Introduction
The following is an in-depth review of the Northern Territory-licensed betting agency bet365. This review covers the features, interface, sports & racing markets, upsides and downsides of the service. For legal reasons this review’s structure is in contrast to the rest of our reviews. We aren’t permitted to use screenshots or list specific facts, so this review focuses our personal experience and opinions of bet365 instead.
This review is part of our comprehensive Bookmaker Reviews section. The Betting Agencies page provides information and reviews for other sports betting agencies that are suitable for Australians. The following details are updated periodically to keep them up to date.
Some Official Figures
bet365 is a massive brand. As of 2023, they have annual revenues of over $3.5 billion. The company employs over 7,000 employees globally. They boast 90 million registered customers from over 160 countries.
Betting Interface and Website Layout
The bet365 interface is one of the best we’ve seen. After previously being Flash driven, the desktop website switched to HTML5 in late 2016, which has enabled it to provide the same feature-rich interface at faster speeds.
The left column features the ubiquitous sports navigation panel. However, unlike many bookmakers, the navigation frame doesn’t load subcategories. Instead, when you select a sport the available leagues are displayed in the centre column. You then select the leagues you wish to view. This feature is great when you wish to view numerous leagues at once, but it does take longer than a typical drop down menu if you’re only looking up one market. At present, you can’t display odds for different sports at the same time.
When viewing the odds you can click on the > icon to view additional betting markets for the selected fixture. The additional odds are dynamically displayed on the same page to avoid unnecessary page reloads.
For selected sports you can also click on a stats icon to view the form guide for the participants. This launches a statistics window that provides a plethora of form and fixture history data for the two sides.
The betting slip operates much like an online shopping cart. It is displayed to the right of the odds display and is maintained as you navigate around the website. The slip features a ‘Show all Multi Bets’ tab, which when selected displays numerous combinations of multibets using items in your bet slip. Multi betting fans will appreciate the functionality, with Trixie, Yankee, Super Yankee, Heinz, etc., available.
Bookmaker margin
The bookmaker margin (overround) is a measure of the bookmaker’s profit margin for an event and is a hidden transaction cost for punters. This profit is how bookmakers finance their services but bookmakers vary in the margins they apply. From a punter’s perspective, the lower the margin, the better.
In our latest bookmaker margin survey, bet365 recorded the best odds (lowest margins) for sports, with an average margin of 4.9%. This was well below the next best at 5.3% and the survey average of 5.8%. They also came out on top for the number of markets per fixture and the frequency for which they offered the (joint) best odds on a particular selection.
bet365 recorded the third best margins in our fixed odds racing survey. They came in 4th for the frequency for which they offered the best available odds for any given runner.
Overall, the results showed that a bet365 membership is essential for those who like to shop around for the best odds, particularly for sports.
View the full survey results
Learn more about bookmaker margins
Sports Markets
bet365 offers a fantastic range of sporting markets. Given that it’s based in the UK, it is of no surprise that football (soccer) is heavily covered, with virtually every league catered for. The popular Australian sports are all present. As a result of bet365’s move into Australia, the betting selection on Australian sports has caught up with the leading Australian bookmakers. The breadth of international sports covered eclipses every Australian-owned service.
In our latest markets survey, bet365 performed well for the number of markets offered per fixture, totaling over 100 on average. This makes bet365 more than suitable as a solitary bookmaker membership for those who only wish to sign up for one service.
bet365 is also strong for same-game multis. Of the eleven sports and leagues we included in our latest bookmaker margins and markets survey, bet365 offered same-game multis for ten of them.
Horse Racing
Those who enjoy wagering on both local and international racing events will appreciate bet365’s comprehensive racing coverage. Horse racing, greyhounds and harness racing are available in three categories: UK & Ireland, International, and Australia. As a result of bet365’s expansion into Australia, the offerings on Australian racing markets have improved out of sight. Races from venues across the country are offered each day and Antepost markets are available for the major Australian events.
In-Play Sports Betting
bet365 no longer offers live online betting to Australian customers. Australians must phone in to bet live.
bet365 offers by far the best in-play betting service of any Australian licensed bookmaker. A huge selection of sports are offered in-play, with many of those sports accompanied by live video feeds, often with commentary. There’s nothing to stop punters from logging in simply to view the feeds when a sport isn’t broadcast on local TV. To be granted access to the feeds you only need a non-zero account balance or an outstanding wager. This makes bet365 an affordable way to watch sport online. Examples of sports and leagues covered are Scottish Premier League football, English Championship football, South American football, WTA and ATP tennis events, squash, volleyball, table tennis and badminton. From our experience the feeds often have a smaller lag to the live action than Fox Sports channels.
As of 2023, bet365 boasts that it offers the industry’s widest range of ‘in-play’ sports betting events with over 78 sports covered and over 780,000 events live video-streamed annually.
Summary and Conclusion
Upsides
- Top-of-the-line interface
- The best in-play betting line-up of any bookmaker we’ve surveyed
- Incredible betting selection, especially on football
- Quick to provide markets for upcoming fixtures
- Same-game multis for a broad range of markets
- Competitive bookmaker margins, particularly for sports
- Low minimum deposit
- Low minimum stake amount
- Low minimum withdrawals by bank account now that bet365 has expanded into Australia
- Good selection of deposit and withdrawal methods
- Access to a substantial depository of statistics
- Video and audio feeds during many live events
- Excellent customer service
Downsides
- Live online betting is no longer available to Australian punters due to the Interactive Gambling Act1
- Has been known to suspend or limit the accounts of successful punters
- Fewer weekly bookmaker promotions than other leading Australian-licensed services
Bottom Line
bet365’s expansion into Australia has been good for local punters. bet365 has always been our pick of the international services. It offers an extensive range of features and a top-of-the-line 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 low minimum stake levels, bet365 will appeal to small-time punters. bet365’s live betting service is by far 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 ever lifts the ban on live online betting, bet365 will become the benchmark for in-play wagering in Australia.