McBookie was founded in 2009 in Dundee by Damian Walker and Paul Petrie, both of whom were former employees of Tote. Petrie, who had prior experience in the bookmaking industry, collaborated with a group of like-minded friends to create McBookie. Initially, their main focus was to provide online betting services to Scottish customers, with a particular emphasis on football, which resulted in the company quickly gaining a reputation for offering competitive odds and a user-friendly platform. As a supporter of grass-roots football, McBookie sponsored Scottish Junior Leagues. In 2020, McBookie.com was acquired by FansUnite, a Canadian company, for £1.3 million.
McBookie Pros & Cons
- Large selection of bets
- Convenient interface for horse racing
- Bet Builder
- Few deposit methods
- No live streaming
McBookie: Editorial Rating
McBookie Free Bets & Promotions
Bet £5 Get £20
McBookie Security
McBookie prioritises the security and safety of its users by implementing multiple measures to safeguard personal information and prevent fraudulent activities.
- The sportsbook adheres to the payment card industry data security standard, which sets strict guidelines for the protection of payment card information.
- The bookmaker utilises 128-bit Secure Socket Layer technology to encrypt all personal information, ensuring that it remains secure and confidential.
- McBookie is dedicated to promoting responsible gambling and displays security logos such as “18+”, “GamStop”, and “BeGambleAware.org” on its website.
- The sports betting site is licensed and regulated by the UK Gambling Commission under acc. number 009177, which ensures that the bookmaker operates in compliance with established standards and regulations
McBookie Sports and Markets
Below is a list of the main sports available for betting at McBookie:
Let’s examine the three most commonly favoured sports in the UK.
Football. McBookie offers access to more than 60 leagues and national cups, including popular leagues such as the Premier League (England), La Liga (Spain), League 1 (France) as well as lower level championships – Division 2 (Romania), Virsliga (Latvia). Users can also bet on international leagues such as Champions League, Europa League and others. As well as the usual bets, there are plenty of bets such as Outright Winner (Women’s World Cup Winner 2023, England Premier League Outrights 2022/2023).
Rugby. The available rugby games to bet on are limited to England Super League, Australia NRL, and England Challenge Cup events. The only available bets on favourite Scottish sport are Match Winner, Handicap, and Tri-Bet. For long-term betting, users can only predict the winner of the Grand Final and England Challenge Cup. The sportsbook does not provide rugby match statistics.
Horse Racing. Horse racing is a primary area for betting at McBookie. The bookmaker features over 15 events and 50+ races daily. Users can sort all the horse races by alphabetical order, Quick Pick, Ante Post, or they can use the ‘Build a Racecard’ option. The sports betting site provides races for betting from various race tracks such as Catterick, Musselburgh, Windsor, Southwell, Pimlico, Santa Anita, Woodbine, and more.
McBookie Payment Methods
McBookie has a very restricted selection of payment options for both deposits and withdrawals, limited solely to debit cards (Visa/Mastercard/Maestro). There are no options for e-wallets or bank transfers. This bookmaker is one of the low deposit betting sites. The minimum amount for debit cards is £1 and the same applies to withdrawals. Typically, it takes 2 to 5 business days for withdrawals to be processed.
How to Make a Deposit to McBookie
Below is a guide that outlines the steps required to deposit money:
- Click on the deposit option located in the top-right corner of the screen.
- Choose a deposit option that suits your requirements.
- Indicate the amount you want to deposit.
- Confirm the transaction.
After following these steps, your deposit should be processed promptly, and money should be available for use.
How to Withdraw from McBookie
Here is the instruction that you can follow to withdraw winnings from the platform:
- Click on “Account”.
- Select the option “Withdraw funds”.
- Enter the amount you wish to withdraw.
- Click on “Withdraw” to begin the withdrawal process.
McBookie Odds
Knowing the margins of a sportsbook is important for understanding the true odds for an event beyond just the listed ones. A bookmaker’s commission is the built-in profit they add, which can affect the value of your bet. Let’s take some popular sports odds and calculate their margins.
- Football: For a Scotland Premiership match between Celtic and Dundee with odds 1/11 – 10/1 – 22/1, the margin will be 5.18%
- Darts: In the match between Scott Taylor (1/4) and Arne Spee (11/4), the odds result in a margin of 6.67%.
- Snooker: The game between Neil Robertson(4/11) and Matthew Selt (2/1) comes with a 6.86% margin.
Here, we can see that you will pay less commission to the bookmaker when betting on football, as the margin is lower than that of other sports.
McBookie In Play Betting
The live betting section provided by McBookie is very limited, with the bookmaker mostly offering football live events. Occasionally, there are also sports markets available for NBA and ice hockey games. The only noteworthy feature is the Build a Bet option.
McBookie Streaming
Unfortunately, the sportsbook does not offer live streaming for any sports. Additionally, the sports betting site lacks any sports statistics or information that could be used for analyzing upcoming games and players.
McBookie App
Upon analysing the McBookie mobile app, we discovered that it offers the same functionalities as the website, such as depositing, withdrawing, and betting. However, the app has received mixed reviews on both the App Store and Google Play. Some customers have reported issues with support service, verification, and withdrawals. Additionally, users have expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of a back button, which makes it challenging to navigate between the match details and the match list. To return to the match list, clients must go back to the home page and search for the bet type again. We find this to be highly inconvenient from our perspective.
| Android | iOS | |
|---|---|---|
| Version | Android 5.0 and later | iOS 11.0 and higher |
| App Size | 13.2 MB | 20.7 MB |
| Automatic login | – | – |
| Available in PlayStore and AppleStore | Yes | Yes |
Conclusion
McBookie’s particular strengths are football, horse racing, and other traditional UK sports (25 in total). But you will not find Esports here. The In-Play section looks poor. It lacks key features such as live streaming, match infographics and stats, which are standard on most betting sites. However, Bet Builder and Cash Out are available.
The bookie’s promotions are minimal, but for regular players, McBookie gives weekly Free Bets and refunds for unsuccessful accumulators.
The payment methods are limited to debit cards; you can deposit in sterling and euros. To communicate quickly, customer support is available via phone or live chat during office hours (9 a.m. – 10 p.m.).
We recommend this bookie only if you prefer to place Pre-match bets and follow Scottish football. The Premiership has decent odds and a wide range of markets, with the Build-A-Bet tool letting you pick from more than 10 per game.
McBookie Frequently Asked Questions
Is McBookie Trustworthy?
McBookie is a Scottish-based bookmaker that has secured a licence, specifically identified as account number 009177, from the UK Gambling Commission. The site showcases trust badges from GamCare, GamStop, and GambleAware. The company takes measures to secure customer information by utilising 128-bit SSL technology, which encrypts all financial transactions.
How To Place A Bet at McBookie?
You can easily choose the match you wish to bet on. After selecting the one and type of bet, you can click on the corresponding odds and enter the desired wager amount. Once confirmed, the bet can be placed, and you must wait for the match to conclude. If the prediction is correct, the winnings will be received at the end of the match.
Does McBookie Do Cash Out?
McBookie does provide a Cash Out option to its users, but the terms and conditions, types of Cash Out, and other relevant information have not been obtained from the bookmaker. To utilise this feature, users must place a bet on the selected match, and during the course of the match, the site may offer to buy back the bet for early payment. However, it is unclear which specific matches the bookmaker will provide this option for.
Is There A McBookie app?
The betting platform has a mobile betting app that can be downloaded on both Android (Google Play) and iOS (App Store) platforms. The app is relatively small in size, with the Android version being 13.2 MB and the iOS version being 50.8 MB. It can be used on Android devices running system version 5.0 or higher and iOS devices running version 11.0 or higher.
