AK BETS ranks among the best betting sites on OLBG with some of the best odds available, great horse racing, loyalty rewards and secure licence regulation.
About AK Bets
AK Bets Ireland is an exciting new bookmaker combining competitive odds, fast payouts, and a user-friendly experience for Irish bettors
What OLBG Likes
AK's BIG PRICES - market leading prices on the biggest events
With over 100 different betting sites, finding the best can be confusing. I'll guide you through the features that matter, so you can find the most suitable bookie for you.
With over 100 different betting sites, finding the best can be confusing. I'll guide you through the features that matter, so you can find the most suitable bookie for you.
Full AK Bets Bookmaker Review
AK BETS has transitioned from an on-course bookmaker to an online sportsbook, and is praised by both users and the OLBG team for its strong UK & Irish horse racing coverage, competitive odds, and live streaming.
It also offers a nice new customer promotion with, multiple payment options, huge price boosts and regular racing-focused offers.
Verification at AK BETS is under Irish licence number 1010805.
Luke Bradshaw Lee
- Your Sports Betting Guide đź‘Ť
I focus on reviewing bookmakers with a punter’s eye. In this AK BETS review, I spotlight its strong horse racing focus, market-leading odds, simple but fair welcome offer, solid live streams, all through a strong, regulated Irish licence.
Who are AK BETS?
AK BETS started life as a bookmaker on racecourses – a “rails bookie” – in 2021. Despite making a loss on their first day of trading (something that they mention on their website) they stuck with it, and took over 70,000 bets in their first year of trading. Eighteen months later they launched an online service for their punters and are looking to expand this part of the business over the next few years.
Established in 2021
AKBO Ltd. (Star Racing Ltd Remote Bookmakers Licence in Ireland)
All explained in greater detail in this review, these pros and cons allow users to scan and understand where the strengths lie quickly.
Pros
Market-leading odds across a number of sports, supplemented by their BIG PRICES.
AK'S BIG REWARDS: Daily free bets and free spins to win via their "Club" system.
Personal “Trader Chat” service. Expert traders on hand to help with bespoke betting.
Employs a full time odds compiler for greyhounds, specifically.
Cons
No esports available.
Limited options in terms of payment methods.
First Impression of AK BETS
My First Impressions
Although AK BETS is an independent bookie, with its own license, some bettors will recognise and feel familiar with the layout because it uses a Playbook one, which is similar to bookies such as PlanetSport Bet or BetZone.
It's super simple to use, the navigation works really well and everything is laid out as you would expect. The branding and design are obviously different, and what you get as an overall product in terms of odds, customer service and certain markets, are actually a step above than those other brands mentioned.
There is always a decent amount of in-play betting options, if not loads, and an initial scan suggests that we’re in good hands.The in-play section is super easy to find as part of the main navigation at the top of the page, and it immediately takes us to markets across six different sports.
This is made of football, tennis, golf, cricket and basketball. In short, that’s enough to keep most punters interested. Comparing in-play options with other bookies at the same time although there are definitely some sports not included, and events within the sports that do have in-play markets for, not available, these are some of the more niche markets – think Australian Rules, badminton or esports – or smaller competitions in major sports such as the Asian Games for basketball or the Japanese NPB baseball league, so not a big miss by any means.
You can also earn free bets when live betting through the In-Play Multis Club. With qualifying bets of£50 or more, you'll get free bets in your account by noon the next day.
AK BETS Live Streaming
As it stands AK BETS offers live streaming on horse racing and greyhound racing. For racing, that means all UK and Irish meets are covered, as well as US racing, too. The streams are of a very high quality and up to date, meaning that you can happily place bets on a race and watch live.
AK BETS Betting Odds
After checking some other bookmakers at the same time, plus a few comparison sites, it appears that the odds offered by AK BETS are right up there with the very best. This is especially true when it comes to horse racing, where across a number of different meets, they have some of the best odds around and, if not, at least the same as others out there.
This carries on throughout the site on other sports, where on the whole they appear very competitive, but it's definitely horse racing where they excel.
Betting app or mobile site?
This AK BETS review is undertaken across the app, as much as the desktop version, as much as possible. This is definitely one of AK BETS’ strengths. At no point during this review was I ever trying too long to find something – a relevant section or market, for example. Between the navigation along the bottom, account options on the top-right, and sports/search function on the top-left, you basically have everything covered. Placing bets is simple, with the betslip pop-up feeling neither intrusive or confusing, just exactly what you’re after.
AK BETS put an emphasis on a proper, trusted bookmaker service, that will retain and reward their customers, rather than short-lived promos that don't actually offer that much. Their BIG PRICES are effectively what would be odds boosts on other sites, given how good the value is that they offer from the off. These range across different sports and competitions, and daily markets as well as longterm futures, and are easily found through the bookie's main menu and nav bar.
With this in mind, look out for AK BIG REWARDS. This give loyal customers daily free bets and free spins via their five "clubs". These are: Casino Club, In -Play Multis Club, Virtual Club, US Racing Club and Kennel Club.
In addition, they run Bet Boosts for football that give bettors the opportunity. to earn free spins.
⚽ Football Betting
You can’t launch a general sportsbook in Ireland and not have a good football offering. Even if it’s not your specialty, it’s something that you simply have to cater to. AK BETS’ football section is decent. Actually, it’s more than that, it’s one of the better parts of its product and maybe only second to horse racing in this regard.
At first I thought that the event coverage was a little limited, but the drop-down menu at the top the football section presents an enormous range of leagues across the globe. So, not only are they there, they’re also incredibly easy to find thanks to that function.
While it may not be one of the very best football betting sites, its odds are incredible – one of the very best. You can see how it compares in more detail in the chart below.
Bet Builder
All games with bet builder available have a small “B” logo displayed underneath, and this can be seen across most games. All the major leagues have this as an option and, as is fairly standard across most bookmakers, once you start getting into non-league, or more obscure leagues around the world, the bet builder is no longer an option. One thing I’d like to see is the markets within bet builders grouped – “player markets”, “goal markets” etc. – to make them easier to find, but that’s nit-picking, because overall this is really good.
Cash Out
Cash Out is available at AK BETS. It’s a feature that is now par for the course for bookmakers, so it’s reassuring to see it here. The cash out offered on a bet that I placed was neither incredible, nor awful, but pretty much bang on what I’ve come to expect from the feature generally.
🏇 Horse Racing
The horse racing section at AK BETS is probably the bookmaker’s main strength. There are plenty of markets – all the UK and Irish meets for the day are included – plus a great selection of others from around the globe including Australia, Japan, France and the United States. There are always horses, especially in big meets, that they try to take on in terms of the odds that they offer, meaning there is the potential for huge value for punters here.
Below are A-Z, with Quick Picks, Build a Racecard and Ante Post options all available to navigate your way through the markets. The odds are excellent, as good as any that you’ll find, and it absolutely has to be somewhere you come for horse racing competitive odds. AK BETS doesn’t offer Best Odds Guaranteed on any races, but they do have higher limits and are willing to take bigger bets than a lot of other bookmakers.
Don't miss their US Racing Club, either, where you can earn free bets with qualifying stakes.
🐕 Greyhound Betting
The greyhound betting is exceptional at AK Bets, and that's down to the on track experience of those at the company. There's a full selection of all the day meets, as well as easy access to antepost stuff the next day from the main menu. Each meet has win and each way markets, as well as forecast and tricast options. You can do their quick picks, or build a racecard and personalise your betting for the day ahead. You can earn free bets through their Kennel Club.
It's also worth mentioning that AK Bets is one of the only bookmakers in the country that employs a full time odds compiler for greyhounds specifically. As a result you'll get more special markets and probably the best antepost markets around.
🇺🇸 US Sports Betting
A full range of American Sports is available. Even though the ice hockey and basketball major leagues haven’t begun yet, it’s good to see their outright markets and futures there, alongside global leagues (Finland and German ice hockey, for example).
🏈 American Football Betting
When you land on an American football section, you want to see game lines, with spread, total and moneyline markets right there. That’s exactly what you see at AK BETS.
There is however a real lack of player props, and that goes for outrights also. Case in point, I couldn’t find odds for the Heisman Trophy, or any DPOY, or MVP odds, which is disappointing to see. Also, teams are listed with the home team first, the opposite to how’s it is done in the United States, so bear that in mind when placing your bets.
It’s only a little thing, but it’s also nice to see the team logos next to their names for NFL markets – great for finding markets quickly while scanning or scrolling through.
There is a huge array of leagues on offer at AK BETS. Of course there is the NBA, and it’s good that there are some game odds already, alongside the outrights for Championships and Division winners, but on top of that there is a very good range in world leagues. Basketball punters can choose from matches in Sweden, Turkey, Colombia, Australia, Greece, Spain and a load more on top of that. It’s pretty impressive.
Keep tabs on the top basketball betting sites though, to see if they make it onto our list.
⚾ Baseball Betting
AK BETS' baseball section is adequate. Across its US sports markets it's the same story in a lack of player bets. There’s nothing for Player Bases, Hits, Walks Issued, Strikeouts etc or any player prop market which is frustrating. The markets that they do have for games is decent aside from that, but nothing to write home about.
🎯 Darts Betting
Matthew Edgar
- Your Darts Betting Guide đź‘Ť
In terms of darts betting sites in the UK, AK BETS is great. There are markets for the World Grand Prix, and Modus Series, with outrights on the PDC World Championships, still months away. For the smaller competitions there aren’t lots of markets available, just match winner for some of them, but it’s still good that these events are covered at all. You can imagine other bookmakers just simply not covering them.
I’m always on the lookout for great snooker betting sites. At the time of writing there are markets for the five different tournaments, including the World Championships, Masters and UK Championship. In short, the odds here are exceptional. The odds on upcoming matches are really good, but the outrights on future events are market-leading. Take next year’s World Championships, for example. The top three favourites are listed, in most places, at 4/1, 5/1 and 13/2. At AK BETS you can get the same three at 5/1, 11/2 and 15/2. And this continues to other events, including the UK Championships. It’s the same story with the favourites, and when you go further into the market you can get 40/1 on a player listed at 33/1 in most other places, and 100/1 on players listed at 80s.
Unfortunately, right in the middle of the Rugby World Cup, there aren’t any promotions or boosts on tournament markets, but this is true of every sport pretty much, so I’d have been surprised if rugby was any different.
What makes up for this, however, is how good the odds are, particular for individual games. Outright odds are very good, but the game odds for this week’s fixtures are the longest that I can find and there is some real value to be found.
There does need to be more markets per match, but the odds that they do have are very good when compared to our best rugby betting sites.
🏏 Cricket Betting
James Banting
Expert Guide
It appears that AK BETS doesn’t offer as many markets as some other betting sites, but the odds offered on the ones that they do have are really good. The event coverage is right up there. There are markets on the Cricket World Cup and The Ashes, plus some markets for ODIs and tour matches, plus some women’s T20 Internationals. Betway currently tops our Best Cricket betting site right now, with huge market depth, great odds and lots of promotions. AK BETS actually matches them odds-wise, so hopefully they can up their market depth and they’ll be in with a shout of being one of the best around.
By James Banting - The tennis betting at AK BETS is pretty good. There are all the majors listed for next year, with outrights offered on all, and for upcoming matches there is a decent selection of ATP matches, as well as Challenger Series matches across the world. It doesn’t go down to ITF level, but that’s fine.
The odds are great, though. Scanning the ATP matches over the next couple of days I can definitely get more value here than most of bookies. If they could add in more markets then they’d definitely be closer to getting into the top tennis betting sites on OLBG.
🏌️ Golf Betting
By James Banting - I’d like to see greater event coverage to be honest. Aside from the Ryder Cup and the four Majors, there aren’t any other tournaments listed. There are definitely some LIV Golf Events that I’d expect to see, even if I’m not fully expecting some of the smaller tournaments. That said, the odds are better than most and I’ll definitely be adding AK BETS into my consideration when line shopping.
AK BETS offer a decent range of motor sport markets and event coverage, while their odds seem just about right – nothing amazing, but definitely competitive. Understandably Formula 1 has its own section, while the likes of NASCAR, MotoGP and Speedway can be found through the “Motor Sports” tab in the menu. The F1 offering is fine, but I’d like to see more markets.
This appears to be a solid start for a new bookmaker, without being anything spectacular, although the odds are what really sell it. There is a good list of upcoming bouts, but definitely not as many as some other bookmakers, so some people may have to look elsewhere. On top of that, there aren’t that many markets, particularly on the smaller fights, although these may increase when closer to the time. That said, I can find a number of different outright odds here that are better than pretty much anywhere else which is great news.
While these sports might sound very niche, there is a massive market for fans, and millions of them in Ireland, so good coverage of niche sports and events is key to be reviewed on OLBG; let’s dig in.
AK Bets offers extensive betting options for Handball, volleyball, cycling, AFL betting, and esports. Handball includes global competitions; volleyball, covers European Championships and various tournaments; cycling features future tours and current races; AFL betting has comprehensive stats and esports offers all major games like League of Legends and CS:GO.
🗳️ Political Betting
AK BETS are sure to be one of the best political betting options soon for punters interested in political betting to participate and enjoy the experience.
🎭 Entertainment and Specials
CASINO
AK BETS does have casino. It’s super easy to find their casino offering from their sportsbook, with banners across the top to casino and live casino. Check our Casino Sites page for dedicated new online casinos and slot sites.
You can also check out OLBG’s latest addition; our Best Bingo Sites. All of which are, obviously, sites fully licensed by the Ireland Gambling Commission.
AK BETS Account Opening Process
This couldn’t be easier. Three steps clearly signposted, and only having to input the usual information makes this a very straightforward process. It’s also worth pointing out that just before you finish the sign-up process you can set some responsible gambling limits, toggling on or off different options.
Enter your email address and choose a password. Click “Continue” when you are ready.
Enter your personal information. This includes name, date of birth, contact number, address and a few other bits, including what currency you want to use.
Choose a deposit limit and complete a reality check. When you click “Next”, you’re all done.
Navigation and user experience [desktop v mobile]
The navigation, and the general app design is very good. You can look at it two ways: as a complete betting novice, or as an experienced bettor who has accounts elsewhere.
For the former, everything would feel intuitive. There’s a menu of sports down the left hand side, and offers down the right, with the main panel of markets front and centre. If you're struggling or lost at any point, there’s a search function in the top left of the screen that will allow you to immediately find where you’re going (or see that it's not there and stop your search).
For the experienced bettor, everything will feel familiar. There’s no attempt to jazz things up for the sake of being different – this is how you’d want it, and what you’ll be used to from a number of other sportsbooks.
Placing a bet
This section should only really highlight if there are issues, as the process is almost identical on every site. Within a few minutes of signing up to AK BETS I placed a couple of bets on different sports, one of which took advantage of the welcome offer, and I used their bet builder feature, which was very indeed.
Managing your account
As mentioned above, the design really makes this tick. On the desktop version, it’s stuff left and right of screen (menu and search to the left, account and bets to the right). On the app, it’s top and bottom, with search, account and bets at the top, with a main nav bar at the bottom that can get you to different sports, in-play options and casino (plus return to the home page).
For a brand new bookmaker it’s great to see no glitches, or lags, and it feels like AK BETS have got this sussed from the off.
Responsible Gambling Features
You can set your deposit limit while you’re signing up; long before you’ve got close to actually making a bet.
There is also a Settings tab at the bottom of the page, no matter what page you’re on, that allows you to make changes to limits, as well as odds formats, or odds change preferences/notifications.
There are the following measures within its functionality:
Deposit Limit
Loss Limit
Session Limit
Wagering Limits
Reality Check
Time-Out
Self-Exclusion
Support Groups & Organisations
Advice on Keeping in Control
Parental Controls
Self-Assessment
All are explained in further detail on their safer gambling page. As well as this, on the same page they list links to the likes of the National Gambling Helpline, Be Gamble Aware and the National Gambling Treatment Service.
Bookie Review Expert Contributing Team
Opinion, research and data collection for this review by
James Banting (Horse Racing, Golf and Tennis)
Nigel Skinner (Football and Politics),
Matt Edgar (Darts)
Frank Monkhouse (Boxing)
Andrew Powell (Horse Racing, Ice Hockey and Motor Sports)
This page focuses on what our expert team and users have found when using this specific online bookmaker and app (if there is one), and is a review of the betting product as a whole. We recommend that when signing up for any betting site, you don’t base your decision purely on their current free bets or welcome offers, so read on for a full user review to help you decide.
Banking Options
The deposit process here is simple, accepting different payment methods, and that goes for withdrawals, too. Customers can choose between Visa and other debit card options.
