They’re all massive names in the بت فا industry; Betfair, Betdaq, Ladbrokes and William Hill. Two are the old school brand names recognized by everyone in and out of the industry, the other two are new, contemporary, and groundbreaking in the online revolution. But are they really so different, and if they are what are the pro’s and cons of each and how do you choose between them?
Like I said, everyone knows WilliamHill and Ladbrokes, they’ve been about for decades and the chances are if you placed a bet thirty, twenty or even fifteen years ago, then it was done on the high street at one of these two.
Since those dark days the internet has blossomed and with it has come not only the internet betting revolution, but also the emergence of the betting exchange in the forms of Betdaq and Betfair. Her you are the bookie; taking other people bets or offering them out at with odds set by yourself.
So what are the benefits and downsides of each, and which is the best type to use. Well with the traditional bookmaker you get what you would expect. They are highly consistent, the customer service is spot on, and they’re well established so have the financial platform to invest in a very useable website.
On the down side there high profile means they don’t have to compete as hard in other areas. For example they do offer a free bet but it’s only £25 as opposed to for example Betfred which is a £50 free bet. Similarly the odds they offer are not always the highest in the market.
As for betting exchanges, we’ll as I mentioned before you have the opportunity to be the Bookmaker. If you want to offer a bet out to another punter then you can, and choose the odds at which you want to place a bet; but obviously these are driven by the market as to whether they’ll be accepted or not. What this has led to is a different type of arbitrage where punters are backing a selection and waiting for the odds to drop before laying the same bet to lock in a profit. This has led to what has become known as trading.
Another advantage with the betting exchange is that you don’t have to use it to be clever, you can just use it in exactly the same way as you would a traditional bookmaker and place standard bets on your favorite sport. Plus because of the way the market prices are generated you nearly always get to chance to place your bet at higher odds than you would have done with the traditional bookmaker.
In summary, I personally don’t see myself using anything other than a betting exchange to place my bets in the near future. The free bet offer is on a par with the traditional bookie, the range of sports to bet on is the same, you can try something a little different by placing lay bets, and if you do treat it in the same way as a traditional bookmaker you still get better odds.
Having said that my one exception to this is to take advantage of the free bet promotion that any bookmaker is offering. When there is the opportunity to place a bet and even if you lose get it refunded then it’s your duty to work your way through every bookmaker and use it. And then go back to the betting exchange!