Pros and cons
Pros
- Exchange betting
- Lots of sports to bet on
Cons
- Live chat for registered players only
- Older interface
Betfair Sports Review Update – We don’t currently recommend Betfair sportsbook to UK players for the moment. Check out our list of alternatives below:
- Up to £40 Back
- Bonus
- Bet £10 - Get £40 in Bonuses
- Bonus split for sport & casino
- Range of sports betting
Betfair Sports is a sportsbook that launched in 2000. The Betfair sports betting UK site is owned by Flutter Entertainment. They operate many online gambling brands in the UK so have a lot of experience.
But is Betfair sports betting online in the UK actually any good?
That’s the main question we’ll answer in this Betfair Sports review.
We’ll explain all the different ways you can bet, if the deposit methods are decent, how fast they actually payout, and more.
1. Is Betfair Sports legit?
Betfair have a licence from the UK Gambling Commission. This allows them to legally operate in the UK – along with Paddy Power (see our Paddy Power Sports review). So as long as you are a resident in Great Britain then you can bet here.
But is Betfair legit?
Just because they have a licence doesn’t mean they are any good. It just means they can operate in the UK.
They’ve had their fair share of trouble in the past. For example, they were fined in 2016 for failing to stop a player betting with stolen cash:
Since then, they’ve managed to largely stay out of the headlines.
We’ll stay on the lookout for anything extra though and report back here if anything else happens.
2. Free bets on Betfair
You can get free bets on Betfair sportsbook when signing up as a new player from the UK:
- Bet £10 on the sportsbook
- Get £30 free bets
- Betfair Sportsbook code: ZBGC01
New Customer offer. Place a min £10 bet on the Sportsbook on odds of min 1/2 (1.5), get £30 in Free Bets. Rewards valid for 30 days. SMS verification required. Only deposits via cards will qualify. T&Cs apply. Please Gamble Responsibly.
All the terms above seem to be okay.
But a few important terms to remember:
- Make sure to sign up using the Betfair sports promo code that’s listed
- You will need to verify your phone number
- Only deposit using card or Apple Pay – other payment methods won’t work
You should read the full terms and conditions on Betfair’s website too.
3. Betfair sportsbook — What can you bet on?
You can bet on a lot of sports at Betfair UK.
There are a little over 30 different sports listed on their site at the time of this Betfair Sports review. This includes:
- Football
- Horse Racing
- Cricket
- Golf
- Rubgy (League and Union)
- Tennis
- Greyhound racing
- eSports
- American Football
- Basketball
- & many more
How can I bet?
You can either bet before the sporting event starts or in-play. You can also bet on individual events or package them together – as an accumulator. An accumulator will increase your odds but also increase your risk of losing – as you will need to win multiple events instead of just one.
Betfair is one of the best in-play betting sites in the UK at the moment. This means you are able to place bets while the sporting event is happening. This is pretty good as it allows you to bet based on what’s actually happening. For example, if you see that a team or player is under or overperforming during the game then you can bet based on that.
4. Exchange betting Betfair — Worth it?
The Betfair Exchange betting system is a unique method of sports betting. It allows players to bet against other players.
So you’re not actually betting against Betfair here like normal. This method of betting can be a little confusing for new customers. However, it all revolves around another player matching your bet on a particular outcome.
Why is Betfair Exchange good?
For example, you may wish to bet on an upcoming horse race. But you might not like the odds offered by Betfair for a particular horse to win. So you can go to the betting exchange to try and find better odds.
The Betfair Exchange also allows you to bet against things happening.
In the example above, this allows you to bet on a horse not winning the race. You just need another player to match your stake for the bet to go live.
Exchange betting is available on all the sports that are available in the sportsbook.
5. Betfair sportsbook promotions
Betfair has a number of promotions for existing customers too. Some promotions on offer at the time of our Betfair Sports review were:
- Odds Boost – If you’ve made a bet within the past 30 days then you will receive three odds boost tokens. These tokens will increase the odds on a particular selection.
- Bet Builder – Bet £5 on a particular selected match to receive a free £5 bet.
- Extra Place Races – Extra places available which will win money in horse races.
There are also several offers that change daily. You can check out which offers are running on their Promotions tab.
6. Betfair sports deposit methods
You can use the following payment methods to make a deposit at Betfair sportsbook UK:
- Debit card (Visa/MasterCard)
- PayPal
- MuchBetter
- Apple Pay
- Paysafecard
- Rapid Bank Transfer
- Skrill
- Neteller
So you have a decent selection available.
Betfair is quite rare though as it’s one of the few £5 deposit betting sites in the UK. That’s because they accept deposits of 5 pounds when using debit card or Paysafecard.
The minimum deposit at Betfair is £30 when using any other method than debit card or Paysafecard.
7. Betfair withdrawal times
The time it takes to get a payout from Betfair depends on how quickly they approve your withdrawal and which payout method you use. The average overall time is anywhere between 4 hours and 5 working days.
All withdrawals need to be approved first. This is a requirement of the UK licence. Betfair will try to do this within 24 hours. But if extra verification documents are needed then it can take longer.
Once approved, the Betfair withdrawal method you use has a big impact on timing:
- Visa fast withdrawal (Visa Direct): Within 24 hours (often 4 hours)
- PayPal: Within 24 hours
- Skrill/Neteller: Within 24 hours
- Other card: 2-5 working days
- Apple Pay: 2-5 working days
- Bank Transfer: 2-5 working days
Betfair sports review conclusion
Betfair sports betting UK is a good site to place bets.
Our Betfair sports review uncovered loads of good points like:
- Loads of sports to bet on
- £5 deposits
- Fast payout methods
- Range of sports betting promotions
- Top casino games too (view our Betfair Casino review)
Remember to leave your own Betfair sports review on this page if you do bet there.