Betfair UK, in addition to its sportsbook function, offers exchange betting, providing the opportunity to choose the best odds and manage one’s bankroll more flexibly. It’s worth noting the generous Welcome bonus, a wide range of regular promotions, bonuses on top matches, numerous Odds Boost options, and a referral programme. Bettors have access to various convenient features that enable more accurate betting, such as live streaming, in-play infographics and statistics, and match previews. Full and partial Cash Out functions are available, as well as Bet Builder for creating combo bets from outcomes of a single event. Betfair offers nearly 3000 betting options for top football matches. Besides sports betting and exchange betting, clients can enjoy online casinos, live casinos, poker, bingo, and virtuals.
Betfair Pros & Cons
- Betfair exchange and online sportsbook
- Wide range of markets on top football
- An extensive choice of payment systems
- Not many live streams
- Hard to reach contacts
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Betfair Security
Betfair operates in the UK under licences issued by the Gambling Commission under account numbers 39439, 39435, 39561 and 39426. The betting site is protected by SSL/TLS technology. In addition, Betfair is certified according to the international information security standard ISO27001. The site is willing to undergo regular independent audits and is committed to reviewing and maintaining security measures in the future.
Betfair Sports and Markets
Customers at Betfair sportsbook can stake on matches in more than 30 disciplines. These include:
Football. The Football section features tournaments from more than 80 countries to choose from. England, Germany and Spain have the most extensive coverage, but there are also lower leagues from Uganda, Paraguay, Lithuania and other countries. The top games are presented in a separate tab “Euro Elite”, which makes it easier to find the current games in the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and Liga Portugal. The top matches’ coverage is as varied as possible – in addition to main outcomes, handicaps and totals, you can bet on cards & corners, shots, special bets in #OddsOnThat, goalscorers, player assist, statistics for intervals, penalty, red cards and many other options.
Horse racing & Greyhound racing. For fans of betting on horse racing & greyhounds, Betfair has plenty of tournaments in the UK, Ireland, France, South Africa and Australia. The pages of the selected disciplines show the times of the upcoming races, the list of participants, information on streaming and the options available – Odds Boost, Promo and more. In addition to betting on the winner of the race, special bets can be placed under #OddsOnThat (e.g. winner of the race and runner-up, third and fourth place, race winner and horse in Top 3, etc.).
Tennis. The tennis betting section on Betfair includes events ranging from Grand Slams, ATP and WTA tournaments to ITF, UTR and Challenger. There are over 150 betting markets – set betting, correct scores, handicaps, totals and special bets such as Both Players to win a Set (Yes/No).
Darts. Betfair’s markets include Match Result, Handicap, Total Legs, and more. Besides PDC Players Championship betting, the Sportsbook offers options on many other popular competitions, such as PDC World Championship and MODUS Super Series. Its extensive coverage makes it a strong contender among darts betting sites.
Betfair Payment Methods
You can fund your Betfair account via a variety of popular payment methods. These include debit cards, e-wallets, Apple Pay, bank transfer and prepaid system Paysafecard.
The table below shows the deposit and withdrawal limits.
| Payment Method | Withdrawal Time | Commission | Deposit Limits, £ | Withdrawal Limits, £ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Pay | 2-5 working days | No | 5–System’s limit | 0.01–System’s limit |
| PayPal | 1-4 hours | No | 20–System’s limit | 1–System’s limit |
| Skrill | 1-4 hours | No | 20–System’s limit | 1–System’s limit |
| Neteller | 1-4 hours | No | 20–System’s limit | 1–System’s limit |
| Paysafecard | Not available | No | 20–System’s limit | Not available |
| Debit cards Visa/Mastercard | 2-5 working days | No | 5–System’s limit | 0.01–System’s limit |
| Bank Transfer | 1-5 working days | No | 20–System’s limit | 10–System’s limit |
| Rapid Transfer | 2-3 working days | No | 20–System’s limit | 0.01–System’s limit |
| MuchBetter | Up to 24 hours | No | 20–System’s limit | 0.01–System’s limit |
| Cash via a Paddy Power Shop | Not available | No | 10–System’s limit | System’s limit |
| Instant Transfer | Immediately | No | 5–System’s limit | 0.01–System’s limit |
How to Make a Deposit to Betfair
In order to deposit funds into your betting account, follow these steps:
- Log in on the Betfair website or app.
- Go to the ‘Deposit’ section.
- On the next window, select the payment method.
- Enter the amount and specify your payment system details.
How to Withdraw from Betfair
Here’s a step-by-step instruction on how to withdraw winnings from Betfair:
- Open the ‘My Betfair Account’ section.
- Select the ‘Withdraw Funds’ option.
- Enter the payment method you used to fund into your account.
- Enter the amount and confirm the transaction.
Betfair Odds
To determine the betting odds at the bookmakers, we calculate and compare the margin, which is the operator’s commission on the published odds. We take Betfair odds for the main markets in top football, basketball and tennis matches as an example:
- Football. Premier League Tottenham – Man Utd (27/04/2023):
- 1×2 odds: 9/5 – 13/5 – 29/20, margin 4.31%.
- Over/Under 2.5 goals odds: 6/10 – 5/4, margin 6.94%.
- Basketball. NBA Boston Celtics – Atlanta Hawks (28/04/2023):
- Win market odds: 2/5 – 15/8, margin 6.21%.
- Over/Under 231.5 points odds: 9/10 – 9/10, margin 5.26%.
- Tennis. ATP Madrid Sonego – Struff (27/04/2023):
- 1×2 odds: 8/11 – 11/10, margin 5.51%.
- Over/Under 23.5 games odds: 1/1 – 8/11, margin 7.89%.
To calculate the margin we have applied a simple formula:
Margin = (1/odds1 + 1/odds2 + 1/odds3 – 1) x 100.
Let’s now calculate the margin using the Tottenham – Man Utd game as an example. Betfair has set the following quotes for the main outcomes (1 – X – 2): 9/5 (2.80) – 13/5 (3.60) – 29/20 (2.45). The calculation according to the formula above looks like this: (1/2.80 + 1/3.60 + 1/2.45 – 1) x 100 = 4.31%.
Betfair bookmaker margins are kept at a medium level. On average, according to our examples, it was 6.02%. This is an above average figure (5% to 7% margin).
Betfair In Play Betting
The bookmaker offers hundreds of events every day for in-play betting. To help punters, Betfair has provided the following options:
- In-Play sports. Under the In-Play tab, Betfair publishes bets on matches in many popular disciplines – football, tennis, darts, cricket, Esports and more. Live football betting offers more than 130 bets. Besides the main outcomes, there are Over/Under, HT/FT, Handicap, First Goal and more.
- Infographics and statistics. Most of the matches in In-Play mode are accompanied by a graphic display of events on the court in the Match View. The game page has live stats for the whole game or certain play periods.
- Cash Out. The Cash Out feature gives customers the chance to settle their bets before the event is over. This way bettors can reduce their losses or even win more money. The amount of Cash Out that is offered depends on many circumstances – the time left to the end of the match, the course of the game and other factors.
Betfair Streaming
For many live events, the bookmaker offers video broadcasts. To watch live events on the Betfair site or in the app, you need to register and fund your account. The betting site provides videos of many popular sporting events – football, tennis, basketball, volleyball, snooker, rugby, Esports, table tennis, horse racing, greyhound racing and others. In the horse racing section, Betfair streams upcoming races in the UK, Ireland, Australia and other countries.
In the betting line, you can see which current and upcoming matches will be available for streaming. In addition, on Betfair you can find out which TV channel is currently broadcasting or planning to broadcast a particular match.
Betfair App
The bookmaker has launched mobile applications for iOS and Android. The app can be downloaded from the official App Store and Google Play, and there are also download links on the bookmaker’s official site under “Betfair mobile”. The app offers all the basic options – you can also register, deposit, bet, play casino and live casino games and withdraw your winnings. Note that Betfair has developed a separate mobile app for the exchange section. It is also available for all popular mobile platforms and the installation links can be found under the “Betfair mobile” tab.
| Developer | Betfair |
| Cost | All versions are free |
| Software | iOS, Android |
| Age Limit | 17+ |
| Deposit methods | Debit Cards, E-Wallets, Apple Pay, Paysafecard, Bank Transfer |
| Withdrawal methods | Debit Cards, E-Wallets, Apple Pay, Bank Transfer |
| License | Licensed by the Gambling Commission |
Conclusion
After closely examining Betfair, we can say it’s a good choice for beginners and experienced punters looking for flexibility and unusual bets. The platform combines a traditional sportsbook with an exchange and provides betting options that are hard to find elsewhere. It also has an extensive range of football markets, with over 2,900 options for popular events, and supports various payment systems, including PayPal and Apple Pay.
Betfair originally appeared on the betting exchanges market and was one of the pioneers of lay betting sites. It’s now also a quality betting platform with many dedicated options.
The bookmaker also has other limitations. The odds are average, with a margin of around 6%, which is higher than at some competitors and not ideal for long-term betting. Additionally, the live streaming options are limited compared to industry leaders, and customer support can be frustrating to access due to the chatbot and scattered contact details.
Betfair Frequently Asked Questions
Is Betfair Trustworthy?
Betfair has been granted several licences by the UK Gambling Commission. This means that the bookmaker guarantees fair and transparent operations and services to its customers. The brand has been known in the UK gambling market for over 20 years and has established itself as one of the industry leaders.
How To Place A Bet at Betfair?
To place a bet on Betfair, you need to log in, find the match of interest in the All Sports or In-Play sections, select the required market on the match page and click on the appropriate odds. Afterwards, in the Betslip window, you have to specify the bet amount and confirm the bet.
Does Betfair Do Cash Out?
Yes, Betfair offers Cash Out for many sports events. You should first check that the Cash Out option is available for that particular market – the relevant sections are marked with a special yellow icon. To use the Cash Out option, please refer to the Cash Out tab in the menu.
Is There A Betfair app?
Betfair UK has separate mobile apps for the exchange and sportsbook sections. Customers can install them on iOS and Android devices. The apps are available on the App Store and Google Play. You can find the apps via a search on these official app stores or on the Betfair website in the Betfair Mobile section.
