Luxbet is a Racing and Sports corporate bookmaking operation, licensed by the Northern Territory Racing Commission. They are relative newcomers to the industry, having launched in September 2008, although they have been making a splash in Australia ever since. In addition to their online offering, they have a burgeoning telephone betting operation and put tremendous emphasis on customer service and member privileges.
Luxbet claim to be Australia’s most progressive bookmaker, with the firm claiming that customers receive the highest paying racing products in the country (Australia). They are one of several brands under the Tabcorp umbrella, Australia’s leading company when it comes to gambling and entertainment. They support the NSW and Victorian racing industries by sharing a portion of profits via a discretionary payment to the NSW and Victorian thoroughbred, harness and greyhound racing codes. Luxbet.com also complies with all product fees or race field fees which apply to bookmakers on a national basis.
Luxbet goes down the traditional route of having the various sports listed in a left-hand menu, while it’s no surprise that they follow the North American and Australasian trend of separating the horse racing from the other sports. The racing section is neatly ordered, with the customer having the choice of having an overview of the meetings taking place that day, or instead going straight for the ‘Next Race to Jump’. These upcoming races are also listed on the homepage, along with a useful countdown of how many minutes remain before the runners go under starter’s orders.
The website loads reasonably quickly and Luxbet have clearly put some thought into customer navigation. It was remarkably easy to find my Premier League soccer bet on a Tuesday evening, with a click on any of the odds putting my selection automatically in the bet slip. What’s especially impressive for sports betting is the way that the match odds and half ball odds are displayed, with a collapsible menu available if you want to bet on markets like correct score and winning margin. Placing a bet is a relatively straightforward process, although the live betting offering is tucked away and appears to be limited.
When Luxbet talk about Australia’s highest paying racing products, they are specifically referring to ‘Best of the Best’ and ‘LuxDiv’, which work in a similar way to the UK bookmakers offering Best Odds Guaranteed.
They combine Best of Top Fluc and the Totes to offer a best price on the horse racing, providing you strike your bet at least forty minutes before the off. With regard to LuxDiv, the bookie not only offers betting until the first jump, you can also get the best price of the three Totes or the official on course Starting Price, whichever pays more.
While it’s clear that horse racing is Luxbet’s flag-bearing sport, there were over twenty other sports being covered when we made our visit to the website. Indeed, their coverage of English soccer is especially impressive for an Australian bookmaker, while they are no slouch when it comes to the odds being offered.
As you might expect, you will get a better range of markets and slightly tighter lines when it comes to events being covered closer to home, with punters wanting to bet on the National Rugby League and the latest Aussie Test Matches being especially well catered for.
This is where Luxbet claim to be putting special emphasis, so we clicked on the ‘HELP’ section to find out. There are around 50 FAQ’s for customers to check out, which is great, although it was slightly disappointing to discover that customer service is only available for four hours every day.
LuxBet customer service can be reached on:
Australia
Betting: 132 LUX (132 589)
Customer Service: 1300 LUX BET (1300 589 238)
International
Betting: +61 132 LUX
Customer Service: +61 1300 LUX BET
Cust. Srv (Direct): +61 2 8240 5700
Call centre hours of operation are 8am to 12am, 7 days a week
(Australian Eastern Daylight Savings Time)
Email: CustomerService@luxbet.com
Fax: 08 8941 9689
Not applicable
Luxbet.com have a neat website and a pretty strong online sportsbook which is worth checking out. The site loads nice and quick, with navigation and bet placing as good as any of their competitors. If you’re a fan of betting on the Australian horse racing, then it’s imperative that you open an account with this firm, especially with their equivalent Best Odds Guaranteed promotion that gives punters that extra edge. It’s also nice that you can log into your account and place a bet just seconds before the off using Luxbet’s quick links.
The sports betting coverage is pretty good, although they will have to look at branching out more into live In-Play betting if they are to compete with some of the leading global players in this market. What really lets them down is the lack of customer service, especially as one of their mission statements appears to be treating clients with a specialised service. However, they do have the unusual benefit to horse racing owners or trainers of offering them a 12% bonus on top of race winnings when they place a bet on their horse!