The Pools 2024 Review – Tested by Our Betting Experts

The Pools’ Welcome Bonus

Most online bookmakers offer betting bonuses to new users. However, The Pools takes a more innovative approach. Instead of offering a welcome bonus exclusively to new customers, this operator allows you to claim its £10 acca free bet bonus every week. For those new to sports betting, an acca (accumulator) is a bet that combines several selections into one wager.

When you place two qualifying £10 accumulators in a week, you’ll be rewarded with £10 to use on accas, making it a good offer for football fans. The £10 free bet is valid for football multiples with at least three selections.

Getting Your The Pools Bonus

Securing your The Pools sports betting bonus is straightforward. Below, we have outlined the simple steps you need to follow to claim the offer:

Bonus Terms and Conditions

When preparing this The Pools sports review, our team evaluated the welcome bonus terms and found them fair and convenient. We assessed the terms of the qualifying bet, including minimum odds and eligible bet types. We also checked the conditions for the free bonus bet.

You must place two bets of £10 on four leg accas at minimum accumulated odds of 2/1 (3.0) between Monday and Sunday. Your £10 free bet will be credited on Monday by noon. You can use the >£10 bonus funds on accumulators with at least three selections and minimum odds of 1/2 (1.5) per selection. You have 7 days to use the free bet.

Promotions and Offers for Regular Customers

As mentioned, The Pools has done away with a traditional welcome bonus, offering its users a weekly acca bonus instead. We like this approach, as it encourages and rewards customer loyalty. The operator also provides a daily free bet offer, rewarding you with a £1 free bet for every £5 staked on virtuals.

The Pools: Sports Reviewed

While this operator is well-known for its football pools, its sports betting options are also popular. You can bet on a wide range of sports. In the following sections of our The Pools review, we’ll explore the available sports and markets.

Football Betting at The Pools

Based on our extensive reviews and comparisons, we ranked The Pools online sports betting site among the UK’s best football betting sites. The operator offers many competitions and markets. For example, it features just under 200 betting markets for Premier League games alone.

You’ll see the top football competitions grouped together, giving you quick and easy access to bet on popular English and European contests, such as the Premier League, FA Cup, and Bundesliga. There’s also a handy A-Z listing of all football competitions, with over 130 leagues and tournaments available.

Other Sports at The Pools

If football isn’t your cup of tea, you’ll find plenty of other sports to bet on at The Pools sports betting site. It offers betting markets for 28 sports, including popular options like tennis, golf, horse racing, boxing, and cricket.

The operator caters to more niche interests, too, with betting options for Gaelic hurling, ice hockey, and volleyball included. There’s a good selection of eSports alongside traditional sports. The Pools online betting options also include various political markets.

Betting Markets

At The Pools, you can choose from a wide variety of betting types. Common options include placing bets on match results, total goals scored, and correct scores, as well as more intricate bets like first goalscorer or handicap bets.

Personally, I enjoy the simplicity of the over/under market. I also often place accumulators, which allow for combining multiple bets for higher potential returns. Here’s a list of some of the most popular types of bets available at The Pools:

• Over/Under
• First Team to Score
• Time of First Goal
• Asian Handicap
• Draw No Bet
• Correct Score
• Goalscorers
• Team Total Goals
• Half Time/Full Time
• Match Result

Ante-Post Bets

The Pools provides ante-post betting, also known as futures, which involves placing bets on events before they occur. It is most commonly associated with horse and greyhound racing. This type of betting often offers higher odds, providing potentially greater returns. However, there is a risk, as you will forfeit your stake if the chosen participant doesn’t compete.

Bet Builders and Cash Outs

Creating your own accumulator bets using “Create-a-Bet” at The Pools is a popular and engaging option. This feature places you in the driver’s seat, enabling you to apply your knowledge and judgment to construct customised bets.

For example, in football betting, you could combine predictions like over 2.5 goals, both teams to score, and the first half having more goals within a single wager. The more selections you add, the higher your potential return.

Unfortunately, the selection of markets is somewhat limited compared to other operators, like Ladbrokes. I’d like to see options such as the number of yellow cards, offsides, and shots on target added into the mix.

The Pools offers a cash out option, allowing you to settle your bet early and possibly secure a return, even if your predictions don’t turn out to be correct.

Betting Odds at The Pools

Our research team conducted an in-depth analysis of The Pools online betting odds, checking the various markets across different sports. We found that The Pools offers competitive odds that align well with other betting sites, ensuring users receive fair potential returns across all sports.

Odds at The Pools vary between different sports, with the most favourable odds available for football and tennis betting. You’ll also see a difference between pre-match and live betting figures. While the payouts are slightly lower for in-play betting, they still represent good value.

In-Play Betting with The Pools

In-play betting at The Pools is available for most sports, catering especially well to football and tennis fans. This section allows bettors to engage with the games as they unfold, offering dynamic and interactive betting opportunities.

Unfortunately, unlike many other in-play betting sites, The Pools does not offer live streaming services, which may be disappointing for some users. However, it compensates with a top-notch live match tracker powered by STATSCORE, providing detailed and impressive real-time game statistics and analytics.

The types of bets available in the live section include standard match results, over/under scores, and next point/winners in tennis, among others. This variety allows punters to use their insights based on what is happening in a game to try and gain an edge when placing bets.

Payment Methods

We assessed the payment options when preparing our The Pools sports review. We were disappointed to find a rather restrictive selection of deposit methods. While many betting sites support various payment options, including debit cards, e-wallets, online banking services, and mobile wallets, The Pools only accepts Visa and Mastercard debit cards and PayPal.

While this limited selection of payment methods may deter some, it is not all bad news. With a minimum deposit of £5 and no maximum limit in place, the site caters to all users. I deposited money at the site using debit cards and PayPal. The deposit process was straightforward, and my payments were processed instantly.

• PayPal
• Debit Card

We recommend using PayPal for online gambling, given its enhanced security and privacy protection. So, while the selection of accepted payment methods at The Pools is streamlined, we’re pleased they have included the most important option. You can find more approved PayPal betting sites in our dedicated guide.

Withdrawing Your Winnings

At The Pools, withdrawals are straightforward but not the quickest. Once you request a withdrawal, the processing time ranges from 2 to 5 working days. During this period, the operator will review the request and conduct various security and verification checks before approving the transaction.

Knowing that the operator performs security checks is reassuring. However, the delay in receiving your money might test your patience. If you want to get your hands on your winnings quickly, you may prefer fast withdrawal betting sites that process payments within just a few hours.

Customer Service at The Pools

If you need support when using The Pools online betting site, help is on hand. You can contact the operator via live chat, phone, email, and post. The support service operates from 8.30 am – 10 pm Monday – Saturday and 12 pm – 10 pm on Sundays.

I contacted the support team by live chat and phone when preparing this The Pools review. I found my contacts were answered promptly, and the support agents efficiently handled a range of enquiries. The only drawback to the support service is that it is not available 24/7.

User Experience: Website and App

The Pools sports betting website features an intuitive and user-friendly interface. The website is easy to navigate, with tabs prominently displayed at the top and side of the page, providing quick access to in-play betting options, promotions, and popular sports markets.

The Pools website

In-play betting at The Pools

Mobile betting at The Pools

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As you can see, the website’s layout is uncluttered and streamlined, with a simple green and turquoise colour scheme. Thanks to the website’s mobile responsive design, switching between desktop and mobile is seamless, providing a great user experience on any device.

Mobile Sports Betting with The Pools

In our review of The Pools, we evaluated the mobile experience. Interestingly, while many operators offer native mobile betting apps, The Pools does not provide downloadable apps for iOS or Android. Nevertheless, the website is designed to be fully responsive on mobile devices. So, it works flawlessly in any mobile browser.

Accessing The Pools sports betting site on mobile provides you with all the same features and functionalities found on the desktop version. The key difference is that the betting slip is accessed through a simple tap at the bottom of the screen rather than being displayed on the right of the page. This keeps the layout uncluttered and user-friendly.

About The Pools

The Pools online betting site was launched in 2018. Although, the company’s origins date back to 1923. It was launched as Littlewoods Football Pools from an office in Liverpool. The company evolved its product considerably throughout the years, moving from printed coupons to a fully computerised system and becoming the world’s largest football pools operator.

At its peak, 14 million Brits played The Pools weekly, staking over £50 million. Over 60 million people have won payouts by correctly placing the traditional “x” on score draws. In 2007, Littlewoods, Zetters, and Vernons merged to become “The Football Pools”, launching their new Football Pools the following year.

The Football Pools responded to changes in player habits by launching a new brand in 2018. The Pools offers an extensive range of digital betting options. Besides various traditional pools games, the company expanded its offerings to include sports betting, casino games, and lotto options.

In 2023, The Football Pools celebrated its centenary. The company launched a new website and web app for The Pools, with a fresh look, advanced usability, and three new exclusive Lotto format games.

Security and Privacy

At The Pools, your safety is a top priority. The platform is regulated under a UKGC licence (48272), ensuring compliance with strict standards for security and player protection. It also features a Cloudflare SSL certificate, which encrypts data to safeguard personal information and financial transactions from unauthorised access.

Furthermore, The Pools promotes responsible gambling and provides links to support organisations such as BeGambleAware, GamCare, Gambling Therapy, and GAMSTOP. This shows their commitment to helping users manage their gambling activities responsibly, enhancing their customers’ safety and security.

Conclusion & Summary

Having completed a detailed The Pools review, we concluded that it is among the best betting sites in the UK. The reliable UKGC-licensed operator stands out with a wide range of sports and markets, great live betting options, and many regular promotions.

The Pools overview – The bookie’s key highlights:

• Reputable UK betting brand with a rich history
• Solid selection of sports and betting markets
• In-play betting and live match tracking
• Daily and weekly free bet promotions
• Responsive mobile-optimised website
• Various customer support channels

We noted a few areas for improvement during our review. Adding more deposit options and providing native apps for iOS and Android could make the bookie more appealing. bet365 is a good alternative if those drawbacks are deal-breakers for you. Still, these are minor points, and overall, we highly recommend The Pools.

Frequently Asked Questions

Our The Pools sports review has covered many details, yet you might still have questions. To assist you further, we have gathered the most frequently asked questions about the operator and provided detailed answers to each.

1️⃣ Does The Pools have a welcome bonus for new customers?

New customers at this betting site can claim an acca free bet upon making a qualifying bet. However, this is not a typical sign-up bonus, as the bonus for new users at The Pools is a weekly offer that is also available for existing customers.

2️⃣️ Is The Pools legit?

Yes, The Pools is a legit betting site that you can trust. It is licensed by the UKGC, which confirms that it operates legally and according to strict regulatory standards. Your security and privacy are protected with SSL encryption certified by Cloudflare. The operator also provides responsible gambling tools, proving its commitment to player protection.

3️⃣ What are the betting odds at The Pools

We assessed the odds at The Pools as part of our review and found that they align well with industry standards. It is worth noting that the odds vary between different sports. They also differ between pre-match and in-play betting.

4️⃣ Does The Pools accept PayPal?

Yes, The Pools accepts PayPal. This allows for quick and secure transactions, making it convenient for users to deposit and withdraw funds. In addition to PayPal, the operator accepts debit cards, such as Mastercard and Visa.

5️⃣ Is a bonus code necessary for The Pools' welcome bonus?

We assessed the welcome bonus terms when writing this review. We can confirm that you do not need a promo code to claim any The Pools online sports betting bonuses. Bonuses will be automatically awarded upon making a qualifying bet.

6️⃣ How long does a payout take at The Pools?

The payout time at The Pools typically ranges from 2 – 5 days. The operator will check that your account and payment method have been verified before approving the withdrawal. So, we advise you to provide any required documentation promptly to benefit from the fastest withdrawal processing.