About Stan James:
The StanJames.com brand has been at the forefront of Sports Betting over the last decade. With innovative markets and value prices StanJames.com has become one of the most acclaimed names within the betting industry.
Based in Gibraltar, it provides sports and other betting for selected European nations and Canada. Stan James not only offers competitive odds on all major sports, but there's also quality poker, casino, games, skill and their all new In-Play service on sports. All of which can be accessed online and by iPhone app.
Betting
You can see the very latest racing, football and other current events neatly listed down the right-hand side of the three column page. Every sport including handball and table tennis is listed down the left-hand column text descriptions of upcoming events spread between across the middle.
It all adds up to a free-flowing, never-ending list of sports betting opportunities. Sign up is straightforward, allowing you to choose preferred odds view and currency and from then on, you don't need to worry about anything else but nailing the right event at the right odds. New sign-ups get a free matching bet of up to £25 when you make your first paid wager.
There are several types of account, Top Up Daily takes money from your bank account and returns your completed winnings at midnight, while Manual accounts let you add money to your Stan James account and let it and your winnings accrue. Twenty-four hour phone support is available, should you experience trouble with your account.
The odds seem very much in line with comparable sites, and you can also keep an eye on them and the latest sporting news via the site's Twitter feed. Stan James offers a huge range of bets on any event, you can bet on the first goal, number of corners, goal time, half-time score and so on. Click on the Diary button, top left and you can see every event from every sport listed, a vast improvement on some of the click-journeys required to find information on some other sites.
Added to all this is the new In-Play section which details all the events currently in action, with live odds and quick and easy access to placing you bet. The left side column also outlines the upcoming main events for the day ahead for all sports (local and international), with starting times. Plus the events coming in the following few days. All odds for these events easily accessible by a simple click. It really couldn't be easier to find the event you want to bet on and then bet on it.
Poker
As with other sites, Stan James also cordially invites you to gamble on poker games (instant Web play, or you can download a poker application provided by Microgaming for a richer experience). You need to sign up to play, even at the free tables, which is a little disconcerting, but hardly out of the ordinary.
Once there though there's a whole range of variety on offer. From progressive jackpots, freerolls, Big Money Sunday, private tournaments, amongst others. You'll also receive loyalty points each time you place a wager, giving incentive to return and become a poker master.
In Tournaments you earn 15 points for every $1 in tournament fees you pay. While in Ring Games (Cash Games) you earn points when you contribute to the pot in a raked hand. The amount of points you earn will depend on the table stakes and game type that you are playing at.
If you're a newcomer you can be eligible for up to a $500 welcome bonus, depending on how much your initial deposit is. As usual it's not as simple as it sounds. For example if you deposit the full $500 you need to earn Loyalty Points 18 times the value of your initial deposit to be eligible for the welcome bonus.
Casino/Games/Skill
The Casino itself offers many types of Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Jacks or Better and a few other diversions to keep you interested. The tables are neatly animated and you can play these for free without registering to get a feel for the place. On the next tabs there are a whole host of Slots, games of chance, scratch cards as well as traditional games like Backgammon and Dominoes. There's plenty of quality games to kill time on, each one allowing minimum expense with a nice potential pay off if you win. These are now now nicely broken down into Casino type games, general games and skill games for easy access to your preferred type.
StanJames also offers mobile betting for Java mobile phone handsets and now as an app download to your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch, so you can place bets from anywhere, any time without needing to be at your PC. There's also the welcome news for Android owners that the Android app is coming soon. So whatever your phone type StanJames is there to make it easier.
The Punter
Each month, Stan James also publishes an issue of their online magazine, 'The Punter'. The magazine is available free to customers both new and old and can be accessed through their website. It is packed full of betting odds, as well as interesting features dedicated to sports and betting.
They are currently on issue 6 and be found at http://betting.stanjames.com/Affiliates/The-Punter .
The whole Stan James package is aimed at the keen punter, with minimum hassle. The site is designed to make it quick and easy to place your bets and get as much information as you need. Stan James really looks like the place to go for keen sports fans, poker players and games enthusiasts, what's not to like? It's a name we trust, offering all the services we need.
Tick Box:
Safe: Yes
Free Demos: Yes
24/7 Support: Yes
Download Required: Optional for Poker and Casino
Promotions: Yes
Live Betting: Yes
Mobile Betting: Yes
Disclaimer: All deals and promotions listed were correct at the time of this review, and are subject to change. For current promotions, please visit the website as listed above. Please feel free to use the comments section to post details of current promotions including, where applicable, valid dates.