Betfair

Why use Betfair?

You can bet that an outcome will happen (back) or that it won't happen (LAY). You can choose the odds you want to play at You can bet whilst the game is in play.

Back or lay

When you "back" a selection (be it an individual, a team, horse, dog or other), you are betting that it will win. This is just like betting with conventional bookies.

When you "lay" it, you are betting against it winning. For example, if you're betting in a market on which team is going to win the Premiership and you lay Man Utd, you offer odds to other punters who wish to back Man Utd. If Man Utd don't win, then you pick up the backer's stake. If Man Utd wins, then you pay out. This is what bookmakers traditionally do.

You never know who you are betting against, your privacy and the confidentiality of your bets is maintained by Betfair's secure site.



Choose Odds
With Betfair there is always a choice of what odds to accept. If you want better odds than are currently available, you can place an order for a better price, but be realistic because there has to be somebody prepared to lay the bet at those odds, and vice versa. Take a look at the odds before a game and you will see them change as visitors back and lay their bets. The odds often improve nearer to the off, as there are more people in the market.

Commission and Tax
You do not pay tax at Betfair, and commission is only paid on your net winnings on each market. i.e. if you have multiple bets on a single market such as Horse Racing, some may win, some may lose, however you only pay commission on your NET winnings (not your stake). If you lose, you do not pay commission. This is particularly beneficial if you are 'playing the bookmaker' (laying bets), where you are often staking large amounts to win much smaller amounts. We offer a customer incentive scheme. Your commission rate is set according to how much you use Betfair. The starting rate is 5% and the lowest is just 2%, which is calculated each week according to how many "Betfair Commission Points" you have accumulated. One commission point is earned for every ?25 of net profit or loss per market.

Markets Include

American Football, Australian Rules,Baseball, Basketball, Boxing, Cricket
Darts, Financial Bets, Gaelic Games, Golf, Greyhound Racing, Greyhound - Todays Card
Handball, Horse Racing, Ice Hockey, Motor Sport, Poker, Politics, Rugby League,
Rugby Union, Snooker, Soccer, Special Bets, Tennis, Trotting, Winter Sports