By Simon Head

Having established their sports betting business as a high-street bookmaker from the late 1960s, Betfred has become an online sports betting powerhouse, with a strong reputation as the market leader for sports betting promotions and bonuses within the UK.

Key information

What is Betfred all about?

Bonuses

Betfred has built its reputation as one of the most innovative bookies on the market when it comes to bonuses and promotions; and as you’d expect from a company that calls itself, ‘The Bonus King’, they have plenty on offer. However, you must make sure that you have opted in to this offer before depositing.

The welcome offer for new customers is an excellent one. Bet £10 or more at odds of 1/1 or higher with your first bet, within seven days of registering and get £50 in free bets. They come in the form of five £10 free bets – three free £10 sports bets and two free £10 acca bets, which you will receive within 10 hours of your first bet being settled. Any unused bets will expire within seven days.

Available sports

Betfred’s range of sports betting covers most of the major sports you would expect to see on a major betting platform, but they don’t offer the same range as some of their competitors. Some of the niche sports offered by other sites such as esports and table tennis were all absent from the sports list when we reviewed Betfred’s website and app. However, their in-play options are excellent, with their horse racing and football betting options among the best in class; as well as providing horse racing results.

Betfred online betting offers extra places paying on more each-way positions; early prices to lock in odds before races; Tote betting with pooled stakes; and Cash Out to settle bets early for profit or loss control.

Betfred has also an insights blog called Betfred Insights, offering daily tips, previews, expert advice, exclusive interviews, and updates on promotions across major sports. It’s a helpful, regularly updated resource for sports bettors.

User experience and interface

The Betfred website runs the popular layout that sees the sports listed down the left hand side of the page and in-sport market menus placed in a central navigation bar. It means that if you have bet with other bookies before, you will find your way around Betfred’s site with ease.

But the thing that leaps off the page, whether you’ve viewing the website on desktop, mobile, or using the app, are their promotions. The constant slideshow of promotions and offers highlight what’s available that day and with Betfred’s innovative marketing team always coming up with fresh new promotions, it’s always worth keeping an eye out for promos that might suit you.

Mobile and app compatibility

The Betfred app looks and works excellently and offers a superior betting platform to the website, right in the palm of your hand. Login, registration, and navigating the app is what you'd expect from a modern phone application. From my experience of using the website on desktop and mobile, using the app is a much slicker experience and one that makes placing your bets a breeze.  

App Store: 4.5/5 stars (34.6k+ reviews)

Google Play: 4.2/5 stars (9k+ reviews)

VIP programmes and loyalty rewards

With a constant stream of betting promotions, there isn’t a dedicated sports betting rewards programme at Betfred….yet. However, simply being a registered customer at Betfred gives you access to a boatload of offers. One of those offers is a special rewards programme partnered with Rewards4Racing, where you can earn one Rewards4Racing point for every £1 staked on sports bets with Betfred. Those points can be used to purchase race day tickets at more than 1,000 race meetings across the UK and Ireland, including The Cheltenham Festival, The Grand National, The Derby and more!

Diving deeper into Betfred online betting

Licensing

Betfred is licensed by both the UK Gambling Commission and the Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner.

Payment methods

Betfred accepts debit cards and a range of e-wallets for deposits and withdrawals but does not accept Apple Pay. The minimum deposit for any deposit method is £5.

Security and fairness

Betfred is registered with IBAS (International Betting Adjudication Service) via its parent company, Petfre (Gibraltar) Limited, so any disputes left unresolved can be assisted by an outside influence. Betfred also performs annual independent security audits to fulfil requests from the UK Gambling Commission. Furthermore, they are also partnered with NCC Group, meaning they are regulated on payment card integrity as well as being partnered with the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA).

Responsible gambling measures

Betfred promotes its four ‘Pillars of Positive Play’, which form the acronym S.A.F.E. (spend, activity, frequency, emotion) and their safer gambling section provides information and tools to help customers, with a S.A.F.E checklist, help and support resources, as well as providing a host of responsible gambling tools, including deposit limits, time outs, reality checks and self-exclusion

Additionally, you will see that Betfred is partnered with multiple responsible gambling companies such as; TakeTimeToThink, GambleAware, National Gambling Helpline and GamStop.

FIRST rating

4.8/5 stars

Payment methods available at Betfred

FAQs

Is Betfred legit?

Yes! As a long-established and much-loved high-street betting brand, Betfred has continued to build on that reputation as one of the UK’s leading online sports betting providers.

Betfred’s main sister sites include Betfred Casino and Betfred Bingo, both operated under the same parent company, Petfre (Gibraltar) Limited. The company also registered ownership of oddsking.com through UKGC.

Betfred sponsors England’s national rugby league teams, the Rugby League’s Super League and Challenge Cup, Manchester United (as betting partner), major darts events like the World Matchplay, and all five British Classic horse races plus Royal Ascot.

How can I contact customer support at Betfred?

Accessing Betfred’s help and customer support is easy. A help link is ever-present in the bottom left corner of the screen on the website and app, which pops up a simple box where you can access help information, or select ‘contact us’ to access a range of contact options. 

How do I reset my password at Betfred?

Click the person icon in the top right of the Betfred app or website, then head to ‘account settings’. Once there, go to ‘change my password’ which will be the second option on the menu. Follow the prompts to reset your password.