Review of Leon Bookmaker: Trust Rating and Payout Fairness Analysis

Leon — a large bookmaker focused primarily on the Russian market and the CIS countries. The company was founded in 2007. It has been legally represented in Russia since 2011 through a network of land-based betting shops, which have since been closed. In the fall of 2016, alongside physical retail, it launched interactive betting through the official website leon.ru and branded applications for iOS and Android, eventually fully transitioning to online. It is famous for not hesitating to use spicy images of attractive models in its advertising, raising not only the excitement level among the male audience but also… the testosterone level with flair =).

As we know, laughter is the best medicine, but not a cure-all, so enough joking around, it's time to get down to business. And it's an important and urgent matter, because who else will tell the whole truth about Leon bookmaker? In the review below, you will find not only comprehensive information about the bookmaker but also an honest assessment of its pros and cons based on real reviews.

License and Reliability

The analysis showed that the Leon bookmaker is a legal service provider in Russia. The organization is licensed by the Federal Tax Service of the Russian Federation under number Л027-00108-77/00395488, strictly complies with the established norms in the regulation of the betting industry, and is a member of the ERAI. As required by law, the Unified Center for Accounting Interactive Betting Transfers for Leon bookmaker is LLC NCO "Mobile Card," operating under the license of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation No. 3522-K dated December 24, 2019. During its existence, the betting company has never been subjected to attacks from the…

Not long ago, Leon was the title partner of the football club "Krylia Sovetov" and was the first bookmaker to sign FC "Zenit" as a brand ambassador. Today, the focus of sponsorship funds has shifted to support not those "who are already doing well," but youth, amateur, and promising sports movements.

As of March 2024, the bookmaker Leon sponsors several domestic clubs and championships:

1. 1. FC "Leon Saturn".
   2. FC "Yenisey".
   3. FC "Amkar Perm".
   4. The second division of Russian football, known as "LEON-Second League".

The company is known for its bright marketing solutions, positioning itself as "the best live sports betting operator in the Russian Federation" and the most reliable participant in this market. However, judging by the reviews of real people, the second claim can be disputed.

On the platforms of authoritative ratings of bookmakers, players on average assign the reviewed bookmaker 3.0-3.5 stars out of 5.0. Although Leon offers a wide range of bets, attractive bonuses, and a convenient and technological website, customer complaints arise from payment delays, difficulties with verification, and the blocking of positive accounts. Notably, the official representatives of the company practice they do not react at all to complaints in the public space, leaving bettors to wonder what lies behind this veil of silence: cold-blooded ignoring, Buddhist calmness, or a carefully thought-out strategy of non-interference?

On the other hand, 90% of conflict situations are resolved in favor of the dissatisfied. The fact is that the BK administration collaborates with agents from rating services, accepting third-party arbitration in resolving disputed issues. So if a person can justify the unfairness of the measures applied to them, they are guaranteed the restoration of violated rights and compensation.

Official Website

From personal experience, we can say that the official Leon website has a well-designed interface and up-to-date design. Navigation is not an issue thanks to the logical structure and thoughtful organization of information blocks. The appearance of the resource is executed in classic black-and-white tones with the option to change the main theme, which adds +10 points to the style.

The neutral color scheme contributes to the ease of data perception, while important buttons and tabs are highlighted in green. Traditionally, the portal header contains the authorization sections — “Login” and “Registration.” To the left of them is a slider responsible for the visual Day/Night mode, as well as an interactive search bar for quick access to specific events by team name, league, or sport. The most popular queries, such as RPL, CL, KHL, NHL, NBA, etc., are brought to the forefront to facilitate understanding of current trends.

Among players.

The main menu of the official BC Leon website is characterized by its conciseness and intuitive clarity of content:

● «TOP» — this is a kind of homepage of the portal, where key matches across all sports are gathered. The central place is occupied by a carousel with banners that displays important information — promotions, bonuses, and the latest updates from the company. On the left, there is a list of the most popular sports disciplines, on the right — a coupon, and in the middle, a feed of ranking events with odds breakdowns for basic outcomes, totals, and handicaps;

● «Live» — a section for betting on matches that have already started. Here, the line updates in real-time, and the odds change depending on the course of the game. Convenient statistics and results trackers have been added to the platform, but there are no direct TV broadcasts of competitions, only esports streams;

● «Line» — displays pre-match, that is, the section of the bookmaker where predictions for matches are accepted before they start, broken down by hours and days, including allowing long-term bets on the outcomes of entire tournaments, not just their individual stages;

● «Bets 24/7» — these are quick live entertainment games for guessing;

● «Esports» — duplicates the line from live and pre-match, so it is easier to navigate;

● «Promotions» — this section includes all the incentive products of the bookmaker, such as bonuses, tournaments, and archives of completed events.

Scrolling down to the footer of the site, you can find useful subsections for yourself: «Documents», «Rules», «About Us», «Contacts», «Blog», «Free Sports Predictions», etc. It is commendable that the developers did not limit themselves to a simple FAQ answering the most common questions from clients but created a full-fledged guide for beginners titled «How to Get Started».

The Leon Bookmaker App and Mobile Version

Access to the Leon mobile site is provided through a special address for portable devices, to which users will be automatically redirected if they visit the web resource from a smartphone or tablet rather than from a PC. The streamlined portal is designed similarly to its desktop version, with the difference that the interface is adapted for portrait orientation of touchscreen gadgets. This has not affected the functional capabilities of the software solution. Bettors can comfortably create accounts, deposit and withdraw money, place bets online, redeem bonuses, and contact customer support 24/7.

As for the downloadable client, Leon has applications for iOS and Android operating systems. They can be downloaded for free from the official bookmaker's website, as well as from online stores such as the App Store, RuStore, AppGallery. and Galaxy Store. The community of beta testers highly appreciated the program for its simplicity, lack of unnecessary advertisements, and wide functionality. They specifically noted the security, as well as the convenience of authorization via Face ID and Touch ID.

Registration and Account Verification

Any citizen of Russia who is at least 18 years old at the time of account creation can become a client of the bookmaker Leon. To do this, one must complete a simple registration and verification procedure in a streamlined form.

At the first stage, it is important to carefully fill out the user questionnaire, providing accurate information. Otherwise, there will inevitably be difficulties with identity verification, potentially leading to the blocking of the gaming account. Once the registration form is completed, you will need to confirm the actions taken and the provided phone number with a code from an SMS. Immediately after this, access to the personal account will be available, but without the ability to deposit funds and start placing bets for real money.

To remove restrictions, it is necessary to identify the account owner. Three verification options are available:

1. 1. Upload your Tax Identification Number (TIN) and photocopies of the passport pages showing your full name and registration. This type of audit is considered simplified, allowing a total of no more than 200,000 rubles to be processed through the account within a month and up to 60,000 rubles for a single transaction.
   2. At the service points of "Contact". Inform the cashier that you intend to use the identification service in the "UNIFIED TSUPIS - Mobile Card" system.
   ;, then provide your phone number, present your passport, and pay the cost of the procedure, which is 150 rubles.
   3. Through the "Gosuslugi" portal. This type of verification is suitable exclusively for Russian citizens with an activated account in the Unified Public Services Portal (EPGU).

Note: if you have already undergone the authentication process with another bookmaker or have a TsUPIS wallet, no additional verification will be required. It is sufficient to attach to your Leon bookmaker account the phone number that was used previously for identity verification during registration, and the system will automatically pull all the necessary data.

The betting company reserves the right to conduct secondary player verification before paying out winnings. This usually occurs if the bookmaker suspects that the client has violated the company's existing regulations or committed illegal actions. Re-authentication may be organized by requesting electronic copies of identity documents and/or confirming ownership of the payment bank card, but more often it requires an unpleasant video conference.

Betting options and odds of the bookmaker

The bookmaker offers predictions on 29 sports disciplines, among which football, hockey, tennis, and basketball are the most popular. Bets can be placed as singles, accumulators, systems, and combined bets with a banker. The offering includes almost all major leagues and tournaments from different countries, although the depth of the betting lines rarely goes beyond the second divisions and regional championships. Regional and junior competitions are either absent from the line or poorly represented. Friendly, exhibition, and less popular matches are generally r="en"> rarity.

At the same time, one cannot overlook the almost formal presence of ITF-level tennis games and Challenger series in the bookmaker's structure, which, considering what has been said earlier, makes the bookmaker's line frankly mediocre. Comparing Leon's pre-match offerings with competitors, the betting platform clearly falls short of industry leaders but has decent potential to break into the elite and challenge the giants over time.

The most popular discipline in the bookmaker is football, for which an average of up to 500 markets are offered. In addition to classic outcomes, you can bet on:

● Several total and handicap options;

● Double outcomes;

● Next goal;

● Who will score;

● Time comparison.

Recently, they have also improved the selection of bets on statistics, intervals, and final winners.

For hockey battles, they offer 80-150 options, while for basketball and tennis — 100 and 50 respectively. During top competitions, this figure slightly increases, but it significantly drops during the off-season.

ng="en">Additionally, the Leon line features relatively exotic sports disciplines for Russian betting. These include cricket, rugby, floorball, ski jumping, golf, and rugby league. However, the coverage for these is modest and is unlikely to satisfy the demands of true enthusiasts of unusual sports.

Besides betting on traditional sports, the bookmaker covers 11 esports disciplines. You can choose matches from CS:GO, Dota 2, League of Legends, StarCraft II, Call of Duty, and others. A relatively wide range is offered only for major tournaments and popular streaming competitions.

The bookmaker's live line also does not break records but is close to the leaders. Up to 150 events take place in live betting per day with an average assortment of possible outcomes. It is worth noting that this bookmaker does not provide video broadcasts; instead, it offers graphical visualizations and detailed statistics. Bet calculations are made within 15-20 minutes after the actual event concludes. Errors are rare.

The odds at Leon are average. For popular tournaments, the commission is set in the range of 3-5%, while for lesser-known and secondary matches, it can reach up to 8%. The lowest odds are observed in unpopular sports of the second tier and below, while the highest are in football. Additionally, there is a significant difference between pre-game and live betting. In the former case, the margin rarely exceeds 6%. For live matches, the bookmaker lays down costs of 7-9%.

Payment Methods

As many paths as human passion knows, the payment methods should be characterized by the same variety to fully embody the true freedom of the gaming experience. Let's check what the Leon bookmaker can offer its clients in this regard.

Обратите внимание, что при выводе средств могут применяться комиссии в зависимости от выбранного метода.

Taxation of Winnings

The Leon bookmaker does not compensate for personal income tax (PIT), which, according to Russian legislation, is levied on all betting winnings. This means that a 13% tax is withheld from each withdrawal amount.

Leon Promotions and Bonuses

Although the bonus program of the Leon bookmaker is not the most original, it pleasantly surprises with its variety. Here, users will find both classic welcome packages for newcomers with a deposit bonus of up to 25,000 rubles and interesting promotions for already registered users. Free bets, cashbacks, bet insurance, and gifts for accumulators—everyone will find an offer to their liking.

The wagering conditions are generally not draconian. The bookmaker does not set unattainable tasks for players, but rather stimulates interest in betting.

Contact Information for the Bookmaker's Support Service

The main downside of the support is the lack of live chat and a hotline. In fact, the only communication channel with support is via email: [email protected]. Communicating with them can be quite challenging, as messages are processed in a live queue, and the number of inquiries from users is as overwhelming as the letters from Tatiana to Onegin—countless.

FAQ

● How to register and log in to Leon bookmaker?

○ Registration at the bookmaker is possible through the official website or mobile application, requiring no special skills. Login is done using the username and password assigned during the account opening stage.

● Do newcomers get a bonus for registration?

○ Yes, new clients are offered a registration bonus in the form of free bets or additional funds to their gaming account, but only after making a deposit.

● Where to download Leon on the phone?

○ The bookmaker's mobile application can be downloaded from the official website leon.ru or from the App Store (for iOS) or RuStore, Galaxy Store, and AppGallery (for Android).

TEXT CHECK FOR UNIQUENESS: 97.42%

Ratings

1. Reliability — 4.1.
2. Bonuses and promotions — 4.7.
3. Payment convenience — 4.5.
4. Live line — 4.3.
5. Pre-match line — 3.9.
6. Медленная служба поддержки.
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   A responsible gaming policy is in place.