Betway
Betway have been about since 2006 now, so they aren’t exactly the new kids on the block any more. We think it’s fair to say that the company have seen slightly slower growth than most when it comes to online betting in that time, but we would definitely agree that over the last few years, they have taken their whole brand up to the next level.
The sports betting side of the site is one that’s seen the biggest improvement. They changed everything from the number of markets that are on offer to the design of the site, which shows that they are continuously trying to evolve in this heavily competitive industry.
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Football
Like most bookies, football plays a huge role for Betway and has been the driving force behind the site’s success. What has been interesting to see is that the site has been able to expand quite dramatically within the sport and are now considered one of the better bookies to choose for that exact reason.
The pricing on site has been one of the main reasons as to why they have become so popular. At the end of the day, punters are looking at getting the best bang for their buck, so it makes sense that it’s been here that they have decided to target.
PRICING STRUCTURE COMPARED
From the research that we carried out, we found that they were never far way from the industry best price. But, an important note to consider is that they were very rarely best or joint-best price, which was a little bizarre. They were pretty much always just behind or not too far away.
Take the Champions League final in 2018, for example. Betway was just behind the best price on all markets, being more than 0.10 less than the best on offer. This was actually quite bizarre to see just how many times we found this example to be true, with dozens of games tested and compared. It’s almost as if they set out to do it this way, although we would likely argue this is just variance for the games that they had on offer whilst we were conducting our research.
So, who is Betway for? Well, we never condone bettors using just one bookmaker as they will be losing out on a massive array of value if they did so. But, we do know that many do use just one bookmaker. If you fall into that bracket and bet on football most of the time, Betway could be a realistic choice.
By using one bookie you are limiting yourself as to how good your prices can be. At Betway, you’re pretty much always going to be getting a pretty solid price and, even though you’ll rarely get the best price, we feel that this is something that would even out in your favour should this occur.
MATCH BETTING
As we’ve mentioned earlier, the coverage within the football betting section is one that has seen huge growth in recent years. The countries that they now cover is pretty insane, and just to give you an idea of how niche these leagues get, they are taken from countries such as Cambodia, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Macau, Oman and Vietnam. If you asked us to name just one league from any of these countries, we wouldn’t be able to do so.
Whilst this is impressive from a novelty stand point, realistically this isn’t going to be something that the majority of you will be looking to bet on. As we move a little closer to home, English football in particular offer a huge number of leagues to choose from. In fact, it goes down as far as the 9thtier of English football, although these matches do include very few games and they won’t go in-play for the most part, so bear this in mind.
MARKET COVERAGE
The market coverage is really good as well and with it you get a selection that you would expect to see from any of the bigger betting brands in the industry. They work really hard on the core markets, such as Match Result, Over/Under Goals, Both Teams To Score and Run With Three, developing all sorts of cast offs.
Then they work into more sort of niche bets, as we would call them. These could be goals scored within a certain period of time, Anytime Score in the Match, Keep a Clean Sheet and Method of Victory, to name just a few. Overall, it’s highly impressive and we couldn’t really come up with any flaws whatsoever.
A really nice addition to the online site at Betway was the inclusion of the search tool when scrolling through betting markets. It’s super-fast and responsive and one of the best ones that we have tested. As soon as you start typing it brings up a range of markets to choose from based on what you’ve inputted. It’s a really simple feature, but one that so few bookies offer and given just how many markets there are to trawl through, it’s a great tool.
BET YOUR WAY
Betway have jumped on the social media betting bandwagon and launched their own format called Bet Your Way. This is essentially a service that allows punters to Tweet Betway you get bets made up that they want to stake. All you need to do is include the term #BetYourWay and your bet before they will send it off to their traders for a price for you.
What is good about is that all bets are loaded up on site, as well. Each section is broken up into prices. These include up to 10.00, up to 26.00, up to 67.00 and over 67.00. Whilst some of the bets offer genuinely good value for these games, some of them are pretty hilarious. For example, in the 2018 Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid, you could get 750/1 to repeat the match that they won against AC Milan in the final, coming from 3-0 down to win the trophy.
Whilst it’s often seen as a bit of fun more than anything, if you’re shrewd about your picks, there is value to be had here.
IN-PLAY BETTING
The in-play betting section is actually quite basic, to be honest. It’s not a standalone section that a lot of bookies offer, which we think works quite well. It’s kind of integrated into the homepage – more as an extension of the site.
It functions pretty well though considering, and we liked the style of the list on offer here where you can quickly and easily see which games are taking place and then scores, prices, and leagues relating to that game. What was a massive plus was that you could change the overview of the prices on offer. Other markets included the likes of Total Goals, Both Teams To Score, Result and Both Teams To Score and Double Chance. It’s such a simple inclusion and we have no idea why more don’t offer this, so massive kudos to Betway here.
As you dive into the match, you are greeted with a number of options to look through at the top of the in-play betting section. These include latest scores, information on match and form, statistics from the current game, line-ups and comments from the match. It all works and functions really nicely, but they have been known to show casino adverts here which can be quite distracting.
Horse Racing
Whilst horse racing is pretty much a given for all bookies, we think it’s fair to say that the sport definitely plays a second fiddle role compared to that of football. What has been impressive to see from Betway though is that this section is much larger than it was just a couple of years ago and they seem to have been able to not only introduce more races, but also more features on site, as well.
The odds structure follows a very familiar path to that of football betting, in that they are super consistent. They’re a site where you aren’t going to get the best prices for every race, but you are never going to be too far away, which works well for us.
What has been interesting to find is that they are super competitive with some of the smaller meetings. We looked at a couple of meetings from both Redcar and Kenilworth, then compared them to the industry standard and their pricing definitely was up there with the best. It could definitely be sample size, but it could be a nice little addition for punters who are looking to bet on the smaller races or who like to avoid the bigger races, which many do.
UK & IRISH RACING
The UK and Irish section of the site is the most popular, as you would expect from a Euro facing bookie. The odds generally come online around 12-24 hours prior to the start of the race, which is good if you like to get in early. This is not something that all bookies offer though, so Betway would be a good fit if you want to get on active markets, whilst still essentially operating with Antepost prices.
The biggest downside to the horse racing section has to be the lack of markets that are available to bet on. Aside from the Winner and Each Way market, all you then get is the Forecast and Reverse Forecast bets. It is very limited and whilst it’s something that the majority of punters will be using anyway, it’s still nice to see bookies trying something a little different. We’ve definitely noticed that more are willing to do this as well, so that was disappointing.
But, Betway’s saving grace when it came to the market coverage is that it is include with their #BetYourWay feature, as mentioned previously in the article. We think that they might be one of the only ones to offer this for horse racing, which is brilliant. The odds and the bets are all pinned up on the site, as well. You will be able to form bets based on specific races or even specific meetings if you wish.
Best Odds Guaranteed
Another positive that we wanted to mention is that Betway does include the Best Odds Guaranteed promotion that so many bookies operate with these days. For those that aren’t familiar with it, the offer is pretty simple in that for all UK and Irish races, if the starting price is higher than the odds you took, and your horse goes on to win, Betway will actually pay out at that higher starting price.
It offers a lot more value than you’d think this offer as it essentially means you’re always getting the best possible price from that bookmaker.
Live Streaming
Finally, Betway do include a live streaming service on site, as well. You will need to wager on the race in question from £1 and then you will be granted access to watch the stream. You’ll be allowed in for as long as that race is running, then the stream will end.
INTERNATIONAL RACING
The international coverage on site is excellent and much better than we were expecting it to be. They cover races from all over the world and the inclusion of racing from as far as Mauritius, just highlights their keenness to have a truly international racing section.
The one thing that really caught our eye was the fact that the coverage from USA racing was incredible. They have tons of meetings on offer with a plethora of races from each. In fact, we’ll go as far as saying that they are the best bookie for betting on US horse racing that we have come across. The only slight downside is that prices usually aren’t live until a few hours before the race starts, but this is mainly down to time difference.
E-Sports
We’ve spoken earlier in the article about Betway being heavily reliant on both football betting and horse racing, which is true for the vast majority of bookmakers as well. But, it’s often hard to have any other sports really stand out aside from these two, mainly because people just don’t want to bet on other sports as much. But, Betway have invested a huge amount of both time and resources in trying to break the mould, doing so with that of e-sports.
For those that don’t know, e-sports is essentially betting online computer gaming and is now a massive industry with huge competitions taking place, professional teams and millions of pounds worth of prize money on offer each week. As soon as you land in the e-sports section at Betway, you just know they mean business. It changes from the green of the sports to the purple colours and with it, everything is totally dedicated to e-sports betting in a way that we’ve never seen from a bookmaker before.
Usability
The design of the site is one that we really like, actually. We love the fact that it splits up the colours from all of their products, such as sports, casino, poker and e-sports. It keeps a sort of uniform in that you know where they are from but differentiates from each section when within the site.
The layout for the live betting section is one that we think could do with some work. It feels as though you are still stuck in the main bookmaker and when there is so much going on, it’s often hard to keep track. We are not fans of the adverts for the casino that sometimes show up in the sportsbook either, as we really think they don’t need to add this here.
Navigation is pretty good though. We liked that when you hit back you literally jumped to the last page you were on. Whilst this may seem blatantly obvious, the number of sites that will jump you back to the homepage of the HUB for that sport is ridiculous and highly frustrating.
MOBILE APP
Whilst online via the desktop is great, we think that the best way to use Betway is via the betting app. The mobile app got a huge facelift in 2017 after coming under heavy criticism from a lot of reviews (including us), but the current form is one that works really well. It’s just so simple to use and it doesn’t have loads of adverts spinning and flashing in your face as well, which is a massive positive.
Casino Games
While initially this site was, and still is to some extent, powered by Microgaming, their game range has rapidly expanded recently thanks to their new partnership with NetEnt and other developers. Because of this, you’ll find a huge array of games to enjoy.
SLOTS
There is a fantastic range of slots, and while it’s not one of the biggest collections we’ve ever seen, it does include all the most popular titles around. You’ll find an array of titles from both NetEnt and Microgaming.
If you’re a NetEnt fan, you won’t have to wait for games to become available, in fact, all NetEnt’s most recent games have been added to the site as soon as they came out. You’ll see Jungle Spirit: Call of the Wild and Wild Wild West: The Great Train Heist, alongside classic games Gonzo’s Quest and Jack Hammer 2. This ensures the range of games on offer is more than adequate for the majority of players.
If you’d prefer to stick with Microgaming titles, you’ll be able to play all their games. This includes the ever-popular Immortal Romance and Thunderstruck 2 as well as less well known games such as Gold Factory, Cool Buck and The Heat is On.
ROULETTE
You’ll find a healthy number of different roulette games, this includes a selection of relatively common roulette titles along with more obscure game variants.
On offer there is European Roulette, American Roulette and French Roulette. In addition to these three common games you’ll also see something called Multi Wheel Roulette: Gold Series. This unique game uses three roulette wheels on a single spin, so while you will need to stake three times as much each time you play, it does allow you the chance to win three times at once.
There’s also a multiplayer version of roulette, which allows you to play alongside other players. All the roulette games, no matter how common or rare they may be, render perfectly in stunning HD visuals, thanks to an extremely high quality, fast and efficient website.
BLACKJACK
The blackjack selection is far more comprehensive than that of the roulette. If you prefer to stick to traditional blackjack, you’ll want to check out the European Blackjack Gold Series, which offers wide staking options, high-definition graphics, smooth gameplay and a simple, easy to use layout.
If you’re looking to win the big bucks, checkout Vegas Downtown Gold Series Multi Hand Blackjack, and if you want something completely unique that you’ve likely never seen before, take a look at Bonus Blackjack. This is a game that incorporates the fun of bonus rounds from video slots with this classic Vegas table game.
VIDEO POKER
Much like the blackjack section, the video poker part of the casino offers an excellent number of titles with loads of games currently available.
You will find all types of video poker game. There’s the most common games like Double Joker Poker and Jacks or Better alongside the somewhat rarer titles, Double Bonus Poker, Double Double Bonus Poker, All Aces Poker and Aces and Eights Poker.
OTHER GAMES
Betway Casino is packed full of other games, from Poker themed titles to instant win games. If you’re a fan of poker-themed games you’ll find a variety, including 3 Card Poker, Caribbean Stud Poker, Red Dog, Oasis Poker, Casino Hold ‘Em, Ultimate Casino Hold ‘Em. Plus, you don’t need any poker knowledge to begin playing them.
These can all be found under the ‘other games’ tab. You’ll find games based around keno alongside scratch games, which are essentially online versions of scratch cards you’d buy in your local store.
Live Dealer Casino
The live dealer games area is state-of-the-art and offers live gaming with interactive dealers. If you’ve never played in an online live dealer casino before, it’s simple to get started and easy to play. You don’t need to download any special software, simply select the game you want to play, choose your stake and wait for the next hand or spin to begin.
You’ll see a few different games available to play including Roulette, Blackjack, Casino Hold ‘Em, Baccarat, 3 Card Poker, Caribbean Stud Poker and Ultimate Texas Hold’ Em. The games’ high quality allows you to play uninterrupted and hassle free at all times.
- Live Dealer Casino Games: Roulette, Blackjack, Baccarat, Caribbean Stud Poker, Casino Hold ‘Em, Ultimate Casino Hold ‘Em and Betway Roulette
- Opening Times: Most tables run 24/7
- Limits: £1 – £5,000
