SportChamps Bookmaker Review

It is not really possible or fair to compare SportChamps with the more traditional online bookmakers. The premise of which the company was founded was how best to combine traditional betting and take it a step further - Join SportChamps Today

The outcome is known as tournament betting.

Instead of a single wager of a race, sporting event, or even a season-long fixture, such as a futures market for a team sport, tournament betting incorporates some elements of popular online games. The result, according to SportChamps’ website, is a chance to play for long periods at a single stretch without spending an inordinate sum of money.

There is a social aspect involved. Players can set up their own groups or join one of the groups assembled by SportChamps. There is an element of skill involved, but luck plays a role, too, as in order to win, whatever you back has to come to fruition.

SportChamps is the creation of Alan Eskander, a familiar name to many Australian punters who know it from his involvement with Betstar.

Punters pay fees to enter tournaments. The fees vary according to the size of the prize pool and the number of participants. There are some free tournaments that serve the purpose of getting new clients indoctrinated.

Players have the choice of three different types of betting tournaments.

One of those types will pay the top 45 percent of the tournament participants with a dividend equal to double the entry fee. There is a format where the top punter takes it all and one other where a disclosed percentage of participants will win something.

Think of it as social media exclusively devoted to punting.

One big difference is that for the fee a punter pays to enter a tournament, they are given virtual cash with which to play that is called ChampCash. Every punter must make at least five bets in every tournament, which is where skill comes into play. Join SportChamps Today

Wagering Platform

We visited the SportChamps website at www.sportchamps.com on 1 April 2019. The landing page was not great, but when we clicked on the Tournaments tab, we were taken inside to what SportChamps calls the “Lobby.”

The layout, viewed on a large format monitor, was very clear, clean and uncluttered. The left column of the three-column arrangements had three simple choices: How It Works and Need Help. This represented quite a departure from the more traditional bookies, where the left column will be full of links to racing, sports, soon-to-jump events, etcetera.

The centre column, where markets are typically displayed, 10 tabs for sorting through tournaments, beginning with All and continuing through Free, Target, Racing, NRL, AFL, Soccer, NBA, Super Rugby, concluding with March Madness, as it was NCAA basketball tournament time.

There on the far right was a Filters tab, where it was possible to limit the tournaments to All, Upcoming and In Progress. Players could also filter tournaments by Rebuys. Off to the right are slider buttons that permit tournament sorting by Entry Fee and Pool Size.

Where a betting slip is normally found, SportChamps has a panel titled Activity Feed. When we visited, the only thing listed in that section was Target Tournaments, where players who finish above the target specified in terms of ChampCash win. One of those was a season long tournament for the EPL and was the only tournament permitting players to create a private pool at the time of our visit.

Each tournament showed the prize pool, the type of tournament, such as top 25 percent, the entry fee, the number of people enrolled and the time remaining to enter.

There were three free tournaments, all restricted to newly registered members. There were two Target tournaments, 11 Thoroughbred racing tournaments, a season-long NRL tournament and a similar season-long tournament for the AFL.

The number and type of tournaments will change often, by design, to keep players returning to the website.

We found the website easy to navigate and we liked the simple, yet familiar layout.

SportChamps Mobile

We encountered SportChamps reviews mentioning Android and Apple apps, but we failed to encounter these.

We found the mobile version of the website very similar to the desktop version. It adjusted to the screen size nicely. It did require more scrolling, but when we oriented an Android powered phone in the landscape mode, we had no issues tapping and swiping around.

Types of Bets

SportChamps has all the primary racing bet types, provided the tournament accepts those. Sporting events will often offer 30 or more markets, again, on a tournament-by-tournament basis. Join SportChamps Today

Banking

As best we could determine, Visa MasterCard and bank transfer were the three available funding options. Withdrawals are by bank transfer. The only currency supported is the Australian dollar.

The lowest entry fee for a paid tournament is $2; the minimum deposit is just a dollar. The minimum withdrawal is $10. The largest tournaments cost $100 to enter.

SportChamps takes a 12.5 percent cut of the stakes raised, with the rest going to prize money. Deposits must be bet through at least once prior to requesting a withdrawal.

Customer Service

SportChamps offers Live Chat and Email support. The FAQ section was a bit limited. There does not appear to be any phone support offered. English seems to be the only language option.

Conclusion

SportChamps is the proverbial horse of a different colour. Comparing them to other bookmakers is futile. This is an entirely new game, which is not to say SportChamps invented tournament betting.

They are licensed and regulated everywhere in the country save South Australia by the Northern Territory government. In South Australia, SportChamps must comply with the Gambling Codes of Practice.

Given the recent attention gambling websites have received, it is hard to imagine SportChamps engaged in anything shady, so punters who want to give tournament betting a look need not worry about the company disappearing in the dead of the night. Join SportChamps Today