bet365 Review

The bet365 sportsbook is one of the biggest in the UK and recognised around the globe. It provides a highly secure betting experience with great customer support too.

Is bet365 Safe?

bet365 is one of our most highly rated sportsbooks.

This is due not only to its excellent reputation and strong welcome bonus but it’s competitive odds and internationally certified security systems.

In this bet365 review, I will outline my betting experience with the brand. Discover what features stood out and why it is regarded as one of the best in the business by experts and players alike.

Company overview

Safety rating	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Founded	2000
Headquarters	Stoke-on-Trent
Customer support	24/7 live chat
Owner	Privately owned
Test period	8 hours

bet365 Security

Security

Is bet365 safe?	Yes
Licence	UK and others
Bonus terms	Fair
Withdrawal problems	No
Protection of funds	Medium
Ever blacklisted	No
SSL	256-bit (top of the range)
Extras	Information Security Management System
Payment options	Debit cards, Apple Pay and more
2-step verification	Yes

From the faqs on their site, bet365 have a range of security layers.

At the time of writing, this includes top of the range 256-bit Digicert SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) to encrypt data. This ensures that any data passed through the site is scrambled making it extremely difficult to be interfered with.

On top of this, I was asked to set a four-digit passcode to log in on top of their regular username and password. This was a nice extra little touch that made me think bet365 really took security seriously.

From the table above, you can see they also operate an Information Security Management System (ISMS) which has been internationally certified. Again, this isn’t something that all bookmakers do and is great to see.

Licence

The company holds a licence with the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC), amongst others. They are highly reputable and holding this licence ensures that they adhere to the strict guidelines.

Furthermore, bet365 operates in many different territories and hold several top licences with the following countries:

• Malta
• Gibraltar
• Mexico
• Australia
• Spain
• Italy
• Denmark
• New Jersey

Licences are essential for operating purposes. All criteria for each region must be met by the bookmaker, which is a mammoth task. The more licences a company acquires increases how trustworthy they are.

Protection of Player Funds

The UKGC has awarded bet365 a medium rating for their protection of funds policy. This is a good rating and only comes into force in the unlikely event of bet365 going into administration.

Most betting sites we’ve come across have a medium rating, as the steps are taken are considered more than reasonable in protecting players money.

Player funds are held in a separate account from the companies, ensuring that they are safe. In saying that, a medium rating does not guarantee that all money will be paid back if the company liquidated.

Responsible Gaming

For this bet365 review, I wanted to know how easy and safe their responsible gambling tools were and have to say I was impressed. There is an entire area on-site covering the topic in full.

What really stood out was the ‘How Gambling Works’ section. It’s great to see that bet365 give their players the chance to get to know how betting works in theory and how odds work in practice. This is an excellent educational addition to the site, which doesn’t feature many other bookmakers.

Of course, they also offer a host of tools including:

• Deposit limits
• Stake limits
• Time outs

Furthermore, you can keep track of all your betting activity. This is found on many sites, but it was very easy to navigate to with bet365.

bet365 Promotions

Sign-up Bonus

Bonus type	Bet and get
Amount	Bet £10, get £30 in free bets
Minimum deposit	£5
PayPal eligible?	No
Eligible methods	Debit card
Minimum stake	1/2 (1.5)
Wagering	N/A
Time frame	30 days
Maximum amount	£30 in Bet Credits
Other promotions	Yes
Get up to £30 in Bet Credits	Visit site

bet365 Welcome Bonus – Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets

As a new customer, I took up the bet365 welcome offer. At the time of writing, March 2023, the offer gave me was to bet £10, get £30 in free bets.

Players can qualify for as little as £5 making it open to a wide range of player types, but in this case, you should note that the maximum free bet amount you receive is £15 (3x initial deposit). This is the first good sign to look out for with a welcome offer.

I signed up and deposited £10 with my debit card into my new bet365 account, and received £30 in Bet Credits. Once my bet, settled, my Bet Credits were activated and ready to use.

One of the most important aspects of this bonus is that your deposit doesn’t need to be wagered all at once.

You can place as many qualifying bets in the opening 30 days, and you will get your Bet Credit(s) as per the promotion, ie 3x your initial deposit. Note that your qualifying bets need to be settled before you are able to use your bet credits.

How to Claim

1

Register

A new account

2

Deposit

Between £5 and £10 within 30 days using a valid payment method

3

Place bets

To the value of your deposit, at odds of at least 1/5 (1.2)

4

Wait

for bets to settle (within 30 days)

5

Get bet credits

3 x the amount of your initial deposit up to £30

Welcome Bonus Key Terms and Conditions

There are a few terms in place. Most of them are common sense but bet365 like to be crystal clear with their offers – which isn’t a bad thing.•

• Available to new customers only. Make a qualifying deposit of £5* or more and claim the offer within 30 days of registering your account to qualify for 300% of that amount in Bet Credits, up to a maximum of £30* in Bet Credits.
• Once released, your Bet Credits will be held in your account balance and are non-withdrawable.
• To release your Bet Credits for use, you must place qualifying bets to the value of your qualifying deposit (capped at £10*) and they must settle within 30 days of claiming the offer. Only qualifying bets placed and settled after claiming the offer will count towards this requirement.
•  Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, paysafecard and all other prepaid credit and debit cards, where available, cannot be used for either your qualifying deposit or any subsequent withdrawal of returns from Bet Credits stakes unless we have successfully verified an accepted form of your Identity Documents and you have entered a Postal Verification Code (PVC), or we have successfully verified two accepted forms of your Identity Documents. See full Terms and Conditions for details.
•  Bets placed must meet certain conditions to count towards the release of your Bet Credits: – Must contain at least one selection at odds of 1/5 (1.20) or greater. – In market/fixture combinations that only have two or three potential outcomes (for example Soccer Full Time Result), where you have placed bets on more than one potential outcome, either pre-match or In-Play, only the outcome with your highest cumulative stake will count. – Where a stake has been partially Cashed Out, only the remaining active stake will count. – Where a bet has been edited using our Edit Bet feature, only the new stake on the new bet will count. – Fully Cashed Out, Instant Games, Gaming, void bets or In-Play bets which are settled as a push will not count.
• Your Bet Credits are non-withdrawable, and Bet Credits stakes are not included in any returns. Any returns from Bet Credits placed will be added to your Withdrawable Balance. Bet Credits cannot be used on certain products, offers/promotions and bet types. See full Terms and Conditions for details.
•  Your Bet Credits will be forfeit and removed if your account is inactive for 90 consecutive days.

*or currency equivalent

T&Cs, time limits and exclusions apply.

Bonuses for Existing Customers

Part of the reason bet365 are so popular is their existing customer offers and promotions. Smaller brands will find it hard to compete with bet365 in this department as it really is a punters paradise.

At the time of writing, there are six existing customer promotions listed on the bet365 site and open to me. Each of those has a dedicated page with all the terms and conditions laid out in full, which is really useful if you want to look them over.

Needless to say, they are only available to those over the age of 18 and that terms and conditions apply.

VIP and Loyalty

Since betting with bet365 I have received a number of loyalty free bets. From what I can tell, it is an average stake of the bets placed in a certain period.

The bookmaker plays this close to their chest though, and bear in mind this not a guarantee for every player.

bet365 Sports Betting Markets

Sportsbook overview

Bet	Here
Number of sports	30+
Top sport	Football
Other sports	Horse racing, tennis, golf, darts
Market depth	100’s for top events
Cash out	Yes, on many events
Bet builder	Yes
Live streaming	Yes
Daily offers	Yes
In-play markets	A wide range of sports

Many sports are available on the bet365 sports betting platform:

• UK and Irish horse racing
• International horse racing
• Football (major leagues and beyond)
• Tennis
• Rugby
• Darts
• Snooker
• Golf
• E-sports
• Boxing

Special markets aren’t unheard of either, so keep your eyes peeled for more unusual odds.

Maximum Payouts

Maximum Payouts

Top level football	£2,000,000
Top level horse racing	£1,000,000
Golf	£500,000
Rugby Union	£500,000
Other football	£500,000
Other horse racing	£250,000
Tennis	£500,000
Boxing	£250,000

The limits at bet365 are some of the highest in the industry. In fact, only William Hill matches the £2,000,000 payout on football.

All of the eligible leagues and markets for the maximum payouts are listed in the bet365 terms and conditions.

It’s worth noting that there is a wide range of limits across sports and it can depend on the level at which the sport is played or even the tournament. I would advise checking the exact payout if you’re unsure.

bet365 Football Markets

Placing bets on football at bet365 is a very easy process, with plenty of options – especially for football.

I found fixed odds on a huge number of different leagues, and the number of markets for each was also excellent.

They had odds for Premier League matches, Championship, European competitions; and odds for many topflight leagues across the world. In fact, they even have odds up for more obscure markets such as Malta.

The most common markets are:

• 1X2
• First goalscorer
• Scorecast
• Half-time/full-time
• Over/Under

I found these on most of the matches I looked at while testing, but for bigger events, there were hundreds of different betting options. These included:

• Number of corners
• Player to be carded
• Asian handicap
• Winning margin

The extra markets were great to explore, and it was a nice way to mix up my bets.

Competitive Odds

If we use the example above to look at how competitive bet365 are, we can see that they are highly competitive. They are providing the joint best 1X2 margin for Arsenal vs Benfica.

All bookmakers add an edge, or margin, to their book – but some do add more than others. It’s also important to note that just because a bookmaker is a top price on a singular event not to assume they are competitive.

I had a look across a number of markets and can say that bet365 were close to the top, if not top, for all levels of sports. This is highly impressive especially when you consider that also promote a high number of markets.

Betting In-Play

Not all betting sites provide as extensive a live betting platform as bet365. When looking for what markets were available the number of markets was astonishing.

What makes the bet365 in-play markets so impressive is that it is available on a wide range of sports for varying levels.

When you consider that odds are moving so quickly as the action unfolds, it shows you that there are a lot of experts within the business.

The offering is particularly noteworthy in both football and tennis markets. I was impressed with the depth of the markets.

On top of that, my bets were accepted quickly and I didn’t experience any cancellations with odds being out of line, as can happen when betting live.

Live Streaming Options

To watch live streams at bet365 I needed to have a funded account or to have placed a bet within the previous 24 hour period. This is standard across bookmakers in the UK, although some do require minimum bet amounts.

One thing that stands out about the live streaming service at bet365 is that it is collated in a handy scheduling system, much like a TV guide. This is very useful if you’re looking ahead at what events are coming up.

The schedule is handy because there are thousands of streams every year. Everything from football, horse racing, to table tennis is on there. Again, this is not a level that many bookmakers can match; making bet365 a leader in this area.

Cash-Out at bet365

Being able to cash out a bet has become an important aspect of online betting. When researching for this bet365 review I tested the cash-out feature and rated my experience with it highly.

Cash-out is available on a wide number of markets – more than on other bookmakers I have looked through. Furthermore, there is the addition of partial cash out, and being able to edit your bet.

The edit bet part of the feature is excellent, and not available with all bookmakers that offer cash out. It gives players the chance to remove one selection from an accumulator bet if they change their mind and even gives the chance to replace it with another bet.

It works very smoothly but it’s worth bearing in mind that the odds will change as result. And you are unlikely going to be offered the same value. This is true for all forms of cash out.

Fantasy Sports

bet365 have added the option to play Fantasy sports onto their site recently. Customers can choose from a range of sports including football, tennis, American football, and several more. Simply build a lineup and score points based on the players’ performance. The entry fees are pooled with a percentage of the top scoring teams earning a payout.

There are a range of options from Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) where you can pick a team for one game or a round of fixtures while other contests run over several months. There are a range of buy-ins available and you can use your usual bet365 account balance, there’s no additional wallet required.

This is a similar move to the one Paddy Power made after their partnership with US firm Fan Duel. While the product is more versatile in terms of the game selection, there aren’t as many large-scale tournaments offering seven-figure top prizes just yet, although these could be introduced over time.

New and eligible customers only. Entry fee required. T&Cs apply.

Free-to-play Games – New for 2022

New for the 2022/23 season, there are a couple of interesting free-to-play games available to bet365 customers in the UK.

Golden Goals

First is Golden Goals. Simply log in to your bet365 account to uncover which match has been allocated to your selections for the upcoming round of fixtures. This usually runs from Tuesday to Saturday meaning you’ll have five matches showing by the weekend.

A log-in each day is required though, if you miss a day that game won’t be available.

Then, based on the number of goals, you can earn prizes. For each selected game that features four or more goals, it’s £0.50 in free bets (Bet Credits), and £1.00 for any game where there are five or more goals. If the five matches tally 20 or more goals combined, then there’s an additional £5 in free bets coming your way.

New and eligible customers only. Free to play. T&Cs apply.

6 Scores Challenge

The 6 Scores Challenge is fairly simple to follow. Predict the correct score of six selected games with prizes on offer for four or more right answers. You may be familiar with the concept as it’s been offered by a few bookmakers in the past.

The jackpot for rounds in August 2022 was set at £1,000,000 but as there were no winners, bet365 confirmed this will be the case until it’s won, so there’s plenty of potential upside in entering your picks for free before 3 pm on a Saturday. Following this period, the jackpot is still a huge £250,000.

New and eligible customers only. Free to play. T&Cs apply.

Payment Options

bet365 UK Minimum Deposit and Withdrawal Times

Method	Minimum Deposit/Withdrawal	Withdrawal Time
	£5/£5	1-5 banking days
	£5/£5	Within 24 hours
	£5/N/A	N/A
	£200/£40	1-5 banking days

My options for depositing were decent, as seen in the table above. In the UK, the likes of PayPal is there, which we consider one of the safest, most efficient ways to fund your betting account.

The downside is that only your debit card is pretty much your best option if you want to claim the welcome offer. So, bear that in mind at least for your first deposit.

bet365 Betting App

App overview

Safety rating	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Number of sports	30+
Live streaming	Yes
2-step log-in	Yes
Operating system	iOS (12.0) or later and Android
Cash out	Yes
User experience	Excellent
Download size	29.7 MB

For this bet365 review, I tested the app to try it out, as I would normally use the mobile site. However, I will use the app from now on as it was highly responsive.

When it comes to the bet365 apps, I use the iOS app it’s simple to use – from the pin-code login to navigating, everything works well – much like the desktop experience. You can tell that they’ve invested heavily here.

From a secure point of view, being able to log-in with a code or Face ID is excellent, and something I would recommend other users take advantage of.

Android users are covered too as there’s a bet365 Android app available to download.

I really enjoy the bet365 in-play experience on mobile – with the bet365 live match/event visualisations and data points providing just enough info to help me make my sports bets.

Customer Service

Customer Service

Live chat	24/7
Email	[email protected]
Telephone	0800 028 8365
Response time	Live chat within one minute
FAQ section	Extensive
Free to call	Yes, from UK landlines

It’s good to know that a reliable customer service team is at hand if you need it. Of course, we tried this out in order to give an honest opinion for our bet365 review.

The experience with support was positive for me. I invented a question and contacted them via live chat. My chat was picked up with seven seconds and resolved within the minute.

The extensive FAQ section is also worth a visit as it offers information, and examples.

User Experience

The bet365 sportsbook is first in class in my opinion. Navigating through the markets was simple, and if there were any corresponding promotions; they were clearly marked.

To complete my bet365 review, I also checked what else was on offer. Across the top menu, you will find links to their other products including casino, live casino, poker and bingo.

Each of the products has a separate wallet meaning you have to move your funds between them. This seemed a little outdated as most sites now offer one combined space for your money which makes it easier to move between the products.

In saying that, the casino was filled with top online slots and the bingo section was filled with upcoming games. Also, in a similar vein to the sportsbook, everything was well sign-posted and finding what I was looking for was easy,

Tips and Tricks

Furthermore, stats are produced for every single football fixture that bet365 have odds for.

They show awesome information including recent results, expected goalscorers and much more. Make use of this excellent feature before placing your bets.

Improvement Areas

I would like to have had a few more options for payment methods that qualify for the welcome bonus. Not all players feel comfortable using their personal debit card, and with other bookmakers offering more methods, I would have expected more choice at bet365.

In the same respect, withdrawal times are also quite long. Paddy Power, for example, offers instant withdrawals – even to debit cards. Again, it’s an area we think that bet365 do OK, but can do better on.

Summary

There are few online bookmakers as big as bet365, or as safe. At legit, bet365 is amongst, if not our top bookmaker.

When using the site, it was clear where everything was, odds were competitive and there were great promotions. Add on top of that a first-class security system and you have a legit sportsbook.

bet365 provides players with an extensive sportsbook. Not only are odds competitive, they use top of the range encryptions to ensure that the site is as safe as it can be.

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