Betsafe Review
IMPORTANT: Betsafe ceased operating in the UK in October 2020. The information provided below is for historical reference only.
Betsafe has been about since 2002, making them one of the oldest bookmakers in the industry. Additionally, their casino is moving forward at an alarming rate with new games frequently cropping up. As the Betsafe site couples in both sports betting and casino, it means that their target market is much bigger than many standalone online casinos they are going head to head with. But, it's fair to say that in the time they've been around, the company probably haven’t made quite the impact that they would have liked, especially when you compare it to other bookmakers who have been around for a similar period of time.
But, with over 450,000 customers, this gambling site certainly isn’t short in terms of numbers. Throughout this review, we will be looing at how Betsafe stack up against the competition and highlight the company's recent success in both the casino and sportsbook sectors.
Jump to: Odds & Markets | Features | Casino | About | Contact
Odds & Markets
There was a time, not that long ago when Betsafe had a fairly terrible range of odds from sports based around the world. In fact, it was one of the reasons why they initially struggled to crack the European market. Targeting the Scandinavian market meant that they could get away with this, due to the limited number of sportsbooks that initially allowed players from these countries, but in order for the company to move forward and increase player numbers, they quickly realised that their pricing structure had to change.
It was around 2013 when the bookmaker took the steps to integrate a more structured odds format on their sportsbook and we can report that they are now competitive in the industry. We aren’t going to go as far as saying they are the best, because they aren’t, but from the tests that we conducted on an odds comparison site, they were never too far way from best price.
We did notice that odds on major sports, such as football and even American based sports, were very competitive. The site struggled with sports that weren’t as popular, although we didn’t find that they were terrible in any aspect of the tests that we ran.
The markets on offer were plentiful, especially for the previously mentioned sports, but one thing that stood out for us was their coverage for a few standout betting markets, such as e-sports and American based sports. The company have clearly had some sort of influence with e-sports as the range of markets and the tournaments that they cover are one of the largest that we have come across.
Features
Live Betting
Betsafe have recently added a live scores section to the site, which may not seem all that big a deal, be we feel that it’s a really good addition. The live betting section will include a number of these markets already, so you can keep track there if you wish, but the dedicated page keeps track of dozens of sports and hundreds of games from around the world, dwarfing that of the in-play betting section.
Sports Tips
The company also include a number of sports tips sections, mainly for football and NFL. This section has a number of ex-professionals involved, including Alan McInally and Paul Dickov, to name but a few. Each week they write columns highlighting their picks for that week and the articles on offer are informative and engaging, which really adds depth to the bookmaker.
Live Streaming
The site does include a live streaming section, which is a great addition. It’s mainly made up of football matches from around the world, although it does lack a little in terms of the quality of the games, many being from the Middle East and lower league European games. Access is free for Betsafe customers and all you need to is a registered account to view them.
Mobile App
The Betsafe app can be downloaded via the website for both Android and iOS devices. What’s great about it is that you can access all the betting markets from the online site, but also their full range of casino, bingo and poker offerings from the same account and app.
US Sports Centre
The US sports centre at Betsafe is a one-stop-shop for everything American. This section of the site dedicated to like of baseball, basketball, ice hockey and American football. You are able to not only get a dedicated section to these betting markets, but also the likes of promotions for these games and a betting blog which is updated daily. In fact, the betting blog is one of the best we have seen of this type within the sector!
The topping on the cake is the fact that they are able to offer up a plethora of games via their live streaming channel as well. The channel is free to use provided you have a funded account and we think would rival any TV Pay-Per-View channel, it’s that good!
Casino Games
Betsafe use a wide range of casino software providers that include Betsoft, Evolution Gaming, Microgaming, Play'n GO and WMS. The site benefits from having a good range of casino games to choose from, mainly because of their ability to select from some of the best developers in the industry. As a result of the multitude of developers, the software can only be accessed via their online browser based casino, which can be used on both Windows and Mac computers.
The site includes almost 500 games in total, which is definitely on the larger scale within the online casino industry. With this comes a really solid range throughout with slots making up the bulk of these. With 400 slots games to choose from the range is going to be pretty much endless for most players. But, one gripe that we did have within this section is that the quality of the games did vary quite significantly. Don’t get us wrong, the classics such as Gonzo’s Quest, Starburst and Wild Wild West are all there, but some of titles, as you work your way through the catalogue, were poor at best.
The table games are definitely worth a mention though and with this you are going to be getting access to about 70 in total, which again is one of the biggest ranges in the industry. Roulette and blackjack make up a good number of these games, but you can also access games such as Caribbean stud poker, casino hold’em, pai gow, red dog and video poker - just to name but a few of the titles.
The casino can be accessed direct from your mobile as well, simply by downloading the Betsafe app. It’s an ‘all in one’ app in that for the casino you will get access to the sportsbook and the live casino games from the same app. As you may have guessed, it’s a one wallet site, meaning you don’t need to have multiple accounts for casino and sports betting, should that be something that you are after. The app can be downloaded from both the App Store for iOS and the Android Store for android devices.
Who are Betsafe?
Betsafe is owned by the BML Group Limited and are based out of Malta. The company were founded in 2002, as reported earlier, but the bookmaker’s official lunch wasn’t until 2006 where it initially targeted the Scandinavian marketplace. These days Betsafe are very much a global brand and with this you will get access to massive array of sports from around the world to accommodate their diverse player database. The company have won several awards over the last few years, including Best Innovation in Online Casino 2013, as well as others.
The database reportedly includes over 450,000 from 110 countries around the world, highlighting just how developed the site has now become. The Scandinavian consortium that owns Betsafe is based out of Costa Rica and whilst this isn’t the most likely of places to situate a sportsbook, the company have all the right licensing attached, which you can find below.
Contact & License Info
- Live Chat: Accessible via website
- Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- Telephone: +44 808 238 0028
- Address: ‘Betsson Experience Centre’, Ta’ Xbiex Seafront, Ta’ Xbiex, XBX 1027, Malta
- License: Malta Gaming Authority (MGA/CL2/183/2004)