Betfred UK Review - Is it Legit (2024)?

About Betfred

UK-based bookmaker Betfred has lots of betting shops up and down the country - at the latest count the number of Betfred betting shops is more than 1,500 - but like most of the industry, it has turned its attention firmly to gambling via the internet in recent years.

Founded back in the middle of the 1960s by bookmaker Fred Done, Betfred is headquartered in Warrington, Cheshire, and stands as one of the largest online betting brands in the country right now. Done stepped down as the chief executive in 2021, though he remains the chairman of Betfred.

Betfred has used lots of sports sponsorship to increase brand recognition in the UK and around the world. It sponsored the snooker's Masters tournament in London, though it is not among our top five bookies for cue-ball action. Since 2022, Betfred has also been the official betting partner of Manchester United, having also worked with the club in the past.

For much of the company's history, it ran under the name of Done Bookmakers. However, there was a major change in 2004 with the launch of a digital platform and the first use of the Betfred brand.

Done - who is reported to be worth in excess of £1 billion along with his brother Peter, who he built the business with - and Betfred earned a lot of media attention when the company paid out early to its customers who bet on Manchester United to win the Premier League title in 1998. Arsenal eventually narrowly beat United to the championship, costing the company a fortune.

Incredibly, Betfred made a similar mistake when it paid out early on for United to win the Premier League title in 2011–12, with their local rivals Manchester City then pipping them by a point.

Legend has it that Done used the money he won from a large bet that he won on the outcome of the 1966 World Cup, won by England at Wembley, in order to finance his new business venture.

Betfred Welcome Offer (2024)

Betfred's is one of the most generous welcome offers in the UK, with a bet £10 get £40 deal up for grabs. So, what do you need to do to qualify for the free bets? Let's take a look.

As their first ever bet on the site, customers need to place a £10+ single bet at a minimum odds of evens (2.00). Once that bet has been settled, the £30 in free bets will be credited to the customer's account within ten hours. There are no wagering requirements on the potential winnings, but the stakes will not be returned.

Customers who opt-in for the welcome offer, using the code 'WELCOME40' at registration, will also get £10 worth of free spins to use on the following casino games: Eye of Horus, Eye of Horus Megaways, Fishin’ Frenzy, Fishin’ Frenzy Megaways. This makes it a very good welcome offer overall.

Betfred Promotions (2024)

At the time of writing, there are around 70 promotions available on Betfred across all sections - which is indeed very impressive - and as a result, we will only discuss a few of them. As with the welcome offers, those who want to take a look at all of the promotions on offer can do so on the dedicated Betfred page.

One of the promotions that have been available at Betfred for a long time is the #PickYourPunt one. In select football events every week, customers can create their own bets on the dedicated PickYourPunt page. It used to be more unique before the rise of bet builders, but customers can also tweet @Betfred with their desired bet in case the markets are currently missing on the site.

Football fans will also be happy to find out that there is an acca boost of up to 50%, starting at 2.5%, as well as a refund if one selection loses out. The latter is capped at £10, though, but it is still a nice touch from Betfred. Especially since most punters tend to place small amounts on accas, boosting the odds with many selections.

Additional promotions at Betfred include but are not limited to the following:

• Best Odds Guaranteed: Great Horse Racing and Greyhound racing odds are guaranteed. Example: Take an early price of 4/1 on your selection and your selection returns at 6/1, you get paid at 6/1 (UK, Irish and Breeders' Cup horse racing only) 
• Double Delight and Hat-trick Heaven: If your player scores first in a match, and then goes on to score a brace or hat-trick your odds can be doubled or even tripled.
• Betfred Nifty Fifty Lotto Game: Betfred's own award-winning lottery game with massive jackpot prizes.

In short, there are many promotions that Betfred customers can make use of each day, which is one of the strengths of the site. Terms and conditions apply to all promotions, so make sure to read those.

Betfred Deposit

Betfred customers have a range of payment methods to choose from, including the standard debit cards and the increasingly popular e-wallets such as PayPal and Skrill. Customers can also claim their winnings in Betfred shops, similarly to William Hill, and this could be a nice feature for some.

There is a minimum deposit amount of £5 for all methods, except for bank transfer, which has a minimum deposit of £85.

Betfred Withdrawal

As with the deposit methods, customers at Betfred have a decent amount of options when it comes to withdrawing money from the site. Most will probably use debit cards, as withdrawals must be made to the same method used to deposit funds.

However, if you like to bet with fast withdrawals, e-wallets are to be preferred. Withdrawals from Betfred shops can also be made and are free for amounts under £250, though they require 48 hours' notice for amounts over £250.

The maximum withdrawal amount varies depending on the payment method but is generally in the thousands of pounds. Furthermore, customers who would like to withdraw less than £5 will have to contact the Betfred customer support team.

Betfred Sportsbook

Betfred is regarded as one of the best online bookmakers in the UK, but sports betting is not everything that the site has to offer, with various different gambling products available here. Players signing up to Betfred can play casino games, bingo, poker and more, but how does the site compare to rivals?

Appearance and Navigation

At first glance, Betfred certainly has a unique look with vibrant colours throughout its site. There are some filters available at the top of the site, including football and horse racing, but finding all of the sports on the mobile site is rather difficult. They can be found by scrolling down a fair amount, but Betfred could have done with easier access to these.

On the home page of the sportsbook, Betfred has so-called 'Featured' events listed, which is nice for customers who like to bet on big sporting events. Information on where to stream the event in question, such as on Sky Sports or Viaplay, is also available next to the event. Betfred also offers live streaming for selected events, which we will discuss more below.

Betting Markets

Betfred has over 25 different sports to choose from, including all the most popular sports and a few niches. The list isn't as diverse as some other sites, but it's more than enough for the average punter. Some of the more popular sports on Betfred include:

• Football
• Horse racing
• American football
• Tennis
• Cricket

With attention to the sports market, it is noticeable that Betfred doesn't have the same depth in its betting markets as other top UK bookmakers. Of course, for big events such as Premier League games, customers will find all the markets they need. The PickYourPunt feature, which is essentially a bet builder, helps here as bettors can create their bets and tweet Betfred's account if markets are missing.

Esports - which is an ever-growing market in the betting industry - used to be offered by Betfred but that is no longer the case. Customers who like to bet on Esports such as CS:GO, Valorant and more will thus be disappointed. On the other hand, special markets such as UK/US Politics and TV Shows are available on the site.

Live Betting and Streaming

For live betting, you have the 'In-Play' tab on the home page. Here you can see all live matches filtered by sport and competition to great effect. It's nice and easy to navigate allowing for fast selection, which is crucial for live betting.

If you tap 'See All' on any of the competitions, you will be brought to a separate 'In Play' page. Here, you can choose between two different options: events that are currently live or upcoming events. As opposed to the home page version, the events are categorised into sports here instead of time, which makes for easy navigation but it is also less appealing.

As alluded to, Betfred does have live streaming for some events and that is always a nice feature. But as you also would expect, it is not quite as comprehensive as Bet365, which is the king of live streaming.

The betting markets on offer could also be increased, as is the case with pre-game betting, but at least Betfred has a nice layout for the live events. If streaming isn't offered for a specific event, customers will be able to look at a pitch map with play-by-play updates.

Betfred Casino

Next to Betfred Games in the top menu on the site is Betfred Casino, which is where users can find even more titles that can be played on a range of devices: desktops, tablets and mobiles. There is a slightly different welcome bonus at Betfred Casino. Players who deposit £10 get up to 200 free spins, and the good news is that winnings from the spins are paid in cash as no wagering is required.

Betfred Casino also picks out a special Game of the Week, with players able to earn comp points for every £10 that they spend on that particular title during the seven-day period. Comp points that are racked up through playing games at the Betfred Casino site can be traded in for real cash, the rate at which they are awarded depending on a user's VIP rewards tier.

Must-drop daily and weekly jackpots are some of the most intriguing games on offer at Betfred Casino. A quartet of sport-themed games are linked together with the same jackpot, which at the time of producing this complete guide to Betfred Casino stood at over the £200,000 mark.

Over a dozen roulette and blackjack variations at Betfred Casino make this section a great place to visit for any customers who like to play the classics. Live dealer games are offered at Betfred too but they are in a separate section, so we will come on to those a little bit later on.

Betfred Casino games

Slots, jackpots and table games can be found in this section of the site, with more than 600 different titles to pick from in total. Slots dominate the Betfred Casino offering, as is the case with most online casinos in the UK, and providers include Blueprint as well as NetEnt.

Jackpot slots always catch the eye too, with titles offering top prizes of millions of pounds, meaning there is a chance to land a truly life-changing sum of money from a single spin of the reels. Megaways games based on the likes of Wheel of Fortune and Deal or No Deal can be found as well, with the site even having its own branded Megaways slot game.

Roulette and blackjack are offered in the table games section. Keno, baccarat and a couple of different poker variations are included in the selection on offer here as well.

Betfred Live Casino

The Betfred Live Casino is a strong option due to the range of virtual tables that are up for grabs. Again, there is a slightly different promotion for new users, with £5 in 'Golden Chips' on offer at the Betfred Live Casino site. Customers need to stake a rather hefty £20 to qualify for this, though.

There is a live trivia room for Who Wants To Be A Millionaire players with a prize pool of £100,000 on offer, though winners will be paid out in the site's golden chips, not in cash. Each golden chip is worth £1 and can be used across various games at the Betfred Live Casino.

Live dealer games for casino classics such as roulette and blackjack are among those that can be played, as you would expect. Unusually, Betfred has its own branded range of live dealer games, whereas most UK online casinos instead use titles from studios like Evolution Gaming.

There are more than 80 different live dealer rooms at the Betfred Live Casino, so users who sign up for an account here are sure to find a new favourite due to the fantastic range of options.

Betfred Vegas

Betfred Vegas is the next section we will be looking at in our complete guide to this casino site. Again, Betfred has put together a tweaked welcome bonus for those who sign up at Betfred Vegas. Depositing £10 into a new account will earn 100 free spins - and there is no wagering.

There is a massive range of games to pick from, starting with more than a dozen table games. It is not entirely clear why there is a need to have roulette and blackjack games in three different parts of the Betfred site, but it at least increases the available options.

More than 150 different titles are in the library at Betfred Vegas, with some of them being jackpot slots that offer top prizes in excess of £3 million. Old-fashioned slots can be found here with dozens of different three-reel games to pick from.

Betfred Lotto

Lotto is another of the sections offered at Betfred. Many people may be unfamiliar with lotto, but it is basically betting on the outcome of the different lottery draws from countries around the world.

Betfred Lotto is one of the most popular areas of the site, with £15 in free play funds up for grabs for new customers who deposit £5 to play lotto games on the site. Lotteries from nations such as Ireland, Belgium, Poland, Australia, Greece, France, Canada and many more are among those offered, with the Daily Million among the most popular as a result of the massive top prize that is up for grabs.

Betfred also has its own Lotto game, with the Nifty Fifty game having been a smash hit for the company since it was released on to the market. There are three draws taking place throughout the day - at 10.30 am, 2.30 pm and 6.30 pm. They are all broadcast live on the Betfred Lotto site. Players can win as much as £200,000 by playing Nifty Fifty at Betfred Lotto from a £1 stake.

Players logging into the Betfred Lotto area will also be able to find dozens of scratchcards, some of which have a minimum stake of just a penny. Among the scratchcards offered here are titles based on Deal or No Deal and the film Ted, which starred Hollywood actor Mark Wahlberg.

Betfred Bingo

Betfred Bingo has a welcome bonus that sees new users able to receive £10 when they sign up and stake £10. They will also get access to a special Rookie Room for the first 10 days after they have signed up for an account on the site. This room is open daily from noon-1 pm and 7-8 pm.

The good news is that all of the games are free to play, helping to introduce players to Betfred Bingo, though all of the game winnings are paid in bonus money, which is non-withdrawable, and each game's prize is just £2.

Other Betfred Bingo promotions include five per cent refunds on all bingo tickets that have been purchased each week up to the value of £25, with this deal designed to reward customer loyalty. Players need to opt-in and only bingo tickets contribute, not spending on slots or other games.

Betfred Bingo players have a lot of rooms to pick from, with some of them themed on things such as the Rainbow Riches slot game. Variations like 40-ball bingo, 60-ball bingo and 90-ball bingo are offered at Betfred Bingo, so players are sure to find a new favourite type of game here.

More than 100 different games can be played at Betfred Bingo too, including yet more types of slot games as well as scratchcards, which offers a good amount of variety for those playing bingo on the site. Chat rooms are available for those who want to join in with the community too.

Betfred Poker

The last of the separate sections is Betfred Poker. Unlike some other top UK online sportsbooks and online casinos, it is a fully-fledged poker room that offers a range of tournaments for players to enter. New users signing up at Betfred Poker for the first time can get a 200% welcome bonus worth up to £1,200, as well as £20 in poker tournament tickets, so it is clear the site is aiming to snap up serious players.

Betfred Poker has a week's worth of welcome missions for new players too. Among the prizes that are on the table on this section of the site are free spins, casino bonus money and the chance to play for jackpots, so it is well worth users taking the time to work through them.

One of the most important things about Betfred Poker is there is never a shortage of players. The site is always busy, meaning it poses a good challenge and users will be able to find action rapidly whenever they log in to their account in the hope of taking a seat at the virtual table.

Various types of poker are offered, though most of the tables will be playing Texas Hold'em, so players who have a favourite variation are very likely to be able to find it at Betfred Poker.

Betfred App and Mobile Site

Many UK players prefer to use handheld devices to gamble online these days, which is where the Betfred app and mobile site come in.

An app is available for both iOS and Android, again offering the full array of Betfred products. The betting app works smoothly and has attracted rave reviews on both the App Store and Google Play, with an average rating of 4.3 and 3.6 out of five stars respectively. This puts it among the best betting apps in the UK.

Some users have found that the Betfred app can be prone to crashing, but developers are making constant improvements to the software in order to iron out any similar glitches. For many people, the Betfred Android and iOS app will be the very best way to play online.

The mobile site at Betfred is quite basic, with a similar blue style to the full desktop site. The top menu for navigation is the same, offering access to the full range of Betfred gambling products such as its live casino and sportsbook, as well as Betfred Bingo, Betfred Poker and so on.

Betfred's radio commentaries can also be accessed through the mobile site that is run by this operator. This will be handy for any sports fans who are on the move but who still want to stay up to date with the latest action from football matches, as well as cricket and horse racing.

Betfred Responsible Gambling

One key focus for betting sites in recent years has been to implement responsible gambling tools for their customers, and Betfred has made sure to keep up with this trend. There are many tools available on the site and some of these are even part of the registration process, which isn't always the case when signing up for a UK bookmaker.

• Daily, weekly and monthly deposit limits
• Reality checks
• Time-outs
• Self-exclusion
• Gamstop

In the final step of the registration, customers will have the opportunity to set a deposit limit and activate the reality checks. These can help bettors reflect on their habits and avoid spending more money than initially intended.

Then again, as was mentioned in the 'Is Betfred Safe?' section, the site has failed to carry out necessary checks on some of its heavy-spending customers. Therefore, it is important for the latter to set boundaries themselves and not count on Betfred to make the wise decisions.

Betfred Customer Support

Given that Betfred is not exactly one of the new betting sites on the block, customers are right to expect quality customer support, and this is indeed something that the site offers. In fact, Betfred has outstanding customer service, with several different methods of communication.

You can go straight to live chat in the bottom left-hand corner, while you can access the other options by tapping on the 'Help' page and then 'Contact Us'. Email support is offered, as you would expect, and UK customers can also call the support team.

The FAQs, frequently asked questions, are on display on the 'Help' page and will most likely be able to answer the customers' queries without the need for actual support agents. These are ordered by category but customers can also search to find the questions and answers they are looking for.

How to Get Started at Betfred

Do you like what you have read so far? Are you keen on making Betfred your new home for betting? Below, you can follow our step-by-step guide on how to sign up on the site.