The following is an in-depth Bet365 review. This Bet365 review covers the history, their features, interface, sports as well as racing markets, upsides and downsides of the service.
This Bet365 review is one of CasinoGameSites.com comprehensive Bookmaker Reviews section. The Betting Agencies page provides information and reviews for other sports betting agencies that are suitable for UK, Australians, USA. The following details are updated periodically to keep them up to date.
History, Location and Licence
bet365 is based in the UK and obtained an Australian licence in 2012. For UK and Australian users, bet365’s sportsbook products are now licensed and regulated by the Northern Territory Racing Commission as opposed to the UK Gambling Commission. bet365 offers online sports and race betting, casino, games, poker and bingo. However, due to bet365’s Australian licence, the casino, games, poker, bingo and online in-play services are not available to Australians. For customers outside the country these operations are licensed and regulated by the government of Gibraltar. bet365 is one of the world’s leading online gambling services with over 7 million customers in 200 countries. The company employs over 1,900 people and is the UK’s 7th largest private company.1, 2
Due to bet365’s Australian licence, it cannot offer in-play (aka live, or in the run) betting online. Australian customers must phone in to bet live. Those who are interested in online in-play wagering should check out our survey of online in-play betting providers.
bet365’s move into Australia does come with its advantages. POLi is supported as a deposit method and the minimum withdrawal to bank accounts has dropped from $200 to $20. Furthermore, bank transfers are made from an Australian bank account, meaning you avoid international transfer fees and the transfers take 2-4 days to clear instead of 7-10 days.
Services and Features
| New member offers | Open an account, deposit $20 or more and you will qualify for a 100% matched amount as a bonus to bet with up to a maximum of $200. The bonus credit will become available once you have turned over your initial deposit once. This offer is not available to residents of Vic, NSW, SA and WA. |
|---|---|
| Deposit options | For AUD accounts: Credit card (Visa & MasterCard), cheque, wire transfer, Neteller, Fast Bank Transfer, Skrill (Moneybookers), Entropay, Click2Pay, Ukash, POLi, BPAY |
| Withdrawal options | For AUD accounts: Credit card (Visa & MasterCard), cheque, wire transfer, Neteller, Fast Bank Transfer, Skrill (Moneybookers), Entropay, Click2Pay, Ukash |
| Transaction fees | For all Non-UK withdrawal transfers, bet365 will pay for one free bank wire withdrawal every 28 days. For any additional withdrawals, bet365 will deduct £12 (or currency equivalent) for a standard bank wire and £15 (or currency equivalent) for an urgent bank wire. |
| Currencies | AUD, ARS, BGN, BRL, CAD, RMB, CZK, DKK, EUR, HKD, HUF, ISK, JPY, MYR, MXN, NZD, NOK, PLN, RON, SEK, SGD, ZAR, CHF, TWD, THB, GBP, USD |
| Languages | English, Español, Deutsch, Italiano, Dansk, Svenska, Norsk, 繁體中文, 简体中文, Български, Ελληνικά, Polski, Português, Română, Česky, Magyar, Slovenčina |
| Odds formats | Decimal, American, fractional |
| Minimum deposit | Depends on the deposit method. The minimum ranges between $1 and $100, and is $10 for credit card deposits. |
| Minimum bet | $0.25 |
| Maximum payout | With a few exceptions, the maximum winnings in any 24 hour period range between £25,000 and £1,000,000, depending on the sport and league. Where a multiple bet has been placed which involves events with different maximum payout limits then the lowest limit will apply. |
| Deposit turnover requirements | None. However, if the value of a deposit is not played through in full before a withdrawal is requested, bet365 reserves the right to make a charge to the customer’s account to cover all reasonable costs relating to both the deposit and withdrawal. |
| Bonus credit turnover requirements | 1x for qualifying deposit, 3x for bonus funds. Wagers must have odds of 1.50 or more to count towards the turnover requirement. |
| Bookmaker margin | 4.8% (see below for more details) |
| Credit facilities | None that we’re aware of. |
| Forbidden Jurisdictions | Afghanistan, Guinea-Bissau, Somalia, American Samoa, Haiti, South Africa, Angola, Hong Kong, Sudan, Belgium, Iran, Syria, Burundi, Iraq, Tajikistan, Cambodia, Israel, Turkey, Chad, Libya, Turkmenistan, Chinese Taipei, Martinique, United States of America, Congo Republic, Monaco, US Virgin Islands, Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, Uzbekistan, Eritrea, Netherlands, Venezuela, France, North Korea, Yemen, French Guyana, Philippines, Zimbabwe, Guadeloupe, Puerto Rico, Guam, Singapore |
| Mobile betting | A mobile version of the website is available. Once you log in you will be able to place bets, view your balance and deposit funds. You can also view live sport feeds. bet365 currently offers an Initial Match Bonus on your first bet placed using their mobile service. Simply place a qualifying bet of $2 or more and you will be entitled to a 100% bonus, up to a maximum of $100. Important: Once you have placed your qualifying bet, you will need to obtain your Offer Code from the main site, by selecting Members, then Offers and viewing Offers Available. You will then receive an email with your Offer Code to your registered email address. |
| Identity checks | bet365 will confirm a customer’s address by posting an address verification letter to the customer. You can verify your identity by completing the online “Know your Customer” section of the account area. |
| Dormant account fees | None |
Betting Interface and Website Layout
The bet365 interface is arguably the best we’ve ever seen. After previously being Flash driven, the desktop website switched to HTML5 in late 2016, which has enabled it to provide the same rich features at faster speeds.
The left column features the ubiquitous sports navigation panel. However, unlike most bookmakers, the navigation frame doesn’t load subcategories. Instead, when you select a sport the available leagues are displayed in the centre column. You then select the leagues you wish to view. This feature is great when you wish to view numerous leagues at once, but it does take longer than a typical drop down menu if you’re only looking up one market. At present, you cannot display odds for different sports at the same time.
When viewing the odds you can click on the >> icon to view additional betting markets for the selected fixture. The additional odds are dynamically displayed on the same page to save you from unnecessary page reloads.
When viewing odds you can also click on a stats icon to view the form guide for the participants. This launches a statistics window that provides a plethora of form and fixture history data for the two sides.
If you’re viewing the guide for two football teams, you also have access to the league table and results matrix for the entire league, not to mention a full fixtures list, form table, players guide, team statistics and much more. The statistics navigation menu enables you to view form guides across a other sports while you’re there.
The betting slip operates much like an online shopping cart. It is displayed to the right of the odds display and is maintained as you navigate around the website. Your net profit is calculated and displayed automatically as you input your stake amount. This is in contrast most Australian bookmakers, who display total profit rather than net profit for each selection.
The slip features a ‘Multiple Bet Options’ panel, which when selected displays numerous combinations of multibets using items in your bet slip. Multi betting fans will appreciate the functionality, with Trixie, Yankee, Super Yankee, Heinz, etc., available.
Bookmaker Margin
In our most recent bookmaker margin survey, bet365 had an average bookmaker margin of 4.8%, which is slightly below the survey median of 4.9%. From a punter’s perspective, the lower the margin, the better.
Sports Markets
bet365 offers a fantastic range of sporting markets. Given that it’s based in the UK, it is of no surprise that football (soccer) is heavily covered, with virtually every league catered for. The popular Australian sports are all present. As a result of bet365’s move into Australia, the betting selection on Australian sports has caught up with the leading Australian bookmakers. The breadth of international sports covered eclipses virtually every Australian service.
Horse Racing
Those who enjoy wagering on both local and international racing events will appreciate bet365’s comprehensive racing coverage. Horse racing, greyhounds and harness racing are available in three categories: UK & Ireland, International, and Australia. As a result of bet365’s expansion into Australia, the offerings on Australian racing markets have improved out of sight. Races from venues across the country are offered each day and Antepost markets are available for the major Australian events.
bet365 offers the following racing products:
365 Best (for Metropolitan and selected non-Metro Horse Racing):
For Tote Win you get the best dividend out of Starting Price and the three national Totes. For Tote Place you get the highest dividend of three national Totes. For Single Race and Multi-Leg Exotics you get the Middle Tote plus 5% of your winnings. Please note that the 365 Best product does not include Fixed Odds.
365 Tote (for non-Metro Horse Racing except where 365 Best is offered):
For Tote Win you get the best dividend out of Starting Price and the three national Totes. For Tote Place you get the highest dividend from SuperTAB or NSW TAB. For Single Race and Multi-Leg Exotics you get the Middle Tote plus 5% of your winnings. Please note that the 365 Tote product does not include Fixed Odds and is for Horse Racing only.
365 Mid+ (for all Australian and NZ Greyhound and Harness Racing plus Asian and NZ Horse Racing):
For Tote Win, Tote Place, Single Leg and Multi-Leg Exotics you will be paid the Middle Tote plus 5% of your winnings.
365 Fixed Price (for all Australian Horse Racing):
If you select Fixed Win and the official bookmakers’ Starting Price is greater, you will be paid out at the higher odds. For all Australian Greyhound and Harness Racing, plus Asian and New Zealand Horse Racing, if you select Fixed Win, Fixed Place, Forecast or Tricast, you will receive the price taken at the time of bet placement.
Note that for Asian and New Zealand Horse Racing and for both Greyhound and Harness Racing in Australia, New Zealand and Asia, bet365 reserve the right to limit the dividend to 1.5 times the declared dividend by the home Tote (TAB in the State in which the race is run).
Multi Betting on the Same Fixture
With most bookmakers you can’t create a multi bet using selections from the same fixture. In general, multi bets are not accepted if the outcome of one of your chosen events affects the outcome of another. These connected outcomes are called related contingencies. Many punters would like the ability to create multi bets using events in the same fixture, and bet365 offers a workaround by offering single bets that incorporate more than one event within a fixture. Below is a screenshot of the Scorecast options for a fixture between Manchester United and Benfica.
By using the drop down menus you can select a player and game result of your choosing. The odds on the right are updated automatically when you make your selections.
These single bets are essentially two-leg multi bets. For example the Anytime Scorecast above is for Rooney to score a goal and for Manchester United to win 2-0, at 14.00 odds.
Live Sports Betting
bet365 no longer offers live online betting to Australian customers. Australians must phone in to bet live. This due to bet365’s sportsbook licence in the Northern Territory. According to the Interactive Gambling Act, bookmakers aren’t supposed to offer live online betting to Australians. Note that adherence to the Act is the responsibility of gambling operators and not individual Australians. It is not an offence for Australian residents to bet live “in-play” online.3 Those who are interested in online in-play wagering should check out our survey of online in-play betting providers.
bet365 offers the best in-play betting service of any Australian licensed bookmaker. A huge selection of sports are offered in-play, with many of those sports accompanied by live video feeds, often with commentary. There’s nothing to stop punters from logging in simply to view these feeds when the sport isn’t broadcast on local TV. To be granted access to the feeds you only need a non-zero account balance or an outstanding wager. This makes bet365 an affordable way to watch sport online. Examples of sports and leagues covered are Scottish Premier League football, English Championship football, South American football, WTA and ATP tennis events, squash, volleyball, table tennis and badminton.
UPDATE: bet365 now offers a betCall feature, which enables you to place in-play wagers using the microphone on your PC or device. Live bets are processed through an automated call.
Summary and Conclusion
Upsides
- Top-of-the-line interface
- Incredible betting selection, especially on football
- Quick to add markets for upcoming fixtures
- More competitive bookmaker margins than other Australian-licensed bookmakers
- Low minimum deposit
- $0.25 minimum bet
- Low minimum withdrawals by bank account now that bet365 has expanded into Australia
- Good selection of deposit and withdrawal methods
- Access to a substantial depository of statistics
- Video and audio feeds during many live events
- Excellent customer service
- For all Australian Horse Racing if you select Fixed Win and the official bookmakers’ Starting Price is greater, you will be paid out at the higher odds
Downsides
- Live online betting is no longer available to Australian punters (although betCall is now available)
- Have been known to suspend or limit the accounts of successful punters
Bottom Line
bet365’s expansion into Australia will be a major headache for local bookmakers. bet365 has always been our pick of the international services. It offers an extensive range of features and a top-of-the-line interface. Usage of the service from Australia is more convenient than ever. Australian dollar accounts have been accepted for years, but a wider range of deposit options are offered now that bet365 is licensed in Australia. The betting selections for the NRL and AFL have also improved, as has the selection for Australian racing. The provision of frequent live video feeds and in-depth team statistics is fantastic, and with a minimum bet of $0.25, bet365 will appeal to small-time punters. bet365’s live betting service is the best we’ve seen. It’s just a shame Australian customers can only bet live over the phone. Overall, bet365 is a fantastic service. If the Australian Government lifts the ban on live online betting, bet365 will become the benchmark for in-play wagering in Australia.