HollywoodBets Bookmaker Review

HollywoodBets are an established entity in their native South Africa where they operate more than 80 brick and mortar betting shops. However, they are a relatively new entry into an increasingly crowded UK online betting market.

In this HollywoodBets bookmaker review we are going to take a deep dive into the HollywoodBets website and also take a look at payment methods, ongoing promotions and their £20 Free Bet Sign Up Bonus. Make sure you check out our full HollywoodBets Bonus review to learn more about this brand new feature.

HollywoodBets Sign-Up Offer

The Bet £10, Get £20 New Customer Bonus is the company’s first foray into Sign Up Bonus territory. Like every promotion ever created, it comes with certain Terms & Conditions attached. So take a minute a look through the following T&Cs before you sign up and try to claim this offer.

• For new account holders only.
• The new account holder must deposit at least £10 and place a qualifying bet within 14 days of registering.
• The qualifying bet must be for at least £10 at odds of 1.8 (4/5) or larger.
• The qualifying bet must be settled within 7 days of being placed.
• Any bets that are voided, cancelled, cashed out or partially cashed out will not count as qualifying bets.
• Only deposits made using a MasterCard debit or Visa debit will qualify for this offer.
• The £20 in Free Bets will be issued as 4 x £5 Free Bets.
• The 4 x £5 Free Bets cannot be bundled together to form a single large bet.
• 1 £5 Free Bet must be used on a Football Match Result market.
• 1 £5 Free Bet must be used on a Football Correct Score market.
• 1 £5 Free Bet must be used on a Horse Racing market.
• 1 £5 Free Bet must be used on a Tennis market.
• Free Bet amounts are not included in any winnings and cannot be cashed out.

It would be nice if they did not restrict how you can spend your Free Bets. But for a first-ever Sign Up Offer it’s still pretty impressive.

Overview

If you’re not put off by a garish interface, you will find that everything on the HollywoodBets website is organised in a logical, intuitive manner and that the company provide action on all major sports leagues and events, as well as most 2nd tier sports. On any given day you’ll find some 300 football markets in play, which is well above the industry average.

If you are a fan of restraint, you may find the HollywoodBets website too much to take. From the purple and yellow colour scheme to the omnipresent, high contrast imagery, it’s a lot to drink in. But beneath the glitz and glitter, there is plenty to keep the average punter glued to his smartphone screen.

Sign-Up With HollywoodBets and Get Your £20 in Free Bets Straight Away

The HollywoodBets New Customer Bonus offers to give you up to 2x your initial deposit back in the form of Free Bets. This is the first time the company have floated such an offer, so kudos to them for filling what was a major void in their feature set.

• More than 3 dozen sports to choose from.
• Lots of Live In-Play betting, as well as a Bet Builder feature.
• A multitude of existing customer promotions.

Promo Code: No code required

HollywoodBets Main Features

HollywoodBets do an outstanding job rewarding their regular customers with football and horse racing promos aplenty. As of this writing, there are 10 of them in play, and that is typical of what we see from this bookmaker. Those promos include:

• A Loyalty Bonus of up to £10 per week in Free Bets
• A £10 Free Bet if your horse finishes 2nd to the SP favourite
• A horse racing Boosted Double on Saturdays and Sundays whereby you could win a £5 Free Bet
• A boost of up to 30% on your Accas and more…

As of this writing, HollywoodBets do not offer Live Streaming. This is likely a function of the fact that the company is new to the UK online bookmaking market. They do, however, offer some other features that should grab people’s attention. For instance, they offer a Cash Out feature on many markets. Any time you see a $ next to a wager on your betting slip, that indicates Cash Out is available for that bet.

HollywoodBets also offer a Bet Builder feature that allows you to create your own wager, within reason of course. And the ongoing Punter’s Challenge gives you a chance to win up to £300 on every race at Dundalk, Ireland.

How to Sign Up

Maybe it’s because HollywoodBets are not a UK company, but the sign up process is a bit lengthier than it is with some of the top UK betting sites. There’s nothing here that’s a deal-breaker, mind you. But it would be nice if the process were a bit more streamlined. That said, here is how you sign up for a HollywoodBets account.

• In the top right-hand corner of the homepage, you will see a “Join Now” button. Tap it.
• You will be asked to provide your full legal name and address.
• You will then need to provide a valid email address and mobile number.
• Select a security question and provide the answer.
• Tap the box to indicate you are over 18 years of age.
• Remember all boxes with an asterisk (*) beside them must be filled in.
• Next, tap the “submit” button.
• If your information checks out you will be taken to a page to enter banking details.
• (If your information cannot be verified by the HollywoodBets system you will be prompted to contact the company by phone.)
• Fill in your bank account details. These will be necessary in order to withdraw funds.
• You will have the option of setting deposit limits or not.
• Tap the box which indicates you accept the company’s Terms & Conditions.
• Upload the required FICA documents (ID and proof of address).

The FICA requirements to provide an ID and proof of address don’t give us a warm, fuzzy feeling. But it is what it is. If you want to open a HollywoodBets account you will need to provide them. We recommend scanning or photographing the appropriate documents and having them ready to upload before you start the process of opening an account.

HollywoodBets Betting App

As is the case with several new UK betting websites, HollywoodBets do not offer a mobile app. It’s true that they have a mobile version of their website available, and it contains all the features of the desktop website and loads fast. But it still requires punters to open up a browser and navigate to the site. 5 years ago that would have been SOP. Today, however, people want apps that load instantly.

Payment Methods

Funding your account is another area where HollywoodBets drop the ball. The number of ways to deposit and withdraw funds is limited to MasterCard debit, Visa debit, Maestro debit, PayFast and Bank Transfer. Perhaps as they gain a more secure foothold in the UK betting market they will expand their list of accepted payment methods. But for now, it’s pretty limited.

Note: On some other sites offering HollywoodBets bookmaker reviews, you will see 10 or more payment and withdrawal options listed. We don’t know where these websites are getting their information, but our list is pulled directly from the HollywoodBets website itself.

HollywoodBets Company Information

HollywoodBets are new to the UK gambling market, having launched here in mid-2020. However, they are not a brand new enterprise or just another white label online bookmaker piggy-backing off plug and play technology.

A lot of people will tell you that Hollywood bets started 22 years ago when they opened their first brick and mortar betting shop in South Africa. Actually, the company can trace its origins much further back than that. They actually opened for business in 1986 under the name “Winning Form”. Winning Form published and distributed racecards for South African horse racing (for the record they still do).

In 2000 the company opened its first betting shop on Argyle Road in Durban. Soon after they opened what is today their flagship betting shop on Hollywood Park in Durban. It was this location that gave the fledgling bookmaker its new name.

HollywoodBets sponsor numerous cricket and rugby teams in South Africa, as well as several racecourses. In 2021 they became the official sponsor of Brentford FC in a deal slated to last 2 years. The company have also won numerous awards in South Africa for their community outreach work and support of local sports initiatives.

HollywoodBets Pros & Cons

Pros

• 3-dozen sports including all major and most minor sports
• Plenty of Live In-Play betting options
• First-class Bet Builder features
• Lots of virtual sports

Cons

• No Live Streaming on any sports
• Design of the website is visually jarring
• Numerous restrictions on how you can use your Free Bets
• Precious few ways to fund your account
• FICA documents required to open an account

The things HollywoodBets do well, they do very well. There are plenty of sports, thousands of markets, a wealth of In-Play betting options and a Bet Builder feature that helps you customise your experience to some degree. That’s all very well and good. However, the lack of a mobile app, the limited funding options, the lack of Live Streaming and the extra steps required to open an account negate much of the goodwill.

HollywoodBets Bookmaker Review: FAQ

Do HollywoodBets Offer In-Play Betting?

Yes, HollywoodBets offer in Play-Betting on numerous sports. At any given time you will find dozens of live In-Play options in both top-tier and 2nd-tier sports. If you are a fan of In-Play betting, you are likely to find plenty here to tickle your fancy.

Do HollywoodBets Offer Daily Odds Boosts?

Yes, HollywoodBets offer daily odds boosts on select South African, Irish and UK horse races. They also offer a Best Odds Guarantee on all races from those countries. That means that if the price on your horse went up after you placed your wager, and your horse wins, you will be paid out at the better odds. If the odds went down before post time, you will be paid at the higher odds in play when you placed your bet. So no matter what, if your horse wins it will be paid out at the best odds, guaranteed.

Can I Live Stream Events On HollywoodBets?

It’s expensive for betting sites to offer Live Streaming. Therefore you will not find many new betting sites that offer a Live Stream component, and that includes HollywoodBets. It’s really something companies add once they have nailed down a loyal following and earnings are matching expectations. We would expect that HollywoodBets will introduce Live Streaming at some point in the relatively near future, but exactly when is anyone’s guess.

Do HollywoodBets Offer Promotions On Sports Other Than Horse Racing And Football?

As of this writing, there are a dozen active promotions on the HollywoodBets Promotions page. That’s the good news. The not so good news is that all of those promos are related to either horse racing or football. Truth be told we wouldn’t expect anything else since the vast majority of betting action on UK sites is related to those 2 sports.

Can I Use My HollywoodBets When Abroad?

Certainly if you are in South Africa you can use your HollywoodBets account since the company have a well-established presence there. But there are a number of other countries where you are likely to experience gaps in the available features, or find that the site has been banned altogether. Former Eastern Bloc countries (Poland, Bulgaria etc) often restrict access to betting sites, as do countries like Thailand, China, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia and most countries in the Middle East. You are also likely to experience service interruptions in the US, depending on what part of the country you are in.

Do I Get A HollywoodBets Free Bet When I Sign-Up?

You do if:

• You open a new account and deposit at least £10 using a debit card.
• Place a bet of at least £10 at odds of at least 1.8 (4/5) within 14 days of signing up.
• Make sure that bet will be settled within 7 days of placing it.

Once your qualifying bet is settled your account will be credited with 4 £5 Free Bets that must be used as laid out in the Sign Up Offer section near the top of this HollywoodBets bookie review.