Betfair revolutionised (their word not mine) the gambling industry when they launched the first online exchange. I use the exchange mainly for golf and racing bets where you can get bigger odds than the traditional bookmakers.
You’ve got to love Betfair. Not the sportsbook, they rarely take a bet off me these days. But on the exchange I can get bigger prices on the golf and racing which helps boost my ROI. Their recent customer service was excellent and they are my 2nd most used bookmaker. So I would highly recommend you get yourself an account. I say that without any affiliate partnership (long gone).
The brilliant thing about Betfair Exchange is that it gives you a rare opportunity to get bigger prices than those tipsters promote. This is particularly true on golf. Most golf tipsters will take EW prices from a bookmaker. If you are willing to take the gamble and back a higher win price and lower place price, you can utilize the exchange. I often find myself backing golfers at much bigger prices on Betfair exchange.
This is often true for racing too although you do miss out on Best Odds Guaranteed, so just bear that in mind. The Sportsbook isn’t great and I’ve found prices there will drop quickly if one of the top tipsters grabs the value on offer.
I’ve been limited with the sportsbook for sometime now. Pretty much since the day they teamed up with Paddy Power. More recently they have been taking some of my bets, but we are only talking a maximum of £10.
The limitations in terms of the exchange come down to liquidity in the market. Given you are not taking on the house, you won’t get restricted with Betfair Exchange and this offers an opportunity to bet bigger stakes on certain events.
I did have a recent experience with Betfair Customer Service after a glitch with my login. I contacted them via Twitter and I have to say the service was brilliant. They got back in touch straight away and the problem was resolved quickly. I was really impressed.
The sportsbook offers a wide range of markets these days but that’s not helpful for me given my limitations there. The exchange is mainly focused on the big events and those markets will have more liquidity available. The smaller the event, the fewer markets on offer and the less money there will be available to back at decent prices.
I struggle on the sportsbook and find it difficult to locate the markets I’m betting on. Crikey I even had difficulties finding the champions League final the other day. That’s poor. It’s different on the exchange. Whilst the interface feels a little outdated I find it quick and easy to locate the market I’m after. It’s almost like the sites are run by different companies. Are they?
