If you’re familiar with the term “MOBA” or know what Starcraft, Counterstrike, over Overwatch is, then you may already know about the unique premise of Unikrn.
I could say that it’s a sportsbook solely dedicated to esports betting, but it’s so much more. The focus is 100% on esports, but the services within Unikrn expand beyond traditional wagering. In fact, cash betting is only allowed in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Ireland, but Unikrn.com is accessible practically everywhere.
As Unikrn.com is essentially two different services that correspond with your country of residence, this review will break down into two parts within each section.
Just keep in mind, if you live in one of the four countries I’ve outlined, you can bet for real money. Everyone else can still use Unikrn to place wagers, but they’ll be making them with Unikoins. Winnings can then be used to enter different drawings for prizes ranging from skins to gaming chairs to digital gift cards.
By the way, if you’re a newbie to the world of esports and gaming, MOBA is short for Multiplayer Online Battle Arena.
Who Can Play at Unikrn.com?
Regardless of where you live, you need to be at least 18 years of age of older. Unikrn.com is owned by a US-based company and does provide legal esports gaming and betting services.
While most people, including Americans, can use the website, anyone who lives in the US states of Arizona, Iowa, Louisiana, Montana, and Washington are prohibited from any interaction.
If you’re 18 or older and live in the UK, Ireland, Australia, or New Zealand, Luxbet is incorporated into the mix. Luxbet, through Tabcorp Holdings, has a presence in Australia as well as in Europe. It’s licensed in the Isle of Man and facilitates real cash betting on the esports events.
The Unikrn Team
Gaming entrepreneurs Rahul Sood and Karl Flores founded Unikrn, Inc. in 2015. You may be interested to know that Ashton Kutcher and Mark Cuban are part of the investment team, though, and a total of $10 million was raised before the inaugural year’s end primarily due to crowdfunding.
In the four countries that allow for real cash wagers, racing and sports corporate bookmaking operator, Luxbet (Tabcorp Holdings) handles that end of the operation. You can tell the difference between a Unikoin-only location and cash operation by going to the FAQs.
Luxbet only appears in the left side menu in the four allowable countries and offers up deposit and withdrawal information for punters who want in on “money over Unikoin” action.
Unikrn’s services are licensed by the Isle of Man and approved by the UK Gambling Commission for Irish and British bettors. In Australia, Unikrn and Luxbet are regulated by the Northern Territory Racing Commission.
The Good and The Bad
PROS
- No Cash Required
- Bettors Can Also Be Players
- Prizes That Esports Enthusiasts Appreciate
Cons
- Cash Betting Is Limited
- Banking Options
No Cash Required
You don’t need to live in one of the four countries (UK, Ireland, Australia, or New Zealand) to be able to do some “betting” on Unikrn.com. In most places, you can’t win cash, but you can win Unikoins that are used as raffle entries for prizes ranging from skins to gift cards.
Bettors Can Also Be Players
While you won’t be a part of the pro team, you can still test out your skills in the esports arena by using Steam as your gaming resource. Play Rocket League to earn Silver and Gold which can be accumulated through CS:GO, DOTA 2, or League of Legends participation.
Prizes That Esports Enthusiasts Appreciate
Players earn Silver and Gold Unikoins and then can decide how to risk them. They can acquire them through gameplay and then by winning their bets in the sportsbook. Although Unikoins don’t convert to cash, they are used to gain entry into different prize drawings that feature skins, gaming chairs, and other esports-related gifts as well as digital gift cards from companies like Amazon, iTunes, and Visa.
Cash Betting Is Limited
Unless you live in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, or the United Kingdom, you’re out of luck concerning real cash betting. Those are the only licensed and regulated regions for money wagers. Everyone else is betting with virtual currency and hoping that it’s enough to win one of the prizes they desire the most.
Banking Options
Credit and debit cards are the primary payment methods used where cash wagers are accepted. Unikrn is not set up for e-wallets or prepaid cards like Paysafecard, so punters looking to win actual money must pull out a Visa or Mastercard
Esports Selections
Unlike our typical reviews, there aren’t any long lists of betting opportunities or casino games. Instead, Unikrn provides the top esports betting opportunities that include:
- League of Legends
- Counter-Strike: GO
- DOTA2
- Overwatch
- Rocket League
- Starcraft 2
- Heroes of the Storm
- Call of Duty
- Hearthstone
- World of Tanks
- FIFA
For the closest thing to traditional sports, you have FIFA, which is football. But, there’s also Rocket League that features football (soccer) using rocket-powered cars. The other events are
primarily first person shooter games and MOBA matches.
What makes Unikrn such an exciting proposition, though, is that bettors aren’t merely bystanders. They can participate in the same esports that they’re wagering. While they won’t be on the same server as the professionals, the gaming experience is the same.
Actual participation is what builds up the Unikoin bank balance and positions users to be able to participate in different drawings for prizes they select.
Promotions
I did say there would be different information depending on a player’s location, and promotions are a prime example of that.
Non-Cash Players
For non-cash participants, the promotions take place in the form of jackpot prizes. To be in contention for them, you need to earn Gold or Silver Unikoins.
You can collect this virtual currency through the Unikrn Vault App in three ways:
- Complete the tutorial
- Daily quests on the website – betting in the sportsbook and social media quests that involve spreading the word about Unikrn
- Playing one of the four designated games: Rocket League, DOTA2, CS:GO, or League of Legends
Once you accumulate tickets, you can decide how to strategize your prize drawing participation. Prizes rotate through, and current drawings can be found in the “jackpots” section. You can spread out your tickets or wait and collect enough to better your chances of being picked. It’s easy to follow the process as there is a countdown timer and number of tickets that are currently in the running for each gift.
Remember, it’s not a straight “ticket for prize” setup. You need to collect the tickets and then be lucky enough to win the drawing(s).
Cash Players
If you live in the United Kingdom, there is a welcome bonus offer for you, just like you’d find on traditional online casinos or sportsbooks.
New players can take advantage of a £50 deposit-matching offer, and the only stipulations for using the bonus is that you need to make single bets of £5 or more on events with 1.50 odds and play everything through at least once.
Banking
Whereas banking is usually one of the essential elements to an online betting account, in this case, it takes a back seat in most locations because it’s non-existent.
Unless you live in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, or the UK, you don’t need to worry about transferring money in and out of a betting account, because you’re dealing with a virtual site-only currency called Unikoins.
The absence of real cash betting is what allows the Unikrn service to be a legal and viable option in most places around the globe. The only specifically-noted exclusions are the five US states that I’ve already outlined. Everyone else can play the games, rack up Unikoins, and get themselves in the running for some desirable prizes.
In the United Kingdom and Ireland, Visa Debit, Visa Credit, and Mastercard are the only acceptable forms of payment for deposits or withdrawals. Payouts have a quick two to three business day turnaround, and no fees are assessed.
In Australia, in addition to card payments, bank transfers are also possible through the Commonwealth of Australia bank.
There haven’t been any reported payout issues. Luxbet and Tabcorp are not new players to the online betting game. They’ve been around since 1994, so there’s a solid foundation supporting the relatively new Unikrn endeavor.
Deposit and Withdrawal Methods – UK
- Visa Debit
- Visa Credit
- Mastercard
Deposit and Withdrawal Methods – Australia
- Visa Debit
- Visa Credit
- Mastercard
- Commonwealth of Australia Bank Transfers
Earning Unikoins
- To earn Silver Unikoins: Players need to be connected through their Steam account and play Rocket League.
- To earn Gold Unikoins: Players need to be connected through their Steam account and play either CS:GO (Counterstrike), LoL (League of Legends) or DOTA2.
Customer Service
Customer service representatives are standing by that can be reached via email or phone in areas where the service is on a virtual coin basis. You can either email [email protected] or call 001 224 339 6457.
In cash-allowable locales, there’s also a live chat, but it’s easier to click on Luxbet in the FAQ area as most questions are already addressed in a comprehensive help section. You’ll find information on bonuses, banking, and everything else associated with Unikrn.com, as well as Luxbet’s part of things.
Would I play at Unikrn.com?
Unikrn is a very exciting concept, as it is unlike most anything else online today. It’s a sports betting site where bettors can also be players, at least on some level. If you’re proficient in an esport like CS:GO, it’s even more exhilarating, as you’ll be able to play the game yourself, as well as bet on the pros.
I wouldn’t consider Unikrn to be a sportsbook, nor is it a gaming portal. It’s more of an all-encompassing esports “go to” that includes betting, raffle prizes, link ups to Steam for real game participation, streaming of some of the matches, and a news center for all things esports.
While some players can indeed get in on cash betting and will find the top matches ever-available to them, it’s also a “bet for fun” concept without risk. Users don’t need to transfer any money to still have fun wagering.
They can complete playing or social media quests and then use the tickets in the e-sportsbook to try to accumulate even more. While the prizes aren’t guaranteed as they are issued through random drawings, they are enticing enough to make the entire process exciting and interactive.
Although it only has two years of operation under its belt, Unikrn, Inc. has a team of experts behind it as well as the necessary financial backing and proper licensing and regulation. It’s far from a fly by night proposition, so that should alleviate any concerns of potential users of the service. I certainly would not hesitate to register an account or participate in the fun of esports through Unikrn.