Stan James is a popular online bookmaker. They are part of the Kindred Group, who own several other online gambling brands, including Unibet, Maria Casino, 32Red, iGame, and more; and while Kindred Group itself may not be a recognisable name to punters, Stan James is extremely well known within the industry and has a strong reputation for being one of the most trusted names in British betting.
Stan James are so reputable, in fact, that they were reportedly one of just 6 companies allowed to bid for Totesport, who were owned by the UK Government at the time. The deal went to Betfred, but it showed that Stan James are a company with some clout.
In this post, we’re going to look at the various bet markets offered by Stan James, alongside any unusual bets, and notable features that are worth being aware of. So without further ado, let’s get started.
Sports Betting at Stan James
Stan James offer a better than average range of markets for you to enjoy, and you’ll find both common and uncommon markets to take advantage of.
Some of the main markets available at the site include Football, Australian Rules, Tennis, Golf, Cricket and Rugby Union, Boxing, Cycling, E-Sports, Floorball, Greyhounds, Handball, Ice Hockey, Motorsports, Rugby League, and Snooker; as well as some American sports like American Football, Baseball and Basketball.
Horse Racing is one of the bigger markets available at the bookie, and with best odds guaranteed on all UK and Irish racing events you can understand why. Plus, Stan James offer a really high-quality live streaming app, which enables you to watch the races as soon as you have bet on them; and with the minimum bet usually around a pound, you don’t need to stake much at all to begin watching.
Unusual Markets
Stan James offer a pretty healthy selection of unusual sports markets too, including the likes of Surfing, WWE, UFC, MMA, Finnish Baseball (that’s a thing?), Volleyball – and even Trotting! Trotting, for those of you who don’t already know, is basically horses walking around a paddock while people watch aimlessly. (OK, it’s not quite like that, but it’s not a million miles off.)
Outside of sports you’ll find a few TV shows and political events, and at the time of writing you can also bet on the winner of the Man Booker prize. There is nothing outstanding here, but more than enough to satisfy the needs of the average punter for sure.
How Good are the Odds?
Stan James are now increasingly competitive with the prices they offer, after being called out a few years back for offering notoriously poor odds. It’s good to see them being more generous with their prices, and their traders even seem willing to take risks nowadays in order to attract players.
In fact, the trading team at Stan James are far better equipped and more experienced than at most other bookies these days; and whether it’s their even money straight up team betting on Rugby Union, or bonuses for picking more correct teams in an ACCA, it’s clear that Stan James are always looking for new ways to keep their customers happy.
You can view a current and up to date list of their price boosts from their sports homepage, as well as under their sports betting promotions page, so it’s worth keeping an eye out for upcoming current promos.
In Play Betting
It’s undeniable that in-play betting has changed the face of betting forever, and any online bookie who wants to be taken seriously needs a high-quality live betting centre for customers to utilise.
Stan James are no exception, and they have worked hard to ensure that the in-play betting area that they offer is as comprehensive and reliable as possible; and while the odds aren’t quite as juicy as you’d perhaps find elsewhere, the reliability of those odds is virtually unrivalled, with consistency being at the forefront of Stan James’ operations.
In fact, the bookie was one of the pioneers of in-play betting, and a tremendous range of markets exist through Stan James, including the usual suspects like Football, Rugby and Golf; as well as some rarer events like Ice Hockey, Snooker, American Football, Baseball, and Basketball.
A well laid out in-play homepage gives you a complete overview of the current events as well as those still to come, and you’ll see the same bet slip as you would use on the regular sportsbook, making for a familiar betting experience.
The Website
While Stan James are an established brand in the online betting world, unfortunately, their website doesn’t quite live up to the expectations many punters have of them.
They seem more interested in plastering banners and ads over the site rather than working on the user experience, and a simple search of some popular bookmakers’ forums reveals these are common complaints; in fact, some punters have reported leaving the site altogether due to the invasive and frankly annoying flashing imagery used.
It’s not just the look and feel of the site that’s affected, however, it also slows the site down, and though it’s still relatively quick, we can’t help but feel it would be a lot faster without all the promotional materials.
If you can get past the irritating ads, the site’s design does actually deserve some respect. It’s clear the branding has had a lot of time spent on it, with greens and blacks being the main colours throughout the site, complimenting each other to create a strong, vibrant look.
There are also a number of other products available at Stan James, including a casino, but the most relevant of these is the ‘Sports Betting News’ area. Here you can find everything from match and event previews to expert tips and even breaking news – sports related only, of course.
Overall, it’s not the worst website in the world but it could definitely do with a strip down, and we believe the player experience could be vastly improved by speeding up the site and removing much of the unnecessary promotional material.
Mobile Betting
Stan James offer a mobile app to iOS players, and this can be downloaded free of charge through the Play Store.
Unfortunately, there doesn’t yet exist an app for Android devices, although rumors have begun to circulate that this is in on the way. We can neither confirm nor deny this, so it’s worth keeping an eye on the site for updates if this interests you.
In terms of the iOS app, it’s one of the best we’ve come across thanks to its speed and the number of markets available. In fact, virtually all the markets you’d find at the desktop site are available to enjoy on the app, with the only real exception being some of the special/political markets, which for some reason only appear on the desktop site.
If you don’t own an iOS device, you will need to bet through the mobile site. This can be accessed through your device’s internet browser as normal, and once you land on the site you’ll be instantly redirected to the mobile ready version.
Best Features
Fantastic New Player Bonuses
Stan James offer some of the best promotions and bonuses for new customers that we’ve seen, and as long as you’re not already an account holder at Stan James and are from an eligible country, you can claim yours today.
One of the most popular welcome promos is the ‘Bet £10, get £20 Free’, which is self explanatory really.
But that’s just the beginning. Stan James look after their customers both new and old, and you’ll find regular promos, ACCA boosts, and enhanced prices to take advantage of; so it’s worth bookmarking the promotions page and checking back from time to time to see what’s new.
Honest Impartial Match Previews
Taking after Coral, who employ a number of professionals to offer tips and advice on upcoming matches and events, Stan James put out regular blog posts which feature expert advice on possible value based bets.
While some punters have trouble believing the bookie would ever do this to help the customers win (they have a point, after all), Stan James have proven themselves to be extremely honest and transparent, letting you in on what the pros think of certain fixtures.
They’re not guaranteed to win, obviously, but who knows, you could end up enjoying a very nice pay day courtesy of Stan James’ advice.
Easy to Navigate Game Overview
While it’s nothing revolutionary in itself, the way in which the in-play overview is laid out is fantastic, and it makes for easy betting and website browsing.
Not only can you view the real time results of current matches, but you can also see the odds on outright bets on the same screen, along with the full odds for the events which can be found by clicking ‘view all’ next to the live score. It’s pretty handy.
High Street Betting
Unless you happen to live near one or have visited one in the past, there’s a very good chance you weren’t aware that Stan James operate physical betting shops. In fact, almost all punters assume Stan James are an online only bookie.
With less than 100 stores scattered throughout the UK this is a forgivable misconception. Stan James don’t have much of a high street presence it’s true, and the stores they do operate tend to be in big cities like London, Manchester, Birmingham and so on.
There’s no immediate benefit to using a Stan James store over any other bookies, but a quick look at some online reviews for individual shops shows largely positive experiences, with staff friendliness regularly flagged as a highlight.
There’s also fixed odds betting terminals to be found at all of their locations, which offer a number of different casino games (Roulette, Blackjack, Video Poker), alongside video slots, instant-win games, and virtual sports (Dogs and Horse Racing.)
Although Stan James don’t exactly rule the high street, they operate the branches they do have with the utmost professionalism, and the punters who use them will no doubt continue to do so.
Payments & Limits
Stan James have a pretty good reputation when it comes to payouts and maximum daily winnings – a whopping £1,000,000 cap on most markets – but recent company shake ups have seen some accounts heavily restricted when it comes to the maximum bet. This won’t affect new players or those who play casually, but bettors who regularly wager large amounts, and particularly those who win regularly, may find their betting abilities limited heavily; sometimes so extremely that they aren’t able to wager more than a few quid at a time.
In general, though, Stan James don’t implement any real bet caps other than not allowing any bets that would exceed the maximum winnings cap.
In terms of payment methods, Stan James are favoured by UK players because they offer PayPal as a depositing/withdrawing option, which allows for instant and fee-free financial transactions. Alongside this, you’ll find a number of other EWallets available including Skrill and Neteller.
Payouts are processed within 48 hours, but this is the maximum length of time you would have to wait, as most withdrawal requests are typically processed within around 7-10 hours.
History & About
Stan James is a popular online sportsbook, casino, and poker room that was founded over a decade ago.
Now part of the Kindred Group, the bookie is in the same league as some of the world’s biggest and most successful online gambling companies, and since its foundation, Stan James has built an impeccable image and reputation for itself, offering cutting edge desktop and mobile betting experiences to players all over the globe.
Stan James pride themselves on what they call their ‘value prices’. This is cut throat and risky but potentially rewarding, as the bookmaker often takes very low profit margins in the hopes of attracting punters from other sites; but of course, by increasing the odds and thus their players winnings, they also increase their exposure to loss, and this hasn’t always been too popular with some of the Kindred Group’s investors.
Nonetheless, The Kindred Group boasts an army of 14.1 million registered members around the world, and currently operate in countries including the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Australia, Ireland, Romania, and Estonia, to name just a few.
Licenses are held by Stan James in a number of jurisdictions, which is how they’re able to accept such a diverse range of punters at their site. They currently hold four licenses: The United Kingdom Gambling Commission, The Maltese Gaming Authority, The Alderney Gaming Commission, and The Gibraltar Gaming Control Board.
Their sports book is continually expanding, and while Stan James hasn’t enjoyed quite as much success as its sister site, Unibet, it continues to attract thousands of new players each week, and is widely regarded as one of the most trusted brands in the entire industry.