SugarCastle Review (January 2025)

“Love the theme and have a racing-focused product.”

Katherine Mouradian, OnlyRacing expert

When I heard the name “SugarCastle” I was expecting some sort of Candy Crush-like theme and boy was I wrong. The theme you’ll see on SugarCastle is very sophisticated, almost The Great Gatsby-like and I love it! They are one of the new betting sites available for Aussie punters to try out and there’s certainly a lot of offer.

Their racing product, in particular, is very strong and you’ll find a whole stack of racing markets, promotions as well as competitive odds. In my SugarCastle review, I also found the overall user experience (including on their app) to be quite good. Both platforms seem to be quite intuitive, so it’s easy to find what I am looking for.

My Score: 7.4/10

Betting Offerings - 7/10

I think the SugarCastle betting offering is solid. It’s a great starting point and I’m excited to see how they grow from here. Some of the main betting offerings include:

• Thoroughbred Racing: Horse racing is available for both domestic and international markets, including some of the biggest races of the year, like the Caulfield Cup and the Australian Cup.
• Greyhound Racing: Just like with horse racing, SugarCastle has a solid greyhound racing offering and I would consider them one of the top new greyhound racing betting sites going around. There are markets available for domestic and international events and their odds are fairly competitive as well.
• Harness Racing: Rounding out the final major racing code, harness racing is also available with SugarCastle. As is the case with the other two racing codes, you will find both domestic and international events.
• Sports: Racing may be where they excel, but their sports offering is still decent enough. They offer a solid range of markets, like Same Game Multis, for example, across a wide range of sporting events.

Banking Options - 6/10

Betting sites payment methods are a little bit limited, especially when compared to some of the more established bookies in the market. While the options are limited, the available methods are among the most commonly used (debit card and bank transfer).

So, if you’re looking for the best PayID betting sites or the best PayPal betting sites in Australia, SugarCastle isn’t your option just yet. These two banking options are becoming increasingly popular though, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they are working on adding these options to their offering.

Mobile Experience - 9/10

I really did enjoy the mobile experience with SugarCastle. They have a newly designed app that has just hit the respective app stores and it’s fairly clear it has been designed by a team of people who enjoy having a punt. The speed, navigation and everything else that is essential is spot on.

Withdraw Speed - 7/10

The withdrawal speed at SugarCastle Australia could use a little work as some bookies these days are offering almost instant withdrawals! However, remember that SugarCastle has only just launched, so I will give them some leniency with this.

Overall User Experience - 8/10

The overall user experience is also pretty good with SugarCastle. When I was exploring, everything seemed to work as it should and I didn’t encounter any problems. Some of the things I loved the most about the user experience include:

• Fast site and app speed.
• Easy navigation.
• Eye-catching theme.

Customer Support - 6/10

Just like with several of the newly launched bookmakers, SugarCastle’s customer support could use a little work. At this stage, they have two methods if you want to get in touch with the customer service team: email (through submitting a ticket) and live chat.

Security - 9/10

Security is high-class at SugarCastle, as you would expect with any properly licensed bookie in Australia. The wagering industry in Australia is highly regulated and the industry body is keeping a close eye on all bookmakers, to ensure they are always doing the right thing.

A note from OnlyRacing: Our expert writers perform in-depth research on each sportsbook to provide you with their professional, impartial opinion. However, when you click on certain links in the review and make a deposit, we may receive a commission (don't worry - this costs you nothing).

SugarCastle Australia is one of the newer betting sites that is making a splash in the industry. The bookie launched in late 2024 and is owned by Lyndon Hsu, who is very experienced in the industry. Hsu is the director of BetGalaxy, the managing partner of BetBetBet and was previously chairman of BetCloud.

So, it’s no surprise that SugarCastle uses the BetCloud software platform. There are a few bookies available in Australia that use the same platform, which is why you may notice some similarities with them.

For me, betting sites like SugarCastle are a great place to bet because I prefer to bet on racing and their product is quite racing-focused. The upcoming racing takes up the most important real estate on the home page and they have a solid range of racing products.

As previously mentioned, SugarCastle’s racing product is where they excel. Even if you are new to the world of betting and find yourself asking “how to bet on horses”, you’ll find a home at SugarCastle Australia. The overall process of betting on racing events is quite simple and they have a few tools to help you along the way.

One key area that I think is letting them down slightly is the fact that live streaming for races isn’t available. But, there are plenty of other places (like Channel 7) where you can catch the races live! Live streaming is not a deal breaker, that’s for sure, it would just be a nice feature to have.

Some of the best racing features available with SugarCastle include:

• Fluctuations: Having fluctuations is a nice feature to have because you can easily see how the price has changed for each runner in the market. This tells you where all the money is going and if there’s a market mover to consider.
• Top Tote: You can bet on the fixed odds of a runner, or choose the top tote and this will give you the best price out of the three totes.
• Same Race Multis: I personally love a Same Race Multi as it’s a great way to change things up, so it’s good to see that SugarCastle offers this product.
• Quick Insights: If a runner is a track specialist, market mover, the best rated, etc. you will be informed of this through their quick insights feature.

They could build on their quick insights feature a little more to include more in-depth tips. However, what they have now is still good, especially for casual bettors and remember that you can always get your horse racing tips from us here at OnlyRacing! 

We offer tips for your multi-bets as well as exotics tips and Saturday horse racing tips. We even provide tips for all the Group One races on the calendar and you can check out all the races we cover on our Group One races list page.

The SugarCastle app has just dropped and is now available to download! When I downloaded the app, I was surprised at just how quickly it all loaded and it is a highly-optimised version of their website. 

In terms of new betting apps going around, I would consider the SugarCastle app to be one of the best. I haven’t found any bugs yet and it seems to be the perfect addition to the SugarCastle offering, especially for those who are on the go a lot.

Some of the things that stood out the most in the SugarCastle app:

• Optimal User Experience: The navigation and placement of different components were excellent.
• Bug-Free: As of right now, I haven’t found any bugs or glitches with the app and everything seems to be working as it should.

One of the areas I’d like to touch on in my SugarCastle review is the products and features available. As SugarCastle uses the BetCloud software platform, a lot of the products and features you’ll find here are similar across other bookies that use the same platform.

I would love it if they included live betting in their offering, but for now here are some of the key products and features you’ll find at SugarCastle:

• SRMs/ SGMs: SugarCastle makes the process of placing an SRM or SGM very easy. These markets aren’t available for every event, so make sure you see the relevant button at the top of the event page you are looking at.
• Blended Odds: If you’re tossing up between two (or more) runners, then blended odds may be the way to go. You can combine the odds for those two (or more) runners, so if any of your chosen runners win, your bet gets up.
• Best Tote: One of the biggest features available with SugarCastle is that they offer The best tote. It is available for Australian horse races and you’ll see the “Win BT” option available for every runner.

SugarCastle Australia has a decent amount to offer when it comes to betting markets, especially when it comes to racing. They have domestic and international events for all three racing codes and include the simple betting markets like fixed win and place, as well as exotics like exactas, quinellas, trifectas and first fours.

I think racing is where they excel, but they still have a fairly strong sports offering as well. All the main sports that you know and love are available to bet on. Their range of markets for each event might not be as strong as the more established players in the market, but it is certainly a great starting point.

Some of the top sports that SugarCastle provides markets for include:

• NFL
• NBA
• Cricket
• Tennis
• Soccer
• AFL
• NRL
• And more

Betting bonuses really do make the world go round, don’t they? As I’ve previously explained, bookies aren’t allowed to showcase the promotions and bonuses that are available due to Australian regulations. This means you’ll have to be logged in to your account to see what’s on offer.

When I logged in to see what was available with SugarCastle Australia, I was happy with the range of promotions available. While it probably isn’t up to the standard that you’d see with some of the more established bookies in the market, as a starting point, it is very good.

If you’re interested in learning more about what’s at your disposal, you can head to the SugarCastle website or app, make sure you’re logged in and go to the “Promos” page. If there’s a major racing or sporting event upcoming, they may even have a promotion for that.

On top of this SugarCastle review, we also offer a Betfocus review, PlayUp review and more, so you can read more about the promotions and bonuses available with all the top bookies in the industry. Our full list of online bookmakers provides details on all the reviews available.

When I followed the sign-up process with SugarCastle, I found it to be quick and pain-free. The process as a whole only took a couple of minutes and then I was able to place my bets. If you would like to sign up to SugarCastle, look for the “Sign Up” button in the top right-hand corner.

Follow the steps that are displayed on your screen, like adding in your information such as: 

• Email
• Password
• Date of birth
• Name
• Address

Once you have completed that, you’ll be asked to set up a deposit limit and then it’s time to make your first deposit and place a bet. It’s that simple! If you encounter any issues throughout this process, reach out to the customer service team as they can help you.

How to Deposit

Before you can place any bets, you’ll need funds in your account! Depositing at SugarCastle is quite easy and the first step is to head to your account. Find the “Deposit” tab from the menu on the left side and add your debit card details if you haven’t done this previously.

Once you have your debit card set up, you can select how much you wish to deposit and confirm this by clicking the “Deposit Now” button. You’ll usually find the funds will be instantly added to your account.

How to Withdraw

I found the withdrawal process to be just as easy as the deposit process. Again, head to your account and instead of looking for the “Deposit” tab from the left-hand side menu, look for the “Withdrawal” tab.

At this stage, the only withdrawal option available at SugarCastle Australia is a bank transfer. You’ll have to add your bank details before you can make your first withdrawal. Once this is added you can choose how much you wish to withdraw and it usually takes between one to three business days for the funds to be added to your bank account.

One of the other areas that I felt was important to explore in this SugarCastle review was the level of customer service. The customer service available is fairly basic, but it is certainly good enough and there are two options available if you want to reach out:

• Live Chat: Live chat is my personal favourite option as it always seems to be the fastest method of communication. You’ll see if the customer service team is online and available to chat with by clicking on the button in the bottom right-hand side of the screen.
• Email: You can send an email to the customer service team by sending them a ticket. This automatically gets sent to their email (service@sugarcastle.com.au) and they will respond when available. 

I think SugarCastle offers decent odds, especially for fixed racing markets. When I compared the odds of some runners in upcoming horse races, SugarCastle was up there most of the time offering some valuable odds.

I always say it is a good idea to shop around, especially if you are betting on a market with high odds, as there is more likely to be a larger discrepancy with the odds. From now on, I will be adding SugarCastle to the list of bookies that I will check before I place my bets. I don’t want to leave any extra cash on the table!