Betfair

Overview Betfair is one of the world’s largest online betting sites. It is headquartered in the UK but works under a Gibraltar license. It has over 4 million customers and excels in the area of exchange betting. Instead of betting your money on a result against the bookkeeper, instead, you bet against other bettors. They do offer traditional sports book betting, but it seems that the majority of their business comes from the use of their exchange betting. Exchange betting offers choices to ‘back’ a team as you would in regular terms, or ‘lay’ if you think a selection won’t win. If you’re a little unfamiliar the intricacies of exchange betting, there are guides available on Betfair’s website which are perfect for novice bettors. While it is not surprising that a company specialising in exchange betting would offer a guide, it is still nice that they have it out there for their users. Betting Bonuses Betfair offers an incredibly enticing sign up feature for their sports betting. There are very few requirements, one of which is that the minimum odds must be 1/5. Meet that requirement, and you will be given £30 worth of free bets when you bet your first £10 upon sign-up and when you use the code ZSK200. These bets come in three batches of £10, though you can only use them on singles. It also features an affiliates program. Should you manage to entice friends into signing up for the same offer, you can earn an additional £/€25 free bet with the ‘Refer and Earn’ reward scheme. Betfair also seems to have a lot of random sign up offers come up on a pretty regular basis. They are worth following on Twitter to hear about promotions and specials deals. They do not seem to have a loyalty program, but the generous sign-up bonus along with the affiliate program may be enough for certain users. Advantages Betfair excels in the sports betting department. They offer the often untapped market of exchange betting as well as traditional sports book betting which is perfect for folks who want to focus on that market. The website is sleek, although not the best site available. The colour scheme is a bit disconcerting as yellow and black seem to be the colours of choice, but the website also has blue sections. The layout allows easy navigation. There are a casino, slot machines and an arcade for you to sink your teeth into, but the variety isn’t there as Betfair focuses on sports betting. If variety is your aim, Betfair may not be the site for you. In the contact department, Betfair seems to fair alright. They offer a pretty extensive contact us page with several different options to answer your queries, seven days a week telephone support from 7:30 am to 12:30 am as well as live chat and email. They even, oddly enough, offer their address if you want to write to them which is almost unheard of with online websites.

10Bet

Overview 10Bet has recently become a premier sports betting option worldwide. They aren’t as well-known as many other bookies, but they were established in 2003 and, therefore, have over a decade of experience. They are a privately owned company that is registered in Curacao. They hold a gaming license from Curacao as well as a license from the UK Gambling Commission. They feature many different types of sports betting but also have an online casino and virtual gaming which can all be accessed from the same account. They accept customers from many different countries even those that are considered grey markets. However, they do not take residents from the United States, Turkey, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, France, Hungary and Gibraltar. The site is available in over ten different languages which are nice but is less languages than a lot of other internationally focused sites. Betting Bonuses The deposit bonus is larger than most other sites. Most bookies won’t offer customers much more than £50 for new players. At 10Bet, depending on where you’re located, you’re guaranteed a minimum of £100 and up to £200 as a first deposit bonus. They also provide frequent reloads. However, players in Poland and Ukraine are not eligible for this promotion. Many additional conditions are depending on where you live so be sure to read the fine print. Other than the deposit bonus, no player loyalty program appears to be available. This is an interesting choice, and it could easily turn off perspective customers. They also offer an affiliate program where you can market and recruit players to the 10bet site and for each player that signs up you receive a bonus. The more friends you refer, the higher reward you get. Advantages 10Bet odds are far from the best in the market, but they are certainly above average compared to some other sites. One thing that could be an attribute is that they post their odds very early. They are faster than other online betting sites which could allow a player to get bets in before the market moves. This is ideal for small stakes or novice betting, but larger bettors will feel limited by the low maximum payout limit. This limit is one of the cheapest online. This has led to a series of complaints from users. They are often accused of limiting bettors too quickly before they even have a chance to explain bonus deposits leading to a multitude of complaints. Another source of complaint seems to stem from their customer service although this may just be an extension of the issues with limitations. Their betting platform appears to be excellent. The software is clean and sleek in appearance, and the layout is good for those interested in the top markets of the day. After that, it’s a very long list of the sports they offer which can be almost overwhelming. If you are someone who loves to play multiple markets, 10Bet might be for you. Their pre-markets can outmatch just about anyone online, and their live betting is also exceptional.

Bet-At-Home

Overview Bet-at-home is a newer venue for betting compared to some of the more well-known sites such as William Hill. The company founded in 2000, has gone through several relaunches in an attempt to bring out the best gaming platform they could. The most recent launch in 2013 brought many improvements including an extensive array of sports to bet on, a casino room, poker, and live betting. It is based in Germany and holds several gaming licenses including the Italian Gaming Authority AAMS, the British Gambling Commission, and the Maltese Gaming Authority. They offer sports, casino and live betting with both mobile and desktop versions of the platform.  Strangely enough, they do not provide horse race betting on their site which makes them an oddity among their peers. Their website is known for having an honest approach to betting which is firstly reflected in the straightforward name of their website. Even though they seem to have a no-frills name compared to other sites, they don’t lack in the bells and whistles on the site.  They have all the polish of a gambling company that has been around for far longer than Bet-at-home. Betting Bonuses The initial sign-up bonus from Bet-at-home is a £20 free matched bet.  So anything you deposit is matched in free bets up to the value of £20.  If you deposit a sum greater than £20, you will receive a £20 free bet. You can claim the free bet if you have not made a deposit to your Bet-at-home account and you must claim the free bet within ten days of making your first deposit. However, you must be UK based. Within 90 days you must roll over the deposit and the free bet five times by placing bets of odds 1.7 and greater.  If you paid in more than £40, you must rollover £300 in the same period. Also, to claim the bonus, you must not have made a withdrawal, and they are only applicable to sports and live betting. Advantages There are a few advantages to using Bet-at-home. The site itself is offered in thirteen different languages which are ideal for folks who want to be able to bet in their mother tongue. It does have far fewer choices for depositing money and getting payouts, but this is made up for by the fact that they pay out on bets immediately. This eliminates headaches when trying to use your various winnings to bet on other events or games. It also features around the clock live betting so no matter what your schedule or where you are in the world, you can get in on the action of your favourite event. They also offer top odds which are perfect for those looking for the best payouts. Additionally, they have over 4.5 million users which mean there is never a shortage of other players to talk to or bet. In short, bet-at-home is a great option for those that do a lot of betting and can cash in on the bonuses offered.