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New customers only. Register with BETFRED50. Deposit £10+ via Debit Card and place first bet £10+ at Evens (2.0)+ on Sports within 7 days to get 3 x £10 in Sports Free Bets & 2 x £10 in Acca Free Bets within 10 hours of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility & payment exclusions apply. T&Cs apply. | T&C apply

Detailed review

Betfred is one of the most well-known betting sites in the United Kingdom. You can gamble on most sports either in person, in their high street shops, online, through their website, or on your phone with their app. But they are only one of many out there. Why should you choose Betfred above the others?

Betfred is a betting site with history. It had its origin back in 1967 in Salford, in the north of England. Founded by two brothers, Peter and Fred Done, it has grown massively over the past years. It began its life as Done Bookmakers. Appropriately for a bookie, the brothers got their initial capital to open their shop from a winning a bet that England would win the 1966 World Cup.

While the company has grown and changed since its founding over half a century ago, at its core it still is the same business. It just lets you gamble on sports, just now in a lot more ways than either of the brothers, or anyone else for that matter, could have envisioned in that summer Bobby Moore held the Jules Rimet trophy aloft in Wembley.

To have been successful over such a long time in as cutthroat an industry as gambling, Peter and Fred must know a thing or two about getting the punters to place their bets with them.

Horse racing

Betfred has a broad choice of sports you can bet on. But it stands out when it comes to horse racing. It sponsors many races across the UK throughout the season and from 2012 to 2015 it backed the Cheltenham Gold Cup, one of the most prestigious jump races on the calendar. It’s no surprise then that Betfred offers up to 63 markets at the height of the racing season. For the casual punter, it offers the big ones of course, the ones where every office and factory in Britain has a sweepstakes or pool. But for the more dedicated gambler, it also offers a wide array of less well-known or foreign races.

There will be many different offers in place to attract customers over the season as well. Free bets, money backs, no runner no bets, the list goes on. They are frequently updated but some of their biggest promotions may disappear during the big racing weekends, so act before then if you’ve got a certain race in mind.

Football

With its roots in the north of England it is no wonder that aside from horse racing Betfred’s other big market is football. If a betting firm puts a lot of money into sponsoring a particular sport, then you know they will back that up with great offers for fans of that sport. Betfred supports the Scottish League Cup, named the Betfred Cup now, as well as Bolton Wanderers, trying to get back into the Premier League. Sponsoring RCD Mallorca, a club playing in Spain’s La Liga with the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona, marked Betfred’s first overseas backing of a team.

It offers all the major leagues and cups as markets. It also offers a whole host of things to bet one. These go from the simple, who will win, what the score will be and so on, to the more out there. They offer some unique betting options on major matches as well, so keep your eye out for those.

Other sports

While football and horse racing are the big sports for Betfred, it offers a lot more. Greyhound racing and rugby league are up there as other big sports they offer, with tennis, boxing, cricket, rugby union and darts as other big markets. American sports, like their version of football, baseball, basketball and ice hockey, are also open. Then there are some smaller ones like volleyball, skiing, handball and motorsport that are all on their website. While they have been criticised in the past for not moving fast enough into newer betting areas, such as e-sports or gaming, that has been rectified in the recent past.

Odds

Betfred started the Best Odds Guarantee, but that doesn’t mean it prices odds as competitively as other outlets. That is especially true for it two bread and butter sports of horse racing and football. The odds on less popular sports though are very competitive.

App and website

Walking down your local high street to the local bookie is increasingly becoming a thing of the past. People do everything on their phones now, from ordering food to looking for a job. It is no different in the world of gambling. So, what is Betfred’s app like?

Well, it does its job. You’re not going to go raving about it to all your friends, but it makes betting simple and easy. Its straightforward so if you know your way around a betting slip, you’ll feel right at home here. It’s not the prettiest thing in the world, but then again which big betting site focuses on the good looks of their app?

It is available for both iOS and Android, so it doesn’t matter if you are on an iPhone or a Samsung, it’ll work for you. It lets you place bets, collect winnings, deposit money, cash out and do all the other basics easily.

Its desktop site is also nothing special. It has odds for big matches and meets prominently displayed, keeps you updated on results as they come in and lets you place your bet quickly and without too much fuss. Where it shines, however, is with its live streaming. It features live football, cricket, tennis, snooker and even some basketball or other sports. You can watch without even betting on many sports.

But again its horse racing where it really rises above the rest. If you have backed a horse, you want to watch it come in (you know you’ve picked a winner). Betfred lets you do that. Races are in high quality, both visually and audio wise. There are up to fifty streams available per day. There is nothing like the thrill of watching your horse win. Betfred knows that, it knows that will keep you betting with them, so it gives it to you.

In-play

Along with following a football match on the Betfred site, you can also bet on the game after it has started. Again these offerings are simple but strong. You will have stats presented to you so you can make an informed pick for these bets. There are also cash out options available. These will be updated live as the game goes on, so if you’ve got the sinking feeling things will not go your way by the end of ninety minutes, you can cash in.

Limits

Betfred operates a bet limit of 10p. While some betting sites will let you stake as little as a penny, I do not see why someone would bet less than 10p or even a pound. Its generous and lets you experience the excitement of following a race or game with some money on the line, even if winning won’t let you quit your job the next day.

Max winnings on a single bet are capped at one million pounds for top flight football and major races. For other sports you will not be able to win as big. Boxing, cricket and tennis are ranked as lower tier sports, so the max Betfred will let you win on them is £100,000. Still good money, but not as good as some of the others.

There are also rumours, like with every other firm, of Betfred shutting down consistent winners who only bet on one sport. Unless you are profiting all the time though, this is unlikely to happen.

Signing up

Once you open an account and deposit ten pounds you will get £30 in free bets. No promo codes or anything is needed, but you may not able to claim it if you sign up with a prepaid credit card. You must prove you are over 18 and a UK resident as well.

Summary

Betfred is one of the big boys when it comes to gambling. It has a wide offering and its technology is simple but does what it says it will do. Its odds on the big sports, the ones that draw the punters in every year, aren’t that great, but if you’re playing throughout the calendar, and not just betting on the major events, then its offers are competitive. It is popular, but for all the right reasons. A lot of markets, great promotions and offers, a site and app that is simple but simply works means it will do you well. If your looking for a bookie that will offer you all that, as well as a pretty great signing up bonus, then look no further than Berfred.