You’ll be reading this several times throughout this review so let’s just kick off with it. Pinnacle is a premiere global sportsbook that caters to experienced bettors.
The sportsbook’s Reduced Juice odds make up for the absence of bonus offers, it offers some of the highest limits available, is Arbitrage friendly, and abides by a “Winners Welcome” policy. That’s not to say that all players aren’t welcome. In fact, the lowest bet starts out at just €1. But, whereas some sportsbooks favor recreational type players, this one happens to be one of the big guys that cater to those sharp bettors.
The website is privately owned and has been around nearly 20 years since its 1998 debut as ”Pinnacle Sports.” It launched with a slightly different premise than many of its competitors as it shied away from bonus programs for its sports clientele. Instead, it was the first sportsbook to offer reduced margins or reduced juice. The company bet on a higher turnover activity to offset their profit margin, and they won.
In 2016, they finally acquired the pinnacle.com domain and, ever since, has been known simply as Pinnacle. It’s one of the world’s largest online sportsbooks that’s fully licensed and regulated, and its customer base encompasses 200 countries.
Pinnacle.com currently hosts a casino and a live casino, and used to have a full racebook but, in 2008 it ceased its North American horse racing operation. This change in strategy followed shortly after its exit from the United States in January of 2007.
At the time, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 was just passed in the U.S. so, even though other offshore operators did continue to offer online betting for Americans, the site voluntarily pulled out of their most lucrative market. In 2006, U.S. bettors comprised 60% of their customer base, so it was a bold move to stop servicing that large number of active players.
The sports betting site did accommodate them by transferring them over to the World Sports Exchange that provided similar betting services, but that operator closed shop in 2012 and has yet to reopen its doors to Americans.
Let’s talk about the website. Pinnacle.com is not your standard, cookie-cutter site. Its design is classic and upscale and offers an excellent blend of information with creative design. The first impression is an accurate one. The entire sportsbook takes betting to the next level with a top-notch platform that reinforces the fact that this is not a fly by night operation. It’s first-rate with a good reputation and established clientele.
If you’ve visited enough online bookmakers, you know that the Welcome Bonus is right up front and in your face. That leaves a big hole on the homepage here as this sportsbooks doesn’t offer any sportsbook bonuses as we’ve previously mentioned.
Pinnacle is confident in their product and relies on their heavy traffic so they can provide reduced juice betting instead of any bonus or promotional programs. Of course, this is a matter of opinion, but we like the premise. The bonuses look appealing but have such stringent guidelines for which to adhere that players often forfeit the added value.
Instead, what you’ll see are two big ads for which experienced bettors will take note.
1. Best Champions League Odds – with margins as low as 1.5% 2. Highest Bet Limits – $30K as standard on Champions League
More reinforcement that Pinnacle knows their clientele. They understand that sharp bettors are looking for value and high payout opportunities.
Let’s take a look at the rest of the website…
First of all, the choice between Decimal Odds and American Odds and selection of the player’s default language is at the top and is the initial step to getting the ball rolling.
Pinnacle.com does take you right into the actual sportsbook, that is the focal point of the entire experience. The sportsbook is broken down into:
But, there are so many other pages and topics to reference and review aside from the betting lines. The website provides detailed information on the betting process including a “How to bet” video. All of its different resources and guides are available to everyone regardless of being a registered member of the site or not. However, the bet slip is not visible to anyone who is not registered and logged in to his or her player’s account as well as the maximum limits for each event unpublicized to any person who is not an officially designated player.
Actual navigation to the lines can be a bit frustrating for brand new users of the site. The left side sports menu contains multi-levels of drop down boxes. You can’t just click on Rugby Union and have those matches pop up. You have to select from specific leagues from the drop down menu to reveal those odds. If you have specific games in mind, this is a handy set-up. However, if you just intend to comb through all available listings, the process is not so simple.
If Pinnacle is not entirely new to you, you have probably seen some great feedback and reviews regarding this particular online bookmaker. Professional and recreational players alike are treated like high rollers with the level of service they provide.
This sportsbook is a leader in odds making and other sportsbooks do follow suit. If their betting lines change, you can count on the others changing as well. Sharp bettors respect the site for taking the lead in this area.
Live betting is yet another one area where this site goes above and beyond for its customers. Live, in-play betting is available for nearly every sport for which they offer pre-match odds. Players give high marks to the live betting system as it’s top of the line and is available on mobile devices as well.
Of course, we do need to mention the high payout limits again as this is what Pinnacle is most known for in the online betting community. They have some of the highest limits out there. High rollers gravitate to this sportsbook to get in on the biggest action.
And, speaking of big action, some of their competitors do have high payout limits as well, but you can hear countless stories of winners’ betting privileges reduced or completely taken away after cashing out any significant amount. Just as their website promotes, they operate a “unique Winners Welcome policy, ” and big money payout bettors will not have their status affected in any way. If you’re a professional bettor counting on those occasional and significant winning tickets, you don’t want to be turned away after your first cash out request.
Let’s offer a bit more praise here for public perception and player feedback. We live in a world where negative comments have never been more pervasive, and it’s up to each of us to figure out what is even true. We like to follow consistent trends when offering review and feedback regarding any sportsbook or online operation. If you hear specific comments repeated over and over with context backing it up, it’s much more reliable than a disgruntled customer here and there.
Players and journalists alike respond well to the overall Pinnacle experience and feel that it operates with integrity. They like that it’s a leader in online bookmaking with sharp odds, high payouts, and reduced juice. But, also, comments are relatively consistent regarding excellent customer service, fast payouts, and reliable odds making.
Let’s keep in mind that Pinnacle’s primary customer base is comprised of experienced, professional bettors who are loyal to their brand. It certainly provides enough variety and benefit for recreational players, but sharp bettors are its bread and butter. So, catering to its primary clientele is what any good business would do.
We’ve touched upon all of the reasons why high rollers and regular punters would benefit from the model, but these can be less appealing for recreational bettors. Beginners or anyone who just enjoys wagering, but isn’t necessarily in it for the big bucks, seem to gravitate to bonus-centric sportsbooks. They like getting the value adds and don’t mind the wagering requirements that accompany them. This sportsbook has opted to swap bonuses for reduced juice in their plan to attract their bettors.
Additionally, they could offer some streaming video of the games in progress, particularly when their live betting option is concerned and this would cater to a large number of its customers regardless of skill or wagering levels.
In 2008, they stopped carrying North American horse racing, and in 2010 it eliminated its poker room. These are two popular offerings that would enhance the overall product.
Pinnacle is not as big of a proposition bet sportsbook as many of its competitors. It does offer some, but they’re not as plentiful as they could be for a bookmaker of its size and stature. This bookmaker puts more focus on the big events with top payouts and offers fewer markets from which to select.
Availability would be the last area that we want to touch on regarding any improvements that could be made. Customer service is available through email only. There is no phone number posted and no live chat option for immediate assistance. Their service agents are knowledgeable, but unreachable for issues that may need a direct response.
Pinnacle’s small margins provide for some of the best betting options out there today, and despite its lack of involvement in the United States, it still has an extensive American sports line-up.
Moneylines on Major League Baseball are one of the best values with a 1.5% margin compared to the industry average of 5%. National Hockey League also comes close with 2% on Totals as opposed to the standard 5%.
Let’s talk soccer and some significant distinctions between this betting site and almost everyone else:
Spreads: 2% margin while 6% is industry average. Moneylines: 2% margin while 8% is industry average. Totals: 2% margin while 6% is industry average.
This betting site is also an industry leader in Asian Handicap betting providing an average return of 98%, which is one of the best.
Whereas the standard VIG is typically -110/-110, Pinnacle comes in around -105/-105 so, regardless of the game, there’s real value through this bookmaker.
Highly touted already, this is THE sportsbook for the biggest action. We’re talking about betting limits here that then determine the actual payouts and not about the payout maximums themselves.
Pinnacle doesn’t stay put with low margins on the most popular American sports, it opens up betting to the 10K level on NFL (American Football), but soccer comes in even higher.
Premiere League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, and UCL bettors can stake as high as 30K for Handicaps, 20K for Totals, and 10K for 1×2. Tennis also offers 30K across the board for handicaps, 1×2, and totals.
Most popular bets have at least a 5K limit, but bettors can also wrap up one bet and place another, thereby increasing payout potential.
If you’re someone who enjoys numbers, determining the best odds and the lowest margins, you’re going to embrace this platform. It’s an especially appealing sportsbook for punters who know what they’re doing and what to look for before submitting their bet slip.
Pinnacle sets the standard for competitive odds, and others follow suit. Its emphasis on volume over high margin equates to better value its players. Interestingly, this operator also strives to instruct its customers with video tutorials, articles, and supplemental information that can help to make an educated bet as opposed to just a (hopefully) lucky guess.
The sports are plentiful and target worldwide leagues, but the markets are fewer than some other bookmakers.
If you gravitate to eSports, you won’t be disappointed. These guys were one of the first to launch eSports odds back in 2010. Believe it or not, but eSports betting volume has now surpassed that for golf or rugby. so that eSports bettors will give a big thumbs up to this part of the sportsbook.
Let’s turn things around a bit and take the perspective of the recreational bettor. Will he or she enjoy the betting experience?
That’s a toss up. This is a well-respected, prominent online bookmaker that puts forth a quality website and betting experience. Its odds are competitive, margins low, and offerings plentiful. What have we missed? The incentives that some people find appealing and, maybe even, necessary are not going to be offered.
Bonuses, free bets, other seasonal sports-specific promotions… bettors that enjoy these offers will probably not find as much value in wagering with Pinnacle as the emphasis is on encouraging betting volume as opposed to incentivizing.
How’s that for a segue? There aren’t any bonuses or promotions. There are just continuous reduced juice betting and high betting limits.
Time to make some cash available for betting – a look at Pinnacle’s deposit options
You would need to do some serious searching to find a sportsbook that carries a bigger menu of deposit and withdrawal options than Pinnacle. That global client base necessitates a variety of methods that accommodate everyone.
Transactions can be conducted in 20 different currencies.
Each particular selection has its menu of deposit and withdrawal options to accommodate that region. For purposes of this section, we’ll use the Euro as it is more commonly available than some of the others.
We do want to note that Pinnacle requires that every deposit is subject to three-times rollover wagering. If this is not met, deposits and withdrawals incur a 3% processing fee assessed.
Options for depositing to a Pinnacle player account using Euros include as follows:
ecoPayz Fee – free Minimum Deposit – 10€ Maximum Deposit – based on limits imposed by EcoPayz Funds are accessible – within a few minutes
Instant Banking Fee – free Minimum Deposit – 50€ Maximum Deposit – based on limits imposed by bank Funds are accessible – within a few minutes
Paysafecard Fee – Pinnacle will absorb fee for CAD transactions; all others 3.45% Minimum Deposit – 25€ Maximum Deposit – 250€ Funds are accessible – within a few minutes
Bank Transfer Fee – free Minimum Deposit – 10€ Maximum Deposit – no maximum Funds are accessible – within five business days
Visa or Mastercard; Debit or Credit Fee – free Minimum Deposit – 20€ Maximum Deposit – 500€ per transaction; 2,000€ monthly Funds are accessible – within a few minutes
Entropay Fee – free Minimum Deposit – 20€ Maximum Deposit – 5,000€ per transaction; 50,000€ monthly Funds are accessible – within a few minutes
iDebit Fee – 1.25% deposit supplement for Canadians Minimum Deposit – 50€ Maximum Deposit – 1,500€ Funds are accessible – within a few minutes
Moneta.ru Fee – free Minimum Deposit – 10€ Maximum Deposit – 10,000€ Funds are accessible – within a few minutes
Neteller Fee – free Minimum Deposit – 10€ Maximum Deposit – 37,500€ Funds are accessible – within a few minutes
Qiwi Wallet (Visa) Fee – 2% Minimum Deposit – 10€ Maximum Deposit – 250€ Funds are accessible – within a few minutes
Skrill Fee – free Minimum Deposit – 10€ Maximum Deposit – based on limits imposed by Skrill Funds are accessible – within a few minutes
Sofort Fee – free Minimum Deposit – 10€ Maximum Deposit – 500€ Funds are accessible – 24 hours
WebMoney Fee – Pinnacle will absorb fee Minimum Deposit – 10€ Maximum Deposit – 19,000€ Funds are accessible – within a few minutes
We want to specifically make a note of a few location-specific modes of deposit such as Qiwi Wallet that is available in the Russian Federation and Ukraine only. It’s an e-wallet service that’s been around for ten years.
Moneta.ru is a Russian payment system but is available internationally for transactions in US Dollars or Euros only.
Sofort is an online shopping payment system and formerly serviced just Austria, Germany, and Belgium but has since expanded to France, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom and allows for easy funding through a player’s online banking account.
Equally as impressive, players can cash out using a variety of methods as well. The majority of them match up to their initial means of deposit.
Some fees are associated with each different system. However, you get one fee-free withdrawal per calendar month, so these charges do not apply until the 2nd cash out is initiated during a month’s time.
Players should also remember the three-times rollover wagering requirement. If three times the deposit amount is not wagered before cashing out, the deposit and withdrawal will be subject to a 3% fee assessed.
ecoPayz Fee – 12€ Minimum Withdrawal – 10€ Maximum Withdrawal – based upon ecoPayz imposed limits Funds are accessible – within a few minutes
Instant Banking Fee – 12€ Minimum Withdrawal – 50€ Maximum Withdrawal – 9,000€ Funds are accessible – 24 hours
Visa and Mastercard; Credit and Debit Fee – 12€ Minimum Withdrawal – 100€ Maximum Withdrawal – 2,500€ Funds are accessible – anywhere from a few minutes up to five business days
Paysafecard Fee – 12€ Minimum Withdrawal – 25€ Maximum Withdrawal – 1,000€ Funds are accessible – within a few minutes
Bank Transfer Fee – 12€ Minimum Withdrawal – 15€ Maximum Withdrawal – no maximum Funds are accessible – anywhere up to ten days and withdrawals over €7,000 may require longer processing time for identity verification
Entropay Fee – 12€ Minimum Withdrawal – 15€ Maximum Withdrawal – 3,000€ – maximum of 10 transactions per 24 hour period Funds are accessible – within a few minutes
iDebit Fee – 12€ (with 1.25% deposit settlement for Canada) Minimum Withdrawal – 50€ Maximum Withdrawal – 20,000€ Funds are accessible – within a few minutes
Neteller Fee – 12€ Minimum Withdrawal – 10€ Maximum Withdrawal – 37,500€ Funds are accessible – within a few minutes
Qiwi Wallet Fee – 12€ Minimum Withdrawal – 10€ Maximum Withdrawal – 180€ Funds are accessible – within a few minutes
Skrill Fee – 12€ Minimum Withdrawal – 10€ Maximum Withdrawal – 50,000€ Funds are accessible – within a few minutes
WebMoney Fee – 12€ Minimum Withdrawal – 12€ Maximum Withdrawal – 19,000€ Funds are accessible – within a few minutes
It’s a bit odd to us to have such a prominent and highly trafficked sportsbook but limit players to only one method of contact.
Pinnacle only offers email service. It doesn’t post a phone number for customer service issues nor does it provide 24 hours a day Live Chat availability like so many of its fellow bookmakers.
If you need to reach someone in customer service, you need to email csd@pinnaclesports.com.
Ok, so we got the exact communication method out of the way, now let’s award Pinnacle high marks for its quality of service. Email is answered quickly and efficiently with accurate information provided in a friendly manner.
Customer Service is typically the one area where players go crazy finding ways to criticize. Either they don’t like the tone or didn’t get their way on an issue, so they publicly post negative remarks about the sportsbook.
We haven’t come across that regarding Pinnacle and their staff. Interactions have been labeled as friendly and helpful.
Honestly, one of the reasons that their service is considered to be so good could be because they don’t offer those confusing bonus programs.
It seems as if so many complaints issued by online gamblers are regarding misuse or misunderstanding of bonus awards thereby substantially reducing the actual real cash payouts. If the bonuses aren’t offered, and players are operating primarily with cash in and cash out, that’s going to cut down on a lot of incoming service questions right off the bat.
Customer Service Department:
Bettors awaiting their fate regarding a particular game can head over to Pinnacle’s casino or live casino and throw some chips down or spin the reels for a bit to keep themselves busy.
Pinnacle used to have a poker room hosted on its site as well. It launched poker in 2008, just two years after the sportsbook unveiling. The poker room was subcontracted to a company called Entraction software. Entraction ran and operated Pinnacle’s room as well as Betdaq, 14Poker, and Redbet but ran into challenges in 2011 that prompted Pinnacle to shut down its poker operation.
Entraction ran into some difficulties with their Curaçao license no longer being accepted after the European Union instituted some changes in gaming regulations.
Pinnacle ultimately decided just to pull the plug and focus all of its attention on the sportsbook and casino.
The casino has a pretty good variety although, surprisingly, it’s quite a small casino. Pinnacle offers about a third of what some of its competitors offer in their casino area, but it’s still enough to provide its customers with comprehensive gambling selections.
Pinnacle utilizes two different providers for its gaming software. Global Gaming Labs is responsible for the five live table games and the software company, Multislot, is responsible for slots, video poker, table games, bingo, and keno.
Let’s put Pinnacle up against its competitors in the key areas of:
Pinnacle’s sports menu initially appears to be rather limited in comparison to other bookies but, start to click through some of the menu items, and multiple drop down menus appear, reflecting a significant number of leagues from around the world. So, not only is there the soccer category, but soccer in 36 different countries are available for further review and selection. As a global provider of sports betting services, the international sports availability is top notch.
Bring the number of markets into the equation, though, and other sportsbooks will dominate. Pinnacle doesn’t offer as many markets as many others. Additionally, you don’t see as many of the comparatively smaller sports listed such as water sports, winter sports, handball, and futsal, so Pinnacle is slightly edged out there as well.
The odds are where Pinnacle will shine. No doubt about it. Pinnacle’s odds are competitive, and their reduced juice betting surpasses most of the others. Pinnacle will be avoided by some when it comes to bonuses, but it more than makes up for it regarding its lines and low margins.
Ditto in the area of payouts and betting limits. Maximum bets are substantial, and players can make multiple bets to get even more cash in the game. 30K bets on soccer put Pinnacle right at the top of the leaderboard.
You know what we’re about to say regarding the subject of bonuses. They are non-existent on Pinnacle.com so players who are looking for a bonus-heavy bookie should probably not even pull up the Pinnacle site as they will be greatly disappointed unless they’re willing to sacrifice promotions for a lower Vig.
Banking is another area where Pinnacle shines. Transactions in 20 different currencies and dozens of options for both deposits and withdrawals are more than accommodating to players despite their geographical location. The withdrawals fees are quite high, though, €12 and €20 fees are substantial especially when you consider that ecoPayz, Qiwi Wallet, and Skrill allow for €10 minimum withdrawals, so the fee is higher than the payout in that case.
Providing players with one free withdrawal per month does even the playing field a bit as many other sportsbooks have the one free withdrawal policy as well, but the sportsbook’s’s substantial fees are less appealing. Additionally, there is a statement included in the details section of each banking option that allows Pinnacle to assess an additional 3% charge for not meeting the three-times deposit rollover requirement
In the area of customer service, Pinnacle takes high marks for the quality of its agents and the thorough responses that are provided, as well as in the actual turnaround time. For availability, though, we’ve got to give it to the other guys who offer phone services as well as the 24/7 live chat function allowing for information in an instant.
As a whole, this is a superior sportsbook especially for educated, professional, experienced bettors who understand the benefit of reduced juice betting and appreciate the high betting limits offered on all sporting events. If you compare Pinnacle to other sportsbooks marketing to sharp bettors, Pinnacle will most likely stand out as the better product. It welcomes winners, and it doesn’t take away their privilege to be participating bettors despite their good fortune.
Pinnacle found a niche market by launching nearly 20 years ago with a sportsbook that eliminated any bonus structure but, instead, awarding its loyal customers by offering a lower Vig. It was a gamble, but it paid off big time, as this is a highly regarded sportsbook known for its excellent service.
It leads the pack in setting odds, and other bookies seem to follow its lead when any adjustments need to be made, thereby generating, even more, respect from punters who know their stuff. They enjoy being on the leading edge of sports betting with a frontrunner in the industry.
Pinnacle is unique in the fact that it doesn’t promote or cater to just one geographical area above all else. Even though it does not allow U.S. based players to register and participate, it still offers the American sports that international punters are interested in wagering.
Newbies to the betting world can join and put down as little as one dollar (or the equivalent in other currency) and feel just as much a part of the action. The site’s library of information and tips make the experience that much more enjoyable.
High rolling players looking for the biggest action are at home with high wagering limits on all sports including 30K on top-level soccer. In play betting, eSports, Propositions, Futures, and a good mobile website all add to the overall unparalleled experience.
