Bet365 are one of the biggest bookmakers in the UK. They're a private, family-run company based in Stoke-on-Trent and continue to grow at a rate of knots. They claim to have close to a million customers worldwide and now employ upwards of 600 people.
The company began in 1974 as a series of betting shops dotted around the Midlands and North-West. During the late 1990s, a telephone betting division was set up and an online operation followed shortly afterwards. In 2005, bet365 decided to sell their several hundred shops to Coral and instead focus more on their fast-expanding online business.
You can watch all live streaming of the Aus Open at bet365 > Sports > Live Streaming
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Hits
- Quick, easy-to-use website taking you to wide range of markets
- Strong In-Play betting service, covering virtually every live event.
- Very reputable brand, fair-minded and efficient customer service.
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Paddy Power have been established since 1988 and are currently Ireland’s largest bookmaker. Although widely respected, they have something of a controversial opinion within the betting industry due to a number of close-to-the-bone marketing campaigns and their tendency to pay out on outcomes before an event has even been settled. Read full review »
Hits
- They have some excellent traders who provide tight odds and a vast range of markets
- Ridiculously early pay-outs – sometimes on matches which haven’t yet taken place! Superb range of special bets
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Ladbrokes are arguably the biggest bookmaker in the world and one of the most reputable brands in the betting industry. They appear to be at the forefront of many legal cases opposing the state monopoly of several different countries. In the UK, Ladbrokes have over 2,000 betting shops and are listed on the FTSE 100 Index. They have been established since the 1950’s and their online service has been available since 2000.
Ladbrokes are screening the Australian Open live online Read full review »
Hits
- They are a massive betting company and, as such, they’re pretty much the safest ones to bet with.
- Strong customer service, always seems to be well-manned.
- Huge range of languages available and plenty of European focus on sports and markets
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Stan James is a privately run bookmaker that originally began with a small group of betting shops in Berkshire. Founded by bookie Steve Fisher in 1973, Stan James is still family run and Steve's son Peter is the MD.
Stan James has only a small number of shops in the UK and a larger internet and telephone betting operation in Gibraltar which handles millions of pounds of bets per day. Read full review »
Hits
- Excellent In-Play service, providing tight margins in real time.
- Website interface is attractive and easy-to-navigate
- Generally provide extra value to customers with enhanced odds and special markets
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Betfair is the trading name of Betfair Limited, which was founded in August 1999 by Andrew "Bert" Black and Edward Wray.
Unlike fixed odds bookmakers such as William Hill, Ladbrokes and Coral, betfair is a betting exchange, allowing customers to choose whether to back a selection or instead effectively act as the bookmaker themself and lay a selection instead.
The first ever sporting market traded on betfair was the 2000 Oaks and, in the space of nine years, betfair has become the world's biggest betting exchange and effectively revolutionised the betting industry in the process. Read full review »
Hits
- Amazing interface
- Better odds on the more popular markets
- Betfair Starting Price product
- Ability to lay as well as back
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Blue Square was launched in May 1999 and has grown into one of the biggest online British betting companies.
It is well worth opening a Blue Square account to ensure you have a reliable competitive bookmaker with whom to bet. They tick all the right boxes in terms of prices, range of markets and customer service, although their focus is very much on UK-based events and the website is only available in English.
That said, they do everything pretty well and will be especially popular with customers who like to bet on UK and Irish horse racing, especially as they show live streaming of the racing from Racing UK tracks. There are regular promotions for existing customers and they also have a leading mobile product which contains many of the features available on the website itself.
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Hits
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- A great bookmaker for horse racing punters, with excellent each-way terms, early prices and live streaming
- A no-frills, easy-to-use website, something that allows customers to place bets quickly
- A wide range of markets for big soccer matches, including a wide range of player specials and team specials
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When it comes to bookmakers with experience, they don’t come any bigger than William Hill. The Leeds-based company were founded in 1934 and, like main competitors Ladbrokes, operate over 2,000 licensed betting offices in the UK. In addition to shops and online, Hills have a huge telephone betting operation and claim to now have nearly 300,000 customers.
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Hits
- Very simple and easy-to-use website interface
- A strong reputation for being safe, secure and well-established
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If only every betting website was as user-friendly as Victor Chandler’s. This is one of the most enjoyable sites to visit thanks to a nice clean lay-out which allows customers to navigate through to their bet with the minimum of fuss. This is also a bookmaker who have gained a reputation in the industry for being honest, transparent and reputable, not to mention the fact that they offer really good odds across a range of sports but particularly the core two of soccer and horse racing. It’s hard to criticise this firm, apart from to say they still have a UK outlook rather than a global one when it comes to their sports and market offering. That said, it hasn’t stopped them from growing a big Asian customer base thanks to the Asian handicap betting opportunities which are available. Read full review »
Hits
- One of the most reputable betting companies in the world
- You won't find your account restricted if you hit a winning run
- Impressive range of great odds and Asian Handicap markets
- Strong customer service which includes live chat
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888.com the London-listed gaming group launched 888sport.com originally in partnership with Blue Square, the Rank-owned bookie.
Over the last few years, 888Sport has developed its own personality and the sportbook is now a far more European-facing bookmaker than Blue Square with versions of the site available in English, Spanish, German, Swedish and Danish.
The site currently uses odds from Blue Square but is in the process of getting their own in-house traders.
The brand is key focus for the management of 888 now and it's a great time to join.
If you don't have a betting account at 888Sport, we recommend you get one now and take advantage of this offer!
When you sign-up at 888Sport you'll get £20 free cash match bet. Sign up here!
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Hits
- Fast-loading website and slick In-Play betting console
- Very generous new customer offer of £20 no lose bet
- Strong range of market and odds
- Live streaming of UK horse racing
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We would recommend Sportingbet for several reasons, although the main one being their excellent In-Play betting service. You will do well to find a time when they aren’t covering something live on their site, with the range of sports and markets also strong in this department.
It’s amazing that this firm have grown so much in a short space of time and they are thriving all over the world thanks to the fact that they have successfully translated the site into so many languages. As a result, you have a global bookmaker with a huge range of sports to select from and tight margins across the board.
When you join SportingBet you'll get a £50 free bet - if you use the code MAXIMUMBONUS
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Hits
- The In-Play betting facility is in the top three of any bookmakers in the world
- Sportingbet cover every sport under the sun and they have a good offering for each one
- They always run with promotions on the big events and have great each-way terms
- Customer service is also very good
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Pinnacle Sports was founded in 1998. The sportsbook is licensed in the Netherlands Antilles and accepts bets from customers all over the world. After their inception, Pinnacle quickly identified an opportunity to provide tighter margins than the vast majority of competitors and, once the customer base had grown, they start to raise their wagering limits to some of the highest in the industry.
It’s worth having an account with Pinnacle Sports just to sample some of the great odds that are available. For a soccer match, you will often find them offering the best price on both teams in a match which reflects the trader expertise that the firm have at their disposal. They are also renowned for the big stake limits for various markets and you will do well to find them turning away your business at any stage of proceedings.
While the great odds and the no-frills website make a refreshing change, there is no coverage of UK and Irish horse racing and Pinnacle Sports’ live In-Play offering is modest, even if the prices are once again cutting-edge. So they are a great bookie to join for their odds but in terms of providing an entertaining betting experience, they don’t quite tick that particular box.
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Hits
- Outstanding odds available across all sports offered
- The fact that Pinnacle state the margin they are betting to and the stake limit for each market
- An industry reputation for playing fair by the rules and not limiting customers
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Luxbet is a Racing and Sports corporate bookmaking operation, licensed by the Northern Territory Racing Commission. They have a neat website and a pretty strong online sportsbook which is worth checking out. The site loads nice and quickly, 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!
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Hits
- Fantastic service for Australian horse, dog and harness racing
- Website allows customers to place fast racing bets
- Excellent racing odds, made better by their guaranteed prices promotions
- Nice coverage of other sports, housed in a separate section
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Sportsbet (www.sportsbet.com.au) claim to be ‘Australia’s Number 1 Betting Agency’ on their website and it’s easy to see why.
If you enjoy betting on Australian horse racing or greyhound racing, then there is no better online bookmaker than SportsBet. They not only cover every meeting under the sun (Down Under), they also provide such a comprehensive package that you’re almost overwhelmed by all the betting options at your disposal. The City Best Plus offer means that customers will always get paid out at the best odds and they can also land some extra cash through an exciting tipping competition available to all customers.
However, as mentioned, SportsBet will need to broaden their horizons if they are to encourage more overseas business. The soccer betting is pretty limited and many of the other sports listed only receive token coverage. However, the cricket and tennis markets / pricing illustrates that they have got the potential to produce tight lines for several other sports.
Sign-up now to Sportsbet.com.au and get a superb A$200 FREE signup bonus
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Hits
- Nice quick website with no flash graphics to slow down page loading
- A breathtaking array of horse racing markets and odds at your fingertips
- A wide range of promotions and offers listed on the homepage, including $200 free bet for new customers
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