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The days of betting with a single bookmaker are over. If that's not the case for you, then wise up, friend. Loyalty does not pay in the betting world. There's so much competition out there - in terms of price, offer and service - it pays to shop around and get the best deal you can get on every bet you place.
Bookmakers are engaged in a vicious tooth and nail fight to the death for market share. As such, their promotional people invest a great deal of time coming up with competitive offers and deals, unique markets, enhanced prices and other incentives designed to attract your custom.
The more accounts you have open - and preferably financed - the better positioned you are to take advantage of the best of whatever is available as and when it become available. To stick with one or two bookmakers - out of loyalty, laziness or ignorance - is to deny yourself access to the best returns from your betting activity.
For horse players like us there's plenty to take advantage of too. And much to avoid.
This comparison is intended to be a one-stop review of what's good, what's bad and where to go and get it. It would be impossible to cover every single bookmaker out there. So I've stuck to those I know and use myself. As such, the review is qualified. Opinions expressed are my own.
How much does it cost if it's 'free'?
When considering opening an account or betting with a bookmaker it pays to check out any terms and conditions attached to offers and bets. You can't afford to take things at face value. For example, what a bookmaker calls a 'free bet' is actually a matched bet - meaning he expects you to place a bet of a specific amount before giving you a free bet to the same value. It's not exactly 'free' - there are strings attached. Availing yourself of the facts at the outset can save you from disappointment further down the line.
Also bear in mind that the bookmaking industry is riddled with imitation. If bookie A comes up with an offer that looks like it might attract custom, you can guarantee that bookies B, C, D and E will be making the same offer - or their 'unique' variation on the theme - within days. Copying is endemic in the industry. And, at one time or another, all bookmakers fall victim to it. Often without giving the offer, market or incentive they are copying a single iota of thought. Sometimes an offer, market or incentive turns out to be a clunker - and each bookie learns the lesson and counts the cost in turn before binning the scheme.
This can be played out to your advantage. There is always a lag between one bookie and another scrapping an offer because it is unprofitable. If you're on the ball you can make sure you profit from every individual bookie running the offer before he learns (independently of his competitors) that it isn't paying.
Choosing your Bookie
I believe a bookmaker's attitude to offering Non-Runner No Bet (NRNB) terms is a good acid test of his customer focus. It signals whether or not a bookmaker is serious about offering you something of value in return for your custom and I think it's a very worthwhile test.
A bookmaker who goes NRNB is giving you an opportunity to take a big ante-post prices safe in the knowledge that you'll get your stake refunded if your fancy doesn't actually run. Bookmakers who choose not to give you this facility until much closer to race date are hoping you'll still be daft enough to place ante-post bets with them. If your horse doesn't run they keep the stake.
I applied a snapshot test on the morning of 27th February 2008 - two weeks before the start of the Cheltenham Festival. Ideal timing to test which bookies are prepared to give us a bit of value and where our business should be going.
So without further ado.... Let's take a look at the bookmakers and exactly what they do or don't offer we horse backers....
bet365
Established Online: 1999
Open Account Offer: Free bets worth up to £100. Be sure to read the terms and conditions of the offer which are pretty complex.
Offers/Incentives: Best Odds Guaranteed on all UK and Irish racing. Channel 4/1 offer - back a winner priced above 4/1 in a race televised on C4/specially featured race and you get a free bet in the next race televised on C4/specially featured race. Enhanced Place Terms are offered on certain big races throughout the year.
Extras: Audio commentary, results service and form guides available on site.
Comments: On the downside, bet365 are very quick to reduce limits. On the upside they are renowned for exceptional customer service. On our NRNB test bet365 are among our top bananas. At the time of testing bet365 were NRNB on all Cheltenham 2008 races.
Link: www.bet365.com
BetDirect
Established Online: 1998
Open Account Offer: First bet matched up to £25.
Offers/Incentives: Best Odds Guaranteed on all mainland UK races.
Comments: Top marks on our NRNB test. On day of testing Bet Direct were NRNB on all Cheltenham 2008 races.
Link: www.betdirect.com
Betfred
Established Online: 2003
Open Account Offer: First bet matched up to £50. A further £50 worth of free bets is available after further qualifying bets.
Offers/Incentives: Best Odds Guaranteed - on selected races. Refunded Stake - In specified races if your horse is second to the favourite your stake is refunded. Multiple Bet Bonuses - 50% bonus on all correct Lucky 15 bets (Yankee). 100% bonus on all correct Lucky 31 bets (Canadians). 200% bonus on all correct Lucky 63 bets (Heinz).
Extras: Racecards, audio race previews, shows, commentary and results available on site.
Comments: Another top banana. Betfred were NRNB on all Cheltenham 2008 races on our test date.
Link: www.betfred.com
BlueSq
Established Online: 1999
Open Account Offer: £25 matched bet
Offers/Incentives: Little effort made to attract racing business. Onsite BlueSq say 'We are pleased to offer extra choice and extra value... with our live show prices.' What this amounts to is precisely nothing - making a virtue out of a feature available literally everywhere.
Extras: Audio commentary, results service and form guides available on site.
Comments: BlueSq say they offer a 'competitive range of ante-post prices' for Cheltenham - what else would we expect them to say? On day of testing they had yet to go NRNB on any Cheltenham 2008 races. Black mark.
Link: www.bluesq.com
Boylesports
Established Online: 2001
Open Account Offer: First bet matched up to £50. There is the opportunity to qualify for further £150 worth of free bets via subsequent bets.
Offers/Incentives: Best Odds Guaranteed - on all UK and Irish races every day. Daily Specials - In selected races if your selection finishes 2nd to any horse your stake is refunded. In selected races if your horse is beaten up to and including a head your stake is refunded. Enhanced Place Terms available on selected races throughout the year.
Extras: Results, form and audio commentary available on site.
Comments: Full marks. On day of testing Boylesports were NRNB on all Cheltenham 2008 races.
Link: www.boylesports.com
Coral
Established Online: 1996
Open Account Offer: Matched bet up to £25.
Offers/Incentives: Very little effort made generally. Enhanced Place Terms offered on races sponsored by the bookmaker - for example, the Coral Cup at Cheltenham.
Extras: Audio, form and results available on site.
Comments: Failed to go NRNB on any Cheltenham 2008 race by day of testing. Poor form. One of the biggest firms out there obviously doesn't feel the need to offer punters the concession. On the plus side Coral are often first up with long-range ante-post markets - happy to stick their heads over the parapet while those with less backbone hang back and wait to see what everybody else is doing before committing themselves.
Link: www.coral.co.uk
Ladbrokes
Established Online: 1998
Open Account Offer: Match up to £100 at the weekend. Match up to £25 in the week
Offers/Incentives: None. Must try harder.
Extras: Form, statistics, commentary and results available on site.
Comments: Good reputation for taking sizeable bets online. Good reputation for customer service too. But the Magic Sign is another major player which doesn't feel the need to offer existing or prospective racing clients much incentive to bet with them. On day of testing Ladbrokes - the cheeky bookie - had failed to go NRNB on any Cheltenham 2008 race. Vote with your feet. When it comes to ante-post punting look around for alternative book's prepared to give you your cash back is your selection doesn't run.
Link: www.ladbrokes.com
Paddy Power
Established Online: 1998
Open Account Offer: Recently introduced a new offer. £150 worth of free bets to. First bet matched up to £50. Have another 10 bets and you get a free bet to your average stake up to £100.
Offers/Incentives: Money Back Specials - along the lines of 'If your horse finishes second to the favorite then your losing win single stake is refunded.' Best Odds Guaranteed - applies to a single selected race every day. Enhanced Place Terms - offered on selected races throughout the year.
Extras: Audio commentary, results service and form guides available on site.
Comments: Passed the NRNB test with flying colours.
Link: www.paddypower.com
Skybet
Established Online: 1998
Open Account Offer: Matched bet worth £20.
Offers/Incentives: None.
Extras: Audio commentary, results service and form guides available online.
Comments: On day of testing Skybet was another major player that had failed to go NRNB on a single race at Cheltenham 2008.
Link: www.skybet.com
Sporting Bet
Established Online: 1997
Open Account Offer: Free bets worth £100 available - dependent on making bets worth £25 per week for a maximum of 4 weeks.
Offers/Incentives: Nothing extra on offer to wet the horse backer's whistle.
Extras: Audio commentary, results service and form guides available online.
Comments: Sporting Bet are often a standout price on several horses in a race and it's often possible to take a price with them which you can instantly lay off on the exchanges for a shorter price thus guaranteeing yourself a free bet to nothing.
Link: www.sportingbet.com
Stan James
Established Online: 1997
Open Account Offer: New sign-ups get a matched bet up to £25.
Offers/Incentives: Best Odds Guaranteed - on all mainland UK races.
Extras: Audio commentary, results service and form guides available online.
Comments: On day of testing Stan James were NRNB on all Grade 1 races at Cheltenham 2008 but not on the remaining races.
Link: www.stanjames.com
Totepsort
Established Online: 2003
Open Account Offer: Totesport are innovating with their current account opening offer. Bet £10 and get a £20 free bet. Expect to see this 'bigger matched bet than you stake' offer replicated throughout the industry before too long.
Offers/Incentives: Value Special - betting to just 1% per runner on selected races. Not a new idea by any measure. Other firms have tried this. Totesport are concentrating their efforts on it as I write.
Extras: Audio commentary available online.
Comments: Another big player failing to offer NRNB to punters on any Cheltenham 2008 race at time of testing.
Link: www.totesport.com
VC bet
Established Online: 1994
Open Account Offer: New account openers get their first bet matched up to £50. Further best of £10 or more qualify for further free bets up to £50.
Offers/Incentives: Pushing several incentives at time of writing including Yankee Free Bet- have a Yankee and if you only have a single winner then your entire stake is returned in the form of a free bet to be used on a future specified race day. Free Fall - If your selection falls your stake is refunded in the form of a free bet on the following day's racing.
Extras: Audio commentary, results service and form guides available online.
Comments: Reputation for taking large bets online. But not likely to get a reputation for being first in the queue to offer punters NRNB on their ante-post gambles. On day of testing they had failed to go NRNB on any Cheltenham 2008 races.
Link: www.victorchandler.com
William Hill
Established Online: 1999
Open Account Offer: Weekend - match between £10 and £100. Week - match up to £25
Offers/Incentives: Sticking Neck Out - If your selection is beaten into 2nd by a neck or less in any televised race on C4 your stake is returned in the form of a free bet on the next day's racing.
Extras: Audio commentary, results service and form guides available online.
Comments: Another big firm that had failed to go NRNB on any Cheltenham 2008 race by day of testing. Black mark. However, in their favour they were offering Best Odds Guaranteed on ante-post Cheltenham bets. Back a horse ante-post and if it wins at a better price on the day you get paid out at the bigger price. William Hill is a firm many smaller bookmakers like to follow. I think this ante-post variation of the Best Odds Guaranteed theme is something we are guaranteed to see on offer with more and more firms.
Link: www.willhill.com
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