Despite its recent entry into the industry, having been created in 2017, PointsBet has become one of the world’s fastest growing and most exciting online betting companies. The PointsBet New Jersey sportsbook launch of 2019 has come with some bold claims, including that it offers more NBA and NFL markets than any other bookmaker on the planet. Moreover, the brand offers New Jersey bettors the chance to use its unique PointsBetting feature, which is a PointsBet take on spread betting. There is a lot of buzz about PointsBet, but does the sportsbook live up to its claims? Read our detailed review to find out.

PointsBet is a private company that operates as Point Bet Holdings Ltd. The company was created in Australia in 2017, with a stated goal of challenging the supremacy of the world’s biggest betting companies. PointsBet has had rapid success, becoming one of the fastest growing betting brands in the world and seeing a successful launch of its New Jersey online sportsbook in early 2019.

In New Jersey, PointsBet partners with Meadowlands Racetrack for purposes of licensing in the state. A link to the credentials awarded by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (NJDGE) is provided at the bottom of the homepage on the PointsBet online sportsbook. Your details, both financials and personal, are kept secure using the latest SSL encryption methods. In addition, you can choose “strong authentication” for an extra layer of security when creating your password.

While PointsBet has only been in existence for only a couple of years, it is already gaining a big reputation among bettors globally. The company has received rave reviews for its signature PointsBetting system, which we will go into in detail later in this review. Feedback from New Jersey bettors has been widely positive, with many referencing PointsBet’s competitive betting lines, promos and unique betting markets. We will put that to the test later in this review, too.

PointsBet has limited deposit and withdrawal options. Ideally, we would like to see at least one internet wallet, like PayPal or Neteller, added to current options. On the other side, however, a $5 minimum deposit amount means the site is accessible to those on a low budget. You can request a PointsBet Card, which will facilitate easy deposits and withdrawals, through the app or website.

The PointsBet App is available for mobile betting on Android and Apple handheld devices.

For Android:

Go directly to the PointsBet site on your mobile handset or tablet, and then click on the Android icon at the bottom of the homepage. You will be prompted to open ‘PointsBetAndroidApp.apk’ once the download has finished. Check the unknown sources setting is off, and then install.

For Apple:

Go to the PointsBet site and click the link for Apple, which will take you to the official PointsBet app for mobile in the Apple Store. An Apple device that operates iOS 9.0 or later is required to run the latest version of PointsBet app for mobile.

The PointsBet app is a slick, fast-working betting tool that covers all the markets and promos offered on the desktop sportsbook site. PointsBet has worked on compartmentalizing all the sections, allowing for quick navigation through the mobile site. In fact, an update has recently been applied to the app, fixing some of the bugs that blighted the original version, and adding a better promo information page and payment options.

PointsBet has a huge welcome offer for sports bettors in New Jersey. In short, PointsBet offers you a risk-free fixed-odds bet up to $500 and a risk-free bet on PointsBetting markets up to $500. If either bet loses (or both lose), PointsBet will refund them 100%. The refund will come in the form of a bonus bet, which is effectively another way of saying a free bet. You must wager the bonus bet once before you can withdraw, and the wager must be placed within seven days on a market with a price higher than 1.50 (-200). The initial stake is not returned with the bonus bet wager.

That’s a strong welcome offer and one that has clear terms and conditions attached to it. We would, however, suggest that you double check if there are markets you cannot use your bonus bet on before you place the wager. This is due to the sportsbook having a lot of betting promotions (see below), and there may be some overlap with your bonus bet selection.

PointsBet offers a huge number of betting promotions for new and existing customers. In fact, we counted more than a dozen long-running promotions on the sportsbook site. A flavor of what is on offer includes: Early payouts on MLB games when your selection leads by three or more runs; Earn $1 in bonus bets for each ace scored by tennis selection; Let it Fly Fridays, which offers $20 in bonus bets when selected players hit home runs in MLB games; NBA and WNBA bonuses for selected games; Talk Show Boosts, with boosted odds given on match-ups discussed on major television sports debating panels; Refer a Friend to PointsBet and get $50 each when they sign up and deposit. In addition, PointsBet has daily odds boosts (added to the sportsbook at lunchtime every day). There is even a Good Karma promotion, which can still award payouts if your bet is undone by a stroke of ill fortune.

To be frank, the range of promotions at PointsBet blows most rival NJ online sportsbooks out of the water. Moreover, we are happy to report that PointsBet has a rewards scheme, something that is becoming a lost art in the online betting world. You will earn 1 reward point for every $5 fixed-odds bet, 1 reward point for every $1 parlay bet and 1 reward point for every $ won or lost with PointsBetting. These reward points can later be exchanged for bonus bets in the rewards store.

The PointsBet desktop site is cleverly laid out and has a sleek, attractive design. There is a minimalistic approach to the home page, which means the site doesn’t overwhelm you with hundreds of live betting lines. A few highlights – and top promotions – are given on the home page, and you can access other markets and info through the menu bar on the top left of the screen. In short, this is a well thought out online sportsbook that is easy to use and navigate through.

In terms of sports coverage, PointsBet again comes up trumps. All top US sports leagues are offered on the site, as well as tennis, international soccer competitions, women’s sports, college sports, golf, boxing, cycling, cricket and much more. Unlike several major rivals on the NJ online sports betting scene, PointsBet also covers entertainment betting, which will cover events like the Oscars.

As hinted to, PointsBet really tries to promote its signature betting product – PointsBetting. In a nutshell, this is a type of spread betting. The idea is that you will be rewarded not just if your bet wins, but by how ardently it wins.

For example, If you bet $10 at odds of 2.00 (+100) on an NBA match to have over 200 points in the totals market, and that match finished with 210 combined points, PointsBetting would reward you with $100, $10 for each point over the 200 total. However, if the final total was 190 points, you would lose $100. There is, of course, a lot more risk carried with this sort of betting market, but also much more reward. You can adjust the PointsBetting limits on your account to a level you are comfortable with wagering in these markets, and PointsBet will only allow you to wager with balance in your account.

As for traditional, fixed-odds betting, PointsBet has thrown down the gauntlet to rivals promising to bring more choice and more unique betting markets than any other sportsbook. So, aside from the usual list of lines, you will also find betting options like quarterback completion % (NFL and NCAA), longest made field goal, shooting percentages (NBA), player points, assists, rebounds and so on. It seems PointsBet is true to its word here, and these special markets complement rather than replace the dozens of standard betting lines. Our only criticism is that PointsBet focuses very much on NFL and NBA for these special markets and that teasers bets aren’t available on the site at the time of writing.

In terms of odds quality, PointsBet has also claimed that it intends to make a big splash by being ultra-competitive in odds-setting. We decided to look at one of PointsBet’s specialities – football – and compare the odds against those offered by some other major New Jersey sportsbooks online, including PlaySugarHouse, William Hill, and Fan Duel. We found that PointsBet had the joint-best price on three of the five market leaders for Super Bowl LIV – the Patriots, Saints and Eagles. PointsBet was, however, beaten by SugarHouse in a few markets, including odds for the Chiefs and Rams. We did another test, this time on the odds for the 2019 Open (golf) and found, with a couple of exceptions, that PointsBet lagged behind William Hill, FanDuel and SugarHouse when it came to the market leaders for that event. There is no reason for alarm, and we would still term PointsBet a competitive odds-setter, but it is something of a stretch to say it has the best online odds of any sportsbook.

We should point out that PointsBet focuses on sports betting alone, so there are no casino or poker products accessed through the site. However, we must also commend PointsBet for going the extra mile with its betting product. On the site you will find the PB Blog and Revis Betting Academy. The latter is fronted by former NFL cornerback Darrelle Revis, who guides bettors through all aspects of betting online. Both the Betting Academy and PB Blog are invaluable tools for experienced and novice bettors, full of video explainers, guides and tips.

With all the depth of betting coverage in its PointsBetting and fixed-odds markets, we found the in-play betting platform on PointsBet to be something of a let-down. For example, during the 2019 Wimbledon Men’s tennis final, PointsBet had just four different live betting lines on the game and little live data, with the exception of a score update. To put that into perspective, PlaySugarHouse had over 50 in-play betting lines on the game, as well as wealth of statistics constantly being updated during the final. It’s clear that a bit more substance needs to be added to the in-play section.