Betsafe Sportsbook Overview

Last updated: by Leon Marshal

Information Update: Betsafe sportsbook is unavailable until further notice, watch this space for developments. Check out more great sportsbooks from our list of best betting sites for the UK.

Betsafe have been offering online gaming for 10 years and have over 1 million customers. The self-styled “cool kids in gaming” offer everything you would expect at an online sports betting site but with a few surprises thrown in.

Navigation on the site is perfectly functional, you have the ability to see all the markets from the homepage. A quick links section at the top of the screen allows for one click access to the most popular and current events.

The outstanding feature of Betsafe is their withdrawal policy, if you verify your details, Betsafe will in 80% of cases process your payment immediately, this is brilliant news and we wish more online sports sites did this!

🥇 Betting Site
Rating4.0 / 5.0
Number of Sports28+
📈 Average Markets (EPL)131
🎁 Welcome Bonus£30
⚖️ Regulation
🏆 betsafeVisit Site!
Full T&Cs Apply! New customer offer. Deposit up to £30 to receive a 100% matched deposit. Bonus amount need to be wagered 6 times in Sportsbook or horse racing, on odds of 4/5 (1.80) or greater. Please gamble responsibly. 18+

Start Playing With Betsafe

Betsafe offer a really simple first deposit offer. If you sign up and make a deposit (min. £10), then Betsafe will double it up to £30. Welcome bonuses rarely get better than this. *This is an old offer and is not on the site at the moment.

Get Your Betsafe Welcome Bonus

Betsafe sign up step 1 Open a Betsafe account

Betsafe sign up step 2 Make an initial deposit (min.£10)

Betsafe sign up step 3 Start playing

It’s fair to say that Betsafe do things differently, their headline campaign is “No Bullshit Betting” and that is exactly what you get. At other online sports betting sites, you will often see pages and pages of promotions, this is not the case here. Betsafe take a more simplistic route.

This approach will be like Marmite for some people, I personally like it! I find it can be all too easy to get distracted on some sites. By concentrating on what is important, Betsafe ensure that the customer experience is enhanced.

An outstanding feature that I wish to go into further detail on is the virtuals market. You will see these on more and more online bookies sites and are becoming hugely popular with customers. The action may be simulated but there is nothing virtual about the fun you can have with these games. At Betsafe you can choose between football, tennis, basketball, horse classics and dog racing. Let’s have a closer look at these.

Football League – If you are a Fifa or Pro Evo fan you will feel right at home betting on virtual football. The graphics are crisp and clear and the excellent sound effects help build a big stadium atmosphere. If you are familiar with the Football Manager series of games you will see the similarities with the highlights mode of Football Manager.

The teams that you can bet on did make me smile! Very Pro Evolution Soccer’ish with teams such as VFL London, VFL Paris, VFL Amsterdam and VFL Berlin. A season lasts 30 games with the eventual winner being decided by a 16 team league table.

Betting can be done both pre-match and also in-play and the bet selections are 3-way (home, draw and away win betting), handicap betting (give one of the teams a head start), over / under betting (over or under 1.5 goals, 2.5 goals or 3.5 goals) and correct score betting.

Some of the odds offered in games can be pretty tasty with odds of 500/1 being offered for a 3:3 draw. As with all in-play betting these odds do fluctuate to reflect the current scores in a game.

A full game lasts three minutes, this ensures that a new game is never far away and I found virtual football was surprisingly engaging. You find yourself rooting for a team and I must admit I had a few strange looks from colleagues in the office when celebrating a last minute winner for VFL London which netted (pun intended) me a cool £20.

Tennis Open – The graphics on the virtual tennis are nothing short of superb and it was easy to forget that it was a simulation as they are so life like! As is the case with the football, the sound effects are excellent. Close your eyes and I defy anyone not to believe it’s real.

The action takes place over a tournament basis and I found myself identifying with certain players. Betting takes place before and during the match and the betting options are, winner of the game, winner of the set and winner of the match. You have the option to also bet on the amount of games that will take place until the set is won. You will find the best odds in the correct score market.

Virtual Basketball is another high quality offering and if you have ever played the NBA 2K series of games, it will look familiar to you. You can bet on the winner, highest scoring quarter, total points, winning margin, handicap, first team to x points and team totals.

A surprise omission from the main sportsbook offering is horse racing and greyhound racing, if you are looking for these market then I would recommend 888sport. You can however have a flutter on both virtual horseracing and virtual greyhound racing. Both of these markets have the same level of quality as the other virtual markets and I found the hours flew by while playing these.


Sportsbook Features

One of the most appealing aspects of the Betsafe site is the ease of navigation. As we have mentioned before in other reviews, we test a lot of new sites and many operators will cram so much information on the screen that it is almost impossible to find the market you are looking for.

Betsafe do have all the markets listed but only the headings, the individual events are hidden from view until needed. This makes finding and betting on your favourite sports really easy. We had no problems with slow loading of the markets and unlike sites like 888sport, it’s not flash based so you don’t get an annoying delay when you change from sport to live betting.

The best betting sites have a wealth statistics available to you, Betsafe is no different! One click on the icon and you will find head to head information on a fixture. This data is provided by www.score24.com and provides a great insight into current form. A feature I did like was the most frequent results section, this coupled with the form curve proved very insightful.

SPORTSBOOK FEATURES
Betsafe Website LookMarkets Covered
American Football, Aussie rules, Baseball, American Football, Australian Rules, Baseball, Basketball, Beach Volleyball, Boxing, Cricket, Darts, E-Sports, Film, Football, Golf, Handball, Horse Racing, Ice Hockey, Martial Arts, Novelties, Olympic Games, Politics, Rugby League, Rugby Union, Snooker, Table Tennis, Tennis, TV events, Volleyball
Mobile App. .
Bet ExchangeNo
In-Play ConsoleYes
Live StreamingNo
Live Streaming RequirementsNot applicable
In-Play CashoutYes
Other FeaturesBet Calculator; news and stats sections
Minimum Bet£0.10

The right hand side of the main screen is where the betting slip is located, which when populated is very clear and I like the design aspect. Even with lots of selections, a gap is left between them which stops it becoming too cluttered. A handy tab lets you choose between single bets, combined (accumulator) and multiples. I would have liked to see a ‘quick bet’ option with some prefilled amounts, hopefully Betsafe will include this in the future.

The live schedule is located on the main screen and is very useful, a quick glance is all that is needed to see what in-play events are due to take place.

Betsafe as seen on TV

The cashout facility works a bit differently at Betsafe, on risky bets you can cashout a certain amount before the bet has been settled. The amount that will be offered could be more or less than your stake, this will depend on the current situation in the event you have bet on.

Unlike most online betting sites, cashout is not always available and is only offered on certain events. For football you will see it offered for the following leagues;

English Premier League, French Ligue 1, German Supercup, Spanish Supercopa, Dutch Eredivisie, Swedish Allsvenskan, Finnish Veikkausliiga and Norwegian Tippeligaen.

Cashout will be available for match winner (1X2), full time totals (over/under), half time totals (over/under), half time result (1X2), half time/full time and correct score markets.

Cashout is not available for:

  • Bets placed with free bets or risk free bets
  • Combi-bets
  • System bets

Betsafe Mobile Betting App Reviewed

The most important thing for a punter is placing a bet. What most don’t realise is the app’s design and navigation could play a huge factor in how easy this is. The Betsafe mobile app has a common-sense design all the essential features are just a swipe away. It takes very little time to get used to the app and you can be underway in minutes.

Sometimes it can feel a bit clunky or laggy, and this has been reflected in our score here. Nevertheless, it is still an easy to use app and bets can be placed very quickly. Something that is very important to the modern-day punter who is always on the go.


Banking and Transactions

One of the biggest frustrations with online sports betting sites can be the amount of time it takes to withdraw any winnings. Many betting sites have a “cooling off” period when you request to withdraw money, they do this in the hope that you will change your mind and reverse the request.

This is why Betsafe’s attitude to withdrawals is so refreshing, they automate approximately 60-70% of withdrawal requests, meaning your money is received instantly. 30-40% of withdrawal requests are done manually and this is usually completed within 24 hours.

The site uses state of the art security which is based on SSL (secure sockets layer). This encrypts all data between their web server and the customer’s browser. The payment partners they use are among the best in the industry.

Making a payment is easy at Betsafe, just log into your account and click on the deposit button. The minimum deposit amount for all payment methods is £10.

The site uses state of the art security which is based on SSL (secure sockets layer). This encrypts all data between their web server and the customer’s browser. The payment partners they use are among the best in the industry.

BETSAFE ACCEPT THE FOLLOWING PAYMENT OPTIONS
Payment MethodDepositWithdrawal – Processing
minmaxtimefee
.£10£900InstantFreeInstant *
.£10£900InstantFreeInstant *
.£10£900InstantFreeInstant *
.£10£4,000InstantFree24 hr max
.£10£5,000InstantFreeInstant *
.£10£5,000InstantFreeInstant *
.£10£1,000InstantFreeN / a
.£10No LimitInstantFreeN / a

So overall, Betsafe offers plenty of ways to fund your account. PayPal is perhaps a surprise omission but Betsafe are certainly not the only site that doesn’t accept PayPal. If you are looking for an online sports betting site that does accept PayPal then we recommend BetVictor.


Betsafe Help & Support

Betsafe has all the usual ways of contacting an online sports company such as E-mail, Telephone and Live chat. They also have a great FAQ section which is simple to use and offers answers to the most popular questions that customers ask.

Betsafe is without doubt one of the best companies we have dealt with from a customer care perspective. Each and every time we have contacted them on live chat they have answered within seconds and the agents have always been friendly and knowledgeable. When they have not known the answer to our questions they have sought help from a supervisor. The agents kept apologising for any delays whilst seeking help and are among the politest of any sports betting site we have used.

ONLINE SPORTSBOOK SUPPORT DETAILS
Betsafe have one of the most efficient and friendliest support staff at any online betting site with the added bonus of great response times
.Telephone number0808 238 0028
Address:BML Group Limited Experience Centre Ta’Xbiex Seafront Malta
Post Code:XBX1027
Emailsupport-en@betsafe.com
Live chatYes
Open Hours0 – 24

Betsafe – the History of This Online Sportsbook

Betsafe started back in 2006, the casino and poker sections followed a year later. By 2011 the company had 130 employees who were servicing over 450,000 customers. Also that year, Betsafe introduced their live casino offering and became the official sponsor of the Gumball 3000 which is a 3,000-mile motor rally on public roads in the UK.

In 2012 Betsafe began a sponsorship arrangement with German football club FC Köln and by 2014 the sportsbook was attracting nearly half a billion Euros in bets for the World Cup Final between Argentina & Germany.

In 2015 they launched the ‘No Bullshit Betting’ promotion which is probably the first honest campaign an online sports bookmaker has ever made. The campaign shows the Betsafe boss living the high life, all at the customer’s expense. The advert finishes with her saying, “Odds are you don’t have what it takes to beat us in the long run … Go ahead. Prove us wrong”.

AT A GLANCE – BETSAFE COMPANY INFORMATION
Name of operatorBetsafe
Sportsbook Web Sitehttps://www.betsafe.com
Chief Executive OfficerUlrik Bengtsson
License InformationLicensed by the Gambling Commission of the United Kingdom
License Information number39579
Testing AgencyEuropean Sports Security Association
FTSE Listed and FTSE NameNo
Number of Customers1 million plus
Owner InformationBetsson AB
Employeesunknown
Sister SitesBetsson.com, mrsmithcasino.co.uk
Manchester City (betting partner)

I like the ‘No Bullshit Betting’ campaign, it’s nice to see humour interjected within betting sites (another reason why Paddy Power is such a hit with us). In just 4 short years, Betsafe have doubled their customer base, this is certainly a sports betting site to keep an eye on!


Why Did Betsafe Score 4/5?

We really like Betsafe! The ‘No Bullshit Betting’ mission statement flows through the company. From the simplicity and functionality of their website to the small but totally transparent welcome offer.

OUR OVERALL CONCLUSION / OPERATOR SCORE
MarketsSupportLive BettingPaymentsBonusOverall
4.0/5 Good4.5/5 Very Good4.5/5 Very Good4.0/5 Good4.0/5 Good.

Customer support and the speed of withdrawals are the most stand out features of Betsafe, on the many occasions we have contacted them, they have proved to be one of the most helpful of all the online sports betting companies we have tried.

There is of course scope for improvement, the lack of horse racing or greyhound racing is slightly baffling as they are such huge markets within the UK and this fact alone will put some people off. I would also state the lack of any live streaming of events is also a bit bizarre but if I’m totally honest, I very rarely stream events so this for me personally is not such a great loss.

betsafe betsafe best for virtual HIGHLY RECOMMENDEDFOR VIRTUAL SPORTS Visit Site!

Overall, Betsafe is one that we recommend highly. Customer support is easily in the top 5 of all the online sports betting sites that we have used, the speed of the responses has been blisteringly fast but without doubt the headline feature of Betsafe is the fantastic withdrawals policy. I hope other operators take notice and adapt a similar policy but well done to Betsafe for going out on a limb on this.