The BetFred name dates back to a single betting shop opened by brothers Fred and Peter Done in Salford in 1967. BetFred today operates 1378 brick-and-mortar betting shops and employs more than 10,000 people to make them the 4th-largest bookmaker in the UK. Many know BetFred best for their high street bookmaking offices, but the company also runs a fast-growing online operation that we’ll be reviewing today.

Notice: Our BetFred review is based on the personal opinion and first hand experience of OnlineBettingSites.com editors. We do not currently recommend wagering at BetFred.com, an alternative bookmaker is listed below:

BetFred.com offers online sports betting, parimutuel horse racing, in-play betting, casino games, poker, bingo and even lottery betting all under one roof. This makes it one of the more diverse betting sites today with just about every form of gaming on offer. If you ever grow tired of bouncing around between different gaming sites, one account with BetFred will give you everything you need in one place.

The remainder of our BetFred review will go into more details, but I can tell you up front that this is a safe and reputable betting site. BetFred is headquartered in Warrington and has a license from the Government of Gibraltar that works in conjunction with the Gambling Commission to allow them to offer real money services to players in the UK and worldwide. There are no concerns that if you win money here, you will be promptly paid.

Basic Information:

  • Types of Gaming Offered: sports betting, tote racing, casino, poker, bingo and lotto
  • Accepted Currencies: UK sterling, euro and US dollar (foreign exchange services available for others)
  • Languages: English and Spanish
  • Odds Formats: fractional, decimal and American
  • Casino Software: Playtech
  • Established: 1967

BetFred.com Sports Betting

BetFred offers an ample supply of sports markets that run the gamut from football to volleyball. They don’t have as extensive a selection of markets, but they do cover all the mainstream sports around the world. The full list of sports on offer includes:

Horse RacingFootballTennisAmerican FootballAthletics
Australian RulesBadmintonBaseballBasketballBoxing
CricketCyclingDartsGaelic FootballGolf
GreyhoundsHandballHurlingIce HockeyLottery
MotorsportsPoliticsPoolRugby LeagueRugby Union
UFC / MMASnookerTV Shows and SpecialsVolleyball

Although BetFred as a whole seems to have a UK focus, they do accept wagers on an entire world of sporting events. A quick visit to the football betting area will bring up a list of active wagers on various UK leagues, the Europea league, international friendlies and more than a dozen country-specific leagues such as the Italian Serie A, Portugal Super Liga, Czech Cup, Polish Cup and more.

One thing BetFred does very well is offer daily promotions for specific matchups. Just log in to the bookmaker and look for the “promotions” link near the top of the list of sports and they will show you all upcoming specials. In some cases, you might receive accumulator insurance (money back if your accumulator falls by one leg) and in others you might receive double or triple odds on the first goalscorer. These promos change all the time but they are always worth a look.

BetFred Live In-Play Betting

In addition to regular wagers, BetFred supports live, in-play betting on dozens of events every day. The in-play options include most major football matches plus almost every other sport if there is something worth watching. At times, I have seen them offer in-play wagers for tennis, cricket, basketball, rugby, and more. Each in-play event gives you the opportunity to place short-term wagers during the game with odds that are updated as the game is played in real-time.

You can also watch live videos of certain events right on the BetFred website. Most events can be watched live as long as you have some money in your account. Others require a wager of at least €/£ 1 on the event before the stream may be viewed. Typically, live streaming events operate on a 30-second delay so keep that in mind if you plan on doing in-play betting.

BetFred Horse Racing Betting

BetFred has a special relationship with horse racing betting since it purchased Tote in 2011 and earned a 7-year monopoly over live and online pool betting for horse races in the UK. With that deal, BetFred became the official manager of the pool system for UK horse racing wagering.

This makes BetFred the biggest player in UK horse racing betting today. They still offer standard fixed odds horse and greyhound racing betting, but they also offer pool-style wagering in which all wagers on a race are collected and then winners are paid from the pool.

What this means for punters is that you do not compete against odds set by the bookmaker. Instead, wagers are all taken and put into one big pool. Then, the winners of any bet split the pool equally.

You can also watch live racing video on any UK or Irish race if you place a bet of at least £/€ 1 on any race. Just place your bet click the “watch live” tab and then you can watch the races live while you place your bets and get paid.

BetFred racebook offers extensive coverage of UK racetracks in addition to Irish tracks, Australian and others around the world. The horse racing betting interface is organized in a manner that makes it fairly simple to find what you’re looking for on any given day. They have a list of upcoming races that is shown prominently on the main horse racing page and then from there, you can select individual races or navigate to specific days, international races and all open ante-post betting options.

Greyhound racing also receives significant attention at BetFred. They cover all the big UK greyhound tracks in addition to a variety of international dog racing tracks. The greyhound racing section also provides trap challenges (which trap will produce the most winners) and a broad variety of ante-post betting markets.

Overall Thoughts and Recommendation

BetFred is easily one of the best horse racing sites in the world, and I do not say this lightly. Their deal with the UK Tote in 2011 put them right in the middle of horse racing both online and in the real world.

BetFred is now the exclusive pool betting operator for UK racecourses and at more than 500 shops across the country. They know the racing industry inside-out and are perfectly situated to take full advantage of their unique position in UK horse racing to offer players the best odds, best promotions and best overall experience.

They cover a ton of races every day, offer ante-post wagers, futures and specials that you will not find elsewhere. While most other betting sites treat horse racing as an afterthought, horse racing may very well be BetFred’s greatest strength. If any of the major UK-licensed bookmakers could be said to specialize in horse racing, it is BetFred.com.

BetFred has my stamp of approval for online racing betting.

BetFred Casino Review

BetFred is no longer a sports-only operation. They opened their casino in 2005 and now have hundreds of games on offer. These includes old-fashioned three reel slots, a full lineup of video slots (including many themed after blockbuster titles such as the Hulk, Iron Man and Gladiator) plus a collection of classic table games.

The casino is compatible with basically every operating system and device in use today. You can download the full casino on your PC or access the instant play casino on your Mac, Linux or any other platform. They also have mobile apps for Apple and Android devices so you can play real money games wherever you go.

Overall, I found the casino to be a professional operation that has a little something for everyone. The slot machines are especially diverse with everything from simple traditional blackjack to advanced video slots with progressive jackpots that offer life-changing jackpots. All games can also be tried for free but you do have to at least register an account before you can try them.

New players begin with default maximum limits of £150 on table games and and £100 per spin at slots. As you play and work your way up through the casino’s VIP program, limits increase up to a maximum of £750 per spin on slots and up to £5,000 per play on table games. Needless to say, these limits are flexible enough to cater to budgets of any size. However, you also have the option to set strict spending limits that will stop you from playing too much.

BetFred Live Casino

BetFred also has a polished live dealer casino staffed by professional dealers who spin the roulette wheel and deal the cards in real time. You can watch the action unfold live via high quality streaming video that makes it feel like you’re actually sitting in front of a real casino table.

The full list of live casino games at BetFred includes blackjack, baccarat, roulette and casino holdem. There are other casinos out there with a greater game selection, but this one does an adequate job with the games it does have on offer. The dealers appear well-trained and have always come across as courteous professionals. Live blackjack and roulette are also available on the BetFred mobile app.

BetFred Accepted and Restricted Countries

BetFred.com does not accept customers from the following countries:

United StatesAustraliaBelgiumCanada
ChinaCzech RepublicDenmarkFrance
GermanyGreeceHungaryIsrael
ItalyJapanKyrgyzstanLatvia
MontenegroNorwayPolandPortugal
RomaniaSerbiaSingaporeSlovakia
South AfricaSpainThailandTurkey
United Arab EmiratesUkraine

BetFred Deposit Methods

Credit Card
Debit Card
Neteller
Skrill
PayPal
Bank Transfer
BetFred Shops (in-person)
Paysafecard

Accepted Currencies: BetFred supports the following currencies. If you deposit in any other currency, BetFred will convert your deposit into one of these currencies at current exchange rates.

British Pound
Euro
Swedish Krona
Danish Krone
Norwegian Krone
US Dollar


Alternatives To BetFred

22Bet 100% up to €122 22Bet Review
Bet365 Bet £10, Get £30 in Free Bets Bet365 Review
William Hill Bet £10, Get £30Promo Code: H30 William Hill Review