Why we do not rank them
A ranking needs criteria, and the criteria people want, such as payout speed, minimum deposit or the size of a welcome bonus, are figures that change and that we refuse to print from memory. The desk confirms the current figure in the chat when it matters. What we can say honestly is how each exchange is reached, what markets it runs, and how its ID is issued, and on those points the five are more alike than different.
So instead of a list, this is a decision path. You answer four questions about yourself. Each answer narrows what to ask the desk and which page on this site to read next. The comparison page sits alongside it for the details of each exchange, and Online Cricket ID explains the desk model if you are completely new to it.
Question one: try first, or go straight in
Some people want to watch a market move before a rupee is involved. Others learn by doing and find a demo tedious. Neither is wrong, but the answer changes your first message to the desk.
If you want to try first, ask the desk for a demo and name the exchange you are curious about. The desk tells you in the chat whether a demo is available for it at the moment, since that changes. Spend an evening on it, then decide. The Demo Cricket ID page describes what a demo can and cannot show you. If you would rather go straight in, ask for a live ID and keep the first deposit small; the deposits page explains how that conversation goes.
Question two: cricket only, or casino too
Every exchange we cover runs cricket markets and a live casino under the same ID, so this question does not rule any of them out. It does decide where you should spend your first week.
If you follow cricket, start there. You already know what a good over looks like, which makes a session market readable in a way a roulette wheel never will be. If the casino is the draw, tell the desk so, because the login flow and the screen you land on can differ and the desk can point you to the right tab. Our back, lay and session explainer is the page to read before the first cricket bet either way.
Question three: phone or laptop
Most readers use a phone, and every exchange we cover can be used on one through the browser, with the desk sending any app or shortcut in the chat. A laptop gives you a wider screen, which helps when several session markets are open at once and the lines are moving.
If you will only ever use a phone, ask the desk to walk you through the mobile login for the exchange you pick and try it on a demo before depositing. Screens that look fine on a laptop can hide the lay column behind a scroll on a small phone, and beginners have laid when they meant to back because of it. Ask the desk to show you where the two sides sit on the exchange you choose.
Question four: who can help you read the screen
This is the question no comparison table asks, and it may be the most useful one. If a friend already holds an ID on one of the five and is willing to sit with you for the first match, their exchange is a sensible starting point. Familiar help in your own language beats any feature.
Two cautions. The ID still comes from the desk, tied to your own mobile number, not from your friend's login or a shared account. And if the friend offers to take your deposit and "add it" to your balance, decline and read the Safety page. Nobody but the desk handles the payment conversation.
The ID is issued the same way on every exchange
Whichever exchange your answers point to, the route to the ID is identical. You open the WhatsApp chat from this site, name the exchange, answer a couple of questions, and the desk replies with your login tied to your mobile number. There is no password to invent and no OTP to share, and the desk will not ask for either. IDs are for people aged 18 and over, and availability depends on where you are. The Official Channels page lists the only contact points we use.
The decision path in one table
Put your four answers together and this is what to do next. Every row ends with a message to the desk, because the desk holds the current facts we cannot print.
| If you want | Read first | Then say to the desk |
|---|---|---|
| To watch before you stake anything | Demo Cricket ID | "Which exchanges have a demo available right now?" |
| Cricket sessions above all | Back, lay and session markets | "I want to start with cricket sessions, which exchange would you set up for that today?" |
| Live casino as much as cricket | Compare Cricket Exchanges | "I will use the casino too, can you show me where it sits on the screen?" |
| Phone only | How to get a cricket ID | "I am on a phone, can you walk me through the mobile login?" |
| To follow a friend | One ID or many | "My friend uses [exchange], please set me up on the same one." |
| To compare two before committing | One ID or many | "Can I hold a demo on two exchanges and pick one afterwards?" |
Notice that no row names an exchange. That is deliberate. The desk can see which exchange fits your answers today, including things we cannot know from here, such as whether a demo is switched on or which login is easiest on your handset.
What beginners get wrong
We have watched a lot of first weeks. The same few mistakes come up, and none of them are about picking the wrong exchange.
- Laying without reading the liability. The stake box is not the risk on a lay bet; the liability figure is. Check it before you confirm.
- Chasing a session line after it has moved. If the boundary has gone and the line has jumped, the price you saw is gone too.
- Depositing more than planned in the first sitting. Decide the figure before you open the chat, and tell the desk. Our limits guide shows how.
- Getting the ID from a friend, a group or a website form instead of the desk. See how to spot copycat sites.
- Trying to withdraw while a bet is still open, then assuming something is wrong. It is locked, not lost.
If you have answered the four questions, you already know your first message. Send it, and the desk takes it from there.