Betfair started out with its highly innovative, first-of-its-kind Betting Exchange. But many punters weren’t comfortable adapting to the unfamiliar trading platform — not to mention the European decimal odds format. So Betfair created a bookmaker section on their existing site so that it catered to everyone.
Betfair’s Sportsbook isn’t just a tag-along to the exchange, either. It rivals just about any other online bookmaker in its own right. In our opinion, it’s one of the elite betting sites.
Betfair Review Contents:
Signup Promotion
Betfair offers a £100 free bet welcome bonus for new customers. It’s limited to one bonus per household.
Aside from the higher rollover requirement, the £100 signup promotion works just the same as the majority of other Bookmaker free bets — which you can learn about in our post: How Free Bets Work.
How to Claim
Advantages
Easy Access to the Betting Exchange
It’s not advisable to dive straight into the (somewhat risky) betting exchange straight away. But the option is there, as all Betfair members can use the Betting Exchange — and all other Betfair products — under one unified account.
Best Premier League Odds
Betfair boasts the lowest average match overrounds since 1/1/18, compared to leading UK bookmakers (verified by OddsChecker). So if football betting is your thing, Betfair Bookmaker a great option.
Best Odds Guaranteed
Best Odds Guaranteed is essential for any horse racing sportsbook. Betfair’s BOG applies to both UK and Irish horse race winner markets and selected UK and Irish greyhound race winner markets. It’s honoured on any price taken on singles and multiples after 8am on the day of the race.
Excellent Signup Bonus
Betfair’s Sportsbook signup offer is more generous than their (other) Betting Exchange bonus. In terms of value, it also surpasses the majority of free bets offered from rival companies. Just be sure to note the qualifying requirements from the terms & conditions on the landing page.
Live Streaming
Betfair is one of the only bookies to provide live streaming to all members. Watch live football, basketball, horse racing, tennis, and many more sports events from home — or via the Betfair mobile app if you’re on-the-move. This is a major advantage of Betfair.
Huge Offering of Sports Markets
Within each of the sports there’s tons of niche markets to choose from on both the Sportsbook and Betting Exchange. Betfair Sportsbook also offers its very own #OddsOnThat which enables punters to bet on hand-picked, obscure outcomes such as “Man United Win to Nil, Pogba to score & over 8.5 corners”. This makes for a more interesting, varied experience.
Disadvantages
The Mobile App Could Be Improved
The Betfair Sportsbook and Betfair Exchange apps are separate. And in addition to the minor inconvenience of switching between apps, both versions lack search functionality. Finding specific markets — such as the next upcoming fixture for your favourite football team — ought to be simpler.
Lacking Payment Options
While most major methods are accepted on their site, there’s still some options missing from the list. It’s surprising that Betfair falls behind other major sportsbooks in this department. But realistically this won’t impact many customers.
Full Specification
Sports Betting Markets
- American Football
- Australian Rules
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Bowls
- Boxing
- Chess
- Cricket
- Current Affairs
- Cycling
- Darts
- Esports
- Football
- Futsal
- Gaelic Games
- Golf
- Greyhound Racing
- Handball
- Hockey
- Horse Racing
- Ice Hockey
- Mixed Martial Arts
- Motor Sport
- Netball
- Politics
- Pool
- Rugby League
- Rugby Union
- Snooker
- Special Bets
- Surfing
- Table Tennis
- Tennis
- Volleyball
- Winter Sports
Payment Options
- Visa Debit
- Mastercard Debit
- Credit Cards (1.5% fee)
- Maestro
- PayPal (2% fee)
- Skrill
- Neteller
- Paysafecard (2.5% fee, no withdrawals)
- Bank Transfer
- Cheque
Regulation
- Gibraltar Gambling Commission (previously the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority)
- UK Gambling Commission