Since it was launched in 2013, the Betfair Sportsbook has gained a loyal following. Key attractions are its seamless integration with the Betfair betting exchange, a popular “Cash Out” feature and a well-designed site and mobile app. On the down side, the Betfair Sportsbook isn’t known for its competitive odds – instead it appears to be attracting punters largely through its special offers and features.
Here we investigate Betfair Sportsbook’s strengths and weaknesses in more detail.
Betfair Sportsbook trust & financial stability
Betfair’s betting exchange is far and away the largest and most successful in the world. It has been operating since 1999 and currently handles more transactions per day than all European stock exchanges combined.
Thanks at least in part to the launch of the Betfair Sportsbook, the company posted record profits (£61.6 million) for the year ending April 2014.
So Betfair Sportsbook has substantial backing. As a relative newcomer to the online fixed odds betting market, it also has a reputation to secure. Together, all these factors make for a stable, reliable betting alternative. You might lose your money but the company isn’t going to disappear with it!
Betfair Sportsbook is also registered with the Independent Betting Adjudication Service (IBAS), which adjudicates in cases of betting disputes.
Betfair Sportsbook odds
So far, the Betfair Sportsbook has provided punters with only average odds. The odds trail those of industry leaders and are often less favourable than those available on the Betfair Exchange.
However, an important aspect of the sportsbook is its “Price Rush” feature, which was launched in February 2014. When you place a bet, this feature automatically checks the fixed odds offered by the sportsbook against the best odds available on the Betfair Exchange, and gives you the exchange odds if they’re more favourable. This is one of the features that’s clearly key to the sportsbook’s popularity (and survival).
Another extremely popular feature that was introduced by Betfair is its “Cash Out” option, available on most markets. This lets you limit your losses or lock in profits by cashing out the value of your current bets (based on a calculation that Betfair performs automatically, based on live market prices) before a match ends.
When the “Cash Out” feature is available, a Cash Out value will display at the bottom left of your screen, and this will update automatically as live events proceed. You can click a Cash Out button to cash out the value that’s displayed. Note though that the process doesn’t always succeed – if there’s a sudden, large change in live prices, you may be paid less than the specified value.
For live football matches, Betfair also provides a fun “Cashback Extra” promotion that lets users choose one of a set of circumstances under which they’ll be given refunds on first, last or anytime scorer markets. For example, the options might include one team winning and both teams scoring, a particular player scoring the first or last goal, a goal being scored in the first 10 minutes of play and a red card being delivered in the match.
Together the Price Rush and Cash Out features add significantly to the value of using the Betfair Sportsbook.
Betfair Sportsbook specials & promotions
One of Betfair Sportsbook’s main strengths is its attractive promotions and bonuses.
Betfair Sportsbook is offering new customers a Bet £10, Get £30 deal. If you place a single bet of £10 or more at decimal odds of at least 1.2 (or fractional odds of 1/5), you’ll be credited with three free bets of £10 each. To qualify for the offer, use the promotional code ZSK200 when signing up and ensure you place your first bet within 30 days of opening an account.
In addition, Betfair Sportsbook offers several on-going specials and promotions, including:
- cash back specials for horse racing and football (typically for matches that end on draws)
- up to 25% bonuses for winning accumulator bets
- best odds guaranteed on all UK and Irish horse races
- bonuses for multiple winnings in ice hockey, basketball, football and US sports.
Betfair Sportsbook website
The Betfair Sportsbook site is fast and has a clean design that’s easy to use and navigate. It provides easy access to a very large range of markets, across just about all popular sports – even including rowing, motor sports and Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) hurling. Its coverage of horse racing and football is comprehensive.
The sportsbook integrates seamlessly with the Betfair Exchange. You can simply click a tab at the top left of the site to switch from one to the other. You can also place bets on either platform using a single betting account.
Betfair Sportsbook offers exceptionally high quality live streaming of sports events, and live betting on a wide range of events, with odds that are updated in real time.
Betfair Sportsbook mobile
Betfair Sportsbook offers a range of separate mobile betting apps, for iPhone, iPad, Android and Blackberry devices. All feature intuitive navigation and user-friendly interfaces, and they’re free of the technical glitches that commonly affect betting apps.
The “Cash Out” feature, which is one of Betfair Sportbook’s main selling points, is also available on the mobile apps.
Betfair Sportsbook customer service
Betfair Sportsbook provides fast, efficient, courteous customer service, via e-mail, phone and live chat. However, live chat is available only from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. (whereas many of the sportsbook’s competitors offer live chat 24 hours a day).
The sportsbook accepts the usual, wide array of payment methods, including several credit and debit cards, bank transfer, money order, cheque, PayPal, NETELLER and Skrill.
The bottom line
Betfair Sportsbook might not offer industry-leading odds, but its integration with the Betfair Exchange and unique “Price Rush” and “Cash Out” features can make it a good addition to the set of online bookmakers you use.
That being said, bookmakers like bet365 and William Hill do have a leg up on Betfair’s sportsbook and would be the bookies we’d chose to open an account with first.
