Founded in 2000 as an online betting exchange, it wasn’t until 2013 that Betfair developed their own fixed odds sportsbook, but they were already renowned. The sportsbook, running conjunction with their exchange platform, offers punters the complete sports betting experience.
Betfair handles more than ten million transactions each and every day, with licences covering a number of jurisdictions including the UK, Gibraltar, Malta, Italy, Spain, the US, Australia and more.
Whether you want to bet against the bookies or against your peers via the exchange platform, you will find industry-leading odds and game-changing features that have redefined how sportsbooks go about their business.
Odds & Markets
There’s more to Betfair than just the bells and whistles that we’ve come to expect. They deliver in the ‘meat and potatoes’ of sports betting too by providing decent odds backed by stacks of market opportunities.
Compare and contrast Betfair to any other bookmaker in the key markets and you’ll be pleasantly surprised. We did, firstly for a standard win-draw-win football market, and they were joint best price for the home side and the draw; two out of three really ain’t bad.
They were a fraction behind as far as Both Teams to Score and Over/Under are concerned, so a word of caution for goals-based punters, and in the Correct Score brackets interestingly enough they were top price for the three main draws: 0-0, 1-1 and 2-2.
Horse racing remains ever popular with punters, and we’re happy to report that Betfair has got you covered. Picking a race at random – the 4:25 from Leicester, for what it’s worth – we found that Betfair was the equal best price for five of the ten runners. That 50% hit rate is as good as anything we’ve come across during this series of reviews.
Long-term ante-post markets are another good measure of a bookmakers’ generosity, and so we picked out golf’s US Open to explore further. Here they were top price for seven of the top twenty in the market, and while that number didn’t feature the leading stars the likes of Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia, Phil Mickelson and Martin Kaymer – whom offer plenty of value – they were amongst the Betfair best priced.
Site Usability
The first thing you’ll notice about Betfair’s website is that it looks markedly different to most other sportsbooks online. But not to worry: it is actually laid out in a sensible, intuitive way to make your journey around its various pages seamless.
The top menu running horizontally across the screen is your best friend here: it contains everything you will need to maneuver your way around the site.
Once you’ve clicked through to ‘sport’ you’ll be greeted with ‘quick links’ and featured coupons down the left-hand side of the screen and through the middle a myriad of sporting highlights to peruse.
The scrolling banner at the top reveals Betfair’s key promotions relating to that day’s/week’s action too.
Along the right-hand side you’ll find your betslip, which only floats in when you make a selection, plus one other feature well worthy of your attention: the days Odds Boosts.
Users can expect a smooth ride while browsing Betfair’s website, with rapid bet placement and efficient in-play updates ensuring that punters don’t miss a thing.
Add into the mix the fact that the mobile site and app are both broadly based on the desktop version, while being optimised and tweaked for smaller screen sizes, and you can enjoy a smooth transition from computer to tablet to phone.
Features
Given that they are responsible for some of the most innovative functions in online sports betting history, it will come as no surprise to learn that Betfair is jam-packed with the kind of features that punters want, rather than mere window dressings.
- In-Play Betting – You’ll never be short of options courtesy of Betfair’s comprehensive in-play offering. Even on a dreary Monday morning we had more than a dozen football matches from around the globe (including the Vietnamese Womens League for a sense of scale), 38 tennis options and markets covering cricket, snooker, rugby, basketball and volleyball.
- Exchange – It seems remiss not to mention the exchange again here. Become the bookie and lay your own bets, or take odds from other punters. Either way you are cutting out the middle man and can find better value.
- Cash Out – You may or may not know that it was actually Betfair who originated Cash Out, and now it is a feature offered by any bookmaker worth their salt. They offer the full monty or Partial Cash Out, which is where you can take a percentage of your winnings right away and leave the rest to run until the end of the event.
- Multiple Builder – What a great tool this is, and it’s inbuilt at the bottom of your betslip. Simply select the odds you want to back and let Betfair put your accumulator together for you with selections from across the globe. The easiest way to bet….and fast.
Banking, Payouts & Limits
The financial aspects of wagering with Betfair ensure that punters of all circumstances are well looked after. With a minimum bet amount of just £0.10p, right up to a daily payout limit of a cool £1,000,000, players of limited budget and high rollers can rest assured that Betfair has got their back.
Payment Methods
All of the standard payment methods are accepted by Betfair, so whichever way you like to move your money around online you are likely to be able to do so here. Debit and credit cards are the most common form of method used, and most of the various Visa and MasterCard types are eligible. Then there’s your e-wallet systems too, so PayPal, Skrill and Neteller users can rejoice as they deposit/withdraw in this way, with bank transfers and even postal cheques accepted for those players who like to keep things a little old school.
Minimum Deposit
The minimum deposit amount accepted by Betfair is dependent on the method you use to deposit cash. The general rule of thumb is £5, although Skrill users will need to pop £10 in and, for reasons unknown, the minimum deposit for Neteller customers is £12.
Minimum Bet
The minimum bet accepted by Betfair’s sportsbook is £0.10p, although the Exchange does have a bottom limit of £2 in place.
Maximum Bet
As ever, we’ll direct you towards the maximum daily payouts that Betfair allows rather than a maximum stake amount. Let this be your guide.
Payout Limits
The list of payout limits in place at Betfair is as long as your arm, so you should really take the time to check their website if that’s the kind of thing that concerns you. But for the purposes of this article, here are a few of the key ones to note:
- Horse Racing (UK & Ireland) – £1,000,000
- Horse Racing (Overseas) – £100,000
- Football (major European leagues/tournaments) – £1,000,000
- Football (outside of Europe) – £500,000 or less
- Tennis (Singles, Top Tier Matches) – £200,000
- Tennis (Other) – £50,000 or less
- Golf – £100,000
- Cricket (International) – £100,000
- Cricket (UK Domestic) – £25,000
About Betfair
One of the true innovators of online sports betting, Betfair was the first to bring many of the contemporary features we now expect from a sportsbook to the party, and the first to introduce the world to a betting exchange – where members of the public can essentially bet against one another.
Betfair was founded in the year 2000 by Andrew Black and Edward Wray, and has since purchased a number of sister companies including Timeform. The firm itself was purchased by Paddy Power in February 2016, although in reality it was a merger of the two brands rather than a straightforward acquisition. As such, Betfair retains their independence and continues to operate outside of Paddy’s sphere of influence.
Prior to the sale Betfair was the UK’s most frequented online bookmaker and the world’s largest betting exchange, with a cool £50 million wagered via the platform each and every week. More than one million customers are active on the site too.
The creativity, reliability and dedication that Betfair brings has been recognised with a number of key industry awards. They scooped the ‘Best Innovation’ gong at the EGR Awards for their work on internet-connected TV apps, and they also picked up the trophies for Best Sports Operator and Best Mobile Product at the same ceremony.
Contact Information
There are two sides to Betfair’s business but happily the sportsbook is based right here in the UK in Hammersmith, West London. So, you can expect superb support from a native-tongued customer service representative.
- Freephone – 0344 871 0000
- Post – Waterfront, Hammersmith Embankment, Chancellors Road (access on Winslow Road), London, England W6 9HP, United Kingdom.
- Live Chat – via website
- Email – [email protected]
- Twitter – @BetfairCS or @Betfair