Betfair eSports Betting Review

Betfair is a reputable British bookmaker and sports betting provider. They were launched for the first time in 2000, and since 2005, they are present in Australia. 

The site’s function is divided into two primary roles. The first one is a traditional bookmaker role. And the second is a betting exchange. 

• Wondering what the betting exchange is?

The betting exchange is a peer-to-peer wagering method. Here, bettors are taking the role of a bookmaker. In other words, punters are gambling among each other, utilising the best odds. 

To learn more about betting exchange, scroll down on this page. 

Betting options available at Betfair include:

• Sports and eSports betting 
• In-Play betting
• Horse racing
• Greyhound racing
• Casino and live casino games 
• Poker
• Bingo
• Roulette
• Blackjack
• Table Games
• Slots
• Virtual sports

Generally speaking, the availability of betting markets, matches and events is superb. Yet in the eSports field, the situation is slightly below average. Undoubtedly, Betfair can’t compare with eSports-focused betting operators. However, it comes with a set of features that a specific portion of punters may love. 

Also, because of the betting exchange platform, you can enjoy higher odds, resulting in greater profit. Additionally, the fee, or commission that Betfair takes from betting exchange is minor. 

How to Sign-up on Betfair 

Once you open the site, in the top right corner, you’ll find the “Sign up” button.

To open the account, you’ll need to input following personal information:

• First and last name
• Date of birth
• Country and address 
• Mobile number

Additionally, you’ll be asked money related queries such as: 

• Currency
• Frequency limit
• Limit amount

At this moment, you are not going through the banking method verification. However, if you wish to place a bet immediately, you’ll need to do that as well.

Betfair offers several payment and withdrawal options for their punters. To find out which one is the best for you, check the available options as we described it down on this page. 

Betfair eSports Welcome Bonus and Other Bonuses

€30 Free Bet Welcome Bonus 

This is not a typical welcome bonus because you won’t receive any match offer. However, using the code ZBGC01, you can trigger a valuable free bet bonus. The first condition to get the deal, besides using the discount code, is to deposit a minimum of €10 via debit card or Apple Pay. Then, you should make sure the average odds on your bet slip are 1.5 or higher. The sportsbook will grant you €30 free bet if you fulfill all the conditions.

New members might get 100% matched deposit bonus for up to €100 as a part of Betfair’s new customer offer.

Also, the deal you can get from Betfair is a reduction of commission. This isn’t really a bonus offer, and the amount is measured in a tenth of a percent. Yet, experienced bettors are aware that sports betting should be a low and slow process. 

If earning profit is your goal in betting, you’ll need to walk a marathon, rather than to run the sprint. Accordingly, you’ll manage to stack up the minor benefits and boosts and turn them into a significant added value on the long term.

Available eSports Games and Events at Betfair

The selection of eSport titles at Betfair is pretty focused – not to say limited. The available games are:

• Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
• League of Legends
• Dota 2
• Starcraft 2 
• Overwatch

Despite the narrow selection, casual eSports punters might find this just alright. Covered events include the biggest championships for each game from the list. 

For instance, the events we’ve found at the moment of writing this review are: 

• CS:GO – BLAST Pro
• CS:GO ESEA
• EPIC League 2020
• CS:GO – ESL Mistrzostwa Polski
• FIFA e-Sports – Liga Pro
• FIFA eSports Battle Cup

Also, there aren’t as many popular eSports events ongoing currently. Therefore, during the peak season, perhaps you’ll find a moderate selection.

How to bet on eSports on Betfair?

Once you place a wager, the match will appear on your betting slip on the top right side of the page. 

Betfair eSports Betting Markets 

By reading numerous reviews for Betfair, we’ve noticed that the markets are way too limited. However, once we investigated the site in detail, we found out that it’s not as bad.

For example, if we look at CS:GO Intel Extreme master match, we see around ten different markets. 

These include: 

• Match winner
• Correct score in best of three
• Map handicap
• Total maps played in under/over format
• Map specific winner 
• Three-way winner for the first maps
• Team to score the first kill

Additionally, upcoming Dota 2 matches from the EPIC League feature only: 

• Map specific winner
• Map handicap
• Correct score
• Team with the most kills on a specific map

Furthermore, punters are not limited to eSports only. In other words, you can choose between popular sports, casino games, slots, card games including blackjack and poker, and more. 

What Is a Betting Exchange?

In the introductory part, we mentioned a betting exchange. By far, you understood the main point, but why is it so interesting?

A betting exchange is an opportunity for punters to separate from traditional bookmaker – bettor relation. In this way, you’ll be able to minimise the fees and maximise the potential profit. Moreover, at least you’ll know that the money you lost is going to the punter who made a successful bet. 

Besides more profit, betting exchanges offer more transparency. For this reason, bettors are more confident in placing a prediction. 

In addition to regular betting on a winner, in exchange betting, you can opt for the lay bet. This means that you can stake an amount for the outcome that’s not going to happen. 

For example, if you place a lay bet on Team Vitality to kill Baron, that means you’ll win if they don’t achieve so. 

Also, a great opportunity is the configuration of odds according to your liking. If you don’t like the given odd, you can modify it, and wait for the other bettor to counter the prediction with the same terms. 

Is Betfair Exchange Any Good?

Betfair is known as a pioneer in the industry when it comes to betting exchange. They were the first one to set this option available for punters around the world. 

Additionally, on this site, you will find most of the sports and matches that eSports bettors are interested in. From eSports, we primarily spoke about, to traditional sports such as football, basketball, cricket, etc. 

Also, as the odds are user-generated, the betting exchange platform doesn’t have to do anything with the amount of your profit. 

What’s important are the Betfair commissions on betting exchange, and in this case, they are set to minimum. Also, as part of the rewards and loyalty program, you’ll be able to reduce those commissions for up to 60%. 

Deposit & Withdrawal Options

Banking methods here are pretty satisfactory. Moreover, all of the options are completely safe, and you shouldn’t be concerned about scams and frauds. 

Deposit options are: 

• Credit card
• Debit card
• POLi
• Bank transfer
• BPAY
• Skrill
• Neteller

On the other hand, once you make the successful bet and decide to take the money, you’ll have slightly fewer options available. However, as more than 90% of punters are using e-wallets, this should be okay. 

Withdrawal options are:

• Bank Transfer
• Skrill
• Neteller

However, make sure to double-check banking methods once you sign up. These change from time to time, and if you’re fortunate enough, chances are that Betfair added some other banking methods. 

Minimum deposits depend on the banking method of choice. POLi has the lowest minimum, at only $5. The ones that follow are credit card, Skrill and Neteller with $10, $15 and $25 minimum amount, respectively. And the highest minimum is if you’re using BPAY or a bank transfer, and that is $30. 

Mobile Betting and Smartphone App

Although the Betfair site is responsible and mobile-friendly, the story doesn’t end there. Additionally, can download an application where you can track matches and place the winning odds. 

The Betfair app is available on both Android and iOS devices. Inside the app, you’ll find numerous useful features. These include graphs to track the odds, so you’ll see the projection on the visually appealing, clear and concise diagram. 

Additionally, you can save your favourite markets so in future you will lose less time on the operational and technical part of betting. We’ve also seen many positive comments for search functions and browsing through numerous events, betting options, specific betting markets and different sports and game titles. 

To conclude this part, although the website is fully optimised, we recommend downloading the app for the ultimate betting experience. The app comes with a set of benefits, and if you decide to bet at Betfair, it’s a pity not to utilise the advantage. 

Customer Support

Decent customer support can quickly fix your fundamental problems. These problems are often money related, and they are crucial for every good betting journey. 

On the other hand, if the customer support is poorly assembled, with slow response time and below-average skills, the entire betting can turn into a nightmare. 

Luckily, this isn’t the case with Betfair. According to what we’ve seen, their customer support is fast, efficient and quite useful.

They are available 24/7, so you’ll be fine even if you’re basing your gaming activity late at night. 

To contact Betfair customer support, look for the number at the bottom of the page. Furthermore, you can opt for a call and reach out to the telephone help desk. Other options are contacting support through chat or official email. 

According to our experience, the best is to use a live chat, as it’s the most straightforward one. In case your problem is difficult to explain, or generally more complex, feel free to make a phone call. 

Yet even before you contact support, the answer might be in the FAQ section already. Perhaps some other bettors encountered the same situation as yours, and chances are that Betfair wrote a solution somewhere in the Help section. 

Security, Privacy and License

For the world’s leading betting operator and betting exchange platform, security is for sure the number one priority. However, many of you will still ask if Betfair is safe and if they have a valid license to operate on certain territories. 

On the global level, the United Kingdom Gambling Commission and Malta licenses regulate Betfair’s operations.

Therefore, in terms of fair play, you can relax and enjoy the process. Those regulations are proof that everything’s up according to national and global standards.

However, is Betfair safe for visitors? 

As long as you’re ensuring that your device of choice is secure, you’ll be fine. However, you’re dealing with sensitive information, credit card numbers and such. That means you should be wide awake due to phishing attacks and similar frauds. 

Speaking of Betfair itself, they are backed up by 128-bit SSL VeriSign Class 3 Certificates. Therefore, it’s almost impossible for hackers to access your sensitive information.

And speaking of responsible gambling, we recommend setting the daily, weekly and monthly limits for deposits as soon as you sign up. This is both a privacy measure and the limitation for reckless behaviour.

Conclusion 

Betfair is undoubtedly the leader in the betting and eGaming field in the entire world. Luckily for Aussie punters, they extended the market on the land down under as well.

As the most significant benefit, Betfair is the only betting exchange licensed and available in Australia. Here you can find the best odds and competitive betting opportunities in general. Also, you can wager on the event not to happen, which is not possible with traditional bookmakers. 

The selection of different matches in eSports could be better, yet unless you’re an advanced eSports punter, you’ll be happy with the choice. Not only they feature the world-class events in Dota 2, CS:GO, Overwatch, and LoL, but also you can find some of the best local tournaments across the world. 

Betting markets are also alright, and besides the regular ones, you will find handicap, map specific winner, first blood, and such. The expected number of different betting markets for one event is around ten. 

To conclude, if you’re not limited to eSports only, or willing to try betting exchange, Betfair is a place to go. You won’t see as many matches as on eSports-specialized bookmaker. However, you’ll see many other benefits. As odds are usually the best over here, we don’t see a strong reason why you should test your luck at Betfair.