Betfair Review 2024

My Betfair review focuses on Betfair’s sportsbook product, which was launched in 2012, rather than its exchange. Betfair is an internationally recognised brand, offering a comprehensive selection of global sporting markets, but does it deserve its reputation as a betting giant? Let’s take a look

This section provides a bitesize overview of Betfair’s main strengths and weaknesses. I go into further detail later on in the review, but it’s a good place to start.  

✔️ Betfair’s Strengths 

• Betfair has a dedicated promotions page, which provides regular offers. These cover a range of sports, but with its  daily best odds guaranteed offer and more, horse racing bettors will be particularly pleased..
• The cash out feature is available for a wide range of events. For some sports, it remains open during key moments in the match; other betting sites typically have their cash out feature suspended during these crucial times.
• The Betfair app is easy to use and is compatible with a range of mobile devices. On top of this, there are numerous other apps - most targeted at advanced bettors. 

❌Betfair’s Weaknesses 

• Although it offers an impressive selection of markets, the margins, particularly for more obscure events, can be high. I found a Spanish Tercera Division game where the margin was 9.8%.
• There is a huge amount of information to get your head around. Betfair’s homepage is very busy compared to most betting sites; this can be overwhelming for new bettors.
• You cannot access the live chat from the homepage. And when I reached the customer service agents, they seemed rushed and were largely unhelpful.  

Conclusion

Betfair offers a comprehensive selection of markets, great promotions, and a range of bespoke apps - it’s all there. However, it takes a while to get to grips with where everything is and what everything means; there is a lot of betting jargon to contend with.

Betfair Sportsbook provides a comprehensive offering of markets and events, a range of slick mobile apps, impressive features, and generous promotions. However, new bettors may get lost in all of the information; particularly without strong customer service to help guide them.

Starting with the welcome bonuses, the offers and promotions provide great value - particularly for horse racing bettors. There is a dedicated ‘promotions’ page, where you can check out the latest offers.

If you are searching for an obscure match or market, Betfair is a good place to start. However, Betfair Sportsbook rarely offers you the best odds - sometimes noticeably worse odds than the exchange - and the margins for certain markets are higher than what you’d expect at other betting sites.

Depositing and withdrawing funds from the site is seamless. Betfair offers a wide selection of depositing methods, all with reasonable withdrawal times. The cashier is easily accessible from the homepage, and you can add security to your account through ‘two-step authentication’. I was also impressed to see a genuine commitment to ‘responsible gambling’, including a page containing useful information and educational tools.

Betfair has a wide selection of apps, which are compatible with most mobile devices. The Betfair app for sportsbook allows you to conveniently bet on a complete offering of markets on the go.

Betfair is part of the well-respected Flutter entertainment group, whose other brands include Paddy Power, PokerStars, and FanDuel.

Betfair has rock solid credentials. It holds multiple licences for its products with the UK Gambling Commission and the Malta Gaming Authority, as well as with respected national regulatory bodies in other jurisdictions.

Account security is tight. There is a log that tracks sign-ins, as well as attempted sign-ins. You can request ‘2-step security’, which requires authentication via your phone, in addition to your password, to gain access to your account.

Bookmakers typically offer a generous welcome bonus to entice new players. These are generally ‘one-off’ bonuses and are only available to those who haven’t already got an account. Welcome bonuses are a great chance to receive some fantastic value; make sure you follow the steps required to get it.

The Betfair UK welcome bonus is easy to understand and compares favourably to other betting sites. 888sport has an almost identical offering, but its high wagering requirements make it hard to unlock the bonus; particularly when compared with Betfair.

Once you make a qualifying deposit with Betfair and meet the criteria, you’ll be entitled to free bets in the sportsbook and free spins in the casino. 

Betfair’s Welcome Bonus 

Get up to £100 Bonus

How to claim Betfair’s Welcome Bonus 

• Open up a new Betfair UK account, entering the relevant promo code when prompted.
• Verify your phone number by SMS.
• Deposit £10 or more into your account.
• Place a minimum bet of £10 on the Betfair sportsbook at odds of 2.0 (evens) or greater.
• After your bet has been settled, you will be awarded a £30 sportsbook free bet and 50 casino spins.
• Bonuses must be used within seven days.

Betfair’s Welcome Bonus Terms and Conditions 

Many betting sites proudly display an appealing welcome bonus all over their website. However, it’s important to delve into the terms and conditions - some might not be as generous as they seem. It’s important to understand what is required to unlock your bonus funds before you sign up to the bookmaker.

The Betfair UK welcome offer is straightforward, and doesn’t require you to do much to claim your bonuses. However, make sure you use your bonus bets within seven days otherwise they will expire. Also, first-time deposits must be made by a debit card.

I’m impressed with the simplicity of Betfair’s terms- other bookmakers have much tougher requirements. 

Best odds guaranteed

If you back a horse or greyhound at a lower odds than its starting price, you will automatically get the (better) starting price odds. 

My Odds Boost

Boost the odds of up to three horse races or greyhound races. Place an eligible within the last 30 days.

Money back if your horse fails to place.

Applies to a specific race. Place a qualifying bet on the Betfair sportsbook or exchange to qualify.

Get £2 free bet when you bet £10 worth of accas, multiples, or bet builders.

Free bets can be used on any sport, but will expire within 48 hours.

Earn £10 in cash for every friend you refer.

Your friend must stake £10 or more on the Betfair sportsbook, exchange, or casino.

Good betting sites have a range of features that enhance your experience. These vary from bookmaker to bookmaker, but some are more common than others.

Take a look at some of the best features that I used during my Betfair review:

Cash out

I can’t find a better cash out feature. It’s available for an incredible selection of sporting events. Also, what really sets it apart, is that key markets for a range of sports remain open at critical times; most other betting sites would have these markets frozen.

In-play betting

As with Betfair’s cash out feature, the selection of in-play betting events and markets are comprehensive; you’ll find very obscure matches available to bet on. There’s an animated ‘match view’ and a list of stats to help you inform your bet. Also, a display icon tells you where you can watch the match live.

Bet Builder

An easy-to-use feature that allows you to create a customised bet. Simply click on the bet builder icon, choose your legs, and enter your stake. Available for in-play betting too. 

Horse Finder

Choose from a selection of vital criteria - course winner, distance winner, and more - to inform your betting decision.

Betfair has a dedicated page for mobile applications, offering  a huge selection to choose from. This includes apps for its main products: sportsbook, exchange, and casino.

The Betfair app for sportsbook is free to download and is available on iOS, Android, plus many other mobile devices. It’s a very well designed app, which intuitively allows you to access key features in a tap, and operates smoothly and responsively.

After you open the account, the first thing you want to do is get funds into it. Betfair provides many options for you to do just that, with debit card, ePayments, and bank transfers all available. You can deposit as little as £5.

The process for depositing is very simple. Click on the ‘deposit’ icon on the homepage to instantly access the cashier. From here you can choose your payment method, and easily add new ones.

Withdrawing is just as easy. You’ll receive funds from debit or credit card withdrawals in two to five working days, and  typically under 24 hours for ePayments.

Be careful not to make your initial deposit using Apple Pay as you won’t be eligible for the welcome bonus.

It’s a shame to finish my Betfair review on a sour note, but their customer support is a weakness.

Betfair has no identifiable customer service phone number or email address so everything is done through their help center. Click on ‘help’ at the top of the homepage and you’ll come across a list of FAQs. These only answer basic queries, but it does have a handy search feature to guide you to relevant content.

For more in-depth enquiries, click on the ‘get in touch’ icon to connect with the live chat team; available 24 hours a day. Once a chatbot eventually narrows down your query, you are handed over to an agent. Although I never had to wait very long, the majority of the agents I spoke with were unable to provide me with the basic information I required.

It’s also worth pointing out that there is a Betfair customer service page on Twitter; an option for non-urgent enquiries.