Betfair Offers & Review - March 2024


Introduction

Founded in 2000, Betfair is perhaps best known for their Exchange, but they are known amongst regular bettors as one of the best bookmakers in the industry. Offering sports ranging from football and tennis to Gaelic games and table tennis, Betfair provides you with everything you need when it comes to markets, features and offers.

Welcome Offer

If you decide to sign up with Betfair you will be given the opportunity to opt into their welcome offer. The new customer offer allows you to get up to £100 in free bets which is very generous.

To obtain the full £100 in free bets you will need to place five bets of £10 or more which will release the £100 in the form of five £20 free bets. New customers simply need to sign up using promo code ZBBC01 and place their five bets at odds of 1.5 (1/2) or higher. Then, you simply need to wait for your five qualifying bets to settle before you receive you free bets.

You are able to stake more than £10 but it will only count as one qualifying bet. Ensure that your qualifying bets are settled within 30 days of opening your account while you must deposit using credit/debit cards or ApplePay. Multiple bets are excluded while any single bets in multiple bets are also excluded eg Lucky 15. Your free bets will be valid for 30 days.

Sports & Markets

Betfair offers a very extensive and impressive range of markets to their customers, with fans of a large range of sports provided for.

Betfair offers possibly the biggest range of sports on offer, with no other bookmaker able to topple them. Football is of course pride of place on site with big leagues from England, Spain and Italy catered to while leagues from Croatia, Bulgaria and Norway all feature. This array of leagues shows that Betfair are committed to providing for all types of football and a large range of other sports.

Alongside football you can expect to see opportunities to bet on Australian Rules, greyhound racing, beach volleyball and netball. This industry topping range of markets is solidified by the political and current events markets. Therefore betting on the next Prime Minister of the UK or who will be the next Pope is just as accessible as betting on football.

Betfair also offer a good range of Esports markets. The bookie currently offers markets in games including DOTA 2, FIFA, CS:GO and League of Legends. While there are many more games out there that Esports fans might want to bet on, this is a fairly decent range if video games on offer.

If you are looking for In-Play betting then Betfair gives you everything you need to place bets as games and matches are happening with some informative graphics available. For example, clicking on an In-Play football game shows a scoreboard and a football pitch. This pitch is constantly changing and shows who has the ball and where, when there has been a foul, if there is a dangerous attack happening and when there is a clearance. These small touches can help to make a match that is not being shown far easier to bet on as these graphics are usually quicker to update than a standard live text commentary.

All of Betfair's available In-Play options are available in the sliding bar at the top of the homepage. Clicking on 'In-Play' will open a page with the options for that particular time. Clicking on one of the sports shown will reveal all of the In-Play options while below this is a 'Coming Up' section that gives you a timetable of the particular sports that will be available to bet on In-Play today.

Live Streaming

Betfair offer a live streaming service which they call their Live Video. Here, you will be able to stream a number of different sports, leagues and competitions directly to your device.

The sports that are included in the live streaming package are snooker, tennis, football, greyhound racing, horse racing, basketball and more. This is an impressive offering as many bookmakers either do not offer a live streaming service or only allow their customers to watch horse or greyhound racing. Instead, Betfair have a multitude of very different sports to bet on making it far easier to bet In-Play with these two features slotting together well to enhance your experience.

Betfair's cash out feature is also perfect to use alongside their live streaming function. Cash out is simply the ability to get your hands on some of your potential winnings early. It can also be used when you think your bet is about to lose, so you can often get some money back if you act quickly enough.

#OddsOnThat

To access Betfair's version of the request a bet, which is called #OddsOnThat, you must first sign into your account before moving over to Twitter to tweet the bookie's official handle. Tweet Betfair with '#OddsOnThat' and your bet request. Then you simply wait for Betfair's social media team to get back to you in a reply to your tweet with a link to the betslip.

This link will take you to the betslip where you simply need to place your bet in the ready-made betslip. Betfair's version of the request a bet is quite a standard one for the industry and while it offers all of the features you would expect, it does not reinvent the system or add an awful lot. Instead, this type of system that forces you to tweet the bookmaker can take a lot longer to get your custom bet through with bet365's Bet Builder a feature that is instant and more desirable.

Best Odds Guaranteed

Betfair offer a best odds guaranteed on all UK and Irish horse racing which means you know that when you bet with Betfair you will always get the best odds they can offer.

This promise is simple. Best odds guaranteed applies when you take a price on a horse after 8am on race day. If the SP (Starting Price) is bigger than the price you originally took then you will be paid out at the higher price. For example, if you take a horse at 3/1 but the SP is 5/1 and the horse wins you will be paid out at the bigger price of 5/1. This guarantee applies to any price taken on singles and multiples.

Other Features

The major feature that Betfair is known for is the Betfair Exchange. Simply put, the Betfair Exchange allows customers to bet against one another rather than betting against a traditional bookmaker. Because the Exchange matches customers rather than taking a risk itself like a traditional bookmaker does, it provides the option to lay bets which is simply betting on something not to happen.

Betfair offer a number of more niche markets for customers to bet on including the what will be awarded in minute one and first goalscorer markets. Interestingly, Betfair do not offer Asian handicap, which is a fairly standard niche market that many punters have become accustomed to betting on.

The site itself is one that feels good to be on. The yellow and grey colour scheme makes the it feel fresh and while there is a lot of information on site, it does not feel overwhelming which is very important for new customers.

Conclusion

Betfair offers arguably the best all-round bookmaker experience for customers. An impressive array of markets is complimented by very competitive odds and a good selection of niche markets. A good range of new customer and existing offers alongside their #OddsOnThat and other features help to elevate them above the rest although their current lack of Acca boosts or insurance is something that punters will be disappointed with. If you are also looking for a slightly different feature to the standard sportsbook betting then the Exchange could be perfect for you, with Betfair proving to be one of the very best in the game today.