The popularity of esports has grown significantly in recent years, so it’s no surprise that there was a demand to bet on all the action, and it’s Picklebet who have come along to fill that void. Offering markets on a range of different esports, Picklebet scratches an itch for many lovers of esports around the country – but that’s not all they do. They also act as a regular betting site, too, with markets for various real-life sports and leagues around the world. Unsurprisingly, they don’t exactly excel in a number of areas in the same way that some of the best sites which are dedicated exclusively to sports too, but the focus on esports gives them a major point of difference from their competitors. In this review we’ll go into detail about their strengths and weaknesses, and how they perform on a number of different important metrics – so let’s get into it.
Website: www.picklebet.com Year founded: 2017 Company:Puntaa Pty Ltd Contact information/Support: [email protected], or head to the live chat function on the website License & regulation: Licensed and regulated by Australia’s Northern Territory Government Sponsorship Deals: No sponsorships deals Address/Headquarters: 48-50 Smith Street, Darwin NT 0800 Features: Focus on esports, good mobile website and app, helpful customer service team Deposit Methods: Debit/Credit Card, Bank Transfer, POLi Withdrawal Methods: Debit/Credit Card, Bank Transfer, POLi Apps Devices: Available for iOS Odds Providers: Picklebet creates their own odds Owner: Nicholas Heaney
bookmaker, whether or not they appeal to you will depend largely on the type of bettor you are. If you have a hankering for esports betting then they’ll likely be right up your alley, but if you just want the best odds and widest range of sports, you might be better off looking elsewhere. The strengths and weaknesses this bookie possesses are as obvious as with any of their competitors, so let’s take a look at just what they are. ✔️Picklebet Strengths Wide range of esports markets: We’re starting off with the obvious here. Picklebet started out exclusively as an esports bookmaker, so it’s no great surprise that this is their greatest strength. There are other bookies who offer some esports markets, but many have none at all and a number of others don’t have the range on offer with Picklebet. If you’re an esports lover who likes to bet, this will be a major drawcard for you. Easy-to-use website: Picklebet have modelled their website on simplicity. Upon entering the site, you’re greeted with the next esports to jump as well as a list of leagues on the left-hand side of the page. If you want to toggle to real-life sports, a drop-down menu allowing you to do just that is easily located. Everything runs smoothly, the menus are where you’d expect them to be, and it’s generally very easy to work your way around the Picklebet website. Live chat feature: Customer support is an invaluable part of any betting agency, and live chat is generally the simplest way to have your queries resolved. Unfortunately some bookmakers still don’t offer it and instead rely purely on email and telephone, but Picklebet have a well-established live chat which is easy to access, and agents are generally able to help out. ❌Picklebet Weaknesses Lack of real-life sports markets: As with the strengths, we’ll start with the most obvious one here. Though Picklebet have added real-life sports markets to their portfolio, they are far from industry leaders in terms of the range of leagues and markets they have on offer. This is unsurprising given their primary intention is to serve the esports market, but nonetheless it will be an issue for many sports bettors. No live betting: It’s unsurprising that there is no live betting on actual sports markets with Picklebet given it’s not their primary focus, but they could certainly do so with esports – and there are some suggestions that they will begin doing so soon. For the time being, however, they don’t have any, and this is a definite weakness in an industry in which live betting is becoming increasingly popular. Lack of payment methods: Picklebet offers all of the standard payment methods – namely credit/debit card, bank transfer and POLi – but after that there’s not a whole lot else on offer. This is often a noticeable difference between the smaller bookies and the bigger ones – the latter tend to have these common payment methods and a host of others, too. If you just use the standard ones like many punters this won’t be an issue, but for many it may make Picklebet tough to use. 📋Conclusion Different punters have different needs, which means that something which isn’t an issue for one person may be a deal-breaker for another. Picklebet is no different. If you love betting on esports then, to be frank, they will likely be a great bookie for you. In contrast, if you’re just after a wide range of sports markets and great odds, you’ll probably be better served elsewhere
Given the relative infancy of esports, it will come as no surprise to you to learn that Picklebet launched relatively recently. It was in 2017 that they first appeared on the Australian betting scene having been opened by a couple of esports lovers, though at that time they were known as Skrilla. Since then they’ve adopted a new moniker, and are gradually beginning to make some waves, particularly within the esports community. Unsurprisingly, it’s a focus on esports which most notably sets Picklebet apart from its competitors. There are a handful of other bookmakers who offer odds on some esports, but Picklebet is the first to truly focus on it and make it a priority. This, of course, offers them a major point of difference and means that for those looking specifically to bet on esports, they will very often be the number one choice. Add to that the fact they have an easy-to-use website and fairly well-developed customer service system, and there are plenty reasons to jump in and give this new bookmaker a try. Of course, more than perhaps any other betting agency in Australia, whether Picklebet is appropriate for you depends largely on what you’re interested in. As mentioned, for esports lovers they will be a go-to option, offering a range of markets unparalleled by most of their competitors. If, however, you are a typical sports fan who just wants to find the best odds on upcoming AFL, NRL or cricket games, then you might be better served elsewhere. That’s not to say, however, that they don’t have those options if you want them. Picklebet are gradually increasing their range of regular sports markets, though it still doesn’t compare to most other bookmakers. As a result, if you’re looking for an agency to sign up to purely to bet on sports, they may not be your best bet, but if you want to stick to one bookmaker and will predominantly be betting on esports with the occasional dabble in regular sports, then they’re likely to be much more suitable. Clearly their range of sports markets is the most notable thing that they could improve on, though whether they want to – or whether they prefer to guard their position as the premier esports betting site in the country – remains to be seen. Among the other things they could improve upon is their list of payment methods, which is relatively basic compared to some of their competitors. Overall, Picklebet does a good job of catering to the customer base which they’ve set out to attract. Their esports markets are wide-ranging and they offer decent odds, but unsurprisingly this focus means that they will lose a few points with those who prefer to punt on the more regular sports.
Betting Variety: ⭐⭐⭐ In terms of esports markets they do well, but in terms of overall sports markets there is plenty of improvement to be made. Banking Options: ⭐⭐⭐ Picklebet’s banking options are relatively basic, with only the most common methods available. Mobile Experience: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Picklebet has a good app for iOS, but their mobile website is also more than sufficient for the needs of most. Payout Speed: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ No problems with payouts at Picklebet, and they usually come through quickly. Security: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Picklebet gets another tick for their security, with no history of any problems in this area. Betting Experience: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ A quality website ensures that the overall experience with Picklebet is a good one. Customer Support: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The existence of live chat is a major tick, and agents are generally helpful.
Esports are, as we have mentioned, the primary focus of Picklebet. It’s the market which they were designed to service, and it takes pride of place at the front of their website as a result. And while they may not be the most well-rounded bookmaker in terms of their sports coverage, they make up for that in their esports offerings. There are markets for virtually all leagues of any note here, all of which can be accessed on the left-hand side of your screen under the ‘ESPORTS’ drop-down menu. There’s the big ones like FIFA and Overwatch, and plenty more if you’re into the more niche leagues of what is already a fairly niche industry. A handful of other bookmakers have started to offer esports markets as well, but where Picklebet excels is in the range of different things you can punt on in this space. Many competitors just offer basic head-to-head markets for upcoming events, but Picklebet goes one step further, offering a range of different markets for each event. Head-to-head aside, you can also find various other markets, depending on what exactly it is that you’re betting on. For FIFA games, for example, you’ll find total and handicap markets, while for CSGO you can also bet on round markets as well as total maps, correct score, winner of each map and number of kills. This extensive list of choices sets Picklebet apart from most of their competitors who have branched out into esports, and makes it clear that they are striving to be a leader in this space
We’ve given Picklebet a bit of a pump up and talked about a lot of things that they do well, but now it’s time to head into an area in which they’re a little bit less accomplished – sports coverage. As we mentioned earlier they do have some sports markets available and seem to be dipping their toes deeper and deeper into that proverbial pool, but it’s clearly their second priority behind esports and certainly doesn’t compare to what’s available with some of the bigger bookies in Australia. The below is a list of some of the sports you can find on Picklebet, and what sort of markets they offer for them. Picklebet Australian Rules Football🏉 As one of the most popular sports in the country, it’s no surprise that footy – as it’s affectionately known across the majority of Australia – was one of the first sports to be included in Picklebet’s range of sports markets. But while they have, to borrow the metaphor from above, begun to dip a toe in, it’s little more than the tip of the nail that has entered the water. They offer markets on all games, but those markets are pretty much limited to head-to-head, line bets and totals, while a couple of futures round out their AFL offerings. Picklebet Rugby League🏉 We’d hate to offend the north-eastern component of the country, so next up is the availability of rugby league – what New South Wales and Queensland refer to as footy themselves. There’s actually a little more on offer here than with Australian rules – perhaps a product of the company being based in Brisbane – with a number of markets available on each NRL game. Aside from the obvious like head-to-head and line bets, there is also lines for each half and individual team totals, and a handful of futures. NRL is not the only rugby league you can bet on, either – there are also markets for State of Origin, Super League, the New South Wales Cup and the Queensland Cup to name a few. Picklebet Cricket🏏 When the weather gets warmer the attention turns to cricket, and Picklebet have a few markets to ramp up your interest in the sport that little bit further. They actually cover quite a few leagues here – from major events like The Ashes and the T20 World Cup to more niche events like the T20 Vitality Blast – and offer a decent smattering of different markets in the lead-up to events of a reasonable magnitude. Picklebet Basketball🏀 Basketball is rapidly growing in popularity in Australia, with the NBA of particular interest and the NRL improving in quality year on year, but Picklebet haven’t really come to the party. They do offer markets on basketball, but they are very limited – at the height of the NBA Finals, for example, the biggest basketball event in the world, they offered head-to-head markets for the games and that was about it. If that’s all you want to bet on you’ll be fine and the odds are decent, but they could certainly improve their range of markets for this sport. Picklebet Soccer⚽ It might not be as popular in Australia as it is across the globe, but nonetheless soccer is the biggest sport on the planet and Picklebet have a suitably deep range of offerings for the world game. They cover a range of different leagues from all around the globe, offering future markets as well as individual match markets, and unlike with a couple of other sports they offer odds on a reasonably diverse range of things for upcoming games. Picklebet MMA🥊 Interestingly, MMA is one of the sports for which Picklebet has the widest range of markets. That’s not to say, however, that there is a huge amount of depth on offer for individual match-ups – you’ll be limited to head-to-head bets for the most part – but if you’re just looking to take a punt on who will win an individual fight then Picklebet should have you covered, because they have odds for most upcoming bouts of any significance. Picklebet Sponsorship Deals🏆 As a bookmaker in its relative infancy, and one which focuses primarily on esports, it’s no surprise that they don’t yet have any sponsorships or affiliations with sporting organisations. Perhaps they will in the years to come and sponsorship of esports could certainly help to build their brands if they have the funds, but for the time being there is nothing to report in this area.
Picklebet is far from the most well-rounded bookmaker in what is a very competitive Australian betting industry, but they do perform very well on the things that they focus on. Below, we’ve taken a look at a handful of their most notable features which help to set them apart from the rest. Unique range of markets This, of course, refers to Picklebet’s focus on esports. While they may not have the greatest range of sports on offer, Picklebet are first and foremost a sports betting site dedicated to esports, and this gives them a unique range of markets that few, if any, other bookmakers can match. From Call of Duty to FIFA they’ve got it all, so for fans of esports there is plenty of reason to sign up. Helpful information provided in blog Another great feature of Picklebet is the fact that they write their own blog, which is easily located under ‘Coverage’ on the left-hand side of the website’s home page and which provides a raft of useful information about various esports. Given esports is such a developing industry, this info can really come in handy – particularly those who are a little newer to the concept – and that esports readily offers up previews, tips and more is a great point of difference. Nice website A good website might not be enough to convince you to use a certain bookmaker, but a bad one can certainly be more than enough to send you away. That isn’t an issue with Picklebet, who have put together an aesthetically pleasing, easy-to-use and relatively fast website. You would be hard-pressed to get lost on their site, and most importantly of all, it doesn’t lag or take up too much energy like some other bookmaker sites. Mobile usability It’s become increasingly important in recent years for betting sites to be available on mobile – in fact, as of now it’s virtually a necessity – and Picklebet offers a couple of quality ways in which you can do so. They’ve only recently launched an app and it was initially only available for iOS, but availability will no doubt roll out across further devices in the future, and in the meantime you can also use their mobile website, which is every bit as functional as the real thing. Solid customer service Like mobile usability, customer service seems to grow in importance with every passing year, and bookmakers who don’t make it easy for the people who help them to exist to get in touch with them and have queries resolved can very quickly lose a lot of fans. Picklebet’s most user-friendly form of customer support is their live chat feature, while they also offer a phone number and email, and we found that in general their support team to be both competent and amicable.
Now that we know a little bit about what kinds of sports are available with Picklebet, it’s time to take a look into the markets that they offer for each of them, as well as for esports. As we mentioned a couple of times above, it’s not their diverse range of sports markets which will be the major drawcard for most punters, but they do still offer enough to cover those who generally stick to basic bets, and their offerings for esports are a lot more substantial than many more sports-focused bookmakers trying to branch out into the gaming industry. Picklebet Betting Markets Moneyline Line bets Total markets Half-time/full-time markets Futures Double chance Odd/even markets Picklebet Types of Bets Available Single bets Multi bets
In this modern age, if bookmakers don’t offer their customers an ability to do what they need to do on their mobile, they’re falling a long way behind the pack. Be it via an app or simply a mobile version of the desktop website, betting sites need to allow punters to bet on the go, and Picklebet does just that. They took a little while to get out a mobile app, but as of relatively recently they’ve released one, though it is available only for iOS. It is anticipated that it will be released fairly soon for Android as well, but for the time being you’ll need an iOS device to use it. The app itself is very well-developed, offering essentially a downsized version of the website, and it’s easy to navigate to where you need to go. Importantly, we haven’t had any issues with the app crashing, which can at times be a point of frustration with other bookmakers. If you don’t have an iOS device, or if you just don’t like the app for whatever reason, you can still use Picklebet on your mobile by simply heading to the website on your phone with whatever browser it is that you use. The mobile version of the website is, like the app, very functional – it’s every bit as easy to use as the website itself on the computer, and it’s easy to imagine that some customers would even prefer to use it than open up their laptop. As with the app, this mobile site – at least in our experience – won’t give you too many headaches. It’s easy to find whatever you need to find, generally loads quickly and won’t suddenly lag or close like some other mobile sites we’ve tried out. On the whole, Picklebet does the whole mobile thing pretty well. Their mobile site is a good one while their recently released app is another good alternative to the website itself, though a clear downside is the lack of availability of this app for Android users. As we mentioned it may not be a huge issue for some as there is the mobile site available too, but Picklebet could certainly improve their rating in this metric by adding Android to the list of compatible devices.
Banking is an unavoidable part of punting – you obviously need to be able to quickly and easily transfer money from your bank account to your betting account, and likewise for withdrawing. Virtually every bookmaker in Australia offers the most common payment methods like debit/credit card, but what is available after that can vary significantly from company to company. Picklebet, like many smaller companies, doesn’t offer a whole lot in this regard. They do, as mentioned, offer up credit/debit card, and given this is what many punters use that will be more than enough and the rest of this section is a moot point. If you tend to use another payment method, however, you may struggle to find it with Picklebet. The only other options they have are bank transfer and POLi. These are another couple of fairly common payment methods which may appease some punters, but with those three as the only available options, customers aren’t exactly flooded with choices. There does appear to be some potential for Skrill, a popular ewallet, to be added to the list given that Picklebet offers it overseas, but for the time being we are limited to the aforementioned trio. This may be enough for you – for us it certainly is, as we tend to use credit/debit card, one of the quickest and easiest methods and one which is available with nearly every bookmakers. If you tend to use something like PayPal, however, or another ewallet like Neteller, then you’ll have to either find a new payment method, or a new bookmaker. On a more positive note, the transfers do at least tend to be quick and easy. As is the case with most bookmakers, deposits arrive in your betting account virtually immediately – after all, it’s in their best interests for you to have the money as soon as possible so you can punt with it. Withdrawals can take a little longer depending on which method you use as well as your bank, but for us we found the money generally arrived in our bank between one and three business days after confirming the withdrawal.
If you bet for long enough, eventually you’ll come across a situation in which you need to enlist the help of your bookmaker. That’s why it’s so important that they offer high-quality customer support, which an increasing number of betting sites are doing. Picklebet is no exception. Far and away the easiest way to get in touch with them is through the live chat feature, which can be accessed directly from the home page or by heading to the ‘Contact Us’ section of the website. Live chat agents, in our experience, generally responded almost immediately to any requests or queries that we had, and were typically able to help out. Most bookmakers these days offer live chat but some of the smaller agencies still haven’t established this part of their brand, so it’s a definite tick in Picklebet’s favour that they have this feature. The live chat function should be enough to have most of your issues resolved, though there is also an email address you can send any questions to. Most likely anything you can send via email you can also send via live chat and have a response more quickly, but if you have a particularly long question, don’t have time to hang around and wait for an answer, or simply don’t like talking directly to people online, the email address can come in hand. Picklebet doesn’t offer a phone number, which is the one area of their customer service which is a little lacking. Most bookmakers have a number you can call if you want to speak directly to someone and if you prefer that more direct communication method, Picklebet’s lack of it may be a little frustrating. On the whole, however, with the live chat function as well as an email address you should be more than able to have your queries answered quickly and efficiently, particularly considering that the agents – at least in our experience – are generally fairly helpful.
In this section, we’ll take you through the process you’ll go through to perform a number of important functions with Picklebet, starting off with placing a bet. 🔎How to place a bet with Picklebet There aren’t many bookmakers floating around with whom it’s not pretty straightforward to sign up, and Picklebet are no different. The process is a little different to some competitors, with a small number of details filled out on each screen before you advance to the next step – typically it all occurs on one screen – but given everything loads fairly quickly it didn’t prove too much of an issue. This is how you do it, step by step. Head to the Picklebet website Click the ‘Sign Up’ button in the top right-hand corner of the home page. Fill in your email address and create a password, then click next. Provide your home address, click next, then give your mobile phone number and a couple of other details. Create your username. Click deposit to fund your account. Start punting! 🔎How to place a bet Picklebet makes it pretty easy to place a bet, as you would expect given that is the entire purpose of the organisation’s existence. For starters, you need to make sure that your account is funded, but once you’ve deposited the desired amount of money then you can follow the below steps to place a bet. Locate your desired market, either from the ‘next to jump’ section on the home page or by clicking the league of your desire on the left-hand side of the page. Once you’ve found the exact market on which you wish to bet, click on the odds pertaining to that market. The bet will now appear on the right-hand side of your screen in your betslip. Enter your desired stake into the box which says ‘stake’. Confirm that all the numbers are as you intended them to be. Click ‘Place bet’, and you’re away! 🔎How to check my account details On occasions, you might need to check your account details for a variety of reasons. Perhaps you want to verify your account, or maybe you just want to confirm which email address you’ve linked to your Picklebet account. Accessing it is quick and easy if you follow the steps below. Head to the Picklebet home page. Click on your user name on the left-hand side of the page, then select ‘My Account’ from the drop-down menu which appears. You’ll then be taken to a ‘details’ section of your account, which outlines – unsurprisingly – all of your details. The top of your screen will now show tabs to ‘Verification’, ‘Deposit Limits’, ‘Cooldown’ and ‘About’ Scroll through these options to access whatever it is you need to in your ‘My Account’ section.
If you have any specific questions about Picklebet that haven’t been answered so far, take a look at our answers to some of the most common questions we get asked about them below. ❔Do Picklebet offer betting on sports? Given their focus on esports this is a common question, and the answer is yes – though the range of markets is somewhat limited. Picklebet have added more sports in recent years so you can punt on the footy or other common sports if you want, though they don’t have as many markets as many competitors. ❔Can I watch sports on Picklebet? Not at this point. They are probably a long way off bothering to purchase rights to any non esports events given it’s not a focal point of the company, though it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see them offering streaming of some esports events at some point in the future. For the time being, they do provide links to streams of certain esports events, which then pops up inside the same window as the Picklebet site. ❔Is Picklebet’s customer support team helpful? As always it depends on your query, but typically we found that their customer support team is willing and able to help. It’s easy to get in touch with Picklebet courtesy largely of their live chat feature, and once you do you will usually be able to find an answer to your question. ❔Is signing up with Picklebet easy? Yep – no problems here. There aren’t many bookmakers who have a difficult sign-up process – after all, for many punters this would be reason enough to immediately walk away and use another. Picklebet is no different – you simply click the sign-up button, fill in a few basic details and away you go. ❔Does Picklebet offer good odds? It depends what for. In terms of esports their odds are generally fairly competitive, but once you head towards the sports section you’ll likely find that some of the other bookmakers you use offer odds which are a little more generous. ❔Can I use Picklebet on my mobile? You can, in a couple of different ways. They’ve recently released an app which was initially available only for iOS, and it was quick and functional, just like the website. If your device isn’t compatible, however, or you just dislike apps for whatever reason, they also have a mobile version of their website which is equally as good.
