What you´ll find in this Betfair Review
I gave Betfair a thorough road test, using both the desktop and the app.
Firstly, we checked the welcome bonus, terms and conditions. Then I completed the registration and verification process.
I checked out a number of different sports before looking at specific bets.
I placed a couple of bets to check everything ran smoothly and then looked at the customer service section, the terms and conditions and at the information and support on safer gambling. These are the topics covered in my findings.
1. Licences
2. Range of available sports
3. Odds’ value
4. Betting options & features
5. Bonus and offers analysis
6. Overall user experience
7. How easy is to open a new account
8. Things you need to know about their deposit methods
9. How withdrawing works
10. What do you do if you run into issues
Betfair licensing, safety and trustworthiness
Betfair is a well-established, well regulated and trustworthy bookmaker. Their policies are clearly laid out on their website and their solid, reliable reputation, developed over more than two decades in well earned.
Betfair complete list of licences
Malta: Malta Gaming Authority
What makes Betfair Safe
Betting sites need to deal with sensitive information, including financial and personal details, so it is essential that this information is kept secure. It is essential that betting sites are well regulated and everything that they offer is fair and legal. We set out our key points for making betting sites safe.
What makes a betting site safe
- Safety of funds
- Security of personal information
- Official Licenses
- Responsibly Gambling policy and tools
- Clear terms and conditions
- Easily accessible information on policies
All of the information regarding these policies and all terms and conditions are straightforward to find on Betfair’s website.
| What makes Betfair a safe and reputable company |
|---|
| Betfair hold licenses from and are regulated by both the UK Gambling Commission and the Malta Gaming Authority. This means that they have to adhere to a strict code of conduct and that they are extremely well monitored. They have a clear privacy policy, which can be accessed via a link at the bottom of each page on their website. This outlines the measures they take to keep customer information secure, and highlights how seriously they take data protection. These include a two-step authentication process to protect customer accounts against attacks and the use of SSL technology to encrypt data, alongside biometrics, guards and cameras to secure the servers in their data centres. Betfair extend this duty of care to their customers with promotion of responsible gambling. Their responsible gambling page outlines their commitment, gives tips for safe gambling and supplies contact details for their dedicated support team. In addition to this there are a range of tools to help the customer manage their account and their limits. These includes deposit and transfer limits, reality checks, self-assessment, self-exclusion and the option to take breaks from using the site. All of this information is straightforward to find on the website, and the terms for bonuses are clear and straightforward. Chris Sampson: Betfair are a reliable and well regulated company, who look after customer welfare in terms of data protection and safe gambling. |
Sports you can bet on at Betfair
Betfair offer 32 different sports markets. The popular sports such as football, horse racing, rugby union, cricket, tennis and golf are all well covered, along with more niche sports such as netball and volleyball. The depth to many of the markets is impressive with a large variety of leagues being catered for. The bookmaker also has sections for specials, such as politics, and Esports.
| Sports Betting Markets at Betfair: depth and quality |
|---|
| Betfair have a broad sportsbook, which also offers depth across a range of sports and leagues. Football, Horse racing and Tennis are all covered particularly well. Football, for example, has huge depth , with bets available for some of the more obscure leagues around the world, as well as popular markets such as the Premier League. They offer a large range of markets from the result of games, to player props (number of passes made, cards, goals, assists). As well these hugely popular sports, punters who want to bet on sports with smaller followings such as surfing, handball and winter sports have their needs catered for, along with the specials markets for TV and politics. Chris Sampson: A broad and varied sportsbook which offers a range of markets, and has good depth, especially on the more popular sports. |
Betfair Odds Offers
Betfair’s sportsbook consistently offer fair and competitive odds. I looked at three football matches, from the Premier League and the Championship in England, and from La Liga in Spain. Their payout margins averaged at 94.1%. When we compared their payout margin for the Premier League match between Chelsea and Fulham on 03.02.23, they stood up well with other leading bookmakers. Betfair offered a payout margin of 94.3%, compared to BetVictor (92.7%), Paddy Power (93%) and William Hill (95.7). They couldn’t quite match bet365 and Betway (94.9%) and were some way off BetUK (97.7%).
For Rugby Union the payout margin for England against Scotland in the Six Nations/Calcutta Cup was 91.4%. While this margin failed to match bet365 (94.1%), it bettered Paddy Power (91.2%), BetVictor (89%).
For horse racing I looked at the 15:25 at Southwell and the bookie had a payout margin of 80%, which was equal to Betfred, better than BetUk and only slightly behind William Hill.
Odds can be viewed as fractional or decimal.
| Betfair odds: consistent and competitive |
|---|
| Chris Sampson: Consistent and competitive odds across a range of sports. They rarely offer the best odds out there in any category, however, across different sports they are in touch with the leaders. They rarely offer any markets which are unattractive to punters. The exchange often offers better odds than the sportsbook. |
Betfair Betting Options and Features
Betfair offer a good range of markets, options and features to enhance your betting experience.
Cash out
Betfair have a cash out feature which allows you to lock in a profit or loss before waiting for the event to finish.
Variety of Markets
As well as traditional markets Betfair offer a wide range of options. Individual player props are becoming very popular, and these are available in a range of sports. In football, for some individual players, there are number of special markets set up for number of shots, passes or cards. This is available in cricket too, where you can predict how many runs a batsman will score. In tennis you can bet on the number of aces a player will serve, or the amount of breakpoints they will create or face.
Bet Builder
Betfair has a comprehensive bet builder, which is available on a range of sports. There are many options which you can combine, and there is also the option to tweet @Betfair #oddsonthat and get odds for a custom bet.
In-play
The bookmaker offers a great range of in-play betting options, which allows to monitor the action and place your wagers accordingly. The depth of football markets mean that you can find a match to bet on at most times throughout the day. Other sports to offer in-play betting tennis, darts, rugby, baseball, handball and E-sports.
There are multiple in-play markets to choose from. For example, in football, as well as the standard match winner, you can bet on which team has the most corners or who will score the next goal. In-play markets on more niche sports or lower tiers of sport, may lack the depth and variety of more popular events.
Live Streaming
Betfair constantly provides live streams of sporting events around the world. You’ll find streams of football, tennis, snooker, volleyball, basketball, darts, cricket, ice hockey, rugby, bowls, handball and of course horse racing and greyhounds. All of the streams are free to watch with the exception of certain horse racing and greyhound events for which you may be required to place a bet on.
You may be restricted to which events you can stream due to broadcasting rights.
For GB, Irish, UAE, Latin American, Mauritius and Australian horse races, a minimum total stake of £1 must be placed on the race in order to stream it.
Multiples
Also known as accumulators or accas, Betfair allows you to place a variety of these bets, with up to 25 selections. More commonly you can pick three, four or five football matches and predict the winner of each for a combined bet.
Currently you can select up to maximum of 25 selections in one Multiple.
In addition to you can also place the following full-cover multiples:
Trixie – A Trixie is a full-cover multiple bet on three selections.
It is made up of 4 bets – 3 Doubles and 1 Treble.
Patent – A Patent is a full-cover multiple bet with singles on three selections.
It is made up of 7 bets – 3 Singles, 3 Doubles and 1 Treble.
Yankee – A Yankee is a full-cover multiple bet on four selections.
It is made up of 11 bets – 6 Doubles, 4 Trebles and 1 Fourfold.
Canadian – A Canadian is a full-cover multiple bet on five selections.
It is made up of 26 bets – 10 Doubles, 10 Trebles, 5 Fourfolds and 1 Fivefold.
Heinz – A Heinz is a full-cover multiple bet on six selections.
It is made up of 57 bets – 15 Doubles, 20 Trebles, 15 Fourfolds, 6 Fivefolds and 1 Sixfold.
Super Heinz – A Super Heinz is a full-cover multiple bet on seven selections.
It is made up of 120 bets – 21 Doubles, 35 Trebles, 35 Fourfolds, 21 Fivefolds, 7 Sixfolds and 1 Sevenfold.
Goliath – A Goliath is a full-cover multiple bet on eight selections.
It is made up of 247 bets – 28 Doubles, 56 Trebles, 70 Fourfolds, 56 Fivefolds, 28 Sixfolds, 8 Sevenfolds and one Eightfold.
Betfair also have introduced “acca edge”, which replaces their acca insurance. I will cover this in the promotions section.
Exchange Betting
Betfair have a market leading betting exchange so if you are after backing and laying it is the place to be.
| Excellent range of bets and features at Betfair |
|---|
| Chris Sampson: Betfair have an amazing amount of markets and depth. They have a great in-play section, complimented by one of the best live streaming services available. Many types of bets are available, both pre-match and in-play, with multiples being a strength. |
Welcome offers and Promos at Betfair: Grab a bonus at Betfair
Betfair’s welcome offer nets you £20 worth of free bets when you bet £5 on the sportsbook. There are promotions for existing customers, mainly involving multiples. For those who enjoy multiple bets, there is a revamped acca insurance, called acca edge.
New Player Bonus at Betfair
Betfair have a great sign up offer, which is inline with many of it’s competitiors. Place a minimum bet of £5 on the Sportsbook on odds of a minimum of 1/2 (1.5), and get £20 in free bets. These are valid for 30 days. SMS verification is required, and only deposits via cards will qualify. As ever, check the terms and conditions.
Betfair Deposit Bonus
There is no deposit bonus available on the sportsbook at Betfair.
Betfair Free Bet Bonus
Betfair often run promos where you can be rewarded with free bets. One example is the offer of a £10 free bet when you bet on £10 worth of Multiples on Saturday’s UK and Ireland Horse Racing.
Another offer is a free £2 bet on the bet builder for any EPL game over the weekend. Football punters can also take advantage of a free £2 bet when they bet £10 on accumulators or the bet builder.
Enhanced Odds at Betfair
Betfair often offer enhanced odds leading up to events. For example on 03.02.23 the bookmaker were offering 9/4 on Kevin Stott to ride a winner in that days meeting at Newcastle, boosted from 7/4. Football fans could take advantage of betting on both Athletic Bilbao and Malaga to win, boosted from 2/1 to 5/2.
Acca Edge
Betfair’s Acca Edge is one of the most comprehensive acca insurances within the UK industry. It applies to accumulators consisting of a minimum of three selections or more and you can use it across any sport and any market. If one result lets you down on your accumulator, then Betfair will offer you money back as cash in return for a slight reduction in odds.
Betfair Risk-Free Bet Bonus
While Betfair offer a number of promotions with free-bets, they are not currently running any promos with risk-free bets on the sportsbook. The Betfair Exchange has been known to offer a £20 risk free bet as part of the sign-up offer.
Betfair Reload Bonus
As mentioned earlier, Betfair have a number of offers available for existing customers, which give you the chance to rack up free bets.
Betfair VIP Programme
At the time of writing Betfair do not offer a VIP programme on the sportsbook.
| A generous welcome offer and regular promotions at Betfair |
|---|
| Chris Sampson: Betfair have a generous welcome offer for new customers. You can get £10 worth of free bets when you bet £30 on the sportsbook. They are particularly good for promotions offering free bets. These promos are often connected to their bet builder or multiples. |
Betfair User Experience
Firstly, I looked at how to register an account, along with the welcome bonus, terms and conditions. Then I completed the registration and verification process. I looked into a number of different sports before investigating specific bets, focusing on football, rugby union and horse racing.
I placed a couple of bets to ensure everything worked well and then looked at the customer service section, the terms and conditions and at the information and support on safer gambling. I conducted this research using both the desktop version of the website and the app., for both the sportsbook and the exchange.
Using Betfair on their website
The Betfair desktop website is user friendly and allows access to all the different sites under the Betfair umbrella. You can switch between the sportsbook section and the betting exchange easily.
The sports betting section displays the huge range that Betfair has available, with all of the different markets easily accessible. The help section is easily found, and the number of topics covered in this is extensive. The in-play section is easy to use, and once again, the markets are most comprehensive.
On the Exchange, it is easy to see the main sporting markets you can bet and lay on. The depth of markets demonstrate why it is one of the best betting exchanges around.
Using Betfair on their app
Betfair offers different apps for the different parts of its site. This can be a little irritating for punters who may wish to flick between the sportsbook and the betting exchange. There is a tab to give a quick link to the exchange from the sports, but there is not a reciprocal arrangement. On the exchange you need to use the A-Z menu. If you want to use both the sportsbook and the exchange it is easier to download both apps.
Betfair provide an excellent service on mobile devices. The app is quick, responsive and offers easy access to promotions, different sports markets, and all that the site has to offer.
| User friendly experience on the website and the app at Betfair |
|---|
| Chris Sampson: Betfair provide a user friendly experience on their website and on mobile devices, via the app. A better link between the sportsbook and the exchange could improve matters. |
How to register a new account with Betfair
You can register a new account with Betfair in a matter of minutes. You simply hit the join button, provide your personal information, select a username, password and security question, enter the bonus code and click join. I have outlined the steps for you.
- Visit the Betfair website.
- Click on the Join button.
- Add your personal information, including your first and last name, gender, and date of birth.
- Add the country of residence and the postcode or your address.
- Add your phone number.
- Add your email address, select a username and create a strong password.
- Next, choose a security question and answer it.
- If the bonus code is required, enter it.
- To complete the process, agree to the terms and conditions and hit Join.
Documents and Information you need to share with Betfair
As mentioned earlier you need to share personal details such as name, a valid email address, a phone number, country of residence and your current address. In order to verify your account you need to go through the following steps, which includes uploading a photo of your Passport, Drivers Licence or National ID. The Drivers Licence is a good option as it also covers proof of address.
- Login at the Betfair website.
- Click on the My Account button.
- Click on the My Details button.
- Select Verification.
- Upload a scan or a photo of your documents.
ID Verification
You will need to upload a photo of one of the following:
National ID
Passport
Driver’s Licence
Address Verification
Copy of a bank statement (less than six months old);
Utility bill (less than six months old).
| A straightforward and secure sign in process at Betfair |
|---|
| Chris Sampson: A quick, simple and safe sign in and verification process. The steps are easy to follow, documents are easy to upload and you can easily access your welcome bonus. |
Betfair Payment Methods
Betfair have a number of options available for deposit and withdrawal. Debit cards have a minimum deposit of £5, with most other methods being £10. Deposit time is generally instant, with the exception of bank transfers. After the merger between Betfair and Paddy Power, customers can also deposit in Paddy Power betting shops.
| Payment Method | Min Deposit | Max Withdrawal | Average Deposit Time | Average Withdrawal Time |
| VISA | £5 | No limit | Instant | 2-5 days |
| Mastercard | £5 | No limit | Instant | 2-5 days |
| VISA Electron | £5 | No limit | Instant | 2-5 days |
| Maestro | £5 | No limit | Instant | 2-5 days |
| Neteller | £12 | £2 minimum | Instant | 1 day |
| Skrill | £10 | No limit | Instant | 1 day |
| Paysafecard | £10 | – | Instant | – |
| Paypal | £10 | No limit | Instant | 1 day |
| Apple pay | £5 | No limit | Instant | 1 day |
| Rapid Transfer | £20 | No limit | Instant | 2-3 days |
| Instant Transfer | £5 | No limit | Instant | Instant |
| MuchBetter | £20 | No limit | Instant | Up to 24 hours |
| Bank Transfer | £10 | No limit | 2-5 working days | 2-5 days |
| Betfair deposits and withdrawals are safe, fair and easy to use |
|---|
| Chris Sampson: Betfair have an effective, fair and user-friendly system in place for deposits and withdrawals. Information on this, however, can take some time to find on the website. |
Cryptocurrency available at Betfair
At the time of writing, no crypto payments are available at Betfair.
Time to collect your winnings. Here’s how to withdraw your money from Betfair
Betfair have a ‘Closed Loop Policy’ when it comes to withdrawing funds. This means that if you have deposited into your Betfair account using one payment method, you will have to use the same payment method to withdraw. When you are ready to make a withdrawal, clicking on the My Account button leads you to a number of straightforward steps.
- When you are ready to make a withdrawal, clicking on the My Account button in the App, this leads you to an option to Withdraw immediately. On the website, you need to select the My Betfair Account first before the Withdraw Funds option is visible.
- Next enter how much of your balance you want to withdraw.
- Your withdrawal will be made back to the same payment method you used to deposit to your account. We used a debit card to deposit funds, therefore when we withdrew the money went back to the same account.
Other important information when withdrawing at Betfair
As is standard, debit cards and bank transfers can take 2-5 days. Ewallets are usually quicker, within 24 hours and sometimes as fast as four hours. You can withdraw as little as £1 with debit cards and Ewallets. The maximum withdrawal is £500,000 per day.
| Sound and secure withdrawals at Betfair |
|---|
| Chris Sampson: Safe, fair and reasonably speedy system for withdrawals. |
Betfair’s Customer Support
Betfair boast an extensive help section, with many FAQs. There is also a live chat feature, and you can tweet any queries to @BetfairCS. Opening hours are between 8am and 11pm. We did manage to locate a customer service telephone number, however this is not easily found on the website or the app.
| Contact: | Average Answer Time | |
| – | – | |
| phone | – | – |
| Live Chat | Available on the App/Website 24/7 | Immediate response but automated message. 10 minutes to be put through to an advisor. |
| @BetfairCS 8am-11pm | 5-10 minutes | |
| @betfair | 5-10 minutes |
| Extensive help and FAQs at Betfair |
|---|
| Chris Sampson: Betfair´s help section is very useful and is fully stocked with a range of FAQ, with links to information on many different areas and topics. The live chat gives an immediate response, however, this is automated and, if you need specific help from an advisor, you need to wait a little longer. Contact can also be made on Twitter and Facebook. Unfortunately, at the time of writing, there is not contact available on email or phone. |
Responsible Gambling
Betfair take responsible gambling seriously. There are clear links to safer gambling on the website and app. The initial tab immediately gives you the option to limit your deposits. The other tabs take you to a more extensive section. Here you can find tools, including deposit limits, loss limits, time out options, budget calculator, a gaming time check and self-exclusion. Another link takes you to an information section, called “Looking Out for Everyone”. This provides signs and characteristics of those who may have a gambling problem, strategies to help, a section on protecting minors, and a gambling helpline number. Finally there is another section dedicated to helplines and useful website links.
| Betfair promotes safer gambling |
|---|
| Betting.com: Betfair has a great attitude towards responsible gambling, providing a number of tools to help those with a problem, in addition to links for external support. |
Awards and Recognitions
Betfair is a well regarded bookmaker. It is ranked fourth by the Telegraph in both their list of the UK’s best betting websites for 2023 and for their best football betting website. The company also has received two Queen’s Awards for Enterprise. As well as the sportsbook, Betfair have an excellent betting exchange.
Betfair Awards:
Queen’s Award for Enterprise 2008
Queen’s Award for Enterprise 2003
Betfair: Up there with Britain’s Best
Chris Sampson: Betfair are an excellent bookmaker. They have a great range and depth to their sports markets, and have fair and attractive odds. To compliment the sportsbook they have a market leading betting exchange too. The exchange odds are, in the vast majority of cases, more attractive than the sportsbook. Slightly more competitive odds from the sportsbook would be a step forward. They have a great in-play section and excellent live streaming. A VIP section would improve things, and I would like to see the customer support section introduce a phoneline and email service. I recommend Betfair to experienced punters looking to change bookmakers and to novice bettors who are just embarking on their sports betting journey.
Other betting site to play at if you like Betfair
If you enjoy having a punt at Betfair you may enjoy:
Smarkets Exchange