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Our Ranking:10

Betfair

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It may not be a bookmaker but Betfair is a must have for any serious punter and once you get beyond the initial difficulties of the site, you will find the attractive odds a great incentive to join up. This is in addition to the great live betting options and high betting limits. Betfair gives away an automatic free bet to new sign ups with this bonus code, and is no doubt that this site should be a part of every punters arsenal and therefore it gets 10 out of 10.

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    Plus

  • The worlds number one betting exchange
  • Attractive odds and limits
  • The ability to make your own odds
  • Easy to use live in play betting
  • A site that can be trusted

    Minus

  • 5% is a high commissions
  • Can be tricky for newcomers to navigate
  • The site suffers slowdowns at times

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Forming at start of this millennium, Betfair are licensed in the United Kingdom and have won numerous awards for their site and the betting opportunities offered by the site. The site is also well known for its fair and reputable image, whilst offering money market, exchange options, casino, poker and sports betting options.

Of course, what immediately stands out about Betfair is the fact that it is not a traditional bookmaker but rather a betting exchange and probably the most famous of them all. If you are unaware of what a betting exchange is, quite simply where you place bets against fellow punters and not a bookmaker.

An easy to consider this is to consider a football match with Arsenal playing Sunderland and if you think Arsenal will win and find odds that are attractive to you, you should BACK them. There will likely be other people who do not think Arsenal will win and these people will LAY Arsenal. In this instance, if Arsenal wins, you will win the bet and the money from the other punter and not from Betfair.

This means that Betfair is acting as an intermediary as opposed to an actual bookmaker and they make their money from taking a commission from the winning bet. The standard level of commission is around 5% but if you are a regularly betting fan, this amount can reduce over time, giving further incentive to bet often. If you placed £100 on the Arsenal to win bet and they defeated Sunderland, odds of 1.5 would provide a winning amount of £150. This means that the level of winnings is £50 but then commission is taken away from this amount, and the 5% equates to £2.50, meaning your total winnings are £47.50.

The interesting element comes in the fact that you can bet on a team to win or not win which is better than the standard options but Betfair provides so much more than this, including the opportunity to name your own odds. If you don’t find the odds are too attractive you can make your own odds and see if people will take your bet on. If the 1.5 odds for Arsenal weren’t good enough, you could choose 1.6 and if someone decides to lay Arsenal at 1.6, you have a bet. This is always anonymous so you will not know who you are betting against.

This option creates a huge advantage over normal bookmakers and the fact that better odds are always available, even allowing for the commission element, should ensure that it is worth your time checking out the site. All of the main leagues are well catered for, it may be difficult to find odds for some smaller leagues but this is the same as most betting sites so there is nothing really wrong with what Betfair is offering with this regard.

As you would expect, the site is a little bit more complex than the standard betting site so it may take a little bit of time to get used when first using the site. However, it will become easier to use the site after a number of visits, and even though it can be a bit slow; this is happening less often than usual but be aware that there may be slight frustrations from time to time.

There are many different betting options available with around twenty five sports available with a large number of betting options available with the football markets covering the correct score, first goalscorer, over-unders and even half-time/full-time results amongst many other options. Betfair also has a live in play option which is governed by the same rules for the main exchange area but obviously you have to act quickly to make sure you get your bet placed right. This is in addition to the a statistics section which enables punters to keep up to date with what is happening in their sport and perhaps improve their general knowledge of the game.

And if that wasn’t enough, Betfair is available in over twenty languages and caters for a dozen different currencies. Like betting sites, the payment and withdrawal methods are the standard measures although the credit card option carries a 2% fee. If there are any problems or issues, the site can be contacted by e-mail or phone and like most sites; there is a welcome bonus for new members.

It may not be a bookmaker but Betfair is a must have for any serious punter and once you get beyond the initial difficulties of the site, you will find the attractive odds a great incentive to join up. This is in addition to the great live betting options and high betting limits. There is no doubt that this site should be a part of every punters arsenal and therefore it gets 10 out of 10.