Sunderlands Bookmakers - Sunderlands Betting - www.sunderlands.eu
BOOKMAKER REVIEW – Sunderlands
HISTORY
Sunderlands, formed in 1946, now has offices in London and Malta. Sunderlands bring to the online industry over 60 years of experience and security. They are one of the oldest bookmakers in the UK, with a solid reputation for service, fairness and integrity. Sunderlands are not as strong in the marketplace as their major competitors as they have no land based shops. However, they have earned a reputation for being a reliable and trusted bookmaker.
ONLINE BETTING
Sunderland has only had an online presence since 2006. The website layout is simple and clear with easy navigation. There is a sports menu on the left hand side offering shortcuts to desired sports. There are links to the poker room, casino, bingo and games. The site displays upcoming events. However, the horseracing section of the site is poor, offering race cards which are very basic. The cards provide no colours, and do not even state the race distance. Ante-post horseracing prices are conspicuous by their absence. By contrast, the results service is far better, conveying all the essential information, including tote returns.
SPORTSBOOK
The Sunderlands sportsbook offers a comprehensive range of online sports betting opportunities, covering the following sports:
- American Sports
- Boxing
- Cricket
- Darts
- Football
- Gaelic Sports
- Greyhounds
- Golf
- Motor Racing
- Rugby Union and League
- Snooker
- Tennis
However, the range of events and markets is somewhat limited in many cases. Apparently, an “in-running” betting service is offered, but in several cases, prices are extremely difficult to find.
CASINO
The Sunderlands casino offers a wide range of card and table games, slots and video games. However, the various games are very slow to load – a great source of frustration.
POKER
The Sunderlands poker room is not currently active. It is “Coming Soon”, but when this is likely to be is not indicated on the site.
BINGO
The Sunderlands bingo room offers bingo and keno games. However, as with the casino, games seem to take forever to load, causing great frustration to the user.
PROMOTIONS
£50 New Account Signup Bonus
For new customers, Sunderlands of a free bet matching the first deposit of up to £10. This must be “turned over” a minimum of 3 times, at even money or better, before it can be withdrawn. Subsequently, a further £10 free bet is given after 5 bets of £10+, at a price of evens or better, up to a maximum of £40. The downside is that each of the 5 bets must be placed on a different event or market. Also, free bets are not awarded automatically, as with most online sites, but must be claimed by e-mailing Customer Services.
Sunderlands Showcase Race(s)
Every day, Sunderlands nominates UK horse race(s) as that day’s “showcase” race(s). Bets, of up to £200, placed at early prices or starting price (SP) qualify for several bonuses. However, these bonuses do not apply to bets placed at board prices. Showcase race offers cannot be combined with other promotions, including free bets. The showcase bonuses offered include:
1. For win bets, stakes are returned for horses finishing second.
2. For each-way bets, the place part of the bet is returned is the selection finishes on position out of the paid places.
3. There is a “best odds” guarantee of bets placed at early prices. If a selection’s SP is greater than the early price, the bet is settled at SP.
4. Rule 4 deductions of 10p in the pound (in a horsed priced at 6/1 or more does nor run) do not apply to showcase races.
5. Punters fortunate enough to back the winners of 3 consecutive showcase races, on the same day, receive a free bet on the next showcase race, equivalent to the smallest stake, up to a maximum of £100.
As one of the oldest UK bookmakers, Sunderlands seeks to provide “a complete betting and gaming solution to all our customers, by offering a friendly personal service, great promotions and value for your hard earned betting money”. It has to be said that for the most part, it leaves something to be desired. Live online help and a 24-hour customer service helpline are available, but these do little to compensate for the shortcomings of the site. The most serious problem appears to be the speed with which the online site operates. All operations seem slow and it is impossible to get a bet on quickly.
