Betfair Review

There have been multiple instances in the more than twenty years that the online gambling industry has been active and kicking where a person or group of individuals have created something novel that has the potential to shape the future of the betting world. These instances have occurred at several different points. It was a first of its kind, the betting exchange allowed users to create odds on events and have others take those wagers in an open exchange when Betfair first opened its virtual doors in the year 2000. Betfair’s sportsbook offering was years ahead of its time when the company first began doing business.

Over the years, the company has introduced various items that are complementary to one another, and a merger that took place not too long ago formed one of the largest gaming corporations in the whole globe. In today’s post, I will provide you with an open, honest, and objective review of Betfair after doing an in-depth analysis of the platform.

About Betfair

As was previously mentioned, Betfair was established in the year 2000. It was determined by the company’s founders, Andrew Black and Edward Wray, that they intended to come up with a novel approach for gamblers to be able to wager on the athletic events that they like the most. In most cases, a bookmaker will set how the odds will play out for a certain match. Wray and Black desired to give the bettors control over that aspect of the decision-making process (more on that to follow).

Betfair has concentrated a lot of its efforts on the gambling markets in the United Kingdom and Europe, where soccer is such a significant sport in terms of betting income. The company possesses not one but two gaming licenses, one from the island nation of Malta and the other from the United Kingdom. Betfair is one of the most reputable businesses in the online gaming space, as evidenced by the fact that it possesses these two licenses; the license issued by the UK Gambling Commission is particularly difficult to obtain due to the extensive amount of research and investigation that is performed by the regulatory board. Your financial information is protected from money in every possible way by visiting these sites (with one major exception, which I will discuss later on).

In 2010, the choice was made to list Betfair’s shares on the London Stock Exchange as a publicly traded company. Because of this, the company was able to raise a large amount of cash and further establish itself as one of the giants in the sector. At the time that this review was performed, the estimated value of Betfair was somewhere in the neighborhood of 2 billion US dollars.

Betfair was one of the few online gaming businesses to acquire a license to operate in New Jersey in 2014. New Jersey is one of the few jurisdictions in the United States that allows regulated gambling over the internet. It is just a license for the casino, but for the company that is making its way back into the US market, this is a great footing.

On February 2, 2016, the company announced that it will be merging with Paddy Power, which is another major player in the online gaming industry in Europe. The result of these two businesses has produced the greatest company in terms of income of any of the groups that operate legally sanctioned online gaming.

Who Can play in Games at Betfair?

Because Betfair holds licenses from two gaming countries that are among the most reputable in the world, the company places some limitations on the kind of customers who are permitted to play the games in its collection. This list is consistently subject to modification. To give you an example, I used to be a customer of Betfair until 2016, when they cut off access to their platform for those living in Canada. For me personally, this is rather terrible news because I really like using the site; nevertheless, I am more aware than most people of how essential it is for businesses to adhere to the guidelines set forth by these regulatory bodies.

The following nations are currently on the list of those that are restricted:

• Afghanistan
• Antigua and Barbuda
• Angola
• Austria
• Canada
• China
• Czech Republic
• Algeria
• Spain
• France
• Greece
• Guam
• Guyana
• Hong Kong
• Israel
• Iraq
• Iran
• Japan
• Puerto Rico
• Portugal
• Singapore
• Turkey
• United States
• South Africa
• Zimbabwe

Providers of Computer Software

Betfair’s sportsbook product is powered by their in-house developed proprietary software. When they first established the company, no one was licensing betting exchange software, so they had no alternative but to design it themselves. This left them with a significant competitive disadvantage. Even while there will be continuous development costs connected with this, those costs will be far less than the royalties that they most likely would have been had to pay to a third-party software company.

Betfair has decided to collaborate with other partners on the development of its casino platform. Playtech is without a doubt the most well-known of these software companies. Playtech, which is regarded as one of the best casino software companies in the business, is in charge of managing both the download and instant-play variants of the Betfair Casino. IGT, Ash Gaming, CORE Gaming, Red Tiger Gaming, and SG Interactive are some of the providers whose material has been included into the lobby of the games that do not require downloads. The end result is a fantastic collection of games that each have a unique aesthetic and concept, which guarantees that every player will have a good time and feel included.

In addition, the platform may be accessed using mobile devices. It is possible that you will be able to download their native software onto your Android or iOS smartphone, but this will depend on the local laws. In any case, you can access the site and games by using the browser that is installed on your device.

The Positive Parts

Betting Exchange

The answer to this question is obviously yes, right? I will go into more depth about how the betting exchange operates a little bit later on in this review; however, I can tell you right now that the ability to set the lines yourself and locate individuals ready to accept the wager is a complete game-changer for those who bet on sports. If you haven’t used the platform yet, I strongly suggest that you do so as soon as possible; once you get your first bet approved, you won’t be able to stop using it!

The Navigation of a Website

When there are so many various items and variations available on an online gaming website, the website itself may frequently become as crowded as the bedroom of a teenager. Betfair, however, does not operate in this manner, which is really fortunate. Their web development team has worked diligently to ensure that navigating the site is not difficult at any point during the company’s growth, which has resulted in additional alternatives being made available to you. The navigation on Betfair is straightforward and simple to understand, which means that you will spend less time scrolling about aimlessly and more time actually being able to place bets. This is in contrast to the numerous complicated sites that I have come across in the course of my reviews.

The Negative Aspects

Past Promo Disaster

Even though I could do some more research and probably find some more things that I don’t like about Betfair, there is really no reason for me to do so when I can spend more time explaining to you how one of the largest sites in the world attempted to correct a terrible oversight in one of the most absurd ways ever.

When you do a search for Betfair, you can discover that a large number of sites much like this one have banned the company, and you will also find a big amount of player complaints. After doing a lot of study, I came to the conclusion that practically all of the complaints centered on a single promotion that had gone awry.

In 2010, the company introduced an aggressive promotion known as “Happy Hour,” which provided players an endless amount of deposit bonuses of fifty percent of their deposits, up to a maximum of one hundred dollars per time, along with an outrageously low wagering requirement of ten times. Even though this promotion was only active for a span of four hours, the result was catastrophic; it spread like wildfire online, and players basically figured out that they could gain an advantage over the casino by simply playing the bare minimum number of times and making a large number of deposits during those hours. This allowed them to gain a competitive advantage. In and of itself, this was notable; nevertheless, what transpired after this was nearly catastrophic.

Betfair made the decision to freeze all of the accounts that had benefitted from the offer after realizing that they had just taken a hit of many millions of dollars as a result of this promotion. After that, they began to remove money from these amounts without providing an adequate explanation, despite the fact that there had been no violation of the terms and circumstances governing the promotion. According to a rumor, they were also able to withdraw money back from a player’s bank account. If the rumor turns out to be accurate, this is an extremely serious infraction. The ultimate result was the single greatest seizure of monies from player accounts in the history of the industry of online gaming.

Even though it took some time to recover from this, the company is doing really well right now, and I am going to assume that the marketing employee in question has been dismissed by now. Since there have not been any more complaints of this nature since the occurrence, I am of the opinion that this was an isolated incidence that occurred just once, and as a result, I am ready to offer Betfair a second opportunity in this situation.

Betting Exchange

So…can you explain exactly what a betting exchange is? I’ll do my best to describe it in the simplest terms possible. Both Wray and Black have strong business sense, and they came to the conclusion that an open exchange might be established as an alternative to the practice of having a single bookmaker determine the odds with which the general public must bet. In this hypothetical situation, anybody might put a wager on a match and then post it into the exchange while waiting to see whether anyone would take the bait and place it.

Permit me to illustrate this concept by referring to the National Football League (NFL) as an example:

Consider that you are interested in placing a bet on the New England Patriots’ matchup against the Green Bay Packers. You are a major fan of the Patriots, and you like to think of yourself as a knowledgeable insider, but the sportsbook has set the line at New England -3.5 points, and you are certain that they will win by a landslide over the Packers. You may choose the game you want to bet on at Betfair, and then you can make your own custom wager. For example, you could bet $100 that the Patriots will win the game by seven points. After you have created the wager, it will be put on the exchange, where it will remain until someone comes along who believes that they would like the Packers with 7 points and takes the bet. At that time, there will be a bet placed between you and another player, with the winner of the bet being required to pay Betfair a commission for the activity.

Do you have any idea how much fun doing that might be? Now that you have the ability to act as the bookmaker, you may set lines that you believe are more appealing based on your prediction of the outcome of a game. Imagine now if there are thousands of gamblers and hundreds of athletic events, and you’ll get some idea of how busy that exchange is.

A few of points to keep in mind: when you place the wager on the exchange, the money is deducted from your account, even if the wager isn’t accepted; this happens regardless of whether or not the exchange processes the transaction. After the start of the game, the money from the bet will be refunded to your account if it is a dead heat and there is no activity. You do, however, have the money to recover the funds by withdrawing from a bet that has not been claimed before the game begins.

Betfair did have immediate competitors in this exchange space, with Flutter being the largest of them. However, the complex nature of these bets meant that they were not suitable for the average bettor, which is why Betfair now manages the largest online betting exchange by a wide margin. The majority of other sportsbooks have chosen to follow a more conventional path.

Sportsbook

Betfair’s exclusive market position was a huge advantage for the company, but that didn’t prevent it from seeking a piece of the action in the house-versus-player segment of the sports betting market as well. The sportsbook engine at Betfair is quite powerful, displaying odds on thousands of athletic events taking place all over the world. You may discover odds on pretty much every professional sport thanks to this company, as they focus on serving the major professional leagues as well as other professional sports. Take a look at the following sports, which are presently featured on the homepage of Betfair:

• American Football
• Athletics
• Australian Rules
• Baseball
• Basketball
• Boxing
• Chess
• Cricket
• Cycling
• Darts
• Football
• Gaelic Games
• Golf
• Greyhound Racing
• Handball
• Horse Racing
• MMA
• Motor Sport
• Rugby Union
• Football
• Horse Racing
• Tennis
• Cricket
• MMA
• Darts

In addition, many different sports offer live betting during the games themselves; this type of betting is typically most popular for sports like soccer and tennis, in which individual matches can be lengthy and have only one result; therefore, betting on individual aspects of each game makes the games significantly more interesting.

If wagering on all of these actual sports isn’t enough for you, Betfair also lets you bet wagers on a wide variety of virtual sports, which may be more to your liking. Think of the demo versions of games that you have most certainly played, but connect a Random Number Generator to them and let them play to a result. If you do not know what these are, virtual sports are essentially video games that play themselves. If you do not know what these are, go here. Because these events take a far shorter amount of time to complete (for example, a soccer match may be over in fewer than ten minutes), you have a considerably greater opportunity to place bets on them.

Choices Available at the Casino

Even while it is quite evident that sports betting is Betfair’s primary focus, the fact that they also provide casino games in no site diminishes the quality of their service. The company is aware of how beneficial a high-quality casino offering can be, and because of the partners they have selected, you will be able to immediately recognize the high level of quality provided by their casino the moment you click on the link to access their gaming platform. Let’s have a look at a few of the different games that are available.

Slots

Betfair has an incredible selection of slots, with Playtech games taking the lead as the best in the business. Betfair players have access to hundreds of exciting slot games because to the company’s innovative use of pay lines and aesthetics, in addition to the widespread appeal of licensed material. The following are some of my personal favorites:

• 8-Ball
• Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
• Adventures in Wonderland Deluxe
• Age of the Gods
• Age of the Gods: Fate Sisters
• Aladdin’s Lamp
• Alchemist’s Lab
• Alice and the Mad Tea Party
• Batman & Catwoman Cash
• Batman & Mr. Freeze Fortune
• Batman & the Batgirl Bonanza
• Batman & the Joker Jewels
• Batman & the Penguin Prize
• Batman & The Riddler Riches
• Battle of the Gods
• Beach Life
• Britain’s Got Talent Star Struck
• Bruce Lee
• Bruce Lee: Dragon’s Tale
• Cat in Vegas
• Cat Queen
• Cleopatra
• DaVinci Diamonds
• DaVinci Diamonds Dual Play
• Deal or No Deal: The Banker’s Riches
• Deal or No Deal: World Slot
• Desert Treasure
• Family Guy
• Fei Cui Gong Zhu
• Fei Long Zai Tian
• Fiddle Dee Dough
• Fields of Fortune
• Firemen
• Fire Queen
• Fireworks Frenzy
• Fish-O-Rama
• Five Star
• Fixed Odd Slots
• Flowers
• Fluffy Favourites
• Football Carnival
• Football Fans
• From Russia With Love
• John Wayne
• Juicy Booty
• Jungle Boogie
• KISS® Shout it out Loud!
• Little Britain
• Lotto Madness
• Luau Loot
• Marilyn Monroe
• MegaJackpots Cleopatra
• MegaJackpots Siberian Storm
• Michael Jackson: King of Pop
• Mini Dragons
• Miss Fortune
• Miss White
• Monopoly Big Event
• Montezuma
• Monty Python’s Life of Brian
• Monty Python’s Spamalot!
• Monty Python and the Holy Grail
• Pink Panther
• Pixies of the Forest
• Reel ’em In! Big Bass Bucks
• Reel Classic 3 Casino Slots
• Rich Treats
• Roaring Wilds
• Rock ‘n’ Roller
• Rocky
• Silent Samurai
• Silver Bullet
• Star Trek: Explore New Worlds
• Star Trek: Red Alert
• Star Trek: The Trouble with Tribbles
• Streak of Luck
• Superman: The Movie
• Superman II
• Super Monopoly Money
• Top Gun
• What’s Cooking
• Wheel of Fortune Hollywood Edition
• Wheel of Fortune Triple Extreme! Spin
• Who Wants to be a Millionaire

Table Games

Not to be outdone, the table games section of the lobby of the Betfair website provides you with access to a wide variety of games and variations, including a few distinct games of blackjack. When I walk into a casino, I look for a minimum of this many different games and betting alternatives to choose from. After playing at so many casinos, it’s easy for me to become uninterested and lethargic, so I need plenty of diversity to retain my focus. I am extremely happy with the selection of games that can be played at Betfair, and if you have a look at this list, I have no doubt that you will discover some games that you enjoy playing just as much as I do.

• Baccarat
• Casino War
• Red Dog
• Roulette
• Craps
• Pai Gow Poker
• Keno
• Single-Deck Blackjack
• Caribbean Poker
• Sic Bo
• Pontoon
• Around the World
• Blackjack Switch
• Casino Hold ‘Em
• Let Them Ride
• Poker Three
• Tequila Poker
• Blackjack Surrender
• Blackjack
• Blackjack Pro
• Double Attack Blackjack
• Lucky Blackjack

Unique games

Every Playtech licensee has access to the company’s games, including those that don’t fall under the category of table games. These games, which often have poor player odds, aren’t really my thing, but I know a lot of folks who really enjoy playing them. I’m not sure why. The following is a list of those games that can be played on Betfair (you can also discover some more betting alternatives in the manner of video games in their arcade section):

• Final Score
• Bonus Bowling
• Derby Day Horse Racing
• Dice Twister
• Heads or Tails
• Jackpot Darts
• Genie’s Hi Lo
• Knockout
• Wheel of Light
• Wild Viking
• Bingo
• Rock Paper Scissors
• Roller Coaster Dice
• Mahjong
• Mega Ball
• Pachinko
• Penalty Shootout

Video Poker

The video poker section is where I most frequently find myself spending a significant amount of time, regardless of whether I am gambling in an online or traditional casino setting. When it comes to casino games, video poker is one of the few that, if played with flawless strategy, has the potential to provide an edge in favor of the player (even without a terrible promotion like what Betfair ran in 2010). At Betfair, you have the opportunity to select from a wide variety of iterations of the well-known game; several of these iterations have multi-hand variants, which provide an additional layer of excitement.

• Two Way Royal
• Jacks or Better
• All American
• Aces and Faces
• Pick’Em Poker
• Deuces Wild
• Joker Poker
• Tens or Better
• Mega Jacks

Live Dealer Casino

The excitement of playing in a live casino, combined with the ease of not having to put on trousers, is what the live dealer games provide. If this seems like something you’d enjoy, then you should definitely check them out! The past few years have seen an increase in the number of online casinos that provide these games. Personally, I enjoy the notion that even if the game is being played digitally, there is still a real person on the other end of the camera. In the “live dealer” section of the Betfair Casino, you have the following options to choose from:

• Roulette
• Baccarat
• Blackjack
• Poker with Three Cards
• Hold ‘Em in the Casino

Promotions

It should not come as a surprise to learn that Betfair offers a plethora of various promotions, each of which is concentrated on a certain vertical, given the extensive variety of bets that can be placed at the website. In lieu of cluttering up this page with information on all of the available promotions (which you are free to check on their website), I will concentrate on a handful of important notes instead.

Bonus for Signing Up

Players who make their initial deposit at a casino have the option of selecting one of two distinct welcome bonuses:

• A one hundred percent bonus up to a maximum of one hundred dollars that may be utilized on any and all casino games
• Two hundred percent up to a maximum of four hundred dollars for slot machine play only

It should come as no surprise that clearing bonuses while playing slots is a lot more difficult. However, if you are wanting to get the most out of the bonus, this is still the bet that will give you the best results. Even though the sports betting bonus was much less than the other bonuses, I decided to make my initial deposit using it because I believed it provided me the best opportunity to really walk away a winner, even if the bonus itself was much smaller.

Live Casino Bonus

The bonus for live dealer games is rather distinct from the standard one. Even though the bonus is just for fifty percent, the highest you can win is two hundred dollars, and you also get five chips to use in the live roulette game. This bonus is one of my favorites since it requires players to participate in live dealer games, which, as I mentioned earlier, are becoming an increasingly popular option in this sector.

Banking

Betfair, in contrast to many of its rivals operating in the UK market, does not operate any live betting shops to assist in the processing of payments. Instead, the company is solely reliant on online dealings for all of its business. They do, however, provide all of the most common methods for players to choose from when it comes to making deposits and withdrawals. There have been a few complaints regarding how long it takes for a withdrawal to be completed, which is a frequent concern across the board in this business; however, considering that this is a publicly traded company, it is not because the company does not have the cash to pay.

Deposit Options

• Check by mail
• ClickandBuy
• Delta
• Maestro
• MasterCard
• Neteller
• PayPal
• Solo
• Visa Electron
• Visa
• Western Union
• Bank Transfer Express
• Skrill

Withdrawal Choices Available

• Check
• Neteller
• PayPal
• Visa Electron
• Visa
• Bank Transfer
• Skrill

Comp Program

Playtech is in charge of running the casino comp program for Betfair. The terms are simple; you will receive between one and three comp points for every ten dollars that you wager in the casino, and you will be able to redeem your points at a rate of one dollar for every one hundred points earned.

VIP Program

In all of my time spent evaluating other online gambling sites, I have to say that the VIP program that Betfair offers is among the most comprehensive and user-friendly that I have ever come across. It is very evident that the company appreciates the significance of having satisfied and devoted consumers. The VIP program is broken up into three different tiers, each of which comes with its own unique set of perks. The large list of VIP events that Betfair invites its VIP players to attend is the aspect of the program that stands out as being the most impressive. Take a look at this list of the places they’ve visited in the past:

• Royal Ascot
• Monty Python Live
• British Grand Prix
• Champions League Final
• Cheltenham Festival
• El Clasico (Real Madrid Vs Barcelona)
• Cirque du Soleil
• International Rugby
• ATP World Tour Tennis
• NFL International Series

They kinds of events and non-bonus benefits are what set the Betfair VIP program apart from the others, in my opinion; these are the kinds of awards that players cannot place a proper value on because they are more aspirational. On their website, you can get more information on the program and should certainly check into it.

Assistance to Customers

Betfair, being a publicly listed, world-class company, has the obligation to guarantee that its customers’ demands are attended to in a prompt and efficient way at all times. This is especially relevant when taken into consideration in light of what they did to their players in 2010 in relation to the Happy Hour controversy. In light of this, the casino makes almost all means of communication with them available to its customers. Not only do they offer a fantastic Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section that answers the vast majority of customers’ little inquiries, but the Betfair customer support team can also be reached through the following channels:

• Telephone
• Real-Time Chat
• Email
• A Message on Facebook
• Twitter

It’s great to see that they are using social media as a primary channel for communicating with their customers. After all, it is the first place that a player would probably go to in order to register a complaint in these modern times.

Would I play in Games at Betfair?

Definitely. Permit me to be quite clear about something: I used to be a customer of Betfair until in 2016, when they ceased taking action from Canada, they cut off my access to the site. I absolutely adore the concept of a betting exchange, and I believe that over the next years, not only will it continue to expand, but it will also become increasingly widespread. These folks were the ones who first started doing sports betting like way, and they continue to be the most innovative when it comes to their exchange. They have put themselves in a very good program to compete with their rivals by introducing excellent VIP programs and high-quality casino games.

Yes, they were responsible for something horrible that happened to their players, but that was eight years ago. Because there have been no major problems since then, I believe that we are now in a position to put the past in the past. As a result of this, I strongly advise you to use Betfair for all of your betting requirements.