Betfair hit the online gambling scene in 2000 with a new twist on sports betting. Rather than pitting customers against the house like traditional bookmakers, Betfair was established as an exchange allowing punters to bet against one another. This business model cut out the middleman and essentially allowed everyday people to act as the bookmaker by laying their own odds for sporting events.
Note: Our Betfair review is personal opinion only. This is not official marketing content from Betfair.
The business model proved highly successful and Betfair grew to become one of the most well-known games in online betting. Later, Betfair puts its experience in online gaming to expand into other areas such as online casino games and poker. Betfair merged with competing betting side Paddy Power in 2015 to form a new company called Paddy Power Betfair. The resulting company now acts as the single largest gambling company in the world.
After the merger, Betfair and Paddy Power retained their individual websites but now operate as a single business entity. Today’s Betfair Casino review will focus exclusively on the casino found online at Betfair.com.
One of the most unique things Betfair has to offer are the exchange games, which can be found in the top navigation under the “exchange games” heading. These games allow you to bet on the outcomes of various casino games against other people in a manner similar to the sports betting exchange. This allows you to take the role of the house if you wish by laying odds for and against certain outcomes happening. We’ll cover this aspect later in our Betfair review.
Betfair Casino Games
Betfair Casino consists of hundreds of slots, table games, a arcade-style games and video poker variations. The main casino homepage is organized in a manner that is easy to navigate with each type of casino game listed under its own category listing displayed at the top of the page.
Finding the types of games you want is easy thanks to intuitive navigation and additional sort features that allow you to drill down your list of games for something specific. For example, you can navigate to the slots section and then narrow it down to only slots that have bonus rounds, 25+ paylines and so on.
Games are provided by a variety of software developers. The main casino at Betfair is comprised entirely of Playtech titles while the Macau Casino and Vegas Slots areas offer games designed by other software companies such as NetEnt and Red Tiger. With so many games to choose from and so many different software providers contributing to the effort, Betfair scores well on variety.
BetFair Slots
Betfair suffers no shortage of options when it comes to slots. The main casino alone boasts more than 150 slots titles while the Macau and Vegas casinos also provide large collections of their own. You can switch between each of the 3 main casinos (main, Vegas and Macau) easily through the front page of the website and your account balance transfers seamlessly between all three.
The slots at Betfair are all provided by reputable software providers and offer payout rates that are in line with the industry average. The overwhelming majority of the Betfair slots return roughly 94-96% of all wagers back to players in the form of prizes.
All different types of slots are on offer here between the three main casinos at Betfair. You will find the latest 3D slots with high quality graphics and extended bonus rounds, classic slot games designed to look like actual old-fashioned machines and quite a few games with large jackpots.
Themes are also varied with Betfair offering everything from the mystical, graphically-intensive Crystal Forest HD to completely forgettable slots that rely on classic casino clichés such as Olympic gods and ancient Egypt.
Betfair has licensing agreements with a good number of entertainment brands as well. They have a fairly large contingent of Batman slots along with slots based on Superman, Monty Python, Green Lantern, Ace Ventura, Elvis, Bruce Lee and more.
Table Games and Video Poker
Betfair’s table games are organized into two separate sections marked “table” and “card” within the main casino homepage. In all, there are more than three dozen tables games covering all the most popular types of games. These include blackjack, roulette, sic bo, baccarat, craps and multiple variations of each type.
The table games at Betfair Casino are all offered under standard rules and payouts, which means the payout rates are the same as they would be at a brick-and-mortar casino. The table games are provided by Playtech and function well, but the graphics are starting to look pretty dated by now. The simplest description for the Betfair table games is “average.”
Whereas the table games are completely average, the video poker games at Betfair are definitely a notch above what we see at most casino sites. To this day, the video poker games at most casino sites still look like something from the 90s. Betfair’s video poker machines look more up to date and function well. There are multiple well-known variations to choose from including Jacks or Better, Aces and Faces, Deuces Wild and multi-hand versions of each.
Betfair Live Dealer Games
The Live Casino at Betfair offers roulette, blackjack, 3 card brag, sic bo, baccarat, casino holdem, hi-lo and French roulette with many tables available for each game at any given time. For reference, the live dealer blackjack section alone had 21 open tables when I last visited on a Friday evening.
Lack of seats will likely never be an issue for you at Betfair given how many dealers they have on staff at all times. Even if you were to log in one day and find every seat at every table full, many of the tables allow you to “bet behind” other players. This means you can follow along behind any player and place your own bets based on that player’s hand.
The video feeds were all high definition and the studio gives off the vibe of a real casino. You can even see other tables in the background as the dealers manage games for other players. I did notice the sound seemed a little distorted the last time I visited, but this was likely just a temporary issue.
The Live Casino also has a unique feature in which the main lobby has a feed which gives updates on various trends occurring at the roulette tables. For example, one message on the feed noted that the number 4 had not been hit for 100 spins at their German Roulette table while another message pointed out that the number 35 has not been hit for 125 spins at a different roulette table. This is a useful feature for those of you who like to track trends and manage your bets accordingly.
Betfair Exchange Games
Betfair exchange games offer a completely unique experience that you will not find at any other casino site. These games are based on the original premise under which Betfair was founded back in 2000. That is, they allow you to bet with and against other players on future outcomes.
When you play Betfair exchange games, you do not actually participate as a player. Instead, you watch as automated players play against the dealer. Meanwhile, you and other Betfair customers back and lay bets on the outcome of each hand. For example, a game of blackjack begins with four computer players receive their starting hands. Then, you can bet for or against that hand winning the pot and your bets are matched against other customers who take the opposite view.
The experience can be confusing at first, but you will have no problems getting started if you already have experience with the regular sports exchange at Betfair. This video from Betfair explains the concept in simple terms:
Betfair Software Review
Betfair is the most well-funded gambling site in the world so it is no surprise that their software is nearly flawless. It is obvious they have the funds to develop and maintain high quality software that works as intended and looks nice. The website itself is easy to navigate and works just as well at your desktop or on your phone.
Alternatively, you can visit your mobile’s app store to download any of the apps they offer for mobile devices. The apps offer the best experience as they are designed specifically for the iPhone, iPad and Android devices. If you open your phone’s app store and search for Betfair, you will find their full suite of apps online.
Betfair Casino Deposit Methods
You can fund your Betfair account using a variety of payment methods that are custom-tailored to your country. These include basic international deposit options such as debit cards, credit cards, PayPal, Neteller, Skrill, cheque and bank transfer in addition to many other methods that are specific to each country.
Your exact list of deposit options may look different than mine, but generally these are the most common methods available to players:
| Credit Card | Debit Card | Paysafecard |
| Neteller | Skrill | Bank Transfer |
| PayPal |
Gaming Licenses, Payout Percentage Reports and Reputation
Gaming licenses, payout percentage reports and reputation all combine to give us a very clear picture of how reputable and safe a casino site is for potential customers.
Gaming Licenses
Betfair holds gaming licenses in multiple jurisdictions. The company is licensed and regulated in the UK, Malta, Denmark, Australia, Italy, Spain, Bulgaria and Romania. Each of these licensing entities is a demanding place to hold a license, but still Betfair is in good standing with all of those. Very few casino sites hold as many licenses as Betfair.
Having so many licenses is a major plus in their favour. It shows a strong legal sense with Betfair able to commit to so many different regulators. Additionally, Betfair has much to lose if the company were to ever be found cheating customers.
Payout Percentage Reports
Betfair is regularly tested and audited by Gaming Associates, which is an independent testing company approved by multiple gambling regulators around the world. These results are posted publicly for all to see and they include all numbers regarding payout percentages and the house advantage.
Most Betfair casino games offer payouts in the mid to high-90s, which is more than acceptable for an online casino site. What this means for you is that on average, you will get back £94 to £96 for every every £100 worth of bets placed at the casino. You can see their latest RTP report here.