Smarkets Review Malta: Our Look at the Premium Betting Exchange

A betting exchange that has taken the market by storm in recent years is Smarkets. Since their inception in 2008, the company now has handled over a whopping €3 billion in trades. Our Smarkets review for MT players will tell you everything that you need to know. From betting options to odds levels to in-play betting, we have got you covered. We also have a Smarkets quick link if you want to start betting without delay!

Our Rating of Smarkets - MaltaMalta Flag

Overview – Click to Find Out More
Sports to bet on 13
Avg. markets (EPL) 65
Live streaming No
Commission 4.00%
Sponsorship Various horse racing events
Languages offered English, Portuguese
Customer service Live Chat/Phone/Email
Licensing Malta Gaming AuthorityMGA/B2C/162/2008
Deposit Bonus €10
Play Here VISIT SITE!
Website www.smarkets.com
Overall Rating 4.3 / 5
Smarkets Highlights:
Sports Rank Best Football Betting Sites
Bonus Rank Best Bonus Betting Sites

As the above table we have created for you above shows, there is a lot to get excited about when it comes to Smarkets betting. The odds levels are incredibly high, as exchanges make their money from commission, and the amount of betting options is enough for any kind of punter. To understand more about why we gave it the grade we did, please take your time to read the rest of this review, which will go into everything you need to know in more detail.

An Overview of the Betting Options

Smarkets has been growing more and more in the past few years and is now considered one of the finest betting exchanges around. When you bet here you can expect a very wide variety of sports and events to stake on. In fact, there are around you can expect around 22,000 betting options available to you to put a punt on. Please take a look to learn more about the kind of sports available.

Smarkets Sports Markets and Betting Options

If you love sports, then this operator is definitely for you. There are up to 35 different sports for you to stake on available. They are particularly well covered when it comes to horse racing and football – with 500 options routinely available across all the different football leagues. Additionally, you can expect to be able to bet on sports as diverse as basketball, golf, handball, ice hockey, snooker and volleyball. This is a great range of sports which simply shows how great it is for online betting.

The Most Popular Markets at Smarkets
Football Ice Hockey Cricket Golf Rugby Union
Premier League NHL Twenty20 Ryder Cup World Cup
Serie A KHL World Cup PGA Tour Six Nations
Champions League AHL The Ashes French Open Premier League
Europa League EIHL Test Matches British Open Rugby Sevens
Coppa Italia Metal Ligaen IPL US Open Lions Tour
World Cup MHL County Championship The Masters Women Six Nations

As the above table shows, there is a little something for everyone here. The betting options are not just limited to sports, however, with a very comprehensive amount of bets available on politics and current affairs – something they are now leaders of.

Political is available on US Elections, sitting president’s chances of impeachment, the Brexit date and whether certain cabinet ministers will be sacked. This is also buoyed by other current affairs bets, such as big company news, the inflation rates of the UK and the USA and even the value of bitcoin. The depth available here is simply staggering and is what sets Smarkets Malta apart.

If political and current affairs bets aren’t for you – why don’t you take a look at the amazing amount of football bets currently available at Smarkets’ betting platform. The Premier League, of course, is extremely well represented, with both weekly and longer-term bets available. In addition to this, you can bet on the Bundesliga in Germany, Ligue 1 in France, La Liga in Spain and Seria A in Italy.

But it is not just European football that is extremely popular here, with bets available in leagues as far away as South America, Thailand and Australia. In addition, horse racing offers an incredibly large number of betting lines brought to you every day, leading it to be one of the best horse racing trading platforms around.

In-Play Betting and Live Streaming

It is a truth commonly acknowledged that the only thing better than betting before an event is betting on it as it takes place. In this respect, the Smarkets sports betting site is one of the finest in-play sites around, letting you both back and lay bets as they are taking place. Sadly, however, unlike bet365, they do not allow the ability to live stream events as they play out just yet. We are sure that this is such a huge part of the betting world now that this is something they will add in the future.

Multiples Betting Options

The only thing better than putting a single bet on an event is being able to place up to several bets into an accumulator. This is a great way to get a lot of money from a very small stake. When you are using the platform, you will have the ability to wager accumulators as of yet.

These bets are such a part of betting culture – especially when bets are being put on at the end of the weekend. If you do want to visit another betting exchange that does allow you to place bets in an accumulator, then we would recommend you go ahead and use another one of the top Maltese sports betting sites.

Bet & Win Limits

When you are betting online, one of the most important things for you to bear in mind are the bet and win limits. What anyone wants to have is full flexibility with their money, something that loosely translates to, low buy-ins and big payouts. Thankfully for users of this operator, they can expect some of the fairest limits in the business. The absolute minimum you can stake on a bet is only 5p, while the maximum is a whopping €99,999. As for your winnings they can be dependent on how much you are willing to bet. We think that what they offer here represents some of the very best in the business. You really can’t go wrong here.

Smarkets Odds Levels10

Betting exchanges have a one-up on traditional betting sites when it comes to setting odds prices. As you are not betting against one bookmaker but instead against other punters who set the odds, the prices are much, much lower as a result. In fact, they have a ridiculous upper limit of 99% on all your bets. This means that you basically get some of the finest odds in the business – even beating Betway’s odds of 98%.

This is due to the fact that instead of making money from fixing the odds prices, Smarkets charge a 2% commission on all the bets on their site. We think that this is a fair trade-off considering just how high the odds go. Take a look below to see the odds for every sport we have.

Odds Levels for the Largest Sports Markets
  • .
  • Football90.35 - 99.68%
  • Cricket92.99 - 93.73%
  • Tennis97.00 - 99.50%
  • USA Football96.45 - 98.22%
  • Rugby93.21 - 96.11%
  • Horse Racing94.49 - 98.16%
  • ..
  • .....
  • Return to Player (%)

As you can see, the odds of prices do vary depending on the sport. Football is particularly good for punters as the odds levels are between 90.35 – 99.68%, which is basically as close to 100% as you can get. Equally, the odds for horse racing, a sport with more betting options, is also extremely decent, with prices ranging between 94.49 – 98.16%. You can also expect extremely good odds for American football, where the odds go between 96.45 – 98.22%. The variety of values here is simply stunning.

Smarkets Malta Platform8

When you use the Smarkets platform, you can expect one of the most smooth betting experiences available across the medium. The entire website is designed to give off a very sleek vibe, reminiscent of being on a real traders platform. Utilising a combination of blacks, greens and blues, they make the platform as enticing as it is easy to use. What we particularly like is the way they have laid out the page.

When you first entire the page, you are confronted directly with the current top markets, showing the biggest events of the day. With the home page there is a really strong emphasis on both horse racing and football, with both of them appearing on the home page. If you are looking for a specific sport, all you have to do is click the sideways graph symbol that you can find on the top left-hand corner of the page. From there you are confronted with an a-z of all the different sports available.

In doing our Smarkets review, we found out that adding to favourites is possible on-site. When you do click on the left side of the page you can access all of your favourite markets. Additionally, they have a recommendations section, with all the best-curated bets in easy alignment. If you are looking for the blog, then you simply have to scroll down on to the bottom of the page to see it.

There you can read all about how they work behind the scenes. Additionally, alongside this is the help centre, the betting education centre and a contact form. We would really recommend the betting education page, as it shows you all you need to know to use the exchange, such as explaining what betting odds are, and the best strategy in order to get ahead. This simply shows the dedication they go to in order to provide you with a brilliant betting experience.

How to Place a Bet

Placing a bet with this operator is a really easy thing to do. Before you get started, however, there are a few basics that we should cover first. First of all, make sure that you get an account and are logged in. Additionally, make sure that you have deposited enough money into your betting account in order to cover your bet. From there, simply head on over to the homepage.

If you do not know what you would like to bet on, consult the a-z which can be found on the left-hand side of the page. From there scroll down in order to find your preferred sport. Once you have clicked on your favourite sport you will be consulted with all the different markets you can bet on. We would recommend picking a league that you know something about as then you will have better knowledge regarding how it will pan out.

  • [1] Make Your Selection(s)Bet selection options, showing available markets at the Smarkets sportsbookLook for the market you want to bet on at Smarkets, there are plenty of different options, be methodical and choose wisely.
  • [2] Enter Your Stake AmountYour stake selection window at Smarkets where you can choose a bet amount and view the calculated returnEnter the amount of money you would like to bet under the “Your Stake” data entry field. You will also see a live return amount.
  • [3] Confirm Your Selection(s)A completed betting slip on the Smarkets platform ready to be executed by clicking Place BetNow you have your market and stake selected the only thing left to do is double-check, then confirm your bet by pressing Bet Now!

As the above table shows, the next steps in picking a bet are really simple. Simply find the event within the market that you are interested in and pick an outcome you believe is more likely than not to happen. Try to pick something with relatively high odds as this means that you could be due an even bigger return. From there you can place the bet; simply pick the outcome and type in the amount of money you want to stake. Remember to only stake money you feel like you can afford to lose.

Additional Company Info

We hope the Smarkets review was insightful enough for you to start betting without a hitch. It’s time to learn something more about the company itself. Keep on reading the sections we have written below in order to learn everything else you should be aware of when dealing with the company.

The Smarkets Business

Smarkets was started in 2008 by two Americans called Jason Trost and Hunter Morris. Their aim was to make it less like a traditional betting platform, but instead, somewhere you could trade bets. Since then they now enjoy prominence as one of the strongest betting exchanges, now employing over 100 customers. More recently, they became more popular when they partnered with Queen’s Park Rangers in order to be their official betting partners. Learn more about the company courtesy of the table we have created for you below.

All About the Smarkets Business
Company Support Security Player Protection
Name:Smarkets Live Chat:24/7 Encryption:Let’s Encrypt Authority X3. Deposit Limits:Adjustable
Head Office:Malta Phone:+44 207 617 7413 Licence:Malta Gaming Authority Betting Limits:Adjustable
OwnerJason Trost and Hunter Morris Email:support@smarkets.com Testing Agency:eCogra Self Exclusion:Available
Employees:100 Fax: Audit Organisation:IBAS Child Protection:Enforced
Registered Players: Other: KYC (Know Your Customer)KYC Partner Organisations:GambleAware

The brand is slowly expanding and seeking to perfect its product before they scale. The leader of the betting exchange industry holds a huge proportion of market capitalisation, and have dominated for the past decade. We fully expect Smarkets Malta to continue developing their platform to eventually squeeze into this space and command higher popularity amongst Maltese punters in the near future.

Brilliant Customer Service 8

Customer service is key and represents the key difference between a good service and a great one. Thankfully for users of the Smarkets sports betting iste, they do not have to worry about lousy customer service here as the support they give is second to none.

If you want to contact Smarkets, you will be glad to know that they are available via email, Twitter, live chat, phone and even by post. We would recommend following them on all the social media outlets in order to get a full idea of what they are up to. What is really amazing is that the live chat is available 24/7 – making it one of the most reliable services around.

Licensing & Security9

As our Smarkets review has shown, you should always check whether an operator is fully regulated under Maltese law. This means having a licence by the Malta Gaming Authority. In the case of Smarkets, you do not need to worry about that as we have already checked for you and can attest that they are fully licensed. In addition to this, they are audited by the highly respected IBAS (Independent Betting Adjudication Service) who you can turn to if anything goes wrong. They also have a licence granted to them under the Malta Gaming Authority.

The most important thing about betting is safety. Being able to put money in and out of an account in the full knowledge that it is completely safe is extremely important. Thankfully, when you use Smarkets, you can rest in the knowledge that all of your bets are protected.

They are encrypted by Let’s Encrypt Authority X3, meaning that you, and only you, can see your payment details. In addition, they take gambling addiction seriously and are partnered with GambleAware to monitor any people who may have a problem. It is this dedication to their customers’ welfare that makes the Smarkets sportsbook one of the finest betting exchanges around.

Bonus Points 6

Although hardly the reason one may be drawn to a bookmaker in the first place, bonus points can be something that separates them from the rest of the pack. Sadly for Smarkets, they didn’t get the top marks here, but still ranked pretty well considering what they have. Take a look below to learn more.

  • Live Streams.0/3
  • Sponsorship.2/3
  • Awards.2/2
  • Extra Markets.1/1
  • Bonuses.1/1
  • Bonus Points.6

As you can see, the above table shows you all the bonus points you might need to know about when betting with Smarkets. Let us explain our rationale now. Firstly, they do not score any points for their live streams because they haven’t got any live streams. This is a bit of a setback, but we are sure that this is something that they will introduce in the future.

In addition to this, we gave them a highly respectable 2 out of 3 for their sponsorship, considering they are the official partner of Queens Park Rangers, one of the best football clubs in the UK. For their vast array of awards, including being named in the Startups 100 awards in 2012, we couldn’t give them anything other than top marks. Additionally, for their ridiculous array of political and popular culture bets, they do extremely well for people wanting to bet on extra markets.

Smarkets Betting: A One-of-a-Kind Experience

All in all, we can conclude that they are a fine betting exchange to go ahead and get an account with. Thanks to the wide variety of betting options they have, the extremely high odds levels, the extra markets such as political and current affairs betting, and the overall aesthetic of the platform, you can expect a brilliant one of a kind experience when you are on this operator. To see what we think are the specific strengths and weaknesses of this betting exchange are, please take a look at the table we have created for you to look at below.

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Strengths and Weaknesses of Smarkets
  • Major Strengths
  • advanced betting exchange
  • easy to use
  • Major Weaknesses
  • no live streaming capability
  • no mobile application
  • Minor Strengths
  • obscure markets
  • massive odds levels
  • on-site betting guidance
  • Minor Weaknesses
  • 2% commission
  • no greyhound racing markets

As you can see, there are some reservations that we do have on our review about the betting site. Primarily we aren’t very impressed that there is no live streaming available and no mobile app which allows you to bet whilst on the go. Nevertheless, we believe that the overall experience available at Smarkets Malta more than outweighs any negatives that we may have. If Smarkets isn’t the bookmaker for you, and that’s totally fine, simply head on back to the homepage to find more top-rated Maltese bookmakers.

Q&A/FAQ

If you have any more questions about the service offered at Smarkets, send us an email at info@bestbettingsites.com for further clarification.

1️⃣ Is Smarkets legal in Malta?

The reason Smarkets is legal in Malta is because the betting exchange is licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority. if you want to take it even further, you will find the company advises all punters to wager responsibly because it adheres to the norms for responsible gambling.

2️⃣ Does Smarkets have a welcome bonus for Maltese customers?

All newly-registered Maltese clients are entitled to a Smarkets betting bonus. To get what is on offer you will have to make the first step and deposit money into your account. The rest of the terms and conditions you can read on the operator's website.

3️⃣ How much commission is charged on my transactions at Smarkets?

Smarkets charges a 4% commission on all transactions. The betting exchange makes it up to you by offering better odds prices than your regular online sportsbooks. The typical sportsbooks operate on an 8-10% profit margin, which is what hurts the odds, from a bettor's perspective.

4️⃣ How good are the Smarkets odds?

A seasoned punter can't help but notice that they are getting better odds at a betting exchange. The Smarkets odds prices are a prime example of this. Without any official confirmation of our observation, we can say the mean average of the odds levels at Smarkets is somewhere between 96% and 98%.