Betfred was founded by Fred Done back in 1967 and the company is still owned by him today, making it the largest independent retail bookmaker in the UK. Its online betting site hosts a sportsbook as well as a full casino complete with live and virtual gaming tables, bingo, poker and a comprehensive virtual sports section. Have a read of our impartial review where we’ll break down all its best features and let you know how to get the most out of betting with Betfred.

Pros and cons

  • Market-leading range of offers and promotions
  • User-friendly interface
  • Intuitive mobile app
  • Limited sportsbook

Welcome Bonus

Betfred is currently offering new customers £30 in free bets when they deposit and make a qualifying bet of £10 or more. It must be staked on a sportsbook event at odds of 1/1 or greater and will need to be the first bet placed with a new account. New customers will then be credited with £30 in free bets within 10 hours of the initial bet being settled, and will have a week to use them before they expire. There are no wagering requirements attached to the bonus, so you’ll be able to withdraw any potential winnings instantly.


Sports

The sportsbook at Betfred isn’t quite as extensive as some you’ll find elsewhere, but there are still 24 sports for members to bet on. It has markets in popular sports like football, horse racing, rugby and cricket, and also covers a good selection of sports from around the world. You’ll find a full range of US favourites like baseball, basketball and American football, Irish sports like hurling and Gaelic football, as well as the increasingly popular Australian Rules football.

  • American Football
  • Australian Rules Football
  • Baseball
  • Basketball
  • Boxing
  • Cricket
  • Cycling
  • Darts
  • eSports
  • Football
  • GAA Sports
  • Golf
  • Greyhounds
  • Handball
  • Horse Racing
  • Hurling
  • Ice Hockey
  • Motorsports
  • Politics
  • Rugby League
  • Rugby Union
  • Snooker
  • Tennis
  • UFC/MMA
  • Virtual Sports

Odds

The Betfred sportsbook has a more modest range of markets compared with other betting sites. To give some examples, there are 45 markets available on Premier League football matches, 11 on Test Cricket matches and nine for major tennis matches.

What Betfred may lack in range it makes up for in flexibility, as it has several ways for punters to make unique bets. There’s the Pick Your Punt builder, which allows you to design your own bespoke multiple and then get an instant price for your selection. Betfred also offers punters the chance to request tailored bets using the #PickYourPunt hashtag. If you can’t find odds for a selection you’d like to bet on, all you have to do is tweet or leave a Facebook comment with the hashtag #PickYourPunt and its traders will price up your unique selection. This feature is only available on selected games – you can find a list of all the eligible action on the Pick Your Punt page on the Betfred site.


Live Betting & Streaming

You can bet on hundreds of events in-play every day at Betfred. Customers can place bets on a variety of sports including football, ice hockey, cricket, tennis and basketball. As with its pre-event offering, there’s a relatively limited range of markets available to bet on, with around 12 available on football and tennis matches, and fewer on sports like cricket and basketball. The site also has a handy cash-out feature, so you can lock in some profit or cut your losses depending on how your bet fares.

If you like keeping tabs on the action while your bets are in-play, you’ll be glad to know Betfred streams hundreds of events each week on its Watch Live service. You’ll be able to tune into top European football leagues like the German Bundesliga, as well as action from major tennis tournaments like the Australian Open. There’s also extensive coverage of British and Irish horse racing. The best thing about these streams is they’re available to all Betfred account holders for free. All you need is a positive account balance and you’ll be able to stream as much live sport as you like.


Promotions

This is one area where Betfred can be considered a market leader. It offers its members a massive collection of promotions including free bets, daily price boosts and cash bonuses. There are a number of offers for football bettors including its Correct Score Bonus, which offers a 50% cash bonus on all correct score doubles, trebles and fourfolds on selected matches. There’s also the Double Delight Hat-trick Heaven promotion available on selected games. This allows punters to get double or triple the odds on correct first goalscorer bets if their chosen player goes on to score a brace or a hat-trick. Betfred also makes this promotion available in-play on the next goalscorer market. What’s more, the extra winnings can be withdrawn instantly.

There’s nothing worse than having your acca let down by a single team. But fear not, Betfred’s acca insurance offer will refund your stake as a free bet if your acca loses by one leg. All you have to do to qualify for the offer is place an accumulator of five or more legs with combined odds of 3/1 or greater. If it loses by a single leg, your stake will be refunded as a free bet up to the value of £10.

If football isn’t your thing and you’re more likely to be found at Aintree than Anfield, don’t worry, as Betfred has plenty of offers for horse racing fans too. It offers a best odds guarantee on all UK and Irish horse and greyhound racing, as well as up to five each-way places on select races. There’s also a Free Bet If 2nd promotion, which will refund your stake as a free bet up to the value of £10 if your chosen runner finishes in second place.

Betfred is constantly updating its offers and adding new promotions for specific events, so keep an eye on the promotions page to ensure you’re always getting the best bang for your buck.


Design & Usability

Betfred’s desktop site has a clear and uncluttered layout. Unlike most sites, it only has a single menu, from which you can access all the site’s features, including an A to Z list of sports, in-play betting and the promotions page. It also has a few unique design features that make it punter-friendly. For example, icons on each event listing indicate which channel the event is being broadcast on, or whether it’s being live streamed on the site itself.

You’ll find snippets of useful insight on top sports like football and horse racing courtesy of the Racing Post. On certain events and markets you’ll see key stats and form information, like how many goals a team scores on average, or the results of previous meetings between two sides. You should always do your own research when betting, but it helps to have the key facts and figures to hand when placing your punt.


App Review

Betfred’s native iOS and Android app is an uncomplicated and easily navigable app which has all the site’s main features accessible from a slider at the top of the viewport. There are icons for all the top sports markets, as well as links to the price boost and promotions pages. The app retains all the best qualities of the desktop site like in-play betting, the cash out option and live streaming, and is customisable. You’ll be able to swap the default home page to whichever other page you fancy, so you can get right in the action as soon as you open the app.


Cashier

Just like most top bookies, Betfred enables its customers to add and withdraw funds from their accounts using a number of different payment methods. You’ll be able to make deposits using debit cards such as Maestro, Visa and Visa Electron, e-wallets like Neteller, PayPal and Skrill, prepaid cards, as well as by bank transfer.

Deposit and Withdrawal Times and Limits

Deposits made using most payment methods will appear in your Betfred account instantly, but bank transfers may take up to two working days. The minimum amount you can deposit in your account varies depending on payment method, with a £5 lower limit for deposits made using all debit cards and Skrill, £5.50 for Neteller and PayPal, and an £85 minimum for deposits made via bank transfer. Withdrawals from your Betfred account may take slightly longer to reach your bank account – think 3-5 working days depending on your own bank’s processing times. The minimum amount you can withdraw from your account is £5, apart from withdrawals made by bank transfer which have to be at least £25 each time.

Betfred provides tools to encourage responsible gambling. Members can set limits on how much they’re able to deposit, and can opt for reality checks – ie, pop-up reminders to let you know how long you’ve been logged into the site. There’s also the option to take a time-out from the site, with periods ranging from 24 hours to six weeks.


Currencies

AUD, CAD, DKK, EUR, GBP, HKD, ISK, JPY, MYR, NOK, NZD, SEK, THB, USD, ZAR

Languages

Chinese, English, Spanish

Restricted Countries

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Montenegro, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, Ukraine, USA

Licenced

Gibraltar, UK

Customer Support

Betfred has a number of lines of customer support. Here’s how you can get in touch with the team:

Live Chat: www.betfred.com/live-chat
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @betfred
Facebook: facebook.com/betfred

  • Email: [email protected]
  • Twitter: @betfred
  • Live chat: Y
  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/betfred
  • Phone: +44 (0)1925 878269

Our Verdict

The user-friendly interface and unique design features you’ll find on both Betfred’s desktop site and its mobile app make it an excellent choice for those looking for a great user experience. But what really makes Betfred a top destination for new and seasoned punters alike is its unbeatable range of offers and promotions. So, if you’re looking to take advantage of regular free bets, enhanced odds and money back offers, head on over to Betfred using the link on our site to get started with a free bet bonus.

Questions and answers

How do I claim a welcome bonus?

Signing up and claiming a welcome bonus couldn’t be easier. Our link will take you to a landing page where the offer is already activated. You’ll then have to provide some details and complete a Know Your Customer (KYC) check, where you’ll be asked to verify your identity. Once that’s done, you’ll simply have to place a qualifying bet and wait for it to be settled. Your account will then be credited with a free bet within 10 hours.

Sign me up!

The people behind this page

Compare.bet's online gambling content experts helped write, edit and check this page:

Joel is a Masters graduate in Documentary Journalism from Nottingham Trent University. He is Compare.bet's resident Premier League tipster, using his vast knowledge of the sport to pick out the best bets from England's top flight and write our match previews. Joel also has experience working as a videographer and digital content editor for Belper Town FC.