Review of the bookmaker Leon: trust rating and analysis of payout fairness

Leon — a large bookmaker focused primarily on the market segment of the Russian Federation and 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 been closed as of now. In the fall of 2016, alongside physical retail, it opened the acceptance of interactive bets through the official website leon.ru and branded applications for iOS and Android, eventually moving entirely online. It is famous for not hesitating to use spicy images of hot model-like girls for advertising purposes, raising not only the level of excitement among the male audience but also… the level of testosterone with flair =).

As is known, laughter is the best medicine, but not a panacea, so enough joking, it’s time to get down to business. And it is an important and urgent matter, because who else will tell the whole truth about the 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

Analysis has shown that the Leon bookmaker is a legal service provider in the territory of Russia. The organization is licensed by the Federal Tax Service of the Russian Federation under the number Л027-00108-77/00395488, strictly adheres to 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 Transfers of Interactive Bets for Leon is represented by LLC NKO "Mobile Card", operating under the license of the Central Bank of Russia No. 3522-K dated December 24, 2019. During its existence, the betting company has never faced attacks from auditors and has not experienced problems with the revocation of permits.

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 direction of sponsorship funds has changed to support not those "who are already doing well," but youth, amateur, and promising sports movements.

As of March 2024, the Leon bookmaker 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, which is called "LEON-Second League".

The company is known for its bright marketing solutions, positioning itself as "the best live sports betting operator in Russia" 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 bookmaker ratings, players on average assign the reviewed bookmaker 3.0-3.5 stars out of 5.0. Although Leon offers a wide betting line, attractive bonuses, and a convenient and technological website, customer complaints arise due to payment delays, difficulties with verification, and blocking of positive accounts. Notably, the official representatives of the bookmaker hardly respond to complaints in the public space, leaving bettors to wonder what lies behind this veil of silence: cold indifference, 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 bookmaker's administration collaborates with agents of rating services, accepting third-party arbitration in resolving disputed issues. So if a person can substantiate the injustice of the measures taken against 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-structured interface and a modern design. Navigation is not a problem due to the logical structure and thoughtful organization of information blocks. The appearance of the resource is made in classic black-and-white tones with the option to change the main theme, adding +10 points to the style.

The neutral color scheme contributes to the ease of data perception, and important buttons and tabs are highlighted in green. The header of the portal traditionally 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 type of 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 Leon bookmaker website is characterized by conciseness and intuitive clarity of content:

● "TOP" — this is a kind of homepage of the portal, where key matches across all sports are collected. The central place is occupied by a carousel with banners, where important information is displayed — promotions, bonuses, and the latest updates from the company. To the left is a list of the most in-demand sports disciplines, to the right — a coupon, and in the middle is a feed of ranking events with odds for the basic outcomes, totals, and handicaps;

● "Live" — a section for betting on matches that have already started. Here, the line is updated 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, allowing long-term bets on the outcomes of entire tournaments, not just their individual stages;

● "Bets 24/7" — quick live entertainment for guessing;

● "Esports" — duplicates the line from live and pre-match to make it easier to find team or individual competitions based on computer games;

● "Promotions" — all incentive products of the bookmaker are included here, such as bonuses, tournaments, and archives of completed events.

Scrolling down to the footer of the site, you can find useful subsections: "Documents", "Rules", "About the Company", "Contacts", "Blog", "Free Sports Predictions", etc. It deserves praise that the developers did not limit themselves to a simple FAQ answering the most common customer questions, but created a full guide for beginners titled "How to Get Started".

Leon's Application and Mobile Version

Access to the mobile Leon website 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 simplified 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, play through bonuses, and contact customer support 24/7.

As for the downloadable client, Leon has applications for iOS and Android. 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 betting community highly appreciates the program for its simplicity, lack of unnecessary advertisements, and wide functionality. It is also noted for its security, as well as the convenience of authorization via Face ID and Touch ID.

Registration and Account Verification

Anyone who is a citizen of Russia and is at least 18 years old at the time of account creation can become a client of the Leon bookmaker. To do this, you need to complete a simple registration and verification procedure in a simplified form.

At the first stage, you should carefully fill out the user questionnaire, providing accurate information. Otherwise, difficulties with identity verification will inevitably arise, up 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 top up the account and start betting with real money.

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

1. 1. Upload your TIN and photocopies of the passport pages with your full name and registration. This audit is considered simplified, allowing a total of no more than 200,000 rubles to be conducted through the account within a month and up to 60,000 rubles for a single transaction.
   2. At "Contact" service points. 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 procedure fee of 150 rubles.
   3. Through the "Gosuslugi" portal. This type of verification is suitable only for Russian citizens with an activated account in the EPGU.

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

The betting company reserves the right to assign a secondary verification of the player before paying out winnings. This usually happens if the bookmaker suspects that the client has violated the company's 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 in the form of singles, accumulators, systems, and combined bets with a banker. The offer includes almost all major leagues and tournaments from different countries, although the depth of the odds 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 a rarity.

At the same time, one cannot ignore the almost formal presence of tennis matches at the ITF level and the Challenger series in the bookmaker's structure, which, considering the previously mentioned points, makes the bookmaker's line frankly mediocre. Comparing Leon's pre-match offerings with competitors, the betting platform clearly does not reach the industry leaders but has decent potential to eventually break into the elite and compete with the giants.

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

● Several options for totals and handicaps;

● Double outcomes;

● Next goal;

● Will both score;

● Half-time comparison.

Recently, the betting options for statistics, intervals, and final winners have also been well enhanced.

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

Additionally, Leon's line includes relatively exotic sports disciplines for Russian betting. These include cricket, rugby, floorball, ski jumping, golf, and rugby league. However, the coverage for them is modest and is unlikely to satisfy the demands of true enthusiasts of unusual sports.

In addition to traditional sports betting, the bookmaker covers 11 esports disciplines. Matches can be selected for CS:GO, Dota 2, League of Legends, StarCraft II, Call of Duty, and others. A relatively wide range is offered only for landmark tournaments and popular competitions on streams.

The bookmaker's line in real-time 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 should be noted that this bookmaker does not have video broadcasts; they are replaced by graphical visualizations and detailed statistics. Coupon calculations are made within 15-20 minutes after the actual completion of the event. 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 reaches 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 odds. In the first case, the margin rarely exceeds 6%. For real-time matches, the bookmaker lays costs of 7-9%.

Payment Methods

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

Account Funding

Funds can be deposited into the gaming balance at the bookmaker through the "Deposit" tab, as well as from the personal account page. The operator accepts the following payment options:

1. 1. Bank cards VISA, MasterCard, and MIR.
   2. Payment services SBP, SberPay, and Tinkoff Pay.
   3. Electronic wallets Yandex.Money and TSUPIS.
   4. Mobile operators MTS, Tele2, Beeline, and Megafon.

Funds are credited strictly in Russian rubles, and there is no information about the possibility of automatic currency conversion. The minimum deposit amount is 100 ₽, and the maximum is 595,000 ₽ (for cards, banking systems, TSUPIS) and up to 15,000 ₽ for other methods. For cash payments, a partnership agreement has been concluded with the service company "Elexnet," whose self-service terminals are installed in 74 regions of Russia.

Funds are credited to the gaming balance instantly. In case of delays, do not hesitate to contact customer support.

Withdrawal of Funds

Cash withdrawal from the Leon account is possible using payment systems Visa, Mastercard, MIR, and TSUPIS, as well as bank transfer. The minimum withdrawal amount is 100 rubles. The maximum is 595,000 rubles for all methods. Payments usually arrive within the first 24 hours from the moment the withdrawal request is formed. However, in some cases, transactions may take up to five working days to process.

Taxation of Winnings

The Leon bookmaker does not compensate for personal income tax (PIT), which, according to Russian legislation, is levied on all winnings from bets. 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 only stimulates interest in betting.

Contacting the Bookmaker's Support Service

The main downside of the support is the lack of live chat and a hotline. The only communication channel with support is implemented via email: [email protected]. It can be quite difficult to communicate with them, as messages are processed in a live queue, and the number of user inquiries is as numerous as Tatiana's letters to Onegin!

FAQ

● How is registration and login to Leon bookmaker carried out?

○ 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 at the account opening stage.

● Do they give bonuses for registration to newcomers?

○ Yes, new clients are provided with 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 your 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. Support Service — 3.5.
7. Odds — 4.5.