BoyleSports review (2021 updated)
BettingFellow Rating: 9.20/10
BoyleSports’s origins are as a well-known chain of high-street betting shops. There's over 300 of them spread across the UK and their home country of Ireland. What’s more, Ireland is where they are most known, with a reputation as one of the best bookmakers around. This is not an easy reputation to earn, mind you, as Ireland has one of the most active sports betting communities in the world.
That’s all nice, but how far have they gone in maintaining quality as far as their online betting offers are concerned? The pond is much bigger on the internet, so to speak, and the competition is stiffer. In this review, we’ll be taking a look at how BoyleSports’ online sportsbook matches up to some of the top betting sites in the world.
Ireland’s biggest independent bookmaker
This bookie is highly regarded among punters, in part because they have been operating successfully since 1982. A track record this long and this clean is not an easy thing to find among online bookmakers in 2020, and it just goes to show that they’re doing something right.
The brand was initially established by John Boyle opening his first shop. For quite a while, it was a single bookie outlet – a rare sight in these times, when globalization was already taking its toll on small businesses. The first shop was in Markethill, a village in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. A strange place to begin the story of a recognizable world-class sportsbook brand, you might think, but before 1990 an additional five shops were opened in Drogheda.
By the turn of the century, things were looking up for BoyleSports. 14 new shops opened by 2002, and the number kept rocketing up to 77 in 2004. By the time the decade was over, their operation was pushing out some of the biggest UK bookmakers such as William Hill, establishing a firm presence throughout Ireland.
While the company’s success is easily kept track of through their brick-and-mortar betting shops, all of this fails to highlight one of the biggest contributing factors to Boylesports’ success. The time they grew the quickest is also the time online sports betting truly exploded. So while real-life betting gave them a solid base to work off, it is BoyleSports’ quality online sportsbook that drove up the profits and pushed them to become a world-known brand.
BoyleSports’ first forays into internet gambling were not an immediate success. Early users noted that the website was clunky and difficult to use and that the variety of offers couldn’t match up to some other top UK betting sites. However, the core service was excellent, and the underneath it all, BoyleSports still had some competitive betting odds. Despite its flaws, the sportsbook attracted a lot of fans.
It also kept improving. We’ve had contact with a lot of betting sites over the years, and we have to say that willingness to listen to criticism and fan feedback is one of the favourite things we like to see in betting companies. Boylesports worked on their downsides, and are still working hard on improving every aspect of their service.
Licensing & Safety
As you probably gathered by now, this is a respectable, legit online bookmaker. As such, it is subject to strict regulations as a gambling company. These gambling licences ensure customer protection and deter cases of problem gambling or other issues.
BoyleSports is based in Gibraltar, which is one of the most common places for headquarters of online bookmakers, serving as a tax haven of sorts. However, that does mean that a remote gambling licence issued by the Gibraltar Government is one of the most respected of its kind in the world.
Additionally, as one of the best bookmakers in the UK, BoyleSports holds a licence by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission. That much is a given: the majority of their business is from the UK, after all. It should go without saying that this licence is also one of the most highly regarded in the world of online gambling.
Additionally, BoyleSports holds several local licenses, which may or may not be relevant for you, depending on where you live. Obtaining one of these can be a complicated process, and varying legislation across the globe means BoyleSports cannot be accessed by just anyone. Here is a list of BoyleSports’ restricted countries, whose residents cannot use their services:
Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Gabon, Germany. Greece, Guyana, Holland, Hongkong, Hungary, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Korea (North and South), Kosovo, Kuwait, Laos, Myanmar, Namibia, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Poland, Reunion, Romania, Serbia, Singapore, Spain, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Turkey, UAE 7 Kingdoms, Uganda, USA, Vatican City, Yemen, Zimbabwe.
Online security is another area of vital importance when it comes to deciding whether you’re dealing with a trustworthy betting site or not. BoyleSports uses cutting edge SSL encryption technology for all communication between you and the online sportsbook. That means that everything – from your financial information to your details, is hidden as encrypted code. This ensures absolute security that all safe betting sites need.
Also, BoyleSports’ clean track record in terms of security scams or leaks gives us additional confidence. We’re also glad to say that this bookie has taken the necessary steps to combat problem gambling and addiction, which is always commendable.
Deposit and Withdrawals
BoyleSports’ deposit methods are enough to satisfy most customers. As if the wiring of this review, the site boasts about 14 different payment methods across several categories.
First of all, credit and debit cards are available both for deposits and withdrawals. Do note, however, that some people may not be able to use card payments depending on their country of residence, such as people from Australia and Japan. Beyond that, there is a 1£/€ minimum, and a maximum of £100,000. Card withdrawals at BoyleSports take anywhere between 2 and 5 days.
Additionally, you can use one of several e-wallets and online payment systems for your BoyleSports withdrawals or deposits. As a plus, these are nearly instant – although they can, occasionally, take some time to process in the case of withdrawals. Options include Skrill, Neteller, Paypal, EUTeller, EKONTO, InstantBank, and SOFort. Clients from the UK can also use Boku. Payments made like this have the same minimum of 1£, and a max varies between £20,000 and £100,000, depending on your method of choice.
If you prefer using cash for BoyleSports payments, you have two options. You can go the usual way of the Paysafecard, or – if you’re from Ireland or parts of the UK – you can make a cash payment directly to your account at one of 300+ Boylesports locations.
Other payment options at BoyleSports include bank transfers and cheques. These can take quite a while, though, and are subject to a minimum of £25.
Additionally, there is a maximum payout in place. The exact amount depends on the sport, league, and specific event you’re betting on and is the highest amount you can win from a single wager.
For instance, BoyleSports’ maximum payout on horse races varies between €500,000 for UK classes 1 and 2 to €50,000 on international races. The maximum payout on Football to any one customer on any one day's business is €500,000, regardless of the number of bets.
Customer Support
When writing our online bookmaker reviews, we put quality customer service very high on our list of priorities. This side of things is often overlooked by punters looking gat new betting sites because it is subtle. Most people have the fortune never to need to contact support staff – but we go out of our way to make sure everything is up to our high standards.
All of the channels of communication with this company’s staff are easily found in the Help Centre near the bottom of the page. We’re happy to say that this includes a comprehensive FAQ which can answer most questions new users often have quickly and easily. IF the help centre doesn’t cut it, though, you can easily find contact information.
Should you need to contact BoyleSports customer service, you can do so in any of the following ways:
Live Chat: one of the most popular ways for betting sites in 2020to communicate with their customers, live chats are quick and hassle-free. BoyleSports’ works 24/7, with a team of professional, polite staff members.
E-mail: You can also contact BoyleSports at [email protected]. E-mails are not as quick as a live chat; however, all e-mails are typically answered within 24 hours.
Support form:These work more-or-less the same as an e-mail, except they are submitted directly from the website. Forms are also conveniently categories so that they can be answered more quickly.
Phone:If you want to talk to someone directly, you can do so using one of the following phone numbers: 1800 22 00 66 for the Republic of Ireland, 0800 22 00 66 for callers from the UK, and +353 42 939 3168 for anyone else.
Market & Odds
Currently, BoyleSports offers around 35 different sports and categories for prematch wagers. As a sportsbook primarily markets to punters from the UK and Ireland, football betting and horse races are the biggest focus here.
As such, this bookie is a great operator if you’re looking for football betting. Major league events can include upwards of 300 different markets per event, which is great for value betting. These include everything from outright bets to Asian Handicaps and more. We can also appreciate that odds are consistent across all of these, and Handicaps are not just thrown in as an afterthought.
Premier League betting is a definite standout, as expected, with increased payout limits and interesting sportsbook bonuses. We have not found any promotions specific to Champions League betting, however, though the odds and the depth of markets remain solid.
As mentioned, horse races are also excellent. There are best odds guaranteed at BoyleSports for all UK And Irish races, which is a definite plus. We are also impressed by their coverage of international competitions, so you’re not limited to Grand National or Cheltenham betting.
We can’t say that we’re especially impressed by the remainder of their listings, however. There are quite a few categories at the BoyleSports online sportsbook which are almost empty most of the time, such as e-sports. As such, we can’t recommend this site for such niche markets.
The overall layout of the website, however, is fairly decent. It’s not ground-breaking in terms of user-friendliness or particularly beautiful, but it gets the job done and is fairly intuitive. You can get to any part of the sportsbook you need quickly and without having to waste too much time, which is a great plus. The design is nothing special – simple, minimalistic, and very streamlined. You won’t be impressed at first glance – but here at Betting Fellow, we prefer functionality to aesthetics.
In-Play Betting
No top online sportsbook is complete without a live betting section. In this department, BoyleSports is consistent with the rest of their service. Football and horse racing live offers are way above industry standards. The user interface, however, could use some work. Again, it’s fairly streamlined, but in this case, it comes at the cost of providing information to the player. We’ve seen other top-rated online bookies display key information on these pages, so we know it can be done.
Speaking of the odds, they are updated quickly and regularly, which can result in exciting wagers. We can also safely say that the amount of different betting offers impressed us, in part because we didn’t expect it based on the prematch sportsbook. In short, you can bet in an impressive number of events with BoyleSports.
Cash-out is, of course, an option. As far as we can tell, though, partial cashouts are not a thing with this bookie. The best bookmakers in the business are also implementing automatic cash-outs, which allow you to set up conditions in which they are made on their own. So far, BoyleSports does not allow for this feature, which is a bit of a shame, but not a deal-breaker.
BoyleSports Live Streaming Offer
As of the writing of this Review, Boylesports only offers live streaming of events for UK and Irish horse races. To watch streamed events, all you need to do is log in to your BoyleSports account and place a wager of £1/€1 on any of the offered races.
Unfortunately, you cannot live stream any other sports. There are betting platforms out there which offer this service, but Boylesports is not one of them.
However, there is a selection of other extra features, such as an online casino. Also, BoyleSports has a dedicated mobile betting app for wagering on the go.
BoyleSports Bookmaker Margin
The key to favourable betting odds is a reasonable bookmaker margin. The returns you can get on a sportsbook depend on how much the implied probabilities of a sporting event reflect the odds provided by the bookie. Bookmakers need to make a profit, after all, so there is always a percentage by which these two differ. The lower the margins – the better the odds for the customer. On average, BoyleSports has an impressively low margin of just 4.1% across the board. Generally speaking, this is much lower than most of the competition which averages around 6%. However, the way these margins are distributed by sport is a bit strange.
For instance, BoyleSports’ bookmaker margin for football matches is 6%. This is rather mediocre considering football is their main attracting. By comparison, the margin for tennis is an excellent 3.1%, undercutting most of their competitors by far.
There are a couple of other standouts worth mentioning. Hockey and basketball have margins of just 4.1%, which is incredible considering even the best bookies are usually not very generous with these sports. Also, baseball has an incredibly low margin of 3.1%.
Overall Review
In conclusion, there is very little preventing BoyleSports from reaching the very cream of the crop among betting companies. Firstly, while football is given an incredible amount of attention in terms of depth and coverage – the margins do not reflect that. Instead, they are more favourable for basketball and tennis. As such, the best betting odds on BoyleSports are given for sports they do not even pay too much attention to.
However, what makes football betting worth it on BoyleSports are attractive promotions. There’s a bunch of them for users to enjoy: Acca insurance, Acca loyalty programs, reload bonus offers, the list goes on.
All in all, there’s a lot to love about BoyleSports, and we can easily recommend them to most punters.
BoyleSports New Customer Guide
Bet £10 and get a £10 free betThis new BoyleSports promotion is an exclusive mobile betting bonus. Make your first bet at BoyleSports with a stake of at least £10, and you’ll receive a £10 bonus in free bets. You only have 30 days after registration to qualify, though, and free bets expire if left unused for 7 days. UK customers only.
Acca LoyaltyIf you place 5 accumulator bets on BoyleSports from the UK or Ireland, you’ll receive a free accumulator. You’ll have to stake at least £5, though, and the cumulative odds of the wager have to be over 3:1. Only one Acca per day counts as qualifying, and cashed out, free, or void bets do not count.
Acca InsurancePlace any 5-leg acca on any market in any sport. If only one of the acca legs fails, you’ll receive a free bet in the amount of your stake! Note that the minimum wager for this promotion is £5, while the biggest free bet you can receive is £20. The minimum odds for each selection are ½, but it applies to all sorts of wagers - even live accumulator bets.
First, though, you’ll need to register at BoyleSports. Here’s a simple, step-by-step guide on how to do that:
BoyleSports opening account procedure explained
- Head over to boylesports.com using any internet browser
- Click the “Join Now!” button at the top right of the page
- A new window will pop up with the information you need to provide
- The information includes:
- Full name
- Country of residence
- Phone number
- Date of birth
- Full address
- You will also have some options concerning your account, such as setting up your username and password and which currency you wish to use
- You will also need to select a security question and agree to BoyleSports’ terms and conditions
- You also have the option of setting up a deposit limit if you so chose
- The last step is to complete KYC verification. For this, you will need to e-mail BoyleSports’ staff a valid form of identification, such as a passport, ID, or drivers licence
BoyleSports review FAQ
Are BoyleSports best odds guaranteed?
Yes, this online sportsbook operates under a “best odds guaranteed” on all UK and Irish horse races. You can find more information about BoyleSports betting odds above, in our section on markets and odds.
BoyleSports- how to use free bet?
If you want to take advantage of the BoyleSports welcome offer, follow these steps:
- Place a bet of £/€10 or more or any bet on the sportsbook with odds of 2.0 (1/1) or more
- The qualifying bet must be the first bet ever made on the account
- You can make a multiple, but the combined odds must be 2.0 or greater
- Free bet stakes do not qualify for this offer
What is BoyleSports maximum payout?
The max payout depends on the sport and event in question. It can get rather complicated; for instance, Class 1 and 2 English horse races have a max payout of €500,000, lower-class races in Ireland and the UK have a max payout of €250,000, while overseas races can be as low as €50,000.
You can find detailed information on BoyleSports maximum payout on the help centre on their official website.
When was BoyleSports founded?
The first BoyleSports betting shop was opened in 1982 by John Boyle in Markethill, County Armagh, Northern Ireland
How to delete BoyleSports account?
To permanently close your BoyleSports account, you will need to contact customer support.
If you want to exclude yourself because of problem gambling, this can be done through the Responsible Gaming section in My Account.
How to verify a BoyleSports account
Like all legitimate online bookmakers, BoyleSports requires you to verify your identity before you can play. This is done after the initial registration process. Yoau can register and start betting even before verification is over, though there are some limitations. Of course, all of these will be lifted as soon as you finish KYC verification, which is usually a quick process.
BoyleSports have been a bit vague about what these restrictions are, though. You’ll most likely be unable to withdraw. All you need to do to complete verification is submit a photo or scan of a valid personal document. Their main concern is if you’re older than 18, so make sure all the info is legible. The documents which you can submit are:
- • Driving license
- • National ID or Passport
- • Proof of Address – Boylesports may additionally request concurrent proof of address. This can be something like a utility bill or bank statement.
How to use the BoyleSports bet tracker?
You will first need to download the BoyleSports bet tracker APK if you’re using an Android. iOS users will have a much easier time because they can simply download the bet tracker app from the app store.
If you’ve made an online bet, simply logging in will allow you to keep track of your betting slops. In such cases, the bet tracker works like most usual mobile sports betting apps.
Alternatively, you made a wager at one of the hundreds of BoyleSports betting shops. You can track it via the BetTracker in one of several ways. First, tap the ‘Add Ticket’ button on the left-hand side menu. The app will prompt you to enter the betting slip’s serial code, which can be found on the slip itself. As soon as you enter it, you should see all the information related to your wagers appear in the Bet Tracker.
Alternatively, you can opt to scan the slip’s QC code, where available. Doing so will open your device’s camera. Point the camera at the square QC code on your betting slip. After a few seconds, the app should recognise the code and the bet slip will appear on your screen.
How to withdraw from Boylesports?
To withdraw from the Boylesports online sportsbook, start by logging into your personal account. Then, look for the account screen at the top right corner of the screen. On desktop, you should simply see a ‘My Account’ option next to your account balance. If you’re using the Boylesports app, the account menu can be accessed through the big red button with your account balance on it.
Once there, click on the ‘Banking’ option near the top of the screen. This will open another sub-menu just beneath, where you can select whether to deposit, withdraw, or transfer. Select the option for withdrawals.
This will open a form that you need to fill out by selecting your withdrawal methods and the amount you wish to withdraw. From there, the exact process depends on which payment method you selected. Follow the instructions and your withdrawal request will be submitted.
Card payments, cheques, and bank transfers will need a few days to process. You can check any pending withdrawal requests by selecting the ‘Pending Withdraw’ option in the banking section of your account screen. Most e-wallets payments are instant, though you may have to wait a few hours before the cash appears on your account.
Can I make a Boylesports withdrawal to PayPal?
Yes.Paypal is one of the accepted payment methods at BoyleSports, and you can make withdrawals to your PayPal account regularly. To do so, open the withdrawals on the banking section of your account screen. You can find more details in the previous question in this FAQ.
Note that PayPal withdrawals are limited to between £1 and £20,000 per transaction. Most of the time they’re also instant, though you may end up waiting a few hours before the funds appear on your account. Waiting times increase substantially for transactions over £5,000.
How to get free bets on Boylesports?
The best way to get Boylesports free bets is through promotions and/or special bonus deals. The most obvious way is through the Boylesports new customer offer, which instantly awards you £10 for free betting. There are other promotions available at all times, though most of them change seasonally or are limited-time only.
The most common example of such BoyleSports promotions are the free bet offers on UK and Irish horse races and greyhounds. Once a week, you can place a free bet on a selection that’s the 2ndfavourite according to the Starting Price (SP.)
When is BoyleSports open?
The BoyleSports online betting platform can be used and accessed at any time of the day, seven days a week. The BoyleSports customer service is open 24/7 and can be contacted at any time.
However, the brick-and-mortar betting shops across Ireland and the UK do have working hours. These can vary based on the location but are mostly similar – 10 AM to 9:30 PM from Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 9:30 PM on Saturdays, and 10:30 AM to 6:00 PM on Sundays.
What is Boylesport's maximum payout?
BoyleSports can pay out different maximums on different bets depending on several factors. For instance, the sport in question, the league or type of competition, and even the country where the event is held. Let’s go through them one by one.
- • Horse Racing - UK classes 1 and 2 and all Irish graded, group, and listed races can pay €500,000. UK classes 3 and 4 and Irish premier handicaps go up to €250,000. All other UK and Ireland horse races pay out up to €50,000. The maximum payout for all other non-UK/Irish races is €100,000 if it’s covered by Boylesports Full Service and €50,000 if not. Finally, Tote bets placed online can only win up to €30,000.
- • Greyhounds – Full-Service UK races gave a maximum payout of €100,000. For UK races not covered by Full Service, the max is €10,000. Major greyhound races in the UK or Ireland can pay out up to €25,000, while Irish races at Shelbourne Park can only go up to €5,000. Finally, Ante-Post Greyhound bets on UK or Irish races are subject to a maximum payout of €50,000 to any one customer.
- • Football – The maximum payout on football bets is €500,000 per day, regardless of the number of individual wagers. This is also the max payout on all UK Football leagues and cups, regardless of flight. The remaining ‘Big 5’ European leagues can go up to €250,000. International UEFA competitions and the World Cup can also pay out up to €500,000. Most other national leagues and competitions can only pay out up to €10,000 per bet, while international qualifiers and smaller events boast a €20,000 maximum payout.
- • Golf - €250,000 per event per customer.
- • GAA- €100,00
- • Snooker - €50,000
- • Tennis - €50,000
- • MMA - €25,000
- • Other sports, including American football, baseball, basketball, cricket, darts, motorsports, rugby league, rugby union – €100,000.
- • Virtual Sports - €50,000
- • E-Sports - €25,000
Who owns BoyleSports?
BoyleSports is a privately owned company and remains independent to this day, which makes it one of the largest bookmakers in private hands. It is still owned by its founder John Boyle, who served as acting CEO until 2017. Since then, Conor Gray has served as the company’s chief executive officer.
Is there a BoyleSports app for Android?
Yes, absolutely. Surprisingly, you can download the BoyleSports mobile sports betting app directly from the Google Play Store. Alternatively, you can find the BoyleSports app APK files on the official website.
How to register with BoyleSports?
To register for the BoyleSports sports betting site, follow these simple steps:
- Go to boylesports.com using any internet browser.
- Click the ‘Join’ button at the top right corner of the screen.
- Fill out the form with your personal details, desired account information, and billing address.
- Agree to the BoyleSports terms and conditions and set up a deposit limit if you want to.
- Complete KYC verification. You can do this by uploading a scan or photo of a personal document such as ID, passport, or driver’s license in the account options menu.