Because odds, markets and features vary between bookmakers, many punters have more than one active membership. This broadens the selection of sporting markets available. It also decreases the effective bookmaker margins through providing a choice of odds for any given selection. Additional memberships also enable punters to access new sign up bonuses.
At the same time, having too many memberships can be an inconvenience. Your funds are spread across numerous bookmakers and it takes time to assess who offers the best odds for a particular selection.
When looking for additional memberships it is best to select bookmakers that have contrasting strengths. This enables you to broaden the features available to you without spreading your money too thin.
At Australia Sports Betting we’ve surveyed countless bookmakers and have come up with the following suggested combinations depending on your wagering needs. Note that the following lists are designed for Australian punters who wish to wager in Australian dollars.
This article supersedes our original survey, which was first published in 2011.
Ownership Structure
Before proceeding, it is worth noting the Australian bookmakers that share the same parent company. This is because most acquisitions eventually result in the acquired bookmaker offering the same markets and odds as the parent. This lessens the value of holding memberships with both the child and parent bookmaker.
Ladbrokes
Ladbrokes plc is a UK-based gaming company. They acquired Bookmaker.com.au and launched Ladbrokes.com.au with identical markets and odds, however the two services differ in promotions offered.
Paddy Power
Paddy Power is an Irish bookmaker which owns Sportsbet, which they merged with IASbet.
Tabcorp
The ASX-listed Tabcorp Holdings operate Trackside, Luxbet and TAB. Luxbet and TAB do not share the same markets or odds.
William Hill
William Hill is one of the largest bookmakers in the UK. They own Tom Waterhouse, Sportingbet and Centrebet. The three services offer identical markets and odds, but different promotions and competitions. This isn’t confirmed, but there are reports that the owning company will consolidate these brands under the name William Hill. The brand Tom Waterhouse will remain until December 2015, while the future of the other brands remains up in the air at the time of writing.
Ultimate Bookmaker Membership Combinations
Beginner:
- Sportingbet OR Sportsbet OR Luxbet OR bet365
These service offer beginner friendly interfaces. The betting selections meet most punters’ needs and they offer numerous betting promotions and competitions.
Casual Punter:
- Sportsbet AND/OR (Centrebet OR Sportingbet) AND/OR Luxbet AND/OR bet365
Australian-licensed bookmakers provide the best range of betting markets on sports such as the AFL and NRL. They also offer betting promotions and competitions regarding Australian sports. - 10bet OR Winner OR Titan Bet
International bookmakers offer live (in-play) online betting while Australian-licensed bookmakers can only offer in-play betting over the phone.
Enthusiast:
- Sportsbet AND/OR (Centrebet OR Sportingbet) AND/OR Luxbet AND/OR bet365
Australian-licensed bookmakers provide the best range of betting markets on sports such as the AFL and NRL. They also offer betting promotions and competitions regarding Australian sports. Holding memberships with more than one of these bookmakers enables you to effectively reduce your bookmaker margin by shopping for odds. - 10bet OR Winner OR Titan Bet
International bookmakers offer live (in-play) online betting while Australian-licensed bookmakers can only offer in-play betting over the phone. - Betfair
Because it is a marketplace rather than a bookmaker, Betfair enables you to bet both for (playing the role of the punter) and against (playing the role of the bookmaker) outcomes. The ability to bet both for and against a particular outcome, like Federer winning Wimbledon, enables you to easily hedge your bets if odds move in your favour. This makes Betfair the best place for tournament winner betting. Like Pinnacle Sports, Betfair will not close or limit the accounts of successful punters, however they may charge premium fees.
Serious Punter:
- Sportsbet AND/OR (Centrebet OR Sportingbet) AND/OR Luxbet AND/OR bet365
Australian-licensed bookmakers provide the best range of betting markets on sports such as the AFL and NRL. They also offer betting promotions and competitions regarding Australian sports. Holding memberships with more than one of these bookmakers enables you to effectively reduce your bookmaker margin by shopping for odds. - 10bet OR Winner OR Titan Bet
International bookmakers offer live (in-play) online betting while Australian-licensed bookmakers can only offer in-play betting over the phone. - Betfair
Because it is a marketplace rather than a bookmaker, Betfair enables you to bet both for (playing the role of the punter) and against (playing the role of the bookmaker) outcomes. The ability to bet both for and against a particular outcome, like Federer winning Wimbledon, enables you to easily hedge your bets if odds move in your favour. This makes Betfair the best place for tournament winner betting. Like Pinnacle Sports, Betfair will not close or limit the accounts of successful punters, however they may charge premium fees. - Pinnacle Sports
Pinnacle Sports offer by far and away the best odds of any bookmaker, which is critically important for those who are serious about winning money. View our bookmaker margin survey. Another critical advantage is that Pinnacle Sports will not close or limit the accounts of successful punters.
Obviously, you can have many more memberships than this, but these combos highlight the broadest range of services with the fewest number of memberships. Depending on your needs, you may find getting a Betfair account more of a priority than some of the services listed earlier. The above lists are designed to serve as a rough guide only.
Odds Comparison
If you hold numerous memberships and find it time consuming to see which bookmaker offers the best odds, our Live Odds section enables you to compare the latest odds for upcoming sporting fixtures across Australia’s leading bookmakers.
Poll
How many bookmaker memberships do you actively hold? By active, we mean memberships that you currently bet with.