Betfair Casino Review – Did the betting exchange impress us?

Betfair Online Casino is another great option that stands out amongst the myriad of UK-friendly online casinos out there. We had a good feeling about them from the moment we went onto their site and we were not disappointed at all. This is another casino that offers something for everyone – Poker players, bingo boffins, slots spinners, sports specialists and casino classicists will all feel at home at Betfair Online Casino.

Betfair began life in 2000 as the planet’s first internet betting exchange – this is where bets are pooled and exchanged between punters rather than wagers placed against a traditional sports book account. After six years of operation Betfair was already valued at an astounding £1.5 billion!

This well-respected betting exchange now enjoys annual revenues close to £400 million and was given a brand new lease of life in early 2016 when it merged with the leading Irish bookmakers Paddy Power. The new company has designs to go forwards as a single company while maintaining their traditional branding as separate entities, Betfair and Paddy Power.

Welcome bonus

The casino gives players a 200% matched deposit bonus up to £400 to use on as well as 100 free spins. This offer is open to UK and Ireland residents only and requires a £20 deposit to activate. You can’t use either Skrill or Neteller to make your initial payment or else you won’t receive any bonus cash. Wagering requirements of thirty-five times the bonus amount apply.

Game contributions for wagering are as follows:

• Slots, arcade games, scratch cards, ‘fixed odds games’ – 100%
• Roulette, card games, sic bo, blackjack – 50%
• Craps, video poker, pontoon, Blackjack Switch, Red Dog, Spin-a-Wheel, Lucky Wheel, Casion War, Casino Hold’em, Wild Viking, Extravaganza – 5%
• Live casino games, ‘Zero Games’, Blackjack Surrender, ‘Double Up’ options, 3D roulette – 0%

This list is not definitive – please check the site’s T&Cs for full details.

New players from UK&IRL only. Min buy-in €/£20. Bonus wagering 35x on eligible games. Spins available day after bonus is lost/redeemed, 10 per day for 10 days, no wagering. Full T&Cs apply.

Range of games

So many games, so little time … you’re going to love what Betfair Casino has on offer. There is a wide selection of online slots games – any theme you can think of, they seem to have it. If not, they’ll probably be getting it soon as Betfair adds to their collection on a regular basis. The casino also boasts table games, slot games with progressive jackpots (this is where you find the really big wins), your favourite card games, some fun and frivolous arcade games, and video poker.

The live casino available here gives you a taste of that Las Vegas buzz. You can play live roulette, live blackjack, live baccarat and even live casino texas hold’em poker in real time with professional dealers who know how to give you a first-class casino experience.  There are different minimum and maximum table limits to suit every pocket.

Betfair Casino would have really dropped the ball if it hadn’t included a live casino. Thankfully this has not been a missed opportunity and Betfair players will be able to feel like they’re really in a land-based casino. There’s a decent selection of live dealer games available to players, including roulette, blackjack, sic bo, baccarat, casino hold’em, hi-lo and French roulette. With all these fantastic games ready to go, anyone who enjoys live casino gameplay should certainly check the Betfair Online Casino out.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Top-notch customer support
• Excellent range of titles available
• Variety of very decent bonuses with reasonable T&Cs
• Very good live casino

Cons

• Site is too busy for its own good
• No bonuses for existing players

Layout and usability

Seasoned sports bettors will probably enjoy the yellow and grey theme that they have going on. It makes a nice change from the reds and blacks that most online casinos have gone for. Their layout is clean and simple, with bold images and big blocked tabs to help you navigate your way through the site with complete ease. You have to make a concerted effort to not find what it is that you’re looking for! The sign up process is very easy to follow and the different betting variants are displayed in clear tabs at the top of the page. Online gaming shouldn’t be confusing or difficult and Betfair Online Casino clearly understands this.

Betfair bring you mobile pleasure with their mobile site supported by Apple, Android and most smart devices. You can choose a number of operational languages including English, Spanish and Italian. For all of our English, Wales, Scottish and Irish players it is good to know that this app support the Great British Pound Sterling so get gaming today!

Promotions for existing players

Sadly, the only promotions we could find are for new players. There were no promos – in the casino section anyhow – for regular users of the site. This really is something of a disappointment.

VIP/Loyalty scheme

There is a loyalty scheme for VIPs so it pays to play at Betfair regularly. If you make the grade, you get special promotions and benefits and, as it’s a tiered programme, as you progress the better the rewards get. You really have to be a high-roller to ‘get with the programme’ here, though – Betfair won’t grant just any old soul VIP status.

Special features

We’ve got another Playtech casino on our hands so you know you’re in safe hands. As one of the most established gaming software providers in the industry, their platform is reliable and easy to use. Playtech partners up with other exciting entertainment brands so look out for their exclusive games like the Hulk™ Video Slot. Using the Playtech platform is an absolute pleasure. NetEnt and IGT also provide titles here.

We got the impression that we were in very safe hands when we used their customer support. You can get hold of them via phone, email or live chat. You can even tweet them! However unlike many casinos, Betfair Casino support isn’t confirmed as 24hr so check their opening hours. Of course you can usually find what you need in the casino’s FAQs, if your enquiry is a simple one.

Other betting options

Exchange Games are an exciting addition to Betfair – in them you can experience the thrill of person-to-person betting and bet against other players rather than the casino. This is what makes Betfair such an innovative brand in the online industry. An interesting Betfair Online Casino fact is that it was the first online bookmaker to offer a player-to-player betting exchange.

You’re not going to believe the quality of poker available to you at Betfair. newbies can learn to play before they hit the tables and take part in the tournaments that take place in all types of poker. There are buy-ins to suit all players and many of the tournaments have guaranteed prize pools.

Betfair Online Casino is also the ultimate bingo hall – brand new players to the experienced will find their spot with something new happening every day of the week. And of course Betfair will satisfy any sports bettor, with the option to bet on anything from horse racing, the greyhounds to any sports fixtures on the go.

Conclusion

This is a top dollar casino, but Betfair Casino gets four stars out of five. The site needs to calm down a little, and offer promos to regulars.

Other than that, they do everything you could want them to do and they do it well. The company have not been around as long as some of their rivals – think Ladbrokes, William Hill and Coral, for example – but they’ve come an exceedingly long way in the time they have been in business, and are now regarded as one of the premier wagering sites on the web. It’s a reputation that they fully deserve, and it’s one that has been well-earned.