Starbet Overview from Our Team
Starbet is a licensed bookmaker that has been running a betting site in Kenya since 2021. They also operate a physical betting shop in Nairobi, Kenya, offering Kenyan punters casino games, sports, live games, and virtuals. The bookmaker offers a limited sports selection – tennis, basketball, and football. Although the betting site only accepts M-Pesa payments, has no live chat, does not offer live streaming, takes long to respond to queries, and lacks mobile apps, they make up for this by providing a variety of bonuses and promotions with relatively lenient wagering requirements. They also offer great odds for some football markets, diverse game types, and a lucrative referral program. The site is, however, a good option for punters focusing on the three most popular sports in Kenya.
Starbet Basic Facts
Website
https://starbet.co.ke/ |
Game Types
Sports, Live games, Jackpots, Comet, Shika Madoo, Pragmatic Play, Virtuals, Slot games |
Deposit Methods
M-Pesa |
Withdrawal Methods
M-Pesa |
Apps
No apps |
Betting Functions
Live betting, USSD Betting, SMS betting |
Owner
Lyle Kenya |
Support
Email, Hotline, WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram |
Headquarters
Nairobi, Kenya |
Founded Year
2021 |
Starbet Pros & Cons
Here are some of Starbet strengths and weaknesses;
- Great odds for top football. For some popular football events, Starbet offers great odds with margins between 1 and 2%, giving punters high and competitive payouts for some of the betting markets.
- Diverse bonus programme. Kwikbet offers new and old punters with various offers including cash prizes, Free bet, cash backs, smartphones, weekly and daily jackpots among others. Although Starbet does not offer Welcome bonuses to new customers, they do have many bonuses for both their sportsbook and the online casino. In addition, their wagering requirements for the bonuses are reasonably fair.
- Lucrative referral programme. When an existing customer refers their friends to Starbet they get rewarded with 50% of the first stake their friend stakes. In addition to the referral bonus, there is the Mbogi bonus, which translates to a group bonus. This bonus is for existing customers who refer at least 10 new customers. After 10 successful referrals, the punter qualifies to enter the Kes. 100 000 draw.
- Few sports. Unlike other bookmakers in the Kenyan market, Starbet offers only four sports: football, rugby, tennis, and basketball. This means that punters interested in other major sports and mainstreams don’t have choices and may have to look elsewhere.
- Limited banking options. Starbet only accepts transactions via M-Pesa. As such, punters using e-wallets, bank transfers or even crypto may find the bookmaker inconveniencing. On the bright side, their choice of payment method is the most used form of payment in the country.
- No mobile apps. As of April 2023, Starbet didn’t have any apps. Bettors using smartphones to bet can only use the optimised mobile website to access the bookmaker or feel free to use SMS and USSD betting. The bookmaker promises that they are working towards providing iOS and Android apps for their customers.
- No live streaming. The bookmaker does not provide live streaming service. Even though they offer In-Play betting, punters can’t access livescore, streams, or even statistics. Starbet, however, provides a schedule for live matches and updates on the same.
Starbet Review
Starbet is a bookmaker that offers both sports and online casino games to Kenyan punters. The bookmaker is a registered business owner in the country, with both an online betting site and a physical betting shop in Nairobi. The betting site also operates legally and in line with the gaming, lotteries and betting act of Kenya under licence number BK0000469.
For punters looking for a wide range of sports, Starbet may not be the perfect fit, as their catalogue contains only tennis, football, basketball and rugby. The sports are, however, the top sports in Kenya, which could favour bettors looking to avoid unwanted information about other sports.
As for betting markets, major football leagues are the only ones for which they offer competitive odds.
Starbet bonuses and promotions are their most outstanding provision. If you don’t mind missing the Welcome bonus, you’ll be in for cash backs, Free bet, cash prizes, smartphone promos, car promos, weekly and daily jackpots as well as a referral programme.
For payment methods, Starbet provides the most popular mobile payment system in Kenya – M-Pesa, which doubles as a deposit and withdrawal method. Punters might feel limited, but the method is efficient, especially with the various ways of initiating M-Pesa payments (USSD, Instant, and SMS).
Unfortunately, Starbet lacks mobile apps for punters who enjoy betting on the go. In addition, their customer support is unavailable via live chat and takes a long time to respond to WhatsApp messages and emails.
Starbet | Rating | Comment |
---|---|---|
A range of markets | 4/10 | Just 4 sports, 300+ markets for popular football matches, low margin on top events (around 2%) |
Bonus offers | 5/10 | Weka weka bonus, Lucky hour double bonus, Nyakua Moti bonus, Super Tuesday bonus, Trivia bonus, Zawadika na smartphone promotion, Mbogi bonus. |
Payment methods | 1/10 | M-Pesa |
Apps | 0/10 | No Android or iOS Apps |
Streaming | 1/10 | No live streaming, only live calendar |
Sign-up and support | 3/10 | No live chat |
Starbet Screenshots
Starbet Betting Offers & Promotions
The bookmaker offers many bonuses and promotions. Here are some examples and details on how to claim them.
Here are some general T&Cs that apply to all the offers collectively:
- Starbet offers are only valid for 73 hours (3 days) after receiving them.
- The bonus amount can only be used once in its entirety. For instance, if you receive a Kes. 10 Free bet, you can only use the entire amount to wager on one bet as opposed to placing two Kes. 5 bets.
- Punters can use the bonuses when wagering through SMS, USSD, or on the website.
- Bonuses can only be used on sports. Virtual sports, slots, jackpots and live games are all excluded.
- The maximum payout from Starbet bonuses is Kes. 10 000.
Bonus for new and existing customers. You get 20% of your initial stake back when you lose yourina bet. As long as you’re a registered user and have made a deposit, you can place a bet and qualify for the 20% cash back offer if you lose.
Here are the T&Cs for the Starbet 20% cash back Weka Weka bonus;
- To get the offer, you must make a deposit and wager.
- The offer is 20% of your initial stake or a maximum of Kes. 50.
- If the stake is part deposit and part account balance, only the deposit amount gets considered for the cash back.
- Punters receive the cash back in the form of a bonus, which must be wagered on a selection with minimum odds of 6.
- In case a punter places more than one bet using the money deposited, only the first bet is considered for the bonus.
- The offer is available only once per punter, IP address, family, and user in the case of shared devices.
Get a Kes.10 Free bet every Tuesday as long as you’ve registered, made a deposit and wagered on any sport. How does it work? Punters who have placed bets throughout the week before Tuesday qualify for the offer. If you place your bets on Tuesday, you qualify for the offer on the following Tuesday.
Here are the T&Cs of the Starbet Super Tuesday Bonus:
- You must be a registered user with an active balance.
- Bets placed on Tuesday qualify during the following week.
- The Free bet is worth at least Kes. 10.
- If you qualify for the offer, the bonus gets credited to your bonus account.
- To redeem the Free bet, your bet must contain a total minimum odds of 6.0.
- All winnings from the bonus get credited to punters’ main accounts.
Starbet Odds
Odds determine how much punters and betting providers make from bets. As such, it’s essential that we discuss the quality of odds Starbet is offering on three major sports by calculating margins for the two major betting markets: 1X2 and Over/Under.
- Football. For the LaLiga match between Cadiz CF and CA Osasuna, Starbet odds for the 1X2 market are as follows: Cadiz to win (2.40), a draw (3.25) and CA Osasuna to win (3.40). The bookmaker, therefore, has a commission of 1.81% from bets on this market.
- Basketball. Starbet odds for the EuroLeague match between Real Madrid and KK Partizan Belgrade for the 1X2 market are as follows: Real Madrid to win (1.33) a draw (16.00) and KK partizan Belgrade to win (3.50). Thus, the margin is 9.10%
- Tennis. Starbet odds for the ATP Munich, Germany Men Singles match between Rune, Holger and Hanfmann, Yannick sets for the 1×2 markets are as follows: Rune, Holger to win (1.20) Hanfmann, Yannick to win (3.20). The bookmaker’s margin is 12.73%.
For some football matches, the margin gets as low as 2% while for others it’s higher than 7%. Tennis odds are pretty poor, as the margin is higher than 10%.
Sport | Ligue | Date | Match | Margin for 1X2 | Margin for Over/Under |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Football | LaLiga | 25/04/23 | Cadiz CF vs CA Osasuna | 1.81% | 5.44% |
Football | Algerian Ligue 1 | 18/04/23 | CS Constantine vs Paradou AC | 10.20% | 7.24% |
Football | Egypt Premier League | 20/04/23 | Al Masry Club vs Ismaily FC | 10.70% | 9.12% |
Basketball | EuroLeague | 25/04/23 | Real Madrid vs KK Partizan Belgrade | 9.10% | 7.485% |
Basketball | France Pro A | 20/04/23 | AS Monaco vs Sig Strasbourg | 8.32% | 12.50% |
Basketball | Iran Super League | 20/04/23 | Mahram Tehran vs Palayesh Naft Abadan | 8.31% | 12.50% |
Tennis | ATP Munich, Germany Men Singles | 20/04/23 | Rune, Holger vs Hanfmann, Yannick | 12.73% | 10.76% |
Tennis | ATP Barcelona, Spain Men Singles | 20/04/23 | Nishioka, Yoshihito vs Sinner, Jannik | 13.26% | 10.51% |
Every punter, novice or seasoned, can learn to calculate the margins when selecting the best bookmakers. Here is the formula:
Margin = (1/betting odds on the home team to win + 1/betting odds on both teams to draw + 1/betting odds on the away team to win – 1) * 100
Let’s calculate the margin using the above mentioned Spanish LaLiga match Cadiz CF vs CA Osasuna: {(1/ 2.40 + 1/ 3.20 + 1/3.40) – 1} x 100 = 1.81%.
Starbet Sports and Markets
Unfortunately, a wide range of sports is not something Starbet offers. The only sports available at the bookmaker are tennis, basketball, and football. Although they have listed rugby as one of their sports, they don’t provide odds on it currently. However, these few sports Starbet offers are all among the most popular in Kenya.
Here’s a summary of the sportsbook’s sports and major tournaments:
- Football: EPL, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, Ligue 1, Championship, and Super League.
- Basketball: EuroLeague, Pro A, Superliga, etc.
- Tennis: ATP, WTA, Challenge
Football
Football is the leading sport at the bookmaker, with at least 100+ matches daily. Starbet offers odds for pre-game and In-Play bets for a variety of markets. In addition, football coverage includes both major international tournaments and local matches in over 50 countries world-wide. Popular leagues punters can wager on at Starbet include major tournaments from England, Spain, Germany, and France. African football matches are also well represented: whether it’s the Egypt Premier League, the Moroccan Trapdoor, or the Algerian Ligue 1, you can find it all here.
As for the football betting markets, you can access various categories including the main markets, goals, 1st half & 2nd half markets. Popular markets available include totals (Over/Under), win margins, double chance, draw no bet, handicap, exact, both teams win, handicap 1×2, cleansheet, and 1X2. For top matches, Starbet offers around 300 betting markets.
In addition to the variety of markets, Starbet provides filters that help with accessing bets fast. Although the bookmaker indicates that they provide stats, livescore, and live streaming, we couldn’t successfully access the services.
Basketball
Starbet covers basketball tournaments from over 40 countries and offers a variety of betting markets on each of these tournaments. Some of the tournaments featured include the Euroleague, Pro A, CBA, NBL, KorisLiiga, Liga Nationala and others. Surprisingly, we couldn’t find the NBA. Market categories range from main to half/full time and Goals. Popular markets available include Over/under, double chance, exact goals, 1×2, both teams to score and handicap among others. Starbet average basketball margins range between 8%-13%.
Tennis
Compared to other bookmakers, the number of tennis events they cover is relatively low, but they at least cover major tournaments. Starbet only offers odds for WTA, ATP tournaments and Challengers. They provide betting markets such as specials, games markets, and sets. Popular options available include winners, handicap, totals, 1st set correct score, 1st winner, set handicap, and home to win a set, among others. Starbet has at least 30 different markets per match. Of the three sports available, tennis has the lowest odds.
Starbet Payment Methods
M-Pesa is the only available banking method at Starbet KE. Although the options are limited, they are efficient and easily accessible for punters. Also, there are different ways of initiating a transaction via M-Pesa such as via SMS, instant deposits, and by using the bookmaker’s Paybill number.
Payment method | Deposit amount | Withdrawal amount | Withdrawal time |
---|---|---|---|
M-Pesa | Kes. 10 – No limit | Kes. 49 – No limit | Within 24 hours, Mon-Fri |
How to Make a Deposit to Starbet
- Login to your Starbet account.
- Go to “Deposit” at the top-right side of the website’s Homepage. If you’re using your smartphone, you’ll see a green “Deposit” button at the top of the site.
- Enter the amount you wish to transfer from your M-Pesa account.
- Click “Deposit” to initiate the transaction via your mobile.
- Enter your M-Pesa pin when prompted on your phone.
- Confirm payment and wait for a confirmation text from M-Pesa.
- Refresh the website to view your updated balance.
You can also make a deposit via M-Pesa paybill, here’s how:
- On your mobile phone, go to your STK or M-Pesa app.
- Select “Lipa na M-Pesa” from the menu.
- Enter 523388 as your business number.
- Use your phone number as the account number. You don’t have to.
- Enter the amount you wish to send.
- Provide your M-Pesa pin.
- Complete the transaction and wait for a confirmation text from M-Pesa.
How to deposit using Starbet USSD short code
- Dial *680# on your phone.
- Select option 7, which is “Deposit”.
- Enter the deposit amount.
- Enter your M-Pesa pin to confirm and authorise the transaction.
How to Withdraw from Starbet
To withdraw cash from your Starbet account you can use:
SMS withdrawal:
Send the following text to the number 29590. Withdraw#Your M-Pesa pin#amount. So, if, for instance, you wish to withdraw Kes. 500, the text should look like this: Withdraw#1234#500.
Online withdrawal to M-Pesa
- Login.
- Go to “withdraw” next to the deposit option at the top of the site on the right corner. If you’re using your mobile, the option to withdraw is available on the menu on the funds section.
- Confirm your M-Pesa number. Starbet uses the number used to make deposits as the default account for withdrawal.
- Enter the amount you wish to transfer to your M-Pesa account.
- Click the “Withdraw” button and wait to receive the confirmation text as well as your money.
USSD Code withdrawal
You can also use *680# to make a withdrawal.
Here’s how:
- Dial *680# on your phone.
- Select “Withdraw” which is option number 3.
- Enter the amount to withdraw and click “Ok”.
- Wait for confirmation.
Please note that to use the SMS and USSD options you’ll need to have credit on your mobile phone.
Starbet App
As of April 2023, Starbet didn’t have any mobile apps for Android or iOS users. The desktop and optimised mobile websites are the only ways to access the bookmaker. Starbet customer support confirmed that they were working on providing the apps in the future. Using the sites is a little problematic since they are slow, and we can only hope that mobile apps will make using the Starbet betting services more convenient.
Starbet Security
Starbet KE is a legally registered business entity in Kenya under the name “STARBET”. In addition, the bookmaker has acquired a licence from the Betting Control and Licensing Board of Kenya, number BK 0000469. This means that the bookmaker has satisfied the regulatory standards for both businesses and betting sites as defined by the Kenyan law. As such, participating in any betting activities on Starbet does not implicate anyone.
In addition, the bookmaker uses 256 bit SSL encryption and owns a security certificate issued by an organisation known as Let’s Encrypt. The bookmaker has a privacy policy that is clear on how user information is handled, stored, protected, and recovered. Starbet also monitors betting activities to flag unusual activities that may suggest money laundering and reports them to the authorities.
Lastly, the betting site provides stake limits and a self exclusion programme where punters can either permanently or temporarily restrict themselves from gambling in case it turns problematic.
Bet hereStarbet Frequently Asked Questions
Is Starbet sportsbook legal and where?
Starbet is legal in Kenya and is licensed by the BCLB, licence number BK 0000469.
Does Starbet sportsbook have a mobile app?
No. As of April 2023, Starbet did not have any mobile apps. Only a mobile optimised web is available for smartphone users.
How to use a Starbet Free bet?
The Super Tuesday Free bet bonus cannot be withdrawn without staking it first. So, make sure that you use the Free bet entirely on a single bet whose selections have minimum odds of 6.0 in total. Also, the Free bet is valid for 3 daily after which it won’t be available for use. If your bet wins, you’ll automatically receive the winnings in your betting account.
What is the minimum and maximum bet on Starbet?
The minimum stake at Starbet is Kes. 1 and the maximum stake limit is not set as long as your maximum payout does not exceed Kes. 2 000 000.