Betfred Review

About Betfred

Betfred is a Warrington-based bookmaker founded by brothers Fred and Peter Done. Since the opening of their first ever shop in Salford in 1967, the company has gone from strength to strength with over 1,300 'entertainment destinations' worldwide. These include their flagship bookmakers in London's Chinatown and central Manchester and in Wembley stadium, Betfred being their official betting partners since 2010.

Back in 2011, the company also took charge of the Tote whilst, in the same year, becoming horse racing's biggest sponsor, committing to lending its brand to over 700 races a year until 2018. Betfred was announced as the new face of the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2012, signing a sponsorship deal with the race until 2015. Aside from horse racing, the Done Bros. business is the betting partner of Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur, the sponsor of three greyhound racing venues and has lent its name to the World Snooker Championship.

Betfred complimented its retail empire by launching Betfred.com in 2004. The business' online arm has experience a 100% growth in new customers in the past year.

Betting Markets

The Betfred sportsbook homepage displays the current in-play markets for everything from football to golf to basketball and ice hockey. Scroll down further to see events that are taking place in the next three hours. Users simply click on one of these ties to be taken to the dedicated page.

Up the left hand side of the homepage is a useful list of 'Sports Highlights', quick links to events that will soon be taking place and a list of services provided by the bookmaker. These tools include live commentary, racecards and a function to change the displayed odds from fractions to decimals. Also in this column is a comprehensive list of all sports that can be bet on. This contains around 23 different markets, which is lower than many of their rivals. Niche sports backers may be interested in such things as baseball, ice hockey and pool, these markets being updated regularly.

It should be said that selecting a sport from the 'Sports Betting' selection does not instantly take the visitor to a dedicated page. Instead they must select their desired bet from a series of drop-down menus, something that, whilst advantageous to those who have a market in mind, is unhelpful should the user just want to scan the website at a leisurely pace.

Better presented are the pages dedicated to individual football ties, users being able to choose whether they would prefer to scroll down the list of available markets or select an option from one of the drop-down menus. This shows a greater consideration for both those who want to place a bet quickly and those who can afford to check out all markets. Having said this the number of markets punters can choose from is dwarfed by their rivals. Don't expect bells and whistles from Betfred's horse racing coverage either. It's basic, with only the horses' win/ each-way price on offer unless a tab is pressed, then revealing the method for forecast betting. There is no form, no information on jockey or trainer, just these odds, the horse's name and their silks.

Customer Service

Unlike many of their competitors, Betfred's many promotions are not exclusive to football and horse racing. These deals can be accessed by selecting 'Promotions' from the homepage header. While there are great deals and offers to be had on these popular sports there are also long-running promotions concerning rugby union, greyhound racing and NFL.

The first of these promotions that covers many sports is 'Double Delight'. 'Double Delight' promises to double the original price picked up by the customer should another event take place in the selected tie. For example, Betfred are currently offering to double the price on certain first goalscorer bets, should the successful scorer grab a brace. 'Hat-trick Heaven' sees the price triple on the condition that the goalscorer takes away the match ball. Similar Double Delight promotions are available to those backing the first try scorers in particular rugby league and union games and those with bets on the first touchdown scorer in many, not all, NFL fixtures.

Betfred also promise to reimburse football punters to the tune of a free bet, should the match on which they've placed money end 1-1. This offer only stands for correct score bets to the value of £50 on matches that are shown on live television. The free bet will be to the value of the original stake. Other terms and conditions apply.

Horse racing lovers can take advantage of the company's Best Odds Guaranteed offer that sees the customer's winning bet returned at the starting price, should this SP be greater than the early price originally taken. This does not apply to prices taken after the first show, nor Lucky 15s, 31s or 63s, though those partial to a Lucky 15, 31, 63, Yankee, Heinz or Canadian can receive a 15, 50 or 100% bonus on their winnings in certain Super Bonus Races. There's also the chance to get 5X the odds on one winner in a Lucky 63, 4X the odds on one winner in a Lucky 31 and 3X odds on a winner in a Lucky 15. This offer is available all day, every day on UK and Ireland horse racing and greyhound racing.

Similar dual promotions on horse and dog racing include a risk-free placepot entry for all new players who back a loser first time (up to the value of £10) and a free placepot bet up to the value of £10 on the following week's racing for those who place money on five or more meetings in a week.

Dog fanatics can watch their events thanks to a stream from Racing Post Greyhound TV and will also get a free bet of up to £200 if their dog comes in second having been beaten by less than a head. This free bet will match the initial stake. Placing a winning forecast or tri-cast on a live RPGTV or Sky Dogs-broadcasted race and receive an extra 25% return on forecasts and 50% on tri-casts.

All terms and conditions, which can be found beneath the corresponding offer on the promotions webpage, apply to all of the above offers and promotions.

Bonus Offers

Betfred are currently offering a fantastic two-pronged deal for new customers. Firstly, newly registered users will receive double the odds on their first bet before obtaining a free bet to the same stake once the customer has laid money down for a second time. The terms and conditions on both promotions are clearly available from a pair of drop down menus on the offer's dedicated page.

Information to bear in mind is that these offers are not applicable to multiples and the second real money bet must be at odds of Evens or greater.

In Summary

The Betfred sportsbook feels basic, especially the presentation of the sports betting pages. There is no consideration for extras, no videos, no tips and just a blue wash of colour over everything. Having said this, Betfred offer fantastic promotions on forth-coming events, and perhaps the best new customer package. Refreshingly these promotions aren't just aimed at football and the gee-gees either. This means that potential users will have to weigh up whether they are willing to put up with a less featured site in the pursuit of good value.

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