Gambling.com Rating: 9.1/10
Our Verdict: A hugely popular site worldwide for a reason - with exceptional live betting features and a wide range of promotions.
bet365 is one of the most complete online bookmakers - unsurprising, considering the site has over 80 million customers across more than 200 countries.
This UK-based betting giant was among the pioneers of in-play betting two decades ago and still sets the standard in this area.
With live streams of over 600,000 sporting events each year, I've been able to watch and bet on a wide variety of sports.
The app ranks among the best in the industry and the site consistently rolls out innovative promotions.
That said, I still see room for improvement. Money-back offers remain scarce and beginners might find the site a bit confusing.
Overall, though, this is still one of the best betting sites in the business.
Category | Score | Reasoning |
---|---|---|
Sports & Markets | 9/10 | Wide range of markets across sports - with one or two exceptions. |
Promotions | 9/10 | Varied offers for new and existing customers alike. |
Payments | 9/10 | Good range of fast, safe, and reliable payment options. |
Customer Support | 8/10 | Helpful live chat and social media support - no phone support. |
Reputation | 10/10 | Globally respected brand with huge customer base. |
User Experience | 9/10 | Clean design and easy navigation (slightly busy look if new to betting). |
Mobile Platform | 9/10 | Top-tier app with positive feedback from mobile bettors. |
Responsible Gambling | 9/10 | Wide selection of industry-leading responsible gambling tools. |
Live In-Play Betting | 10/10 | Excels in this area, particularly with live streaming. |
Value of Odds | 9/10 | Competitive prices, especially for horse racing and football. |
Gambling.com Rating: 9.1/10 (Highly Recommended)
Find out more about how we rate betting sites
bet365’s welcome offer gives new customers up to €30 in free bets.
It's good value relative to competitors, though not quite as generous as offers from sites such as Betfred.
What I like most about this offer is the flexibility, as I was able to choose my qualifying stake.
Deposit and bet between €5 and €10 to get three times that amount as free bets.
I went with the full €10 to get €30 - and there were no restrictions placed on my free bets, which was a welcome change.
Bookmaker | Qualifying Bet | Free Bet Bonus |
---|---|---|
Bet €5-10 | Get €15-30 | |
Bet €10 | Get €40 | |
Bet €10 | Get €40 | |
Bet €10 | Get €50 |
bet365 engages existing customers with a mix of ongoing promotions, which are accessible from the 'Offers' tab on the left of the home screen.
I counted promotions for 16 sports, including early payouts, boosts and enhanced each-way terms.
Promotion | Description |
---|---|
1. 100% Acca Boosts | Up to a 100% profit boost on successful accumulators. |
2. Racing Bet Boosts | Boosted price on a selected runner in every UK and Irish race. |
3. Early Payouts | Available on football, NBA, MLB, NHL and NFL. |
4. Champions League Ballot | Win tickets to Champions League games. |
5. Tennis Retirement Guarantee | Bet wins if opponent retires hurt. |
bet365’s horse racing betting markets are extensive, covering all major UK and Irish races, plus international meetings.
The best odds guaranteed offer kicks in at 8am each day, ensuring you get the best price if the starting odds end up bigger than what you took.
All UK and Irish races are shown live once you've placed a qualifying bet. I've also watched live streams of races from Australia, France and the US here.
There are regular promotions like odds boosts and extra each-way places, while the range of ante-post markets really impressed me.
I like to place bets on Cheltenham months in advance and bet365 has year-round prices for all the big Festival races.
The only real downside is the lack of racing money-back specials.
“bet365's odds are highly competitive and I've been impressed by the number of each-way places on offer.”
As a global football betting site, bet365 delivers across the board on the world's game.
You’ll find odds on almost every match and competition worldwide, with regular price boosts to add value.
Football is a priority at this site - as evidenced by sponsorships like the UEFA Champions League and the site's long-time backing of Stoke City, where bet365 is headquartered.
The Champions League deal includes ticket giveaways and free games like '4 Scores Challenge', where correctly predicting four scorelines can win you up to €50,000.
The weekend '6 Scores Challenge' ups the stakes, offering €250,000 for six correct scores.
Football promotions are strong too. I've claimed profit boosts on successful accas and early payouts when my team goes two goals up.
I also recently noticed that the 'Sub On Play On' promo - if you back a player market like first goalscorer, the bet rolls on to the substitute if your player is taken off.
“Live football streaming at bet365 is top-tier - when a stream isn’t available, audio commentary and live updates keep me up to date."
bet365 has a better GAA betting service than 90% of online bookmakers, but doesn't offer as many markets as the likes of BoyleSports and Ladbrokes.
It's a really solid choice for betting on inter-county matches, though, with markets like handicaps, winning margins and first goalscorers available.
The GAA odds at bet365 consistently offer good value, with prices for hurling and Gaelic football rarely beaten by rival bookmakers.
The best GAA betting feature at this site is the number of odds boosts on offer.
For example, on a busy weekend of Provincial Championship action, I counted 10 enhanced odds offers available across all fixtures.
More club markets would be welcome, but overall, bet365 is one of the best sites you can use to bet on GAA.
When it comes to golf betting, bet365 does the simple things well, without too many extra frills.
Our odds comparison tests have shown that bet365 usually beats the competition for outright golf odds.
There's also an extensive range of markets for the mini-tours, along with all the main tours like the PGA, DP World Tour and LIV Golf.
Some sites haven't caught up with the rise of LIV, but bet365 has lots of betting options and special offers for the Saudi-backed tour.
The 'Each-Way Extra' promotion allows you to customise your extra place terms, up as far as 12 places. Even without this promo, I find bet365 often pays the most places for major championships.
There's no live golf streaming but this is the case for most golf bookmakers, largely due to broadcasting restrictions.
“Each-way terms are crucial to the golf betting experience and bet365 often leads the way - with up to 10 places paid for the majors.”
bet365’s rugby section has odds for all the big competitions, including the Six Nations, Rugby World Cup, Champions Cup and United Rugby Championship.
I've been impressed by the range of markets, especially for top-level matches, where there's also a bet builder available.
The same-game acca allowed me to combine markets like match winner, first try scorer, and total points into a customised bet.
The 'Extra Time Extra Chance' promotion is the main rugby offer for existing customers.
If your team draws in 80 minutes but wins in extra time, your bet still gets paid out as a winner, adding value to betting on knockout fixtures.
While union gets the full treatment here, sites like Betfred do a better job with bonuses and promos for rugby league matches.
Beyond the most popular sports with Irish punters, bet365 also offers an impressive selection of niche markets.
If you're into Esports betting, bet365 is a solid choice. You’ll find competitive markets on competitive video games like CS:GO, League of Legends, and Dota 2.
Greyhound racing fans are also well-served, with daily race markets from the UK, Ireland, and Australia - many of which are streamed live.
When it comes to US sports, bet365 delivers solid coverage of the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL, complete with early payout offers for all of these leagues.
You can bet on TV events like Eurovision, Strictly Come Dancing, and Big Brother with bet365. Finally, the site offers a broad range of political betting markets for Ireland and beyond.
bet365 made its name by offering better odds and more markets than competitors - and it's clear this bookmaker still focuses on what really matters to punters.
The prices here are rarely beaten for football or horse racing in my experience.
That said, I've noticed Formula 1 odds are better at sites like Kwiff.
Bookmakers like Ladbrokes and Betfred have more options for novelty betting markets like TV shows, but that's only a minor criticism.
bet365’s bet builder is one of the best I've used, especially for football, where I could combine match results, team markets and player markets into a same-game acca.
You can combine up to 12 selections, which is a reasonable amount.
Newer sites like Bzeebet facilitate up to 30 legs, but I usually wouldn't need that many selections in my bet.
The best thing about this bet builder is that it's available across 14 different sports - more than any other bookmaker currently offers.
The supported sports are: football, tennis, basketball, American football, baseball, rugby union, rugby league, ice hockey, boxing, Australian Rules, MMA, cricket, Formula 1 and darts.
There's also the Bet Builder+ feature, which allowed me to combine same-game acca markets from different sports into a multi-leg bet.
Overall, I rate this as one of the top bet builders on the market - both in terms of functionality and flexibility.
Bookmaker | Maximum Selections | Sports Available |
---|---|---|
Up to 12 | 14 Sports in Total | |
Up to 5 | Football Only | |
Up to 8 | 3 Sports in Total | |
Up to 10 | Football Only |
From my experience, bet365 offers the most impressive live betting setup out there.
I’ve streamed football, tennis, basketball, horse racing, greyhounds, and cricket on the platform - with barely any delays or buffering issues.
Streams work best on the mobile app, so I’d recommend downloading it for the best experience. To watch a stream, you'll need funds in your account or to have placed a bet in the past 24 hours.
bet365 was one of the first in-play betting sites to introduce cash out - and now it offers both partial and auto cash out options.
Partial cash out lets you secure a portion of your winnings while keeping the rest of the bet running.
Auto cash out is perfect when I can’t follow a match closely - I just set a target amount, and the system automatically cashes out when that value is reached.
The in-play markets are varied and well-priced across most sports, and the platform is responsive - so I can place a live bet before odds shift.
When a stream isn't available, live graphics and in-game statistics are super-detailed.
And for select events, like Champions League matches, radio commentary is a great fallback when a stream isn't available.
With a clean interface and intuitive design, bet365 makes placing a bet easy.
However, the site might be a bit busy if you're a newcomer to online betting.
The signature green and grey colour scheme is visually pleasing.
Navigation is streamlined with a top menu bar and left-hand menu listing sports and events.
I could easily locate promotions through the 'Offers' button on the top left of the homepage.
There are some extra bells and whistles here that other sites don't have, like team pages for football, where you can see a team's statistics, upcoming fixtures and latest odds.
bet365 offers rapid loading times and doesn’t usually suffer from lag, although the mobile browser site performs worse than the app in my experience.
Overall, bet365’s user-centric design and efficient layout make it easy to find what you're looking for.
Payment Method | Minimum Deposit | Average Withdrawal Time |
---|---|---|
Visa | €5 | 1-3 working days |
Mastercard | €5 | 1-3 working days |
PayPal | €25 | Within 24 Hours |
PaysafeCard | €5 | N/A |
Neteller | €5 | Within 24 Hours |
Apple Pay | €5 | Instant |
Trustly | €5 | Within 24 Hours |
Bank Transfer | €100 | N/A |
After testing the bet365 app extensively on both iOS and Android, I found it to be one of the most reliable betting apps on the market.
It loads in just a few seconds and runs smoothly, even during busy periods for live betting.
The app is also highly-rated by users: 4.7/5 on the App Store and 4.6/5 on Google Play.
Users praise the clean design, responsive layout, and easy access to features like live streaming.
While I didn’t encounter any issues myself, some users have reported occasional bugs or minor glitches. That said, bet365 seems proactive in addressing these through regular updates.
The main downside is that, similar to the desktop site, the app can feel a bit cluttered if you’re new to betting.
Overall, though, this is a top-tier mobile betting experience.
If you run into any issues or have questions, I recommend using 24/7 live chat support - it’s by far the quickest and most convenient option.
I tested it myself with a couple of queries about bonuses, and I was connected to an agent within two minutes each time.
Email support (support-eng@customerservices365.com) is also reliable, but not ideal if you're looking for a quick response, as it it usually takes a few hours to hear back.
Channel | Availability | My Experience |
---|---|---|
Live Chat | 24/7 | Agents helpful and responses came within two minutes. |
Social Media | 24/7 | Responses relatively quick, direct messages received within two hours. |
Email Support | 24/7 | Useful for more complex queries but slower response times. |
bet365 provides a comprehensive range of responsible gambling tools to help you maintain control over your betting.
Accessible through the 'Safer Gambling' section of your account, these tools allow users to set limits and access information about how to gamble responsibly.
I found that bet365 allowed me to apply these tools during my registration, which helped me set limits from the start.
These are the tools you can use to help with responsible betting:
If you watch sport, chances are you’ve heard of bet365 - their sponsorships and ad campaigns are everywhere.
That visibility is backed by a massive customer base, and it’s no surprise why so many people use this site.
bet365 has been a market leader for decades, and from my recent experience with the bookmaker, they’re not slowing down.
Rather than coasting on their reputation, they continue to roll out new features and promotions, keeping things fresh.
Live betting is where the site truly excels - especially the live streaming service.
There’s still room for improvement, such as introducing phone support and more money-back offers, but overall, it’s easy to see why bet365 remains one of the biggest names in betting.
The core strengths that built this bookmaker's reputation are still very much on display.
bet365 is owned by the Coates Family, who founded the company in 2000. Denise Coates is the current CEO of the company, having taken over from her father, Peter Coates. Today, she owns bet365 along with her brother, John Coates. The company is headquartered in Stoke-on-Trent.
Yes, bet365 is a safe, regulated online bookmaker, with licensing from reputable regulators like the Malta Gaming Authority and United Kingdom Gambling Commission. The site uses SSL encryption to protect customer details and has a long-held reputation for security.
Withdrawal times at bet365 vary by method. Debit card and bank transfers typically take 1–5 working days, while PayPal withdrawals are usually processed within 24 hours. Some methods, like Paysafecard, don’t support withdrawals. Processing times may depend on account verification status and the time of day you make the request.
bet365 customer service agents can be contacted by 24/7 live chat, email (support-eng@customerservices365.com), by post, or through social media channels. Live chat is recommended as the quickest and most efficient way to get a response at any time of the day.
Yes, bet365 offers free bets to new customers as part of the bookmaker's welcome offer. Additionally, existing customers can benefit from some promotions that include free bets, such as loyalty offers if you use the site to bet regularly.