Founded in 1967 in Salford using the proceeds of a winning bet placed on the 1966 World Cup, Betfred is a legendary bookmaker which is beloved by many and has become one of the best betting sites Ireland has access to.
But this is not simply an old warhorse living off reputation. It can easily hold its own against all the best new betting sites.
Betfred has managed to evolve with the times, learning from its many decades of operation and using this to the benefit of its punters.
As one of the biggest operators in the business, Betfred has a massive market share, and it's easy to see why.
It manages to satisfy virtually every desire, including regular promos, reasonable terms, a world-class app, excellent banking, top customer support, a robust responsible gambling section and much more.
The current Betfred sign up offer gives bettors an impressive €50 worth of free bets when you deposit and wager €10.
Register with promo code IRISH50, then deposit €10 or more with a debit card and stake the same amount on a market with odds of evens (2.00) or greater.
Within ten hours of the bet settling, you’ll receive three €10 free bets to use on any market you choose, as well as two €10 free bets to use on accumulators with four or more selections.
As new customer offers go, Betfred’s are tough to beat in terms of the T&Cs, ease of claiming, and overall value.
Betfred knows the value of ongoing and recurring promotions, and this is how its brand has managed to become such a household name.
After claiming the new customer bonus, punters can take advantage of acca boosts, free-to-play games, free bet offers, and more.
There’s no shortage of footie-related promos at Betfred. For a start, bettors can make use of the ongoing Acca Flex bonus. This grants a boost of up to 100% on your winnings for accumulator bets with five or more selections.
Whilst all of your selections need to come in for punters to secure a boost, there’s also a cash refund of up to €10 if one leg of your acca bet lets you down.
Next up, the Double Delight & Hat-trick Heaven promos can double or treble the odds for winning first goalscorer bets. Back the first goalscorer in a game and if they go on to score a second or third, Betfred will double or treble the payout.
There are also in-play variations of these for live bettors, which are based on the next goalscorer. These apply to selected games only, but they do have the potential to produce big wins.
And for something a bit different, Betfred punters can win a share of €5k cash with a free-to-play quiz that runs every week.
Essentially, you answer six questions about the week’s football fixtures and receive free spins, free bets or cash prizes, depending on how many you get right.
Not many football betting sites can stand up to Betfred when it comes to promotions for existing customers with regular money-back specials, bet builder offers and free bets offered on a weekly basis throughout the season.
Horse racing betting sites don't generally have as many permanent offers as Betfred. No wonder the bookmaker has earned the moniker of the bonus king.
If you place a single bet and your horse comes in second, you’ll receive a free bet worth up to €10. Sometimes Betfred extends this offer to third place too.
Betfred also features odds multipliers on horse racing which can inflate the odds of your bet by up to five times.
Tricast bets receive a 10% boost to their odds, and Betfred offers best odds guaranteed on UK and Irish horse races.
Other promos include extra place and super extra place races on a daily basis and the Rewards4Racing programme, through which punters can earn points for every €1 they bet which can be redeemed in exchange for tickets to the biggest meetings, including Cheltenham, the Grand National and Dublin Racing Festival.
In addition to promos for football and horse racing fans, Betfred offers a few other bits and pieces that will appeal strongly to some.
For instance, there are multiple greyhounds promos. These include regular free bets, odds multipliers, and boosted winnings.
There are also seasonal promos, such as the Rugby Double Delight offer, will is available on both selected league and union matches. This promotion doubles the odds of first try scorer bets if the scorer goes on to score a second try.
Fans of golf betting sites will find Betfred offer extra places for all the majors, while they regularly run a tennis free bet club.
Those looking for GAA betting offers may be disappointed though, with Betfred not showing a great deal of love towards Gaelic football or hurling
Betfred’s In-Play tab contains a huge range of sports that punters can bet on live. This selection is genuinely impressive, and there are many more options than some of Betfred’s competitors have on offer.
When betting live, odds are updated in real time, and punters can track the progress of their bets with ease. Betfred even offers occasional live betting-exclusive promos, such as free bet offers and price boosts.
Betfred’s cash out tool applies to a range of in-play betting markets. On Betfred, cash out offers last for three seconds, which is enough time to claim them, and the options can be viewed easily within the bet slip window.
This enables the punter to sell their bet back to the operator, which can guarantee a win or help to mitigate losses if your team gets off to a bad start.
Additionally, there are live streaming capabilities. Bettors can track many games in either an overview or an actual video stream. Live streams are most readily available on horse racing and greyhounds, but other events are included too.
Live Streaming | |
Cash Out | |
Acca Insurance | |
Odds Boost | |
Time Out | |
Bet Builder |
When making multiple selections, the Betfred bet slip will add up the total odds and allow you to choose the type of bet.
There are various bet types to choose from. You may just want singles, or you might want to take advantage of the bet builder and accumulator functions.
Using these features, punters can create a custom selection with multiple legs across different markets and even different events. By doing so, it’s possible to create bets with high odds and big potential returns.
Betfred’s bet builder “covers all the major football leagues from around the world” and is referred to both as a ‘bet builder’ and the ‘PickYourPunt’ feature, so keep an eye out for both.
Note that you can’t use the cash out function on a PickYourPunt bet, and there are a few other T&Cs to take note of, but the Betfred bet builder is generally good enough to rival those of the best bet builder sites.
Payment Method | Deposit Amount | Withdrawal Amount | Withdraw Time |
---|---|---|---|
5 min | €5 min | 1-3 Days | |
5 min | €5 min | 1-3 Days | |
5 min | €5 min | Instant |
Whilst Betfred’s site works well in a mobile browser, the betting app is worth downloading.
In terms of customer reviews, it scores very highly with both Android and Apple users, averaging 4.35 stars across these platforms.
Within the app, punters can claim the full range of bonuses and bet on the same wide selection of sports as on the desktop version. The app is snappy and responsive, with customisable notifications.
The full variety of betting features are available too, from live in-play betting to bet builders, and even live streaming.
In essence, this is one of the best betting apps around and punters make no real compromises by using portable devices.
IOS App | |
Android App | |
Mobile Live Streaming |
If you run into any issues whilst on Betfred’s site, you can contact customer support by email, phone, or live chat.
Agents are available 24/7 and it doesn’t take long to get through to a real person, which is a definite advantage these days.
In most cases, live chat is going to be the best option, but knowing that there’s an email address for less urgent queries, or a freephone number for more nuanced ones, is great for customers’ peace of mind.
Virtually all betting sites feature some sort of Responsible Gambling page, but Betfred goes a little further than most.
There’s a full ‘Safer Gambling’ section on the site. Here, bettors can find guidance, resources and more.
Safer gambling tools include deposit limits, time limits, reality checks, self-exclusion and a questionnaire designed to help punters to identify unhealthy behaviours.
Gambling responsibly is essential, and Betfred is clearly doing everything it can to reinforce that message.
Consider taking a look at Betfred’s ‘Play S.A.F. E Checklist’ and, if you think you might need it, reach out to one of the suggested organisations.
Deposit Limits | |
Time Out | |
Stake Limits | |
Profit/Loss Totaliser | |
Self Exclusion |
Betfred is an institution with an impressive history, yet its services manage to remain modern and relevant.
Betfred’s many years of experience are reflected in the diversity of the attractions it offers, as well as the quality of the promos and the site itself.
Betfred, unlike many of its competitors, manages to tick a box for nearly every type of bettor. They have all bases covered, from a top-rated mobile app to around-the-clock customer support and world-class responsible gambling resources.
I found no shortage of reasons to like Betfred, but here’s one more: it offers regular promos for both new and existing customers, and these come with impressively punter-friendly terms and conditions.
Betfred has a lot of clout, and it uses this to reward its customers.
Betfred has one of the best selections of horse racing offers in Ireland. With daily money-back specials, extra places and bet boosts, there are very few competitors that can hold a candle to Betfred. And the number of promotions only go up when the big meetings roll around with plenty of Cheltenham offers and more.
Betfred accept all the usual types of banking methods, such as debit cards, bank transfers and a good selection of e-wallets, including PayPal and Skrill. There's also the option to use a Paysafecard, while Betfred are among a group of €5 deposit betting sites, although only for selected payment options.
Betfred have very similar layouts for both their desktop site and betting app, offering easy navigation, quick loading times, and intuitive bet placement. Features like in-play betting, live streaming, and fast cash-outs can be found on both platforms.
Very comprehensive. Any respectable bookmaker should cover a wide range of sports, including popular ones like football, horse racing and tennis, as well as niche sports. Betfred offer diverse betting markets for the majority of sports, while they'll regularly run special offers on sports you won't find on other betting sites.
Free bets and bonus offers at Betfred typically come with specific terms and conditions, including minimum odds requirements, expiry dates, and restrictions on bet types. It's essential to read these conditions carefully to understand how to qualify for the offer and how to use any winnings derived from it.