Bet365 Australia Review

Founded in the United Kingdom in 2000, Bet365 has developed into arguably the biggest bookmaker in the world over the past couple of decades. They entered the Australian market 12 years later in 2012, and since then have made a significant imprint on our shores.

There are a multitude of reasons why Bet365 have been able to develop such a significant customer base, not least of which is the great odds and wide range of markets that they offer. This is a fundamental of any bookmaker, and they perform it as well as anyone. You’ll find great odds on most major markets, and these markets extend from the most regular sports and leagues to the most surprising.

They’ve also got an excellent website and an enormous range of payment methods, both features which make it easy to access what you need to when using Bet365. This high-quality customer experience which they offer ensures that punters are more likely to continue using the bookmaker, and works in tandem with their aforementioned excellent odds and range of markets to make them an extremely popular site.

No business, however, is perfect, and like all bookies Bet365 has its flaws, though these are perhaps a little less pronounced than some of their competitors. A high withdrawal minimum might turn off some customers while there are certain frustrations which come with their app, but for most people these issues will be relatively minor.

Overall, Bet365 is one of the most popular bookmakers in the world for a reason. The components of a bookie which are typically among the most important for punters are executed very well by this global betting giant, and the weaknesses that they do have will be relatively unimportant for most punters.

Bet365 Horse racing betting

Horse racing is a feature of Bet365, with markets on all Australian races as well as plenty more from overseas. Betting on it is easy – as well as a ‘next to jump’ feature on the home page of the site, there is also a horse racing tab which allows you to scroll through all the Australian and international races coming up today and in the coming days.

One aspect of the interface here which is arguably lacking in comparison to some competitors is the fact that there is no way to easily see all the races which are coming up next once you click into the horse racing tab. There is a ‘next to jump’ feature at the top but there are only three races listed there and no ability to scroll further. Below that, each race is listed and the time it will jump made clear, but they aren’t chronologically ordered so finding the next races is a matter of scrolling through and manually looking at the times – unless you click back to the home page.

Aside from that though, betting on horse racing with 365 is a fairly seamless process. Once you click into a race both the fixed odds and the tote are easily accessible, and with features like the odds drift protector (which means if the fixed win odds of the horse you bet on drift after you place your bet, you’ll get the increased odds at the time of the jump should you win) and the fact that they offer returns from the top of the three national totes, you’re able to earn more from your wins than with most other agencies.

Horse racing is a feature of 365, so given they are one of the biggest bookmakers in the world it’s little surprise that this aspect of their company is very well-developed.

Bet365 Betting on sports

The range of sports markets available on Bet365 is virtually unmatched, with every sport that you know and love and likely a few more all available to bet on. From football and basketball through to cross country skiing and table tennis, Bet365 covers it all, and also generally boasts a wide range of markets on the sports and leagues it does offer odds for.

The site orders the markets in a relatively logical way. After selecting your relevant sport from the tab on the left hand side of the screen, you’ll be taken to a page with a few featured upcoming matches from that given sport, before leagues and tournaments are listed separately below, with the most popular taking pride of place at the top and the more obscure events found further down the page.

Overall, the sports betting side of Bet365 is a strength. There are plenty of markets on a huge range of different sports, the odds are up there with the best in the business, and your betting options are generally relatively easy to locate.

Every bookmaker these days needs a decent mobile app, with many punters preferring the flexibility of betting on their handheld mobile device rather than a computer. So let’s take a look at what Bet365 have to offer in this space.

Like the website, the Bet365 mobile app – which is available for both iOS and Android – is well laid-out and extremely easy to use. In terms of navigation it’s among the best in the industry – they’ve squeezed a lot into a small space while maintaining a minimalist feel, and navigating between different screens is extremely efficient. This is a major tick in their favour, because the most consistent problem with bookmaker mobile apps is that they feel heavy and have a tendency to lag, something Bet365 have avoided.

There are, however, some issues which occasionally arise with the app which can be a source of frustration, though they only pop up relatively rarely. One is that it has a tendency to simply close out of nowhere at times, which is certainly irritating when you’re about to place a bet. Another is that, at times, when you click on an event, the pop-up screen which shows the odds is simply blank. This is usually rectified by simply closing and reopening the app, but nonetheless it’s a little annoying.

On the whole, however, the Bet365 is a good one. The most important features of an app are executed well, and with the exception of the aforementioned annoyances it’s one of the best on the market.

As with an increasing number of betting services, Bet365 Australia now offers live streaming* on select events on both their desktop site and the app. The bigger leagues like AFL and NRL aren’t available but there is still plenty of choice: the sports you can stream with them include select games from the world of soccer, tennis, basketball, squash, darts, cricket and snooker, while races from South Australia and Victoria are also streamed live.

As always, there is a caveat – to have access to the live streaming you need to either have funds in your account, or have placed a bet using Bet365 in the last 24 hours. This is the case with most betting agencies and isn’t a particularly difficult requirement to fulfil, but it’s worth keeping in mind.

Perhaps one of the only slightly irritating elements of Bet365 live streaming is the fact that often, videos begin automatically when you open a page, so if you’re at work or somewhere else where you shouldn’t be punting make sure you have your volume down! Aside from that, however, live streaming is a valuable addition to Bet365.

*Watch Live Sport – You can watch live sport on your mobile, tablet or desktop including Soccer, Tennis and Basketball. All you need is a funded account or to have placed a bet in the last 24 hours to qualify. Under Australian law, we are required to inform you that Live Streaming on bet365 is exempt from Parts 3 and 4 of the Broadcasting Services (Online Content Service Provider Rules) 2018.

In-play betting

Like with all other betting agencies in Australia, you need to physically call up to make an in-play bet with Bet365. This doesn’t have to be a major issue and the process is still relatively streamlined – upon clicking on the bet you wish to make, a pop-up will appear with the option to call an advisor. This can be done both on a computer via the desktop page, or through the app on another device, and in both cases you are given a reference number to quote once you connect to the advisor.

Obviously the major issue with this system – and one which all betting sites in Australia have to deal with – is the speed with which game circumstances and subsequently the odds change. As a result, it’s vital that the process is as fast as possible to minimise this problem. Bet365 generally does a decent job of this, however the time between when you click to call and when the bet is placed is certainly longer than with a couple of other agencies. They are far from the worst though, and the volume of in-play betting options is more than sufficient to offset this. Overall, Bet365’s in-play betting system is one of the better ones going around.

The process of opening an account with Bet365 is a relatively standard one. A ‘join’ button on the top right section of the screen begins the process, and from there it’s simply a matter of filling in your details. For the most part these are typical of joining every betting agency – you’ll need to provide your name, date of birth, email address and a contact number, before coming up with a username and a password for your account. You also need to provide details of where you live – something standard across all betting agencies as the legalities surrounding what you can and can’t do vary from country to country and even state to state.

You’ll then be able to fill in a number of preferences – things like what type of odds display you would like, whether you wish to set a deposit limit, and what your time zone is – to customise your experience. Upon clicking the ‘Join Bet365’ button at the end of the screen, any mandatory fields which haven’t been filled in will light up in orange.

Identity verification needs to then be completed within 30 days. To do this, you can send through a scan of a recent bank statement or a utility bill, or you can also have a letter sent to the address you’ve provided which contains a code, though this option is a little more labourious.

One criticism that is often made of Bet365 is that they don’t offer the same quantity of rewards for using their platform as what many of their competitors do. This is certainly true to an extent, and they tend to rely more on the multitude of other advantages which come with betting with Bet365 than trying to entice customers with particular programs.

That isn’t to say that there are no rewards for continued loyalty to Bet365 Australia. Intermittently, customers will have a small loyalty credit added to their balance for continually betting with them, and while it’s not a large sum it is a tangible reward for using their service.

Bet365 is arguably the biggest bookmaker on the planet, something which doesn’t happen without developing a reputation as a safe and reliable place to entrust with your hard-earned. Their home page has a ‘Responsible Gambling’ link in the top right corner, which takes you to a page that goes into detail about the risks associated with punting and the commitment Bet365 has to ensuring their customers do so responsibly.

Bet365 is one of a handful of major betting agencies which is a member of Responsible Wagering Australia, and the agency has a number of ways in which they implement this commitment. Deposit limits create a threshold on the amount you can deposit within a certain time frame, a ‘reality check’ pop-up consistently checks in if you’ve been logged in for an extended period of time, while time-outs and self-exclusion force you to step away for a while if you require. The Responsible Gambling page also requires information about how to contact organisations dedicated to help individuals with gambling issues.

Because they are such a big betting agency which makes a huge amount of money each year, there is no reason to feel concerned about the security of your funds – the company isn’t exactly dancing on the precipice of insolvency.

One blip on the reputation of Bet365 is in their tendency to prevent consistent, big winners from continuing to gamble with them. This is an issue with a number of agencies and Bet365 certainly doesn’t escape the heat, so if you’re a consistently successful punter this is something to take into account.

On the whole, however, the agency is successful for a reason. Your money and information are safe with them, and they have demonstrated a reasonably sound commitment to responsible gambling practices.