Betfred are one of the largest bookmakers in the world, and unlike many of the internet’s other gambling websites, they’re one of the few who also operate high street branches. In fact, Betfred run hundreds of shops throughout the UK, which no doubt goes some way to explaining why they are one of the most trusted brands in online gambling.
This is proved further through their fair pricing, relatively low level of complaints, and the fact that the UK Government chose to sell them the nation’s homegrown bookmaker, Totesport, with Betfred enjoying exclusive rights to run pooled betting events for a time until 2018.
Their high street success has been easily replicated online, and now, as well as the stellar sports betting section of their site, they also offer an online casino, poker facilities, and bingo rooms; so it’s clear that Betfred are serious about what they do, and are taken equally seriously by punters.
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THE BETFRED WEBSITE
Betfred may not have the best reputation when it comes to website design, but in recent years they have tried to improve their site’s usability a great deal and in fairness to them they’ve done a good job, with the site now offering a relatively hassle-free betting experience.
Below, we look at a few of the main features that help to make Betfred the success that they are today.
QUICK MARKET NAVIGATION
Betfred allow all punters to easily find their way around the sports book thanks to their quick link navigational tabs on the left hand side of the page. Most sites do this, but Betfred implement a step by step approach that makes good sense.
Popular categories like football and horse racing have their own tabs which take you straight to their corresponding pages, and any current big competitions (EFL Cup, European Masters, it depends what time of the year it is) will also have quick links. An A-Z link opens a list of all sports the site offers so there is only a single extra step to get to those.
It’s a great way to get the majority of punters to where they want to go faster, but also not slowing things down for everyone else.
The only thing we feel Betfred is really tripping up on is the fact that their site wide search option is buried at the bottom of the list. It’s supposed to be a quick way for people to bypass the menu a go directly to the bet they want, so sticking it at the top would seem the more obvious move.
COMPREHENSIVE Help & Support
One of the things that distinguishes a global online gambling website from their smaller competitors is the customer support service they offer. Far too often players are left in the dark when they’re having problems or experiencing technical difficulty.
Betfred’s Help section – found on the quick navigation menu we just covered – is one of the more user friendly out there, with loads of different articles providing guidance on everything from depositing and withdrawing, to troubleshooting. It gives clear, simple, step by step advice on questions like how to claim your cash, cookies, and so on.
In terms of speaking to customer services there are multiple options:
- Live Chat
- UK & International Phone Support
- Twitter (only for #PickYourPunt rather than customer support)
They are quick to answer and reply and are generally a cheery helpful bunch too.
Sports Betting at Betfred
As one of the UK’s most prominent names in bookmaking, Betfred offer an incredibly diverse range of betting markets for players to enjoy. As well as a wide coverage of different markets, they also host a very generous range of bet-options within those markets.
Due to the layout and design of the site, finding all of the different markets is a breeze; you don’t have to navigate through hundreds of menus to find the area of the site you want, which can be maddening.
Betfred’s biggest market is football, and you’ll find football betting opportunities from all over the globe, although naturally the emphasis is on UK leagues like the Premiership, the Championship, and the various lower leagues.
The dominance of football on the site is further compounded by the regular football related offers, some of which have been running for a very very long time.
Football aside, Betfred’s other most popular market is probably British horse racing, and virtually all races from each of the country’s 60 racetracks can be wagered on at Betfred, thanks to their partnerships with other bookmakers and racing tracks nationwide.
American markets are available too, such as: NFL, Baseball, Basketball, and Ice Hockey (NHL), although in our opinion, some of their ‘unusual markets’ are the most interesting to browse.
Unusual Markets
While not necessarily unusual these days, the Political markets at Betfred are still worth mentioning simply because they’re always current and up-to-date. The two main Political markets offered are understandably the UK and US Political scenes, although other elections are available (French for example) as well as some wacky options like Farage to be Prime Minister before 2025.
As you’d expect, UK and US Political markets are equally as varied, and you can bet on who the next Prime Minister will be, who the next majority party will be, and so on.
Elsewhere, if you head over to the TV/Specials menu, you will find some of the really fun bets, which are separated into four sections: Royalty, TV Shows, Awards, and Novelty. WWE wrestling fans feeling ignored will find their betting options in this area, rather than on the A-Z.
The ‘Royalty’ bets are, unsurprisingly, all based on the activities of the Royal Family, and you will be able to place bets on everything from the gender of the next Royal baby, to what colour dress the Queen will wear in public next.
Head to the ‘TV Shows’ section, and you’ll find the ability to bet on the winners of a number of TV shows: The Apprentice, Britain’s Got Talent and Master Chef being just a few of the options available.
The ‘Novelty’ bets section is where the really wacky stuff happens, and while they are subject to change quite quickly – due to the fact these markets are not generally that popular, and often get taken down at a moment’s notice – one of the most common bets here is “Will it snow on Christmas day”. This UK bet is something of a household name, allowing punters to predict whether or not various different regions in the U.K will see a White Christmas.
How Good are the Odds?
Betfred are known for offering odds that are OK, and OK is about as fair a word as can be used here really.
Their odds might not be the best, but they are steady; you won’t usually find any exceptionally long or short odds displayed, which is preferred by their regular bettors who like to have that stability.
Promotions, however, come along regularly at Betfred, and many of these include price boosts and enhanced odds, so it’s well worth keeping an eye on the latest promotions and bonuses to make sure you take advantage of any of these price increases.
This is Betfred’s business model, and why they call themselves The Bonus King. They might not always be top of the price lists but they usually offer the greatest number of promotions to give those odds more value.
POPULAR FEATURES
NEXT 5
On the homepage you will see a few immediate options; ‘In Play’, ‘Next 5’, and ‘Featured’. These sections are all useful, but horse racing fans can use Next 5 as a way to quickly open the race card or place bets on imminent races. It’s really useful if you’re a last minute Larry.
This is also available for the greyhounds with those races appearing just below the horses, and if any of the races are being streamed there is a link to the stream as well.
It updates in real time so once a race has started it will disappear and the next one will take its place. As you can see, it’s a well thought out website feature that will save a lot of punters a lot of time.
Gaming & Casino PRODUCTS
Betfred don’t just offer sports betting facilities. In fact, they offer one of the largest online gambling product ranges we’ve ever seen, and one of the most popular areas of their site is the online casino.
Accessible by clicking the ‘Casino’ tab from the site wide navigation menu, the casino area offers hundreds of different games spanning a number of different categories, including Casino Table games like Roulette, Blackjack, and Baccarat; Video Slots, Video Poker games, and instant win titles. You’ll find titles from software providers such as Microgaming, NetEnt, and Playtech; and with over 600 different games to enjoy in total, there’s never a dull moment at Betfred, even if the sports markets are looking a little dry.
The Poker facilities at Betfred are also popular with thousands of players logged on at any given moment, trying their best to defeat their contemporaries and win big. Daily tournaments, regular cash games, and completely free to play freerolls are just some of the offerings in Betfred’s Poker Lounge, and players of all levels are welcome, with hundreds of games to enjoy.
That’s just a few of the products available, with some that we haven’t covered including Lottery Games, Virtual Games, Bingo Gaming, and a Live Dealer Casino.
In Play Betting
Betfred offer decent in-play betting options, although it doesn’t feel as exciting here as it does elsewhere for some reason. It’s hard to put your finger on, but something about the design takes all of the drama out of it.
Saying that, it couldn’t be easier to use. The drop down menus and the option to look at markets by category all help to streamline a very busy service, and keep you on track.
When live streaming is not available a graphical display shows what is going on on the game, with plenty of in game stats to go with it which are really useful if you can;t quite make your mind up whether or not to place that wager.
Perhaps the best feature about Betfred’s in-play betting is the cash out feature, and while most sports books offer cash-out on in-play bets, Betfred are one of the most responsive, with their cash out prices often ranking highly. So, if you’re a fan of cashing out your in-plays, then Betfred is likely a good option for you.
High Street Betting
Betfred are one of the UK’s largest high-street bookmakers with hundreds of stores spread throughout the UK and Ireland, second only to William Hill and Ladbrokes.
One of the reasons that Betfred have seen significantly more success on the high street than say, Paddy Power, is the fact that their prices and market-ranges are superior; and with a much larger network of high street betting shops, they are able to offer very generous prices and jackpots (in the case of their lotto games), and this is just one of the reasons why they’re so popular with punters.
The high street is also a major focus for Betfred, whereas all other high street bookmakers are exploring other markets outside of the UK and splitting their focus.
While they’ve come under criticism for the inclusion of the FOBT machines (known also as fixed odds betting terminals), they now have stake limits applied and the shops display high levels of customer care, with responsible gambling at the forefront of their ethos and brand messaging. fred Done himself has even done a video about it, advising customers to “gamble to your pocket”.
BANKING
Betfred’s banking process is one of the easiest to use in the entire industry, and everything is managed from the ‘Cashier’ section found in the upper right-hand corner of your screen.
Some of the most popular payment methods include Visa and Mastercard Debit cards (as you’d expect at pretty much any bookie on the planet), Skrill, Neteller, Paysafecard and most notably, PayPal.
PayPal is extremely popular with punters from the United Kingdom as it’s completely free to use, offers instant deposits, and most attractively, instant withdrawals.
Once Betfred have processed your request the money will be available in your PayPal account in a matter of minutes. You can then withdraw it instantly thanks to PayPal’s instant bank transfers, or you can keep it in your PayPal account to use on something else – the choice is yours.
In terms of withdrawal limits, Betfred are incredibly generous, and it’s unlikely that your withdrawal request would ever exceed their daily limit. This is because it’s a whopping £500,000 – so unless you win a progressive jackpot playing a video slot, or hit it huge on a 14-fold acca, you’re unlikely to run into any issues here.
History & About
Named after its co-founders, Fred and Peter Done, Betfred is one of the world’s oldest bookmakers. Since the company’s first shop was opened in 1967 – then called Done Bookmakers – the bookie has gone from strength to strength, with their last recorded turnover a whopping £12.7 Billion.
The company’s head office is based in Birchwood, Warrington, and while the management side of the business has seen quite a lot of change during its lifetime, the chain remains one of the strongest performing and most trusted bookies in the UK, both on and off line. This is evidenced by the large market presence that they enjoy, with 1,370 betting shops throughout the United Kingdom.
One of the most notable events in the company’s history was during the 2004-2005 Premier League season. The company founder and CEO at the time, Peter Done, bet Victor Chandler (the namesake of BetVictor) a cool £1,000,000 that Manchester United would finish higher than Chelsea. Unfortunately for Done, Chelsea ended up finishing top, and Done lost the lot.
While this was probably a drop in the ocean for Done, some punters questioned the move being so public, apparently worried about potential conflicts of interest. These claims and fears were generally debunked however, with most agreeing they were irrational and silly.
Another notable moment in Betfred’s history was in 2011, when they purchased Totesport from the British Government. This widened Betfred’s reach and ensured that the Tote markets – the most highly-regarded and respected in British horse racing – remained intact; and Betfred won the rights to offer exclusive pooled-betting on UK horse racing for 7 years. So come 2018, all bookies will be able to offer the same. Interesting times ahead.
Today, the company focuses largely on mobile betting, and their apps and mobile website are regularly updated and improved to ensure they are at the forefront of betting technology.
Betfred
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Editors Review
The Betfred brand is now synonymous in the gambling industry and has been around for a lot longer
than we would care to remember. Over the years it’s managed to transform itself from the high
shop brand it used to be, into a 21st century betting portal. We use the word portal because to just call BetFred a bookmaker these days, would do it an injustice. It’s apparent from the minute that you land on their site that it’s much more than is; the sites integration with its casino, poker, bingo and mobile sections highlight this fact.
Criticising the Betfred sports section is tough, but we have to be objective. The site is starting to a look a little dated. You only need to read through the reviews we have compiled on this site to see how many have undergone total transformations over the last few years. Betfred have certainly stuck with what they know and whilst there’s nothing majority wrong with it, it lacks that ‘wow’ factor that other sites have in abundance. Take their markets for example; you are greeted with a white background, basic black text and a box to highlight your pick. It’s just all a little dated and dull.
If you are someone who looks for substance over style, then you are in luck. The site excels in not
so much the range of sports on offer, but more the depth that they go into. It’s this depth which has managed to set them apart, even from the bigger bookmakers in the industry. But there is one sport that really defines Betfred and that’s football.
Betfred have been at the forefront of football betting for some time now and it’s through
innovations in betting markets such as Goals Galore, Double Delight and Hat trick Heaven. These
sorts of markets are new and engaging for its customers, and now you see a host of rival companies
offering similar markets. But Betfred remain the daddy for these types of bets and new markets, and
more often than not they are often the best priced for each.
On top of this Betfred have provided one of the best horse racing components of any site we have
seen; their Interactive Racecard. It’s ridiculous really the amount of information it holds. You can see the boring bits like colour of the silks, jockey name, trainer name, recent form and weights, but on top of that you can check the onsite predictor, information on previous head to heads between the horses and even a video of each horse’s last race. It’s so much more than a gimmicky feature on a betting site; it’s a real commodity for horse racing enthusiasts.