Betfair.com
Year established: 1999
Mobile compatible: Yes
Jurisdiction: United Kingdom
Overall rating: A
Recommended: For professional players (Betting Exchange)
Betfair Betting Exchange Review
Betfair launched online as a betting exchange at a suitably historic moment in time; the turn of the millennium and it has changed the landscape of betting online.
Many more exchanges such as Betdaq, Smarkets and Matchbook have since cropped up but none compete with Betfair in terms of sheer size which is naturally important when betting peer to peer. It floated on the LSE in 2010, and a traditional Betfair sportsbook was launched in 2013. It was a pioneer of betting in-play with that feature launched in 2001 but the biggest news in its history was more recent; in 2016 it merged with Irish bookmaker Paddy Power to form the Paddy Power Betfair Group plc.
The Betfair Exchange processes in excess of 1.2 billion bets per year with a trading value of £56bn. Betfair is very visible and has betting partnerships with five Premier League clubs at present, these are Leicester City, Sunderland, Aston Villa, Arsenal and Southampton. It’s a;so an Authorised Betting Partner of the British Horse Racing Authority and past ambassadors have included Lee Dixon, Paul Nicholls and Michael Vaughn.
Betting markets
Betfair generally offers the same sports on its Exchange as it does on its sportsbook. They’re here to see and nicely alphabetised for your reading pleasure:
American Football, Athletics, Aussie Rules, Badminton, Baseball, Basketball, Boxing, Chess
Cricket, Cycling, Darts, Esports, Football, Gaelic Games, Golf, Greyhound racing, Handball, Horse Racing, Ice Hockey, MMA, Motor Sports, Pool, Rugby League, Rugby Union, Snooker, Tennis, Winter Sports and Yachting.
As well as these it includes a huge range of entertainment and non sporting markets. Such as Politics, Current Affairs, Awards, Novelty, Film, Television and Music. It also offers Virtual Sports.
In-play betting
Live betting with Betfair is great. There’s live streaming, cash out and a live betting calendar. There’s a huge range of betting options in-play and a surprisingly healthy amount of sports streamed, of course this is dependent on events but in general these are offered: Football, Tennis, Horse Racing, Greyhound Racing, Volleyball, Snooker, Basketball, Darts, Cricket, Ice Hockey, Rugby League, Bowls and Handball.
Usability of the site
Betfair is very busy with a number of options and with the sportsbook and exchange tabs the first two side by side at the top this is one place in which it’s easy to get confused and forget which you’re on.
To entice customers to choose Betfair over rivals there are a number of features, with Betfair Price Rush and Betfair Acca Edge nearing the top of this list. The former sees your odds have the chance to increase after your bet has been placed via the ‘power of the Betfair Exchange’ and this adds a level of excitement, whilst Betfair’s Acca Edge is an accumulator insurance feature which is ever more typical and commonplace but Betfair’s is superior to many others.
Betfair mobile is excellent and you can bet on the go with two intuitive Betfair apps for Android and iOS. Betfair customer support is accessible via Facebook, a unique @BetfairCS Twitter account, live chat, email and phone. It’s extensive and there’s a solid FAQs section to back it up.
Conclusion
The biggest and still the best betting Exchange, though it could offer a more competitive commission rate, Betfair continues to go from strength to strength following its merger with Paddy Power.
Its innovative, offers good odds, a huge range of markets and is particularly outstanding where non sports markets are concerned. The Betfair sign up offer is excellent too so what else are you waiting for? Get yourself a Betfair account today and make the most of its Price Rush features and more.
Advantages:
- Pioneer and leader in betting exchange;
- The best liquidity of any betting exchange;
- Can bet both for and against outcomes, which is excellent for hedging;
- Odds are often made available before bookmakers;
- Large betting offer;
- High odds;
- High limits;
- Live betting and streaming;
- Ability to trade so you can be in profit long before an event has finished;
- Ability to lay off your bet if events aren’t going your way;
- Can ‘trade’ on certain markets;
- Good Free Bet on sign up;
- Professionals favourite, well known, reliable and experienced.
Disadvantages:
- Takes a % commission on winnings;
- Low liquidity on some markets;
- Restricted access in some countries;
- New players may be a bit intimidated by the fullness of the pages due to the abundance of information.
Payments:
Visa/Mastercard, Skrill (Moneybookers), 8Pay, Bank Transfer, BPAY, Cheque, ClickandBuy, EntroPay, Neteller, PayPal, Poli, WebMoney, Western Union
*Keep in mind to double check information. Be prepared for changes to restricted countries, bonuses, currencies, deposit and payment options, languages, contact info.
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