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Sports Betting Review

Bookmaker Reviews

This section features in-depth reviews of betting agencies that support Australian dollar accounts. The bookmakers covered here are the best of the services previously surveyed.

You can view a comprehensive summary of bookmakers that are suitable for Australians in the Betting Agencies section.


bet365 review

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  • bet365’s expansion into Australia will be a major headache for local bookmakers. bet365 has always been our pick of the international services. It offers an extensive range of features and a top of the line, Flash-driven interface. Usage of the service from Australia is more convenient than ever. Australian dollar accounts have been accepted for years, but a wider range of deposit options are offered now that bet365 is licensed in Australia. The betting selections for the NRL and AFL have also improved, as has the selection for Australian racing. The provision of frequent live video feeds and in-depth team statistics is fantastic, and with a minimum bet of $0.25, bet365 will appeal to small-time punters. bet365’s live betting service is the best we’ve seen. It’s just a shame Australian customers can only bet live over the phone. Overall, bet365 is a fantastic service. If the Australian Government lifts the ban on live online betting, then bet365 will become the benchmark for in-play wagering in Australia.

BetEasy review

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  • BetEasy seems to change its name more often than I change my linen, but every time it does it seems to get stronger. The service is essentially a re-branded CrownBet following its acquisition of William Hill Australia. Since the merger, BetEasy has increased its promotions offerings as it strives to acquire an even greater market share. BetEasy is easily large enough to work as a sole bookmaker membership and is well worth checking out.

Betfair review

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  • When it comes to a betting exchange, bigger is better and Betfair dominates in this regard, boasting 90% of global exchange activity. The exchange platform takes time to get used to but it’s well worth the effort. The ability to bet both for and against outcomes makes hedging incredibly easy. Betfair’s other big strength lies in tournament betting. The tournament winner odds are far superior to those offered by bookmakers and the back/lay feature enables you to lock in profits and limit losses. Betfair also offers better value in Correct Score markets than bookmakers. While Betfair does offer a Multi betting platform, the odds and market selection isn’t nearly as competitive, so multi betting enthusiasts should look elsewhere. Betfair is not ideal for beginners, however experienced punters will revel in the ability to play the role of both the punter and bookmaker. We highly recommend Betfair to serious sports betting enthusiasts and to those who enjoy tournament winner and correct score betting.

BlueBet review

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  • BlueBet is among a number of new Australian brands that are trying to make inroads into an industry currently dominated by English and Irish owned companies. The difference between BlueBet and the other new brands is the fact that the founder and CEO is Michael Sullivan – a well known name in the Australian online betting industry. At the moment the odds, features and range of markets are average, but perhaps more unique features will be added as the company grows.

Draftstars review

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  • Daily fantasy sports provide an interesting alternative to tournament betting websites like SportChamps, in which prize money is awarded based on achieving the highest hypothetical profit. For daily fantasy sports in Australia, Draftstars is the market leader. A good range of contests are available to suit a variety of budgets and there is sufficient member activity for Draftstars to offer regular contests with five-figure prize pools. The website interface is excellent and plenty of form data is available for those who know how to use it, including .csv files. Draftstars is definitely worth a look for those who are seeking an alternative to standard betting and tournament betting.

Palmerbet review

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  • Palmerbet is a promising new Australian entrant to online sports betting. The Palmer family has a long history in the racing scene in Sydney and the Palmerbet website is top draw. While the range of markets per event isn’t as broad as the largest bookmakers, the selection will meet the needs of most punters. The interface is very well designed, providing quick and easy access to sporting markets. Our only gripe with the interface is that exotic multiples aren’t supported in the betting slip. Another drawback is the arbitrary restriction that bet stakes must be in $0.50 increments. Apart from that, we’re excited by what we see. Palmerbet is definitely worth checking out.

PlayUp review

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  • PlayUp is one of a few Australian-owned bookmakers trying to mix it with the large foreign-owned services that are licensed in Australia. It replaces the merged ClassicBet, Mad Bookie and soon-to-be-merged TopBetta, with the owning company also owning Draftstars. PlayUp is a good addition to the betting portfolio of anyone who likes to shop around for odds given its independence from other bookmakers.

PointsBet review

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  • PointsBet is an exciting new entrant to the Australian betting scene because since the departure of Sports Alive there have not been any Australian-licensed spread betting operators. Spread betting provides risk/reward elements that you simply don’t get with typical bookmakers or exchanges, so betting enthusiasts will enjoy the added diversity of betting options that PointsBet brings. Because it is a spread betting website, PointsBet has a higher learning curve for betting novices and it’s a high risk option for ill-disciplined punters, but for experienced, disciplined sports bettors, PointsBet will make a great compliment to existing bookmaker and betting exchange memberships.

SportChamps review

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  • SportChamps is the latest entrant into the tournament betting scene in Australia. While the service is still young, it is growing fast, with a reported 50% increase in membership each month. At the time of writing SportChamps offers over 500 tournaments per week with $300K+ in monthly payouts. We really like the provision of 200 free tournaments weekly, which provide an opportunity for newcomers to learn the ropes without having to commit to making a deposit. The main drawback is, unlike TopBetta, SportChamps doesn’t offer standard sports betting in addition to competition betting. SportChamps is definitely worth a look for those who enjoy tournament betting and given the provision of free tournaments. It is also worth a look for those who are simply curious.

Sportsbet review

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  • Sportsbet is an excellent betting service for modest stakes punters, however large stakes punters may become frustrated by Sportsbet’s inclination to limit the accounts of successful members (a common practice in Australia, unfortunately). In an earlier review we described the interface as “simplistic.” Now that the website has been given a complete overhaul, the interface is modern and feature-packed, with strong support for multi betting. At the same time, it is still easy to use and intuitive, which makes Sportsbet a great option for beginners. The betting selection is excellent, particularly for Australian sports, which makes Sportsbet suitable as a solitary membership for those who want only one betting account. One of the biggest strengths of Sportsbet is its frequent betting promotions and free competitions, which add a lot of value to an already good service.

Unibet review

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  • The combination of lower than average bookmaker margins and industry-leading quantity of markets per fixture makes Unibet one of the best bookmakers in the industry.