YouWager Sportsbook Review

YouWager Summary

YouWager Features

• Great welcome bonus
• Competitive odds
• Fast payouts

Website

Unfortunately, there is a common theme when it comes to the websites of the betting sites that are located in the Americas….the sites suck! There is a chasm in the quality of design and functionality when comparing the American sites with those of European and Asian bookmakers, and unfortunately, YouWager sportsbook doesn’t break the stereotype. The landing page is not terrible and features sliding banners in the centre of the page, showing the upcoming events and contests. Beneath are a list of odds for a variety of different sports – effectively the highlights.

The drawback of the main website is that customers cannot view all of the odds for the events offered by the firm. Why is this? Who knows, but it is the practice of a number of American facing firms. Once a player has signed up for an account, they can view the odds. It is not the easiest to find, as there is not a list of sports available on the homepage, instead the different disciplines pop up when the user has selected from one of the bet types (Straight Bets, Teasers, Parlays etc.)

From the menu of different sports, bettors need to highlight their desired markets by ticking a check box, before they click continue at the bottom of the screen to see the odds-on show. The prices are displayed in the American format, so if the site is being accessed by someone from Europe or Asia, it may take time to figure out the odds in decimal or fractional terms.

YouWager Sportsbook Promotions

When signing up, YouWager sportsbook entices customers with a 50% free play bonus on their first deposit (up to a maximum of $150 ($300 deposit required).

The 50% free play has to be activated within 24 hours of account opening. This bonus is only granted to players from North America. The rollover policy at YouWager is 4.5 deposit + bonus but the company say that players can withdraw their winnings at any time.

Sports & Markets

YouWager sportsbook has a similar modus operandi to many of the North American facing bookmakers – they only show the sports when there is an upcoming event in that discipline. Therefore, it is difficult to get a wholly accurate gauge on how many sports the firm cover, but at the time of writing, there were odds for American football, baseball, soccer, tennis, e-sports, boxing and MMA events/matches. This number falls well short of that offered by European firms, but betting sites such as YouWager tend to focus on the most popular betting sports, taking bigger bets in the process.

Philadelphia Eagles recently won the Super Bowl but at the start of NFL seasons, customers are able to wager on two types of bets – the spread (handicap) and total points). The percentages for these bet types varied between 104.5-105% which is okay, but the odds can be expected to get better for customers as game time approaches and more is known about the rosters, tactics, line-ups etc and conditions etc.

The Major League Baseball season is exhaustive to even look at, let alone play or bet on, but it is a huge wagering sport, especially in the USA. With so many games throughout the season, bettors are spoiled for choice. On the night of the match between the Washington Nationals and Miami Martins, there were several different bet types for customers to choose from. The main bet is the ‘Run Line’ (or the spread or handicap). This compiled to a book of 103.8%, which is very solid. The Moneyline is the bet type with the lowest bookmaker margin, and it works out to a very generous 102%. Bettors can also get their teeth stuck into Total Runs and Team Total Runs markets, which have similar percentages to the Run Line odds.

With very little soccer in the summer months, YouWager only had one game listed on their sportsbook – a match in Finland between FC Honka and AC Oulu. Considering that Finland is far from the epicentre of the soccer world, and not too much can be known about the players and teams, the odds were reasonable; 104.8% for the Spread, 106% for the Moneyline and 104.8% for Total Goals. These odds are more competitive than those offered by the majority of European bookmakers, so YouWager have to be given props for keeping their margins relatively low.

In addition, YouWager sportsbook enables bettors to strike wagers on the horse racing at US tracks. Their list of sports may not be that comprehensive, but they cover the most popular events and there is live betting for the popular, televised matches.

Customer Service

The customer support at YouWager sportsbook would most certainly have to be considered poor. There are meant to be four channels for customers to contact the representative; phone, messages, e-mail and live chat, but the live chat function does not seem to be currently operational.

Through their account, clients are able to ‘open tickets’ – in effect sending a message through the site which will be replied to by staff. It has to be said, responses are not the quickest. One request took over 24 hours to be answered, and it was simple in nature.

As well as the messaging service, customers can contact the firm via:

• Phone: 1-800-YOUWAGER (968-9243)
• E-mail: customerservice@youwager.eu

There is a limited FAQ section that answers some basic questions.

Restricted Countries

YouWager sportsbook doesn’t officially restrict customers from any country, which is good news for bettors, although it’s clear that the site retains a focus on North American sports.

Payments

YouWager sportsbook provides bettors with a few different ways to fund their betting accounts.

• Credit/debit cards – interestingly, for this payment type, bettors from the USA must provide the last 4 digits of their social security. Many will be reluctant to do so.
• Bank wire
• Moneygram
• Western Union
• RIA
• Bitcoin

These deposit methods do not incur any charge as long as a certain amount is deposited.

Customers are given the option of withdrawing via:

• Money Transfer – $100-$450 (fees range from $25-50)
• Paper Check – $50-$3000 (flat $55 fee)

There is the option for clients to contact customer services and request other pay-out methods (bitcoin, Western Union etc.), but these are not listed as the standard pay-out methods.

Mobile App

No dedicated mobile app from these guys, but that is to be expected. The mobile website is actually okay though and everything fits succinctly into the screen.

Customers can view live odds on a number of key matches by clicking the link at the top of the page, but again to view the full complement of different sports and betting opportunities, the customer needs to be logged in.

Verdict

YouWager definitely don’t stand out from the crowd, and they definitely have room to improve. However, with that being said, their odds are fair and they lay a reasonable bet.