Betway UK Review - Is It Safe or a Scam? (2024)
Betway is a well-known bookmaker that launched back in 2006. Since then, it has become very popular thanks to many partnerships and a comprehensive sportsbook. In this review, we will highlight the pros and cons of the site, hopefully enabling you to make an informed decision about whether to sign up or not.
Betway Overall Score
| Bonus | 7 |
|---|---|
| Sportsbook | 8 |
| Casino | 7 |
| Customer Support | 7 |
| Payment | 9 |
| Licensing Safety | 9 |
| Design and Usability | 7 |
| Overall | 8 |
Betway's success is not just the result of smart marketing, referring to its football partnerships, but also of a comprehensive sportsbook. The additional focus on Esports makes it stand out from the rest, making it a solid and above all reliable choice for sports bettors.
The casino section is not as comprehensive as the sportsbook, though, and the design of the site could use a revamp in general. On the other hand, these are not core issues and, subsequently, they will probably not be deal breakers for most potential new customers.
Key Information About Betway
| ⚽ Football Coverage (PL game) | 400-600 |
|---|---|
| 🏇 Horse Racing Coverage | UK &Ireland + International |
| 📊 Betting Margins (Average) | 7.36% |
| 👷 Bet Builder | ✅ |
| 📱 Mobile App | ✅ |
| 💰 Minimum Deposit | £5 |
| ⏱️ Fastest Withdrawal Method | PayPal (within 24 hours) |
| 👉 Visit Site | Join Betway |
About Betway
Formed in 2006, Betway has been in the sportsbook industry for a long time and is thus a well-known brand especially in the UK market, where it was first launched. The brand is operated in many different markets worldwide - though there are no sister sites - and offers a complete gambling product with Betway Sports, Betway Casino and more.
Betway was also one of the first betting sites that launched a product for customers to bet on e-sports, and it is still one of the best available. And if the name Betway sounds familiar, it is likely due to its increased commitment to sponsorships. Many top UK bookmakers have done the same and it is a great way to increase both credibility and recognition.
Most notably, Betway is the official sponsor of West Ham and its logo is featured on the chest of the Hammers' shirt. Betway is also the official betting partner of several big football clubs, including the likes of Arsenal and Atletico Madrid. It is clear, therefore, that the brand has a big focus on the sportsbook product.
In this review, we will discuss everything you need to know about the site. Hopefully, after reading this, you will be able to make an informed decision about whether to sign up or not.
Is Betway Legit and Safe?
Betway Limited, the parent company, is licensed by the Gambling Commission in the UK and the site is thus considered legal and safe for customers to use. However, Betway has been slapped with a couple of fines from the Gambling Commission in the past, including breaches relating to their 'VIP customers'.
In 2023, Betway was deemed to have failed in its social responsibility, allowing 'VIP' customers to bet large amounts of money, and also failed to stay in line with money laundering regulations. This resulted in an £11.6m fine. A year before that, the site was handed a £400k fine for advertising on children's pages on the official West Ham site.
While these breaches may not be a cause for concern for most potential new customers, failures in social responsibility do not exactly enhance the reputation of betting sites.
On Trustpilot, Betway has accumulated a very poor rating at 1.4 out of five stars, with many customers complaining about the verification process. This is not unique to Betway, with many UK betting sites experiencing the same issue, but it is still worth keeping in mind before signing up.
Betway Welcome Offer
While well-known many sponsorships may be enough to entice new customers, Betway also has some welcome offers in place for bettors who sign up on the site. Customers who place an acca with 3+ selections at a minimum odds of 2/1 (3.00), for example, can get a free bet of up to £30. Only if the acca loses, though, at which point the stake will be refunded/matched by Betway. 50 free spins on Big Bass Bonanza are also included, regardless of the acca's outcome.
Fortunately for new customers at Betway, this is not the only welcome offer available, as they can choose to claim a £10 free bet for sports and Esports instead. A £10+ qualifying bet is needed to claim the free bet, with minimum odds of 3/4 (1.75) for single bets or 2/5 (1.40) per selection for accas.
The free bet stake will not be returned with potential winnings and there are no wagering requirements for the latter. It should be noted, however, that the deposit needs to be made with a debit card to qualify for this offer.
For the Casino, as well as the Live Casino, new customers can claim up to £50 in a welcome bonus. The first deposit will be matched 100% by Betway if customers opt in for the offer, and the bonus must be wagered 50 times before it can be withdrawn. A £20 deposit will thus result in a £20 bonus, but the wagering requirements are rather high. Some new customers might not even opt in for the offer, therefore.
It should be noted that new customers at Betway only can use one of the welcome offers, not multiple.
| Operator | Welcome Offer | Bonus Code | Claim Offer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Welcome Offer £30 matched Free Bet if your first Acca loses + 100 Free Spins on Gold Blitz | No code required | Claim Offer | New UK customers only. Min Stake: £5. Maximum Free Bet: £30. First bet on a Football, Horse Racing, Tennis, Cricket or Basketball multiple with 3+ selections. Overall odds: 3.00 (2/1) or higher. Free Bets available upon settlement of the qualifying bet. 100 Free Spins on More Unusual Suspects (£0.10 per spin) credited on settlement of qualifying Acca bet. No wagering requirements on free spin winnings. Debit Card deposit only (exclusions apply). This offer is valid 7 days from the new account being registered. 18+ GambleAware.org. Bet the Responsible Way. |
| | Welcome Offer Stake £10 Get 125 No Wagering Free Spins on Big Bass Hold & Spinner | No code required | Claim Offer | New UK customers only. 125 free spins on Hold & Spinner (£0.10 per spin) credited after successful £10 deposit and £10 stake on Casino, Vegas or Live Casino. No wagering requirements on free spin winnings. Debit Card deposit only (exclusions apply). This offer is valid 7 days from the new account being registered. 18+ BeGambleAware.org. Bet the Responsible Way Full Terms Apply. |
Betway Promotions
Betway frequently updates the site with boosted odds for big events, which is a plus for sports enthusiasts, and it is not just the case for football events but also NBA, NFL and darts. Existing customers can also join the Betway Free Bet Club, where two £5 free bets can be claimed each week provided that the bettor stakes at least £25 cumulatively on bet builders and sports multiples.
There is a similar promotion for the casino, as customers need to deposit £20+ and wager £50+ during the week to earn up to 200 free spins, a £50 casino bonus and £20 in free bets. Additional T&Cs apply, so make sure to read the fine print beforehand. Across the welcome offers and promotions, Betway cannot be considered one of the best when it comes to the terms.
Sometimes it can be confusing to find the best deals around, so we have done the work for you by listing the best welcome offers as well as the best promotions available.
Betway Deposit Methods
Betway offers a decent amount of payment methods, with popular options such as debit cards and e-wallets available. A majority will probably opt for the former, but it is nice to have an e-wallet such as PayPal present in the list as that method guarantees faster withdrawals. We will discuss the latter a bit more later, though.
In the table below, you can find all the details you need to know about the payment methods at Betway. The good news is that the bookie is among those that accept deposits as low as £5, as well as the Trustly betting sites in the UK.
| Payment Method | Min. Limit | Max. Limit | Transaction Fee | Processing Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Visa | £5 | Not specified | No fee | Instant |
 Mastercard | £5 | Not specified | No fee | Instant |
 Paypal | £5 | Not specified | No fee | Instant |
 Trustly | £5 | Not specified | No fee | Instant |
Bank Transfer | £5 | Not specified | No fee | Instant |
 Instant Bank Transfer | £5 | Not specified | No fee | Instant |
How to Deposit at Betway
If you are unfamiliar with the deposit process at Betway, you can follow our step-by-step guide:
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Head Over to the ‘Banking’ Section
After opening the app, select the ‘Banking’ area in the menu located at the bottom of the screen. From here, you will automatically be taken to the ‘Deposit’ section, where you can choose your payment method.
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Provide Payment Method Details
For first-time deposits, you need to enter your card details and billing address. However, on deposits after this, the app will offer you the option of depositing with your ‘Preferred Method’. Then, select the green ‘Next’ button.
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Enter the Amount to Deposit
After providing your details and tapping on ‘Next’, enter your deposit amount or choose one of the pre-determined options. For this test, we deposited the minimum deposit amount of £5. Following this, tick the box at the bottom after reading the ‘Protection of Customer Funds’ section.
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Tap on the Green ‘Deposit’ Button
Tap on the ‘Deposit’ box to complete the deposit. The funds should now be in your account and you will be able to start betting.
Betway Withdrawal Methods
The options for withdrawals at Betway are not plenty, as with the deposit methods, but will most likely suffice for most users. The good news is that customers can take out as little as £5, making it one of the best sites for small withdrawals in the UK. Having said that, speed is not guaranteed by Betway and some customers might want to look at betting sites that offer fast withdrawals instead.
The fastest option at Betway will be an e-wallet, with PayPal being the most popular choice for many. Customers who opt for this method will likely have the money within a few hours. Below are all the options and the respective processing time.
| Payment Method | Min. Limit | Max. Limit | Transaction Fee | Processing Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visa | £10 | Not specified | No fee | 10 hours in our test |
| Mastercard | £10 | Not specified | No fee | 1-3 business days |
| Paypal | £10 | Not specified | No fee | Within 24 hours |
| Trustly | 10 | Not specified | No fee | Within 24 hours |
|
Bank Transfer | £10 | Not specified | No fee | 1-5 business days |
| Instant Bank Transfer | £10 | Not specified | No fee | Instant (usually within minutes) |
How to Withdraw From Betway
If you haven't withdrawn money from Betway before, you can follow our step-by-step guide below:
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Head Over to the ‘Banking’ section
After opening the app, select the ‘Banking’ option in the menu at the bottom of the screen. You will now automatically be taken to the ‘Deposit’ section, so tap on the ‘Withdrawal’ tab at the top of the screen.
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Choose Your Preferred Withdrawal Method
Once again, you will be offered several methods of withdrawing the funds. We selected to withdraw the funds with the ‘Preferred deposit method’, but you can choose any available method.
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Enter the Withdrawal Amount
Now it's time to choose your withdrawal amount. There will be a pre-selected amount, or you can enter a custom amount. After choosing your withdrawal amount, check the tickbox about the ‘Terms and Conditions’.
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Tap on the green ‘Withdraw’ button
After tapping on the ‘Withdraw’ option, you will be taken to a confirmation page showing that your withdrawal has been completed. You can check the status of your withdrawal from the main menu of the app as well.
How to Verify An Account at Betway
Betway has a KYC, Know Your Customer, process in place as per the regulations of the Gambling Commission. Therefore, customers will have to verify their identity upon registering on the site. Betway aims to verify a new customer's identity automatically, using the details provided during the registration, but in some cases this might not be enough.
Should the automatic process fail, then Betway could ask for the following documents to complete the verification:
- Proof of ID: Valid Passport, valid ID card or a valid photo driving licence.
- Proof of address: Valid photo driving Licence, utility bill, bank statement etc.
It is important to comply with this process if you wish to continue your betting ventures on Betway, as failing to do so could result in an account suspension.
Betway Sportsbook
Betway is a major player in the sportsbook industry. The sponsorships mentioned in the section 'About Betway' have certainly helped a lot, with many sports fans turning to the site simply because of these. Sponsorships aside, though, it is clear that Betway has a very comprehensive sportsbook with many sports and markets available. Some of the more popular sports include:
- Football
- Horse Racing
- Cricket
- Tennis
- Esports
As the West Ham sponsorship has helped attract a large number of football fans, the sport is naturally one of the biggest ones at Betway in terms of markets and promotions. A great selection of markets is offered for the sport and the free bet club - as mentioned in the promotions section - is a great addition. Betway is even included in our top 10 list of football bookies, so the site is definitely worth checking out in that sense.
Horse racing can also be considered a key sport on site, with above all many promotions for punters who like to bet on the sport of kings. Live streaming of horse racing events is available too, earning Betway a place on our page for the best horse racing bookies as well. However, it should not be forgotten that Betway has a huge emphasis on its Esports platform.
Esports can be found on a dedicated section of Betway and markets for popular games such as League of Legends, Valorant and Call Of Duty are available for bettors. Those who want to bet on eSoccer, which is also considered an Esport, can find those events directly on the football page as Betway is indeed one of the best bookies for EA FC/FIFA betting.
While the Betway site is easy to navigate and rather fast, though, it could do with an update as it looks very outdated compared to other top UK bookmakers. This might not be an issue for most bettors, but the truth is that user experience and design have become increasingly important for all betting sites in recent years. Betway's site can even be labelled as unappealing, in our opinion, which is not a good thing.
Taking a look at the specials offering, customers can find odds for the next Eurovision winner as well as political betting markets. In other words, Betway is well covered on this front and on the whole, the sportsbook is very comprehensive indeed.
| Football Markets (Premier League Game) | 400-600 |
|---|---|
| Betting Margins (Average) | 7.36% |
| Horse Racing Coverage | UK & Ireland + International |
Live Betting and Streaming
Live betting is a crucial part of any successful sportsbook. First of all, the layout of the live betting section is strong. It's easy to use, navigate and full of tons of games from plenty of different sports.
Betway's live markets have a great organisation as well, allowing for quick bet selections. The infographic is large, but it is full of key stats and up-to-date data coming from the game.
If you are lucky enough to be in countries that allow live streaming, it is an awesome feature to have. To find out if you can access a free live stream, simply head over to the site and look for the 'Watch' button by the event in question.
Betway Casino
It goes without saying that Betway is known above all for its sportsbook, but bettors can also try their luck in the casino or live casino. It is a far from comprehensive library, at least compared to other top online casino sites, as there are only around 400 games available. Slots games make up a majority, but there are also table games such as Blackjack and Roulette.
The lack of games in the regular casino library is compensated (albeit just slightly) by the presence of a live casino. Well-known providers such as Evolution Gaming, Pragmatic Play and Playtech Gaming can be found here. This also means that popular live games, such as Lightning Roulette for example, are available at Betway.
In fairness to Betway, the navigation in the casino section is smooth with categories and a search function present in the top bar. Furthermore, the design does not look as outdated as the sportsbook, featuring the logos of each game in a reasonable layout. For those who are looking to only play casino games, however, Betway is probably not the best choice. For sports bettors who like to dabble in casino games occasionally, though, it will work just fine.
Betway Mobile App
The convenience of an app cannot be overstated and while mobile websites have become faster and easier to use, Betway is in the right for focusing on the former as well. It is available for download on the App Store and the Google Play Store, registering a rating of 4.8 and 4.2 out of five stars respectively. A very good score, making the app one of Betway's strong points.
However, since it is identical to the mobile website, it lacks in design and could do with a refresh. It is something that users have complained about in the reviews, though highlighting that the core functions of the app work well. Of course, the latter is the most important thing but for a site of Betway's size, more can be demanded.
Bettors can also find customer support within the app, such as 24/7 live chat, and this is a big plus. We will discuss the support options more later on. Overall, it is justified to name Betway among the best betting apps, even if the design is a clear flaw. To download the app, head over to your app store and simply search for 'Betway', after which you should be able to find it with ease.
Betway Responsible Gambling
Responsible Gambling messages are displayed regularly on the Betway site, but there are additional tools that customers can use as well. The latter has become very important in recent years as the number of betting sites has increased; all of them fighting for the bettors with enticing welcome offers and promotions. Some of the tools at Betway include:
- Deposit limits
- Cooling off/take a break
- Reality checks
- Self-exclusion
- Gamstop
Deposit limits are always a good place to start, as customers will be forced to reflect on their betting habits and most importantly, the limits will help minimise losses. Of course, these are not always enough and other tools - such as self-exclusion - are needed as well and Betway gets a tick in that box. There is also a dedicated page for safer gambling so Betway gets a pass overall, even if most betting sites can always do better.
Betway Customer Support
Betway's customer support is decent for a betting site of its size, although there are some areas of improvement. When tapping on the 'Help' page, customers are redirected to a FAQ page which, to Betway's credit, is comprehensive and will be able to answer most questions that the bettors may have.
However, although there is a live chat available, Betway doesn't make it too clear where the live chat is. Customers who cannot find their answer on the FAQ page can tap through to a separate page, where options such as live chat and email will be found, but the way to get there is certainly rather complicated and almost hidden.
That being said, Betway does at least have the live chat option and that is certainly a perk. In the table below, you can find all the customer service details you need.
| Chat | Yes |
|---|---|
| Contact Form | |
| Phone | - |
| Opening hours | 7 Days a week, 24/7 |
How to Get Started at Betway
If you are looking to sign up for an account at Betway, you can follow our step-by-step guide on how to do so below:
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Head Over to betway.com and Tap on ‘Sign Up'
You can use our link at the top of this page, or the one in the bottom banner, which will bring you straight to the Betway site and the welcome offer.
You will then find the 'Sign Up' button in the top right corner of the screen. Alternatively, you could tap on 'Join Now' on any of the welcome offers displayed. This will bring you to the registration process.
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Choose your preferred welcome offer
There are six welcome offers to choose between at Betway. Alternatively, you could opt to not activate any of them, if that is what you prefer.
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Enter your personal details
In the second step of the registration, you will be asked to enter your personal details, including your full name and date of birth. Scroll down to continue the process after that.
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Choose your account details
Now, you will be asked to choose a username, password and an email for your account at Betway.
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Enter your contacts details and complete the registration
Finally, you will need to enter your home address and telephone number. Then, before you can tap on 'Register', you have the option to set deposit limits and opt in/out of marketing messages.
After completing the registration, make sure to comply with the verification process, should Betway ask you to upload additional documents.
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User Reviews
Average score of 5.0 by 1 users
Josh
20 December 2018
Cracking betting site with decent odds and a good layout. Check their promotions page often to see their free bet offers and stuff. I often bet 5 on a match and get a 10 free bet usually on games in the prem.