Shabiki is one of the most advertised betting sites in Kenya, no two ways about it. This makes it among the most well-known gambling sites in the country.
And did you know it’s a product of Royal Media Services? This company owns over 15 radio and TV stations, including Kenya’s popular Citizen TV.
That said, this unbiased review touches on everything about Shabiki sports betting website. We’ll discuss its bonuses, odds, markets, licensing, and more.
- Website:
- Foundation:2017
- Licenses:BCLB
- Min. Deposit:Ksh. 50
- Support: help@shabiki.com
- Mobile App:Android, iOS
- Payment Method:
- Well-designed website
- High odds
- Numerous promotions
- Quick sign-up process
- Mobile-compatible
- Few payment options
- No casino
- No VIP program
- Up to KSH 2500Get started with a bang! Enjoy a 100% Welcome Bonus on your first deposit and double your chances to win big!Get Bonus
Shabiki Promotions and Bonuses
Since Shabiki doesn’t have a casino, the bonuses available are solely for sports betting. Here are the Shabiki bonus offers available currently.
1. Welcome Offer
As a first-time player at Shabiki, you can claim a 100% deposit welcome bonus. This offer is for deposits of up to Ksh. 2500. Here’s how to claim it:
- Sign up for a Shabiki account
- Place bets on odds of at least 2.00
- Use your welcome bonus within 14 days before it expires
Two weeks is enough time to fulfil the 8x rollover requirement. More time could have been better, though. Also, the minimum deposit for this bonus is Ksh. 50, which is low.
2. Multi Bet Boost
Ready to boost your winnings when placing multi bets? Thanks to the Multi Bet Boost offer, you can get a boost of up to 500% on your wagers.
Let’s clarify.
Say you place a multi-bet of 23 games and wagered with Ksh. 10. Again, say the potential payout is Ksh. 30.000. Since placing a bet on 23 games awards you a 100% boost, your earnings will be Ksh. 60.000.
Having said that, here’s how to claim this offer:
- Place at least 3 bets with odds of 1.33 or higher
- Don’t wager on single bets, jackpots, or virtuals. They don’t qualify for the bonus
- Don’t take an early cash out as you risk losing your multi-bet boost offer
Besides boosting your winnings, this offer is worth it, considering its high maximum payout of Ksh. 4.000.000.
3. Cash Back – Supa Saturday
This offer is straightforward. Lose a game, get your money back. Here’s how the cash-back offer at Shabiki works:
- Place a multi-bet of at least 5 games with odds of over 1.80
- Wager with at least Ksh. 50
- Lose a bet and get 20% of your bet back
Worth noting, you must use real money when placing your bets. That’s because you won’t qualify for the cash-back offer if you use bonus funds.
Shabiki’s cashback offer is worthwhile. The only drawback is that it’s only available on Saturdays from 00:00 to 23:59. Having it every day would have been better, don’t you think?
4. Double Sunday
As its name suggests, this bonus awards you double your stake every Sunday. It’s more like a 100% match deposit bonus.
Here’s how it works:
- Deposit a minimum of Ksh. 50 up to Ksh. 250
- Ensure you place your bets on Sunday between 00:00 and 23:59
- Place 5 bets on odds of at least 1.5 each.
- Remember not to withdraw your deposit amount as it disqualifies you from the offer
The best part about this bonus is you can use it within 7 days. Of course, the major drawback is that it’s only available on Sundays from 00:00 to 23:59.
Shabiki Betting (Sports)
This sportsbook provides hundreds of events to bet on in different sports. Speaking of sports, Shabiki covers over 20 of them, including:
- Football
- MMA
- Basketball
- Rugby
- Golf
Other less popular games, such as Floorball and Snooker, are also available. In short, you can always be sure of events to bet on.
Considering the enormous number of daily events, it can be overwhelming to find your preferred event. You can, however, choose matches based on Leagues. Top ones include:
- German Bundesliga
- English Premier League
- Spanish La Liga
- France Ligue 1
- Italian Serie A
Also, you can select events based on the country. Shabiki features over 90 countries from which you can select events. The list of countries is in alphabetical order, so finding a country won’t be a headache.
To find an event faster, a search bar is available next to the Login button on the top right of the homepage. Just type the event, tournament, or league in the search box.
Unfortunately, the sportsbook doesn’t provide a statistics panel where you can view the teams’ history and current standings. You also can’t save games or markets in favourites.
Odds
Simply put, the odds at Shabiki are competitive. Let’s compare them with those of two other well-known sportsbooks in Kenya.
Here’s a table showing the odds at Shabiki and other reputable sites. The odds were for a match between Manchester City and Chelsea, scheduled for the 21st of May, 2023.
Sportsbook | Manchester City Win | Draw | Chelsea Win |
---|---|---|---|
Shabiki | 1.33 | 5.50 | 9.5 |
BetAfriq | 1.32 | 6 | 9.5 |
Betika | 1.35 | 6 | 9.0 |
As you can see, the odds at Shabiki are neither too high nor too low. They fall in between. That means you’re likely to scoop big wins when betting here.
Also, these odds don’t change as much during a live event. Even if you bet on live matches, you can still win big.
Another thing: The only odds format available at Shabiki is the decimal format. Others, such as the fractional, Indonesian, and Hong Kong formats, are unavailable. The good thing is most Kenyan players are more familiar with the decimal odds format compared to other formats.
Betting Markets
Shabiki offers over 300 betting markets. Popular ones include Over/Under, Double Chance, and Total Goals. Other markets, such as the First Half Handicap and Asian Handicap, are also available.
Football has the most markets compared to other sports. Each football match has an average of 235 markets.
Noticeably, the markets differ from league to league. A great example is the EPL match between Chelsea and Manchester City. Before the match kicked off, there were 230 markets.
For a Spanish La Liga match between Betis and Getafe, things are a bit different. Before this match (played on 24th May 2023) kicked off, there were only 82 markets.
The markets also differ based on the type of sport. Here’s a table showing the total betting markets in different sports at Shabiki:
Sport | Average Number of Markets |
---|---|
Football | 235 |
Basketball | 30 |
Tennis | 25 |
Cricket | 25 |
Boxing | 5 |
Live Betting and Live Streaming
It’s possible to bet on a live event at Shabiki. All you have to do is head to the Live Now section. Here, you can bet on events from different sports.
On average, there are 100 live events to bet on daily. Football, as always, leads in the number of live events.
The odds of live events vary. As expected, the odds of a winning team decrease as the match nears the end. In contrast, the odds of a losing team increase because it becomes predictable the team will unlikely win the match.
Unfortunately, you can’t live stream a match at Shabiki. There is, however, a score tracker that updates you on the scores of each team.
SMS Betting
Not every bettor at Shabiki owns a smartphone. But that’s not a problem because you can still place bets using SMS. To do so, send Game ID#prediction#stake to 29063.
However, there are limits. You can only bet on the following markets:
Three-Way (1X2)
There are only 3 possible outcomes for this market:
- Home Win (1)
- Draw (X)
- Away Win (2)
Let’s take a match between Manchester United and Chelsea, with the game ID 123. The prediction of Manchester United winning will be Home Win (1).
To bet on this game via SMS, you’ll need to send 123#1#50 to 29063. As said, 123 is the game ID, 1 is Home Win, and 50 is your bet amount.
Both Teams to Score (GG/NG)
For this market, you predict if both teams will score (GG) or if one team will not score (NG). Again, let’s use the Manchester United vs Chelsea example.
Let’s assume you predict both teams will score. That will be a GG, right? To place your bet, you’ll need to enter the game ID#bet#stake amount. In this case, you’ll send 123#GG#50 to 29063.
Over/Under (OV/UN)
The Over/Under market requires you to predict the total scores of an event based on a certain line. Usually, the lines available for this market are 0.5, 1.5, 2.5, and so on.
Over 1.5 goals means the total number of goals for an event at full-time is more than 2. Under 1.5 goals, on the other hand, means the total number of goals at full-time is less than 1.
Let’s say you predict an over 1.5 for the 123 Manchester United vs Chelsea event. To place an SMS bet, send 123#OV15#50 to 29063. Remember, 123 is the game ID, and 50 is the stake amount.
Double Chance (DC)
The Double Chance market has 3 outcomes:
- 1 or X (DC1X) – Home Win or Draw
- X or 2 (DCX2) – Draw or Away Win
- 1 or 2 (DC12) – Home Win or Away Win
Let’s say you predict a win for Manchester United for the 123Manchester United vs Chelsea event. To place your bet, you’ll need to send 123#DC1X#50 to 29063.
Correct Score (CS)
Here, you need to predict the correct score at full-time (FT). Remember, own goals also count. Let’s say you predict a 2:1 score for 123Manchester United vs Chelsea.
In that case, you’ll need to send 123#CS21#50 to 29063. As an example, 123 is the game ID, CS21 is the Correct Score that Manchester will score 2 goals and Chelsea 1, and 50 is your bet amount.
Draw No Bet (DNB)
The Draw No Bet market involves predicting the outright winner of the match. That means if the match ends in a draw, you’ll lose the bet.
Again, let’s take the match between Manchester United vs Chelsea. In this case, Manchester United is DNB1, and Chelsea is DNB2. If you predict Manchester United to win over Chelsea, you’ll send 123#DNB1#50 to 29063.
Total Goals – Odd/Even (OD/EV)
The Total Goals (Odd/Even) market is straightforward. You only need to predict whether, at full-time, the total goals will be an even number (2, 4, 6, 8, 10…) or an odd number (1, 3, 5…).
For this market, own goals count. Also, if an event ends without any of the teams scoring, Shabiki counts zero as an even number.
Now over to our example of 123Manchester United vs Chelsea. If you predict the total goals at full-time to be 3, that’s an odd number. So, you’ll send 123#OD#50 to send 29063.
Worth noting, you can’t bet on live events using SMS. It’s only available via the Internet.
Early Cash Out
Another special feature at Shabiki is the Cash Out feature. As its name suggests, you don’t need to wait for an event to end to withdraw your winnings. Just pick the bet you want to cash out and Shabiki will payout regardless of the outcome of the event.
PS: You can cash out fully or partially. The latter allows you to leave a portion of the bet active.
Payment Methods
Shabiki only accepts M-Pesa payments. Currently, other methods such as cryptocurrencies, e-wallets, and even Airtel Money are not available.
That said, the minimum amount you can deposit at Shabiki is Ksh. 1. Pretty low, right? This is great for low rollers. The maximum amount is Ksh. 70.000. This is a wide range, considering the low minimum deposit requirement.
If you have trouble cashing in, don’t worry. You can contact customer support (more on this later) so they can help you to deposit funds.
Payment | Min. Deposit | Min. Withdrawal | Processing Time |
---|---|---|---|
Ksh. 1 | Ksh. 50 | Instant |
Now, over to withdrawals, the minimum withdrawal amount at Shabiki is Ksh. 50. This is still an accommodative amount for players who bet on small odds with little money.
The maximum amount per day is high, though. You can cash out up to Ksh. 5.000.000. For multi-bets and single bets, the maximum amount stands at Ksh. 4.000.000 per day.
What’s more, you don’t have to wait for your winnings after cashing out. That’s because Shabiki loads the money into your account soon after you withdraw your funds.
Shabiki App
Millions of Kenyans own smartphones. This includes the bettors. Considering that most Kenyans bet on smartphones, Shabiki came up with a mobile app. It’s available on Apple and Android devices.
This app is not available on Google Play Store or Apple App Store. You can only download it from Shabiki’s official website.
To do so, head to the official Shabiki website using your mobile device. At the homepage, go to the App section, just before the Promotion section. You should then click the red DOWNLOAD THE APP icon and the download will start immediately.
How to Create a Shabiki Account
Setting up a Shabiki account is like shooting fish in a barrel. It takes less than 30 seconds. That’s because you won’t need to verify your account at this stage.
Here are the steps to follow:
- Click the orange Register icon on the top right of your screen
- Enter your Safaricom mobile number
- Create a strong password with at least 6 characters
- Confirm your password
- Hit the orange Sign Up button
After clicking the Sign Up button, you’ll be reirected to another page. Here, you’ll receive a congratulatory message confirming successful registration. You can then make a deposit.
Customer Support
The Contact Us option at Shabiki is below the site’s homepage. Here, you can reach out to the customer support team via 4 channels:
The live chat option at Shabiki is the easiest way to get help on the platform. All you have to do is click the orange message icon on the right side of your screen.
Upon clicking the icon, you can start chatting with a live chat agent. And although they say so, the live chat support is not available 24/7. Whenever a live chat agent is available, Shabiki will notify you.
Since Shabiki is a Kenyan site, no need to worry about the language to use. You can chat in English or Swahili. The live chat support representative will provide feedback in the language you’re comfortable with (English or Swahili). They even get along with the “Sheng” we are often used to.
Another reliable option you can use at Shabiki in case of any queries is email. When using this option, expect feedback in under 24 hours.
After emailing the customer care representatives, you’ll receive an auto-generated message. It informs you that the Shabiki customer support staff is reviewing your request. After a few minutes, a support rep will reach out. This one replied after 36 minutes.
Telephone
The telephone option is also an easier way of getting feedback from the customer care staff. But it is not toll-free. You may need to load some airtime first before calling.
The best part is you can call them any time of the day or night. They’re available 24/7 via 0703 163 163.
Social Media
Shabiki is available on several social media platforms. You can reach out to their customer support team via the platforms.
However, it’s not possible to chat with them on YouTube via the comments section. That’s because Shabiki has turned off the comments section.
That said, here are the social media platforms you can use to contact Shabiki’s customer care:
Alternatively, you can reach out via Facebook. It’s a reliable option in terms of feedback speed. When you send your inquiry, you’ll get an auto-generated message instantly, informing you that the Shabiki customer care team has received your inquiry. You’ll then need to wait for at most 2 hours before getting feedback.
Design and Navigation
At Shabiki, it’s easier to find what you’re looking for. That’s because the site’s design is simple. It also looks modern.
Like most sites, Shabiki’s logo is on the top left with the Login and Register icons on the right. In between are different sections, including:
- Sports
- Live Now
- Promotions
- Shabiki Virtuals
- Jackpot
Worth mentioning, you can switch between the above categories smoothly. That’s because the pages load quickly.
Security and Reputation
Shabiki is a product of Playco Technologies Ltd., a reputable gaming company. This company operates with a license from the Betting Control and Licensing Board of Kenya (BCLB). Its license number is 0000416.
You can find the licensing information at the footer of Shabiki’s homepage. However, it’s best to confirm a site’s licensing information. In this case, from the official BCLB’s website.
Worth noting, Shabiki is at the 13th position among the list of Kenyan licensed sites on the BCLB site. This shows its license is valid.
Regarding security, Shabiki uses encryption technology. This software keeps your information (personal and financial) safe from spyware and hackers.
Furthermore, the site has a strict privacy policy. According to the policy, Shabiki doesn’t share your information with third parties or for commercial/advertising purposes. This guarantees the confidentiality of your information.
FAQ's: Frequently Asked Questions
Joining Shabiki is a 2-step process that takes about 20 seconds to complete. You only need to click the Register button and enter your Safaricom number and password.
No, Shabiki doesn’t offer a free data feature. You can, however, use other special features such as the early cash out and SMS betting.
No, you can’t deposit funds at Shabiki using Airtel Money. Shabiki only supports M-Pesa for deposits and withdrawals.
The minimum amount you can deposit at Shabiki is Ksh. 1. You can also cash in up to Ksh. 70.000 per transaction.
Yes, Shabiki comes with a mobile app for Android and iOS devices. It’s available on the official Shabiki website.
Final Evaluation
After going through Shabiki with a fine comb, we give it a 4.5/5 rating. There are a couple of features they need to work on.
First, the site doesn’t accept other payment methods besides M-Pesa. Although most bettors use M-Pesa, it’s inconvenient for Airtel Money users.
Also, Shabiki doesn’t have a casino. That means you’ll only bet on sports and then choose another platform to play your favourite slots.
Additionally, Shabiki lacks a live stream feature. This is something they can work on to make things more exciting for Kenyan bettors.
Lastly, the site doesn’t have a VIP program. This would be a great program for high-roller bettors in the country.
Away from the minor notable issues, Shabiki has all the sports betting essentials. It provides high odds, hundreds of markets, generous promos, and outstanding customer support.