BetLion was launched in 2018 and is gaining popularity for providing punters with a great mobile betting experience. With their Android and iOS mobile apps, SMS and USSD betting, users can enjoy placing wagers on the go. As for betting options, with 19 sports and a variety of betting markets they ensure that everyone has numerous options to explore. In addition, the bookmaker supports two of the most popular mobile payment services (M-Pesa and Airtel Money) which are easy to process not to mention that their withdrawals are instant and free. If you’re looking for diverse bonuses and promotions, a wide range of markets, live support, and a great mobile betting experience, BetLion is your go-to bookmaker.
BetLion Pros & Cons
- Wide range of markets
- Mobile betting apps
- Quick registration and live chat
- Limited payment methods
- No live streaming
- No optimized desktop website
BetLion: Editorial Rating
BetLion Security
The BetLion betting site has various security measures in place to keep you safe when enjoying their products. Their online connection is secured using a 256-bit SSL encryption. The bookmaker has a valid security certificate issued by Cloudflare. Inc, which is a reputable cybersecurity provider. In addition, BetLion employs a privacy policy when collecting, handling and disseminating your financial and personal information. They assure bettors to only share their private information with authorities in case there’s Fraud or suspicious activities. Also, the bookmaker advocates for responsible gambling by providing tips, a helpline, and self-exclusion options. Players can always use deposit limits or opt out in case they experience signs of gambling problems.
BetLion Sports and Markets
BetLion offers odds for at least 19 sports and a wide variety of betting markets. Although the number of betting markets may vary based on event popularity and from one sport to the other, you’ll find the market types adequate, especially since BetLion covers the most popular market types for their sports.
Football. BetLion football features events from over 70 countries. They include top leagues, international matches, and less popular leagues from different countries. The bookmaker covers leagues such as the CONCACAF nations League, CAF Champions League, the FIFA World Cup, Nigeria Premier league, Tunisia Ligue1, and Ethiopia Premier League among others. As for betting options, a top football tournament may have 200+ market types and 1200+ markets. Some of the football betting market types available at BetLion include Double chance, Over/Under, Handicap, 1×2, Halftime/Fulltime, Odd/Even, Match Result, Draw No Bet, and Outrights. Punters can either place their bets pre-match or live and enjoy features like the Cash Out.
Basketball. The bookmaker provides a variety of tournaments and betting markets. Popular tournaments available include the NBA, WNBA, BNXT League, NBL, Adriatic League, and France ProA & ProB LNB among others. Popular betting markets available on BetLion basketball include total points, Handicap, Match Results, 1st Quarter, Money line + Total Points, Team Total Points, Total Points 3 bands, and points Over/Under. Around 60 outcomes available for non-popular games. The sport is available for live and pre-game betting.
Tennis. BetLion tennis covers fewer tournaments and betting markets compared to top basketball and football, however, the sport has the most live events The bookmaker covers tournaments such as the ATP, WTA and Challengers. As for the market types, they offer Set Winner, Match Winner, Player to Win Set, any Set Won to Nil, Total Sets Played, Match Set Handicap, Match Correct Score, Match Total Games Over/Under, and Correct Score in Set. Even for niche games there are more than 80 betting options available, which is a pretty decent amount.
Here’s a list of all the sports covered by BetLion.
BetLion Payment Methods
It is one of the betting sites that accepts Airtel Money and through M-Pesa. Your payment method is automatically linked to the mobile number you used when you registered. For instance, if you signed up with a Safaricom number, M-Pesa will be your default option.
You can top up your account instantly, with a minimum of Kes. 1, while payouts start at Kes. 50. The maximum deposit and withdrawal amount per transaction is Kes. 70,000, while the daily limit is Kes. 140,000.
You can start transactions in several different ways: through the BetLion website, pay bill numbers (M-Pesa 212927 or Airtel Money 136680), USSD codes (*418# for Safaricom and *222# for Airtel), or SMS. Withdrawals are processed immediately, but if there’s a delay of over 30 minutes, the operator suggests contacting the support team.
How to Deposit
You have several options to transfer funds into your account. The first is through the bookmaker’s website. Navigate to the ‘Deposit’ section, input the amount you want to add, and confirm the payment via SMS.
You can also use the SMS and USSD options to add funds. For SMS deposits, send the text D#amount#yourBetLionPin to the code 40418 and provide details as prompted. For example, to transfer Kes. 500 send D#500# 0123.
Another method is to dial *418# (the BetLion USSD code), select “Deposit,” and enter the required amount.
Alternatively, you can use M-Pesa or Airtel Paybill. Follow these steps to complete the process:
- Open the M-Pesa or Airtel Money menu on your phone.
- Select the ‘Payments’ or ‘Paybill’ option.
- Enter BetLion pay bill number (212927 for M-Pesa and 136680 for Airtel).
- Specify your BetLion account number if required.
- Key in the amount you wish to pay.
- Confirm the transaction.
How to Withdraw from BetLion
To withdraw from BetLion via their website:
- Tap on the three lines next to the BetLion logo to access more information.
- Go to “ My Account” and select “ Withdraw”
- Enter the amount to withdraw.
- Click “ Withdraw” to submit and wait for the transaction to get processed.
For SMS withdrawal send WD#amount#PIN or Withdraw#amount#PIN to 40418. To withdraw Kes. 200 from BetLion send WD#200#0123 to 40418.
BetLion Odds
The quality of odds offered by a bookmaker determines the percentage of returns you make from successful bets. In short, high odds = low margins= high payouts. In this section we’ll be calculating margins for the 3 top sports at BetLion to evaluate the quality of their betting odds.
- Football: For the Champions League match Manchester City vs Inter Milan, BetLion 1×2 odds are (1.53, 4.33, 6.00). As such, the bookmaker has a commission of 4.87%.
- Basketball: BetLion odds for the 1×2 market for the NBA game Miami Heat vs Denver Nuggets are: 2.62 for Miami Heat to win, 12.00 for the teams to draw, and 1.61 for the Denver Nuggets to win. Thus, the bookmaker has a margin of 7.93%.
- Tennis: For the ATP Challenger Surbiton game Jason Kubler vs Andy Murray the odds are (1.11, 6.00). Therefore, the bookmaker’s margin is 6.33%.
In summary, BetLion odds are average for most of their sports. For top football tournaments they can go as low as 3%, 6% in some basketball markets and 6% for Tennis. While margins for some football and basketball events seem to go as high as 10%, most Tennis margins seem to be under 7%, making it one of the sports with the best odds in the Kenyan betting market.
So, how do you calculate margins? We use this simple formula which you can also use:
Margin = (1/betting odds on Home Team to win + 1/betting odds on Draw + 1/betting odds on the Away Team to win – 1) * 100
Let’s use the above Champions League match Man City vs Inter milan as our example.
Margin= {( 1/ 1.44 + 1/ 4.33 + 1/ 6.00) – 1} x100 = 4.87%
Live Betting
The bookmaker offers In-Play betting, which is the only good thing we can say about its live offerings. The selection of events is limited, with a decent number of matches only for football, tennis, basketball and cricket. The markets are also limited compared to what’s available before the game. Plus, the operator provides no live streams, visual graphics or statistics. So, you won’t find any information about the games except the score. On the plus side, the Cash Out feature is quite handy. You’ll see live matches and markets where you can apply it with a special icon.
BetLion App
The bookmaker has an application only for Android. You can get it directly from the BetLion website. Open the left-side menu and tap on ‘Download Our App’ to get started. The file is small, just 2.70 MB, so it won’t use much of your data. Unfortunately, there isn’t an iOS app at the moment. However, iOS punters can access the mobile site, which offers all the same features as the app and desktop version.
The programme layout is the same as the website and is quite easy to use. On the main screen, you’ll find the top events and betting tips, and you can adjust the display using special filters. However, you can’t access the In-Play section from the bottom navigation bar as on the website. Instead, you have to scroll through the small icons at the top of the main screen and tap the ‘Live Now’ button, which is very inconvenient. Overall, the navigation could be improved, especially by making the font more prominent so it’s easier to read.
Conclusion
BetLion might not be the first choice for newcomers, as it doesn’t offer a welcome bonus. But a lot is going on for regular customers, from the 4-tier VIP programme to daily Free Bets and prediction contests with prizes of up to Kes. 25 000. Football fans will also like the high odds and the number of markets. For instance, you can find over 1200 outcomes in top football matches and a margin of about 3%.
However, this is where the bookmaker’s advantages end. For example, it does not have an optimised desktop website, so we recommend using its Android app or mobile site. Besides, this is not your choice if you are looking for a quality live betting platform. The selection of events is small, with no broadcasts and real-time statistics.
BetLion Frequently Asked Questions
Is BetLion sportsbook legal and where?
Yes, BetLion is a legally registered bookmaker owned by Zumandu Ltd. They are licensed by the BCLB under the license number 0000440.
Does BetLion sportsbook have a mobile app?
Yes, BetLion has mobile apps for Androids. Use the link provided on their betting site to download the Android app.
What is the minimum and maximum bet on BetLion?
The minimum stake at BetLion Kenya is Kes. 2, and the maximum bet depends on the game status, for the top matches it is Kes. 100 000.
