Betfair Sportsbook Review [2023]

Review of Betfair Sportsbook

Editors Note:

Before proceeding to read our full Betfair Sportsbook review, we want to inform you that this review was performed by our regular Saturday horse racing tips feature columnist, Seymour Biz.

Our aim with this review is to give our readers a 100% independent appraisal of this great online betting site. 

We provided Seymour Biz with a small betting bankroll to fully test Betfair Sportsbook offering. All views are his own and he covers 10 key areas of the Betfair Sportsbook platform and also keeping a diary of his betting whilst reviewing the site.

Terms & Conditions: #Ad: New Customer offer. Place 5 x €10 or more bets to receive €20 in free bets. Repeat up to 5 times to receive maximum €100 bonus. Min odds 1/2 (1.5). Exchange bets excluded. T&Cs apply, 18+, www.begambleaware.org

 1. Welcome Bonus 

The Sign Up Process

How easy was it to claim the bonus?

3.5
  • Super easy sign up process
  • Helpful customer support agents
  • Took a lot of time to get hold of support staff
  • Complicated process of claiming welcome offer

Terms & Conditions: New customer offer. Place 5 x £10 or more bets to receive £20 in free bets. Repeat up to 5 times to receive maximum £100 bonus. Min odds 1/2 (1.5). Exchange bets excluded. Payment restrictions apply. T&Cs apply.

This review is only for the Sportsbook section of Betfair. For registration, I went on to their sign-up page and found the usual questions; gender, name, DOB, address, e-mail, security question and promo code (don’t forget this if you want to claim the bonus).

All very straightforward but this is where I found my first hurdle. Apparently, my e-mail was recognised and I already had an account and I needed to re-initiate it, that was a new word for my lexicon. I was informed I needed to contact Betfair and the best way to do this was via their Chat service. This, I tried over the space of three days and either could not get through or got halfway before my connection was lost.

So on the fourth day, I decided to persevere and got through the first part of their Chat service where you speak to a robot, then head on to the second part where I actually chatted to a human being. His name was Roy and he explained that the line connected to my e-mail was a different address. I asked him for the first line and it was where I had moved from four years ago. No wonder I couldn’t remember having an account!

Roy then asked me to upload a photo of my ID and utility bill. He stayed on the line while I did this and was very helpful. So I was up and running. For the bonus, I did not qualify as I was not a new customer but as it happened, the bonus was no good to me.

To obtain the bonus you have to place 5 x £10 or more bets (too strong for me) to receive £20 in free bets. This can be repeated 5 times, giving you a £100 bonus. I do not bet in these amounts so this offer was not suitable for me anyway.

Terms & Conditions: #Ad: New Customer offer. Place 5 x €10 or more bets to receive €20 in free bets. Repeat up to 5 times to receive maximum €100 bonus. Min odds 1/2 (1.5). Exchange bets excluded. T&Cs apply, 18+, www.begambleaware.org

Please make sure that you have your proof of identity and proof of address ready to avoid any hassles.

seymour biz

Please make sure that you have your proof of identity and proof of address ready to avoid any hassles. This is referred to as the KYC process. This means "Know your customer" and is part of the legal requirement for bookmakers to be granted an UK Gambling commission licence. While it may feel like a right pain to do so, it is to help make gambling online safer and to curb fraudulent activity.

You will be required to upload a digital photo of your passport or driving licence, and then a proof of address like a utility bill or a bank statement. Do not worry, they only want to see your home address to confirm it is really you, so you can black out any confidential information on other parts of the letter. You can either scan these documents or else take a photo of them with your smartphone.


Editors Note: Alternative betting sites with higher or same welcome bonus amount

 2. Trustworthy Rating  

Licensing & Regulation

Can you trust Betfred?

5.0
  • Licensed and regulated by the Malta Gaming Authority
  • Licensed by the Great Britain Gambling Commission
  • Betfair Sportsbook is part of Flutter Entertainment

Full T&C's apply, 18+, Begambleaware.org

Betfair has a footer on their website which states that they are registered in Malta, licensed and regulated by the Malta Gaming Authority and in Great Britain by the Gambling Commission. They have traded under several names due to acquisitions, but under their history, Betfair Sportsbook was launched in 2012o.

They claim to be one of the largest international online sports betting providers. They are part of Flutter Entertainment who have several global brands. Betfair sponsorship covers a broad range of sports, including horseracing.

 3. Customer Service  

Options Available

Are they contactable?

4.0
  • Reachable through email and live chat
  • Friendly and helpful staff 
  • No telephone number

Full T&C's apply, 18+, Begambleaware.org

I clicked on the Betfair Contact Us page and there was a list of the most used queries along with links to Facebook and Twitter. I had used their Chat service as described earlier and had had some problems with that dropping out, but when I did get through to a real person, the Betfair employee was very helpful.

One thing that was not on the contact page was a phone number for Betfair neither could I find one throughout the site. I find that a worry if I have an urgent problem.

Editors Note: Alternative betting sites with higher rated customer service

 4. Markets  

Variety On Offer

What is their product offering like?

5.0
  • Almost all markets you can think of covered
  • Easy to find your favourite markets
  • Special markets including bowling, handball and surfing

Full T&C's apply, 18+, Begambleaware.org

On the day I checked, Betfair was offering 31 sports that were available on their site. This included some diverse sports such as Surfing, Handball and Bowls, meaning that almost all sports are covered.

Betfair Sportsbook Site Design Review

 5. Odds  

Value On Offer

What are the odds like at Betfred?

5.0
  • Matched market leaders
  • Great horse racing offerings
  • Better prices in soccer including teams at the bottom of the table

Full T&C's apply, 18+, Begambleaware.org

I found the layout of their horseracing site excellent. If I pick three selections, I am offered singles, doubles, trebles, Trixie and a Patent, which is quite ideal.

I checked the horseracing odds on Oddschecker and found Betfair were very good compared to the other major companies but were especially good when bigger odds were concerned.

I also looked at the soccer odds and found something similar. Betfair was close to the top odds on the top six to win the Premier League but invariably offered the best odds for teams lower down the table.

Editors Note: Alternative betting site with great odds similar to Betfair Sportsbook

 6. In-Play Offering  

Bet on Live Events

Do they offer in-play betting?

5.0
  • In-play betting for almost all markets
  • Relatively high in-play betting odds
  • Clear statistics including the number of playing games for every market

Full T&C's apply, 18+, Begambleaware.org

This is where Betfair come into their own. In-play betting is probably where they shine. All their sports offer in-play betting, including soccer, rugby, cricket, darts and snooker along with a host of others. Their prices look pretty fair compared to other bookmakers but it is difficult to judge as they change so quickly.

 7. Regular Promotions  

Loyalty & VIP programs

Are there offers available for existing customers?

4.0
  • Regular promotions on horse races
  • Daily odds boost on selected matches
  • Refer a friend bonus

Full T&C's apply, 18+, Begambleaware.org

Betfair has a current promotion where they are offering refunds on all non-runners at Cheltenham for the Festival meeting.

They also have a promotion that offers a £5 free bet for every £20 staked on multiple bets in one day. This can be in one bet or over several of them. (Terms: No Opt in required. Applies to bets from 00:00 - 23:59 Sat. Max £5 free bet per day, valid for 72 hours Each bet must have at least one selection at min odds of 1.5 (1/2) or more. Excludes single bets, cashed out bets & Exchange bets. Free bet valid on multiples. T&Cs apply.)

 They also have an odds boost offer but the amount offered is down to them. You can also accept extra places on certain races, but of course, that means accepting lower odds.

 8. Deposit & Withdrawals  

Banking Options

Is There Fast Withdrawals?

5.0
  • Debit and credit cards accepted
  • E-wallets such as PayPal, Skrill and Neteller allowed
  • Fast withdrawal options, with the slowest being 48 hours
  • Fast deposits and up to two working days withdrawal waiting time for most methods

Full T&C's apply, 18+, Begambleaware.org

I paid in via PayPal, which was immediate as it is with credit and debit cards. However, it is a different case with withdrawals. Betfair states that withdrawal times are as follows; Debit Card 2-5 working days, UK Bank Transfer 2-5 working days, Skrill, PayPal and Neteller, 4-24 hours. These times are similar to other bookmakers times for withdrawals.

 9. Mobile Friendly  

Navigation on Smartphone

Is it easy to navigate on your mobile phone?

5.0
  • Mobile friendly
  • Easy to navigate between markets and matches
  • Signing up and placing bets done on mobile and tablet during review

Full T&C's apply, 18+, Begambleaware.org

I did everything, including signing up and placing bets on my tablet and phone. The layout of the site on my tablet was excellent and very user friendly.

My main interest is in soccer and horseracing, and it is super easy to toggle between the two. There is a full form available for each horse with the last five races listed when you click on the name. Their odds are also available in both decimals and fractions.

 10. Live Streams  

Watch Online

Do they offer live streaming?

5.0
  • Livestreaming option available
  • Horse racing, and soccer featured
  • Pop up notification for matches that are about to begin

Full T&C's apply, 18+, Begambleaware.org

Live streaming is offered in almost all sports. After placing a bet on horseracing, I would get a pop up to let me know the race was due off. This was even when I was on other sites, which I found to be very handy. The live streaming service covered Irish, American as well as the UK racing.

Betting Diary - Our Real Betfair Sportsbook User Experience Report

Kempton, Wincanton

With a £30 pot, I loaded up my Betfair account via PayPal, absolutely no problem with this and the cash appeared in my account. I started my betting with the meetings at Kempton and Wincanton on 9th January with the Seymour Biz tips on the EveryTip website in a 20p e/w Lucky Fifteen. The selections were Yala Enki, Theinval, Two For Gold and One True King two of these were placed at 12/1 and 5/1 giving a return of £2.31, which was placed into my account immediately after the last selection ran, at least it was a return.

My favourite trainer, Henry Daly had three runners on the day and I backed them in a 20p e/w Patent. Unfortunately, none were even placed. This website is really customer friendly and the types of bet pop up automatically depending on the number of selections, I am impressed.

My final bet of the afternoon was the newspaper and TV tipsters picks. All were highly fancied favourites and I backed them in a 20p Lucky Fifteen. Unfortunately, they all ran down the field.

So, my first day on Betfair showed I had laid out £11.80 and got £2.31 back, a loss of £9.50, not very impressive. I didn’t bet until Wednesday when I backed the Weekender tips in a 50p Patent. One winner at 10/11 giving me a return of 95p for my £3.50 outlay. This is not going well at all!

So we came to Saturday, 16th January. Once again, I backed the Seymour Biz tips in a 20p Lucky 15 and a 40p e/w Acca. These were On The Blind Side, Pure Bliss, Notachance and Kepagge.

Hooray, two winners priced at 11/8 and 7/2 and two losers, the 11/8 was a Best Odds Guaranteed price. The horse finished at Evens and the bet returned £3.51, a profit at last.

Next, I tried putting on a Combination Forecast and Tricast on the big race of the day. It was incredibly easy to pick the selections and put on the twelve 10p bets. I picked the winner of the race, Notachance, but the other two selections were unplaced.

My pot is now getting rapidly depleted and I’m looking at a last throw of the dice. So I put on two £1 e/w singles and a £1 e/w double on Notachance and Come On Teddy, laying out £6. A 4/1 winner (BOG) and a 9/2 placed horse returned £12.12 to my pot.

Next, I tried a 20p Lucky 15 on the newspaper and TV tips and I was about to learn something very important about Betfair. The bet had just one winner at 9/4 and returned a paltry 65p.

Now, when I was reviewing Betfair’s Regular Promotions on this write-up, nowhere could I find anything about the odds for one winner in a Lucky 15 and I couldn’t be bothered to ask them via Chat because of the problems I had getting through earlier. Well, no wonder I couldn’t find anything as they don’t pay triple the odds for one winner or even double odds, they only pay the bare odds. This is very important for the small punter who may be backing bigger priced horses in small bets and one winner at 5/1 or better will give him a profit on his bet. This is a major disappointment on the Betfair site.

Later on Saturday, I got an e-mail from Betfair Casino to say I had been allocated 30 free spins on one of their slot games. I managed to claim them and after playing them, I won £2.64 and this dropped straight into my account as cash, very good.

By Sunday, I had laid out just over £27 for a return of £22. So, I thought I’d have a bet on the soccer. As with the racing, the site is really customer friendly and I picked Man City and Spurs to win and Liverpool v Man Utd as a draw in 3 x 70p doubles and 70p treble. Happy days, all three obliged, giving a return of £13.46.

So, at the end of my review of a very good and easy to use Betfair site, shame about only paying single on Lucky 15, I had laid out £30.10 for a total return of £35.74, a small but hard-earned profit.

Seyzmour Biz Final Verdict

Overall Rating

Does our reviewer recommend this betting site?

4.5
  •  A truly amazing betting product
  •  Very competitive odds & huge range of in-play markets
  •  Very easy to use mobile, tablet or laptop
  •  Great live streaming service
  •  Hard to contact a real person when major issue occurs but once you do, they are very nice

Full T&C's apply, 18+, Begambleaware.org


Betfair sports is simply an amazing "product". What I mean by this is the thought process that went into the design, the in-play functionality, the spread of markets, the competitive odds make this nearly a perfect betting "product" for us punters. However, they forgot the one thing that truly makes an amazing betting experience, and that is customer support. As you can see from my review, I had to "waste" hours trying to get through to an actual person to solved my query. Fair enough it was a complex query but this is still an "urgent" query for a customer and should have been handled better. I am sure I am not the only one who has a forgotten account that wants to play again on the site.

On the plus side, when I got through, they were very nice and stayed online while I uploaded my ID and proof of address (Utility bill).

With all that said, once I got over this issue, I really liked what they had to offer and for horse racing and football fans, you can't go wrong having an account on Betfair Sportsbook. I also appreciated the live streaming option and they had a lot of daily promotions including one for multiple bet fans like myself. Odds are also very competitive, so overall I would recommend trying out Betfair Sportsbook.