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The minimum deposit to get the offer is £10.
Place a bet amounting to at least £10 and minimum odds 1/1.
1 x free bets credited after your first bet is settled.
3 x free bets credited following day
Three free bets is for sports betting; one is for virtual betting.
Winnings from the 4 x £5 free bet tokens are not subject to wagering requirements, but the stake from the free bet will not be returned.
Full and Bonus terms apply. BeGambleAware.org.
Here's what ThePools looks like
ThePools bookmaker overview
3.6
Bojoko rating
Pros:
➕ £20 free bet ➕ Lot of offers ➕ Pool games with traditional rules
Cons:
➖ No live streams ➖ Restricted banking methods
ThePools is a 2017-launched betting site that offers a wide selection of betting markets with almost 30 different sports and competitive odds. The best side of the brand is definitely pool betting, which offers gamblers an opportunity to win big jackpots.
Pool betting was popular in the 60s and 70s when football pool betting slips used to be delivered through the mail. But nowadays, The Pools enable bettors to place their pool bets with a PC or mobile - as it should be in the 21st century.
The Pools operates under the UK Gambling Commission, providing tax-free winnings to all UK players and a 100% safe betting experience. Upon registration, all new customers can claim a £20 free bet on the site. You can read more about free bet below.
ThePools sign-up offer
All new customers can start on the right foot with a £20 free bet at The Pools as part of their welcome offer.
The minimum deposit to get the offer is £10. Place a bet amounting to at least £10 and minimum odds 1/1. 1 x free bets credited after your first bet is settled. 3 x free bets credited following day Three free bets is for sports betting; one is for virtual betting. Winnings from the 4 x £5 free bet tokens are not subject to wagering requirements, but the stake from the free bet will not be returned. Full terms and Bonus terms apply. BeGambleAware.org.
Claiming this welcome offer is very easy; follow these few steps:
Click on the links on this page and create your The Pools account
Make your first deposit and place a minimum £10 cash bet
4 x £5 free bets will be added to your account!
Free bets are credited as 4 x £5 bets to use on 3x Any sport & 1x Virtuals. Each free bet expires seven days after the award, so use them quickly.
Bonus code
Customers do not need a unique bonus code to redeem ThePools' free bet offer.
significant terms
The minimum deposit to get the offer is £10.
Place a bet amounting to at least £10 and minimum odds 1/1.
1 x free bet credited after your first bet is settled.
3 x free bets credited the following day
Three free bets are for sports betting; one is for virtual betting.
Winnings from the 4 x £5 free bet tokens are not subject to wagering requirements, but the stake from the free bet will not be returned.
The Pools betting odds are reasonable, which do not pale compared to most other betting sites. When you bet at The Pools, you can place your bets with competitive odds and get a decent return on your stake.
The theoretical payout percentage of ThePools betting odds is around 94%. This applies to most betting markets and sports, such as football and tennis.
While playing on ThePools, the odds on offer was good and never struck me as unreasonable or too low. I compared the odds on some of the games that ThePools had with the major High Street bookies, and although they did not beat those odds, they came close. ThePools will satisfy you when placing a wager, as the difference is negligible and will probably not make much difference in your payouts.
Additionally, you can switch your odds between fractional and decimal, should you prefer.
You can bet on dozens of different sports at The Pools. The selection includes all the popular markets like football, tennis and horse racing, but also a variety of less common sports like handball, cycling and Gaelic hurling. Individual matches also contain many additional markets; for example, you can bet on almost 200 different odds in a single football match, including Asian handicaps, over/under and many more.
At The Pools, there are two main things for bettors; traditional betting and pool games.
If you want to win prizes from £5,000 up to £ 3 million, you should check out pool games. You can participate in classic pools, goal rush, premier 6, premier 10, premier 12 and colossus pools games and chase life-changing jackpots. The minimum stakes at the betting pools are only £0.20 - £2.00, so you can access the fun with a low threshold.
The Pools has its cashout feature. Cashout allows punters to cash out their winnings or save part of their stake before the end of the match. Cashout is available on all popular markets, but it is worth remembering that it is not necessarily available on every bet you place.
You can claim the cashout for your bet from your profile. Go to your user page, check your open bets, and see what kind of cashout offer is available.
The Pools offer a massive range of in-play betting opportunities for all kinds of sports round the clock and seven days a week. You can place your live bets on football, tennis, basketball, snooker, darts, esports, and other markets whenever you want.
The brand doesn't offer a live streaming service for its users, but luckily, there are available in-play graphics, interactive match trackers, and a lot of real-time statistics. All the above is there to help you make the best possible betting decisions during live betting.
Rather than refer a punter to their website, many bookmakers prefer to offer a dedicated app. This keeps players engaged and lets the bookmaker connect with their client base.
The Pools did not offer a separate mobile app for its users in the site's early days, but this changed soon. The site works well with the native internet browsers of smart devices, but for the best possible gaming experience, consider downloading the ThePools betting app.
For me, downloading the ThePools app was a straightforward task. I headed to the Google Play store and searched for ThePools. After opting to install the app, it opened without any problems and allowed me to log in using my details from the website.
The app functionality was perfect, and everything worked as it should, making it just as easy to use as the website. Placing a bet was straightforward, with no obstacles at all.
Fun fact: The Pools offers not just one but two different mobile apps. A second app is dedicated exclusively to the site's free-to-play game called Footie5. In that game, players can predict the outcome of five football matches weekly, and the best players can win as much as £25,000.
Money transfers on the betting site are handled by Visa, Mastercard, and Maestro debit cards, which could be improved compared to other bookmakers.
The same payment methods are used for both deposits and withdrawals.
The minimum deposit amount is £5, with a minimum withdrawal of £10. The brand doesn't involve any fees with either process.
ThePools could benefit from adding other payment methods for those players who prefer online wallet methods, such as PayPal.
Minimum deposit: £5
Maximum deposit: ➖
Top-up account free of charge: ✅
Minimum withdrawal: £10
Maximum payout: ➖
Withdrawal free of charge: ✅
Pay by mobile bill: ❌
Depositing methods
Withdrawal methods
thepools Withdrawal times
Mastercard 2-5 working days
Visa 2-5 working days
Maestro 2-5 working days
Customer support is one of the essential parts of an online bookmaker, as it is often the only interaction players have with the people behind the scenes.
Customer service at ThePools is available from Monday to Saturday between 8 am and 10 pm and Sundays between 12 pm and 10 pm. You can contact ThePools using post, email or chat.
For my interaction with customer service, I chose to use chat and email. Talking to a customer service representative is done via the blue chat bubble on the right of the screen. At first, I needed to provide my details and then connected within a minute. I found the customer service helpful and knowledgeable, giving quick answers.
Contacting customer service via email was fast enough as my queries were answered in an hour compared to the days some bookies take to respond.
For those who prefer looking for their answers, you have the FAQ section in the help menu. Here you will find most of your answers, although they seem short and could do with some elaboration.
Email support: ✅
Live support: ✅
Contact number: ❌
As part of the gambling laws regulating the UK industry, all customers must pass the KYC verification process.
Should ThePools need you to verify your account, they will contact you via email, and you will have to send your documents for verification back through email.
You can send a clear photo of your driver's licence or passport to provide proof of identity.
To provide proof of address, you must provide documentation reflecting the address you registered on your gaming account. Documents that will be accepted are a utility bill, bank statement, council tax bill, broadband bill, or HMRC letter.
They usually do verification within 48 hours, but it can take up to 72 hours, and you cannot make a deposit or withdrawal until the process is complete.
The Pools takes responsible gambling rules seriously, and the site wants to do its best to prevent problem gambling. One of the ways to control your gambling on the site is to set your limits, for example:
Deposit limits
Session time limits
Reality checks
Time out from the site
Self-exclusion
If gambling seems to be taking over your life and you feel you need outside help, you can contact organizations such as BeGambleAware, GAMSTOP and GamCare through the links on the website.
FAQ about ThePools
ThePools is owned and operated by the UK-based gaming company Football pools limited, which has its headquarters in Liverpool.
Yes, ThePools is a safe and reputable betting site licensed and regulated by the UK Gambling Commission. The brand uses advanced security measures to protect customers' personal and financial information, including encryption technology and firewalls.
Pool betting is a form of betting where all stakes are placed into a single pool, and the winnings are distributed among the winning bettors based on the size of their stakes and the number of winning selections.
The odds and payouts are determined by the total amount of money in the pool and the number of winning bets. Pool betting is commonly used in horse racing, football, and other sports where there are multiple potential outcomes and a large number of bettors.
Teemu has been working in sports betting for eight years. That time he has become familiar with dozens, if not hundreds, of sports betting sites and their pros and cons. Teemu is currently co-managing the UK sports betting content at Bojoko.