes them with open arms. The same goes for residents of all other nations, although those living in the states of Maryland and Washington will need to looks elsewhere.
- Quality Reputation – Bookmaker and their parent company, BetCRIS, have over 25 years of industry experience, and they’ve been cited in everything from the Wall Street Journal to the Washington Post. They’ve also been known to bail out smaller sportsbooks who can’t pay clients, so their concern for customer satisfaction is beyond reproach.