New Customer Offer
Betfair currently have an excellent welcome offer where they will double any winnings you receive on your first bet (up to £20). Make a deposit into your account and place your first bet - if this wins, betfair will match your winnings with a credit to your account within 48 hours.
Wagering Requirement
None
Background
Betfair is the trading name of Betfair Limited, which was founded in August 1999. Unlike fixed odds bookmakers such as William Hill, Ladbrokes and bet365, betfair is a betting exchange, allowing customers to choose whether to back a selection or instead effectively act as the bookmaker themself and lay a selection instead. The first ever sporting market traded on betfair was the 2000 Oaks and, in the space of ten years, betfair has become the world's biggest betting exchange and effectively revolutionised the betting industry in the process.
Betfair have their headquarters in London and appear to be on the verge of floating on the stock market, something that’s been in the offing for some time. They have won numerous awards and, although their arrival hasn’t signalled the demise of fixed-odds bookmakers (quite the opposite), they have ensured that other firms are competitive with their prices to make sure that betfair don’t increase their market share too much.
Odds and Markets
Although betfair claim that their odds are, on average, 20% better than fixed-odds bookmakers, this largely depends on the liquidity available on a certain market. While you can regularly get much bigger prices on some of the outsiders in the tournament winner market, there will be some more obscure markets that won't have the same liquidity and so the odds may not be as competitive.
Similarly, while they should be applauded for the sheer volume of markets they set up and settle, it always comes down to how many customers decide to bet on that particular market. However, it should be noted that you can always request the odds you want on a certain selection although there's no guarantee that your bet will be matched.
Website
As you would expect, the betfair website is an entirely different beast compared to the fixed-odds bookmakers. Betfair are essentially hosting a marketplace where thousands of users meet online to match bets with each other, much in the same way that ebay does with your unwanted playstation. It's an incredibly slick, quick and user-friendly interface which allows customers to access their markets quickly, with each golf betting market refreshing in real-time according to the liquidity available.
In-Play betting at betfair is an unrivalled experience, with no bookmaker able to offer customers the chance to close out for a profit during a tournament. However, betfair's unique back and lay system allows punters to cash out winnings during an event without having to wait for the final outcome.
Customer Service
The Betfair customer service is excellent. Naturally, betfair have to deal with a far wider range of queries than you'd get with a normal bookie and the operators are polite and knowledgeable. Their Helpdesk is manned 24/7 by English speaking brokers and you can contact them by email and telephone. They aim to respond to all email queries within four hours and are generally true to their word.
Customer Service Email
support@ betfair.com
Customer Service Telephone Number
0844 871 0000
Sign Up Offer
Betfair currently have an excellent welcome offer where they will double any winnings you receive on your first bet (up to £20). Make a deposit into your account and place your first bet - if this wins, betfair will match your winnings with a credit to your account within 48 hours.
Promotions
Betfair tend not to do many promotions or money back specials on their golf betting markets with the firm committed to their ideology of better prices and no limits on bets.
Live Streaming Details
Betfair offer arguably the best in-play product in the industry. Not only are odds updated in real time but they are far more accurate than bookmakers. The exchange also allows customers to lay a player in-play and cash out for a profit. If you don't think your selection can hold a lead then you can bet that he won't at betfair, without having to back an actual winner.
