Royal Panda is particularly renowned for its online casino, so it may not be a name that comes to mind when online sports betting is mentioned; but as you’ll soon see, they have hit the ground running with their new sportsbook and now offer players the ability to place bets, take advantage of in-play markets, and use cash-out features. They are undoubtedly one of the most impressive newcomers to the online sports betting world.
The site is designed to be player friendly in almost every way possible, and whether it’s the intuitive navigation menu, the wide range of markets available, or the great promotions and bonuses on offer, it’s hard to argue with the site’s claim that they are “the best bookie around”.
In this post, we’re going to talk about the website itself and look at some of its core facilities and functions, while also looking into the banking options that are available.
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LOYAL PANDA PROGRAM
The loyalty program at Royal Panda is cleverly titled the ‘Loyal Panda Program’, and this VIP/loyalty scheme rewards customers for playing regularly at the site.
Joining is incredibly simple, and actually there are no pre-requisites at all in order to join – as soon as your account is created you will be part of the club.
The way in which you earn points (Loyal Panda Points of course) in the Loyal Panda Program, is by wagering real money on various bets. One of the best things about the scheme is that it doesn’t matter whether you win or lose, the points are awarded for playing in the first place; so you never have to feel as though you’re being penalised when you’re on a winning streak.
Once you’ve accumulated a good number of the Loyal Panda Points you’ll be able to spend them in the Loyal Panda Shop, which can be accessed by heading to the ‘My Account’ section and then clicking ‘Loyal Panda Shop’ from the left-hand side menu.
Once inside, simply choose your reward and click ‘Redeem’, and you’ll see the bonus added to your account straight away. There is a ton of stuff on offer, including free bets, re-load bonuses, credit to use in the online casino, and more.
THE ROYAL PANDA WEBSITE
Royal Panda’s website is run on proprietary software, meaning it’s not a white label solution as is the case with so many other online bookies today.
While questions have been raised regarding the security of the site, Royal Panda continually prove their critics wrong, and their website is regularly reviewed as one of the top online casinos and sports books around.
In the following section, we’re going to take a look at some of the core features and facilities offered at Royal Panda.
MOBILE BETTING
While Royal Panda don’t have a dedicated mobile app, they do offer a pretty reliable mobile website, and this allows you log onto the site through the browser on your phone or tablet and then navigate the website as normal.
Royal Panda will automatically detect that you’re using a mobile device and re-direct you to the mobile optimised version of the site, ensuring that you’re always playing on the site that functions best for the device that you are using.
IN-PLAY
With the rise in mobile betting technology we’ve seen a direct impact on the number of bettors placing bets on their phone, and the area that’s seen the most growth is arguably the in-play market.
The reason for this is relatively clear; it’s one thing placing a bet at home and watching the match on your TV while crossing your fingers, but it’s quite another to be at an the event in question cheering on your team, and being able to place bets such as ‘who is going to score the next goal’ from the phone in your pocket.
Of course, most stadiums have on-site bookies too, but it’s incredibly impractical and often over crowded. In-play betting allows you to bet live while watching the action without leaving your seat – and that’s just one of the reasons why it’s become so popular.
The in-play betting area at Royal Panda is packed, and you’ll be able to enjoy a huge range of markets including: Football, Basketball, Snooker, American Football, Baseball, Tennis, and even Boxing and UFC.
To get started, all you need to do is enter the ‘In-Play’ area by clicking the tab on the left-hand side navigation menu, and you’ll be able to browse the events on offer and make your picks.
CASH OUT
Royal Panda offer some of the most generous cash out prices in the industry.
If you’re interested in taking cash out – or looking at what your current cash out offer is – then just head to your list of open bets and you will see any cash out offers available alongside the corresponding bet.
Remember, cash out is a great way to make your betting more personal, although you must bear in mind that at the end of the day the feature exists to make money for the bookmaker; so don’t rush into cashing your bets out simply because you see a profit and want in. You placed the bet because you thought you could predict the outcome, so picture how gutted you’d be if the bet went on to win and you lost out on potentially thousands of pounds because you took an early cash out. That said, if you really do have that gut feeling that the remaining selections just aren’t going to win, it is a good get out card. Judge each case by its own merits.
Sports Betting at Royal Panda
Royal Panda offer over 140 different sports markets in total, which is a pretty impressive number regardless of the size of the bookmaker in question.
Of course, you’ll find the run of the mill markets like Football, Horse Racing, and Tennis; but they also offer up some of the more niche markets, especially American sports like Baseball, American Football, Basketball, and many more.
It’s actually pretty rare not to find the market you are looking for at Royal Panda, and if you do, the trading team will always consider specific bet requests, although you will need to go through the email agents first. So, if you can’t find something specific that you are looking for, get onto the help team and see if you can’t get yourself something made to measure.
All of the different markets available at Royal Panda are found on the left-hand side of your screen via the handy market selection tool. If you are struggling to find the market or event you are looking for, you can either search directly on the search box or use the A-Z sports menu which will bring up an alphabetised list.
Unusual Markets
Like most bookmakers today, Royal Panda try to offer a varied selection of novelty and special bets in an attempt to keep up with their competitors and avoid missing out on a potential slice of the market.
TV specials are arguably Royal Panda’s most popular unusual bets, and while there isn’t a huge deal of choice at the moment, towards the end of summer the number of markets available will usually pick up; especially with shows like I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here and America’s Got Talent hitting our screens.
They also host a range of gaming markets like World of Warcraft and Starcraft
How Good are the Odds?
Royal Panda is one of the best casino to sportsbook sites around, and while there are a number of factors working in their favour, the most attractive by far is the odds.
By offering some of the most generous odds in the industry from the outset, Royal Panda took a significant risk when launching due to the very tight profit margins they were playing with. It appears to have been a wise decision though, as it has attracted many new punters to the site who may have otherwise gone elsewhere, as well as coaxing many casino players through the doors of the sports book. Short term loss for long term gain executed well.
Unfortunately, they only offer best odds guaranteed on UK and Irish Horse Racing, but daily specials enable you to enjoy price boosts and enhanced odds on certain other events, so it’s always worth keeping an eye on the promotional/daily deals tab to ensure that you don’t miss out.
In Play Betting
Straight after launching their sportsbook, Royal Panda made it clear they would be offering punters the complete package. The bookie has stuck to this initial promise and some months they have seen as many as 50,000 betting in-plays. You will find all of the major markets available, including Football, Tennis, Golf, American Football, and numerous others.
While the live betting odds aren’t quite as tasty as you might find at bigger bookies, Royal Panda’s fast, reliable, and secure betting platform ensures hassle-free betting at all times, and the market/event availability is second to none.
BANKING
Royal Panda offer a tremendous range of payment methods, and below you’ll see a table containing all of them, along with minimum/maximum limits, the fee, and the time it takes the deposit to be credited to your account.
| PAYMENT METHOD | MINIMUM DEPOSIT | MAXIMUM DEPOSIT | FEE | TRANSACTION TIME |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visa and Mastercard Debit cards | £10 | £1,500 | Free | Instant |
| Skrill | £10 | £10,000 | Free | Instant |
| Neteller | £10 | £15,000 | Free | Instant |
| Paysafecard | £10 | £15,000 | Free | Instant |
| AGMO | £10 | £15,000 | Free | Instant |
| AstroPay | £10 | £15,000 | Free | Instant |
| DineroMail | £10 | £15,000 | Free | Instant |
| eKonto | £10 | £15,000 | Free | Instant |
| e-pro | £10 | £2,500 | Free | Instant |
| Euteller | £10 | £15,000 | Free | Instant |
| Ewire | £10 | £15,000 | Free | Instant |
| Giropay | £10 | £15,000 | Free | Instant |
| Prezelwey24 | £10 | £15,000 | Free | Instant |
| SafetyPay | £10 | £15,000 | Free | Instant |
| Sofort Uberweisung | £10 | £15,000 | Free | Instant |
| Todito Cash | £10 | £15,000 | Free | Instant |
| Transferencia | £10 | £15,000 | Free | Instant-1 Working Day |
| Trustly | £10 | £15,000 | Free | Instant |
As you can see the choice is substantial, and while not every one of those listed above is able to be used as a withdrawal option, around 80% of them can be. The minimum withdrawals are typically the same as the minimum deposits.
One thing that Royal Panda have become well-known for is the speed at which they process their withdrawals, and you should expect to wait no longer than about 6 hours for your withdrawal request to be dealt with.
History & About
Royal Panda is one of the better known online casinos, and their ethos from the start was to be different.
This ethos has transitioned over into their new sportsbook too, and despite having only been founded a few months back, it’s already proving as popular with players as the casino.
One of the reasons why so many players choose Royal Panda is because the software used to host the site is custom made. This means the site doesn’t look like a generic, cookie-cutter template that we are so used to seeing from many other casinos and sports books. It’s different.
While the software looks great, it’s the functionality and reliably that really gives it an edge over most competitor sites. The speed at which bets can be placed is arguably one of the fastest in the industry, and there’s none of this ‘market suspended’ nonsense after you have hit ‘Bet’ because Royal Panda have ensured that every single aspect of their site is highly tuned.
It looks like the company have hit the brakes for now on developing their online casino, and it’s likely we’ll see their attention diverted to improving the sports book for the time being. This is great news for sports fans, and will come as a welcome surprise to punters who aren’t impressed with the number of markets and events available at present.
Still, they’re a very new company, so it’ll be interesting to see what we hear from the bookmaker as time goes on.