At SBO.net we keep you up to date with all the latest developments in online sports betting. One of the fastest-growing trends in the UK is Boku betting. This new mobile payment system allows you to bet using mobile phone credit and is growing in popularity.
That’s why our team has researched this new payment method and found out everything you need to know.
In this guide you’ll find:
Best Boku Sports Betting Sites. Betting sites that accept Boku were once few and far between, but this payment method is becoming increasingly popular for betting with for betting with apps. From our research this is a list of the best Boku betting sites. Bet365 is one of the biggest betting sites that accept Boku. All Bet365 customers that don’t have a bank account or access to any of the online payment options can use Boku to top up their accounts with no extra fees, instantly. Jan 23, 2021 Best Boku Betting Sites Below is a table that provides you with the industry's brightest competitors: betting sites that accept Boku as their customer's main payment option. Top Boku betting site candidates include William Hill, Betfair, Paddy Power, Betfred, 888Sport, and many more, as you will see further down the table. Feb 04, 2021 Boku betting sites are online or mobile bookmakers that lets you add cash and bet using phone bill credit. So you’re in luck, as we have managed to locate the select few that allow sports betting using Boku. As it’s a relatively new option for online and mobile betting sites, you may not be aware of the major benefits of betting using Boku. There are two ways to deposit using Boku on betting sites, which will depend on whether the bookmaker directly offers it as a payment method or not. In cases where Boku is offered as a payment method, such as at BoyleSports, making a deposit is very straightforward.
Terms & Conditions: T&Cs Apply. Full terms apply.
What is Boku Betting?
Boku betting is where you use the mobile payment system, Boku, to fund a betting account. Boku works by allowing you to pay for something straight away with your phone and then adds it to your next phone bill.
For example, you want to make a £10 bet. You use your phone to pay with Boku – you get the £10 credited to your betting account and then that £10 is added to your normal phone bill next time you pay it.
Boku launched in 2009 and is based in the US. It serves customers from around the world and is available as a payment option on services such as the App Store Google Play Store and Spotify. Impressively, Boku currently processes $3.6 billion in payments every year and their place in the world of online payments isn’t changing any time soon. At the moment though, Boku is only available on a handful of UK betting sites.
How Bet Using Boku
Sites that accept Boku will allow you to fund your account through the cashier, just like you would with any other deposit method. As long as your mobile network provider has an existing deal with Boku (most major companies do) you don’t need to register or set up account, you just enter your mobile phone number at the cashier.
If you’re unfamiliar with depositing at an online bookmaker, take a look at our step by step guide below:
- Sign up to one of our recommended Boku betting sites and click on the Cashier button – this is usually located along the top navigation bar.
- Enter the relevant details required and choose the amount you wish to deposit. Boku will then send you a confirmation text. Reply with ‘Y’ to confirm the payment.
- If your welcome bonus has a deposit code, then make sure you enter it at this stage. Hit ‘Submit’ when you’re happy with your selection.
- In most cases, the money will appear in your account in seconds, and you’re ready to start betting.
The Benefits of Using Boku Betting Sites
Football Betting Sites
There are a range of benefits to using Boku betting sites including:
Boku Betting Sites Online
No Fees
With lots of payment methods, bookmakers charge you a small fee to deposit or withdraw from their site. This is not the case with Boku as all deposits are completely free of charge.
Bet Now, Pay Later
One of the great things about Boku betting is the convenience it provides. If you see a bet you want to make you can quickly fund your account with Boku and then sort the payment out with your next phone bill.
Safety and Security
Many people use Boku because it means they don’t have to use their banking details online. When you bet using Boku, the payment you make later is to your phone company so there’s no risk of adding your banking details to a new website.
Speed and Convenience
Setting up a new Boku account is really quick and once that’s done, depositing at Boku betting sites is even quicker. You can also make deposits at sites that accept Boku no matter where you are. If you travel abroad you’ll still be able to deposit using Boku.
Combine Boku with Neteller
If your preferred betting site doesn’t accept Boku betting directly, you can always use Neteller. As Neteller it is one of the most common payment methods and is accepted by all of the top UK bookmakers, that’s a great way of still paying with mobile.
The Cons of Boku Sports Betting
Like all deposit methods, with Boku, there are some downsides as well as the positives. They include:
Small Number of Boku Betting Sites
Boku is a relatively new payment method, especially when it comes to online sports betting. As such, lots of bookies are still in the process of adding the method to their site and at the moment there are only a select few that accept it.
No Direct Withdrawals
Boku betting does give a level of security and peace of mind as you don’t have to input your banking details to make deposits. You will however have to do this if you want to make withdrawals from your betting account. A great way around this issue is using Neteller as suggested above.
Deposit Limit
The maximum you can deposit with Boku per day is currently £30, so it’s not recommended for punters who like to wager more than that. Depending on which way you look at it though, it can be quite a useful tool.
Set Deposit Amounts
If you want to make a bet using Boku, be aware that you can only deposit to your account in amounts set by the company, usually £5, £10 and £20 at a time. You can’t tailor the exact amount you want to deposit with Boku.
Where Can You Use Boku?
One of the great things about Boku betting is that you can do it from most major countries in the world. Boku currently operates in over 60 countries and has deals with 250+ major phone networks.
A selection of the countries where Boku is available includes:
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Australia
- China
- France
- Germany
- India
- The Netherlands
- Poland
- Spain
There are many more territories where Boku is available, if you want to check in your country, visit the Boku website to find out more.
Is it a Good Idea to Bet Using Boku?
It really depends what you are looking for in your sports betting experience. Boku does have some great perks but there’s also some downsides as well. However, this is to be expected and is the same for nearly every depositing method at online bookies.
If you’re looking for speed and convenience, it doesn’t get much better than Boku. You probably won’t even need to sign up and if you use a Boku betting site, you’ll be able to deposit your funds and make a bet almost instantly.
You don’t even need a bank account or phone contract to bet with Boku. It’s possible to bet using mobile phone credit. It works in exactly the same way, the payment is just taken instantly from your balance, rather than taken from your next bill.
If you bet infrequently Boku would work perfectly, or if you’re the sort of person who makes one off bets at major sporting events, again Boku is definitely worth considering. However, if you make regular sports bets, there might be better options for you.
The fact that you can’t withdraw directly with Boku is a bit of a hang-up for us. Although this isn’t unique in the world of online betting, it will definitely put a lot of punters off. It’s not a deal breaker, especially if you’re only making occasional bets, however if you bet on your favourite sport every weekend or even once a month, there are lots of other options that will allow both deposits and withdrawals to and from the same place.
Our Favourite Boku Betting Site
If you want to use Boku as a deposit method for sports betting, you can’t go wrong with Bet365. It’s consistently one of the leading bookmakers in the UK across a range of really important factors including:
- Average odds
- Range of sports and markets
- Customer support and reputation
At the moment, Bet365 don’t accept Boku as a direct payment method, however you can use Boku and Neteller in combination to make your bets. This takes a little bit more effort than using Boku directly, however if you win a bet at Bet365, you will need to arrange a separate withdrawal method anyway. If you have Neteller ready to go, you’ll be ready to withdraw your winnings immediately.
Bet365 is a market leader in UK betting and for good reason. If you’re looking for one place to bet using Boku, Bet365 is our top choice. You can get a great welcome bonus and if you want to bet live and in-play, they also have an outstanding betting app available.
Find Bet365 in our table
Alternatives to Boku
There is a load of great options if you’re looking to fund your account at a top betting site but don’t want to use Boku. A few years ago, options were more limited, but with the rise of prominent e-wallets, cryptocurrencies and mobile payment services like Boku, you’re spoilt for choice.
Neteller is one of the world’s most popular e-wallets and has customers worldwide. Neteller is accepted by all of the best betting sites and many punters choose e-wallets as they provide convenience. As previously mentioned, you can also use Neteller in combination with Boku.
One of the most recognisable names in online payments, PayPal has an excellent reputation and is trusted by millions. PayPal guarantees safety, security and due to its popularity is accepted at nearly all online betting sites.
Still one of the most popular choices for online betting, debit and credit cards are widely accepted and are used by many punters. One of the biggest plus points for using this method is the convenience. Many bettors use this option because it’s quick and they don’t have to set up anything else.
Betting with cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum are becoming more and more common. There are entire betting sites set up to accept bets in these currencies but it’s also becoming more common to see regular bookmakers accepting this as a banking method.
Similar to Neteller, Skrill is an e-wallet that has been operating for many years and is trusted to handle millions in transactions every year. Skrill also gives convenience and allows punters to move their money with ease.
Related Articles
Online bookmakers and betting sites are always looking for ways to make their services more accessible to a greater number of potential users. To that end, some bookies have now started accepting Boku, a modern mobile payments platform, as a deposit method.
In this guide we’ll show you the best Boku accepting betting sites and, for those who don’t already know, explain what Boku and depositing via your mobile phone bill is all about.
Top Boku Betting Sites
- #1
What Is Boku
Boku is a mobile payment platform, which allows users to pay for goods and services using only their mobile phone number/bill. That type of mobile payment is known as carrier billing and simply adds the cost of purchases to a user’s monthly telephone bill in the same way as charges for certain phone calls or the use of additional data would be billed.
How Does It Work?
Carrier billing, as provided by Boku, allows customers without a bank account or credit card – or who don’t wish to use their account or card online – to make purchases online using only their mobile phone. A large number of merchants and online service providers now accept Boku as a payment method (or deposit option in the case of online betting) and most major mobile phone carriers also work with Boku.
Where it is offered as an option by a merchant, a consumer can select it in the same way as they might choose the ‘Pay by Card’ or ‘Pay by PayPal’ option.
Then, instead of entering traditional payment or financial details, they can simply enter their mobile phone number when and where prompted. Assuming their mobile phone carrier is affiliated with Boku – many of the major ones are – they will then receive a text asking them to verify their identity. Once they’ve done that, their transaction is complete and the cost of that transaction will be added to their next monthly phone bill along with call charges and other payments.
Best Betting Sites: Top 6
The following is a list of best Boku betting sites and their limits:
- Boylesports: £5 – £30 per day
- 888Sport*: £10 upwards
- William Hill*: £10 – £100,000
- Coral*: £5 – no max
- Betfred*: £5.50 upwards
- Paddy Power*: £5 upwards
Boku Deposit Betting Sites
*Boku funding Neteller account.
Boku Deposits At Neteller
Boku is a comparatively new deposit method and as such is only currently offered by a small handful of online betting sites. There is a relatively simple way, however, of essentially using Boku to deposit to a much wider range of betting sites. That can be achieved by using e-wallet service Neteller as a kind of go-between.
Neteller allows users to deposit to their e-wallets via Boku and the vast majority of online betting sites allow deposits via Neteller. To deposit to a betting site which doesn’t directly accept Boku, therefore, a punter can fund a Neteller account via the mobile payment service and then deposit to their chosen betting site from that Neteller account.
Top 3 Neteller Accepted Bookmakers:
- #1
- #2
- #3
*Listings accurate as of 05-02-2021 (UK market).
Pros & Cons
As is the case with any and every potential deposit method, there are both pros and cons to using Boku for depositing to an online betting site. The main examples of each are as follows:
Pros
- You can deposit to an online betting site without giving that site credit card, debit card or other sensitive financial details.
- Depositing via Boku is available to anyone with a mobile phone contract.
- Boku deposits can be completed quickly and easily, whether you’re at home or on the move (assuming you have your phone with you).
- When depositing to gambling sites via Boku, the amount you can deposit per week is automatically limited. This is a good way to keep in control of gambling expenditure.
Cons
- Boku is quite a new way of depositing to online betting sites and as such there are still currently only a handful of sites who offer the option. There is, however, a little workaround which we will discuss below.
- If you want to deposit large amounts, then the limits imposed by Boku will make other deposit options more suitable.
- Certain welcome offers and bonuses are not available to punters who deposit via Boku.
- There is currently no mechanism by which to withdraw funds or winnings via Boku. You will need to link a PayPal, other e-wallet or bank account to your betting account in order to make a withdrawal.
Company History – Where Did Boku Come From?
2009
Boku was founded in the US by Mark Britto, Ron Hirson and Erich Ringewald. The company acquired UK firms, Mobillcash and Paymo, and launched their Boku Checkout payment platform.
2012
The company acquired Indian carrier billing company, Qubecell.
2013
Boku partnered with Sony Playstation, allowing people for the first time to purchase games, movies and TV shows via their mobile phone.
2014
Boku solidified their position in the PC gaming field by acquiring principle rivals, Mopay.
2015
Boku rolled out their Boku Account product worldwide.
2016
Boku Acquire, a third different product, was launched.
2017
Over $1 billion worth of payments were handled by the company in a single year.
2018
Boku acquires Danal (specialists in authentication and phone indentity) to improve security procedures, in a deal worth $68 million.
FAQ
It, therefore, takes an absolute maximum of just a couple of minutes. Once that process is completed, too, your deposited funds will appear in your betting account pretty much instantly.