BetVictor – Sports Bettting with the Gentleman Bookmaker Reviewed

Sports Markets and Betting Types

It’s pretty clear that BetVictor’s online focus is on football. The bookie has loads of football focused offers, great coverage of fixtures from around the globe and the best odds on the sport guaranteed (more on that later). At any one time, you can find over 100 football leagues and tournaments available, with coverage extending across Asia and even youth leagues. Along with all the other usual suspects of IE sports betting, there are a number of smaller sports that are sufficiently covered. Hurling, speedway and Gaelic football are just three examples. But other major markets are also given sufficient attention. Traditionally a horse racing focused bookmaker, BetVictor has kept up this aspect of its business since moving things online, with an extremely competitive horse racing offering.

The markets are supported by a decent amount of betting options. A typical major football fixture has around 70 bet type markets, each with multiple options, so the total amount of betting options here holds its own compared to any other operator. Ante Post betting is available on all major horse racing events, along with many extra markets through its regular promotions. You’ll find many insurance markets for horse racing here that you won’t get at most places, such as lengthen the odds, faller insurance and place bets. All the usual bet types are of course present. Total goals, over/under markets and some less common, but certainly not obscure options, such as cards and corner markets for football. I was happy to see Asian handicap and other handicap betting options available in abundance. Combination correct score, where a punter can select two possible outcomes to win, is also something you won’t find everywhere.

In-play betting options are equally strong. Goal betting options in football and game betting options in tennis feature prominently, which makes BetVictor a good place for in-play bettors looking to generate quick returns. While the more obscure fixtures obviously have a lower amount of betting options, generally the level of coverage remains fairly consistent across most fixtures, which is good to see. Overall then, the betting options do justice to the strong supply of markets, with both strong general options and a decent number of less typical and insurance bets.

In-play Betting & Live Streaming

BetVictor’s good range of in-play betting options and markets is let down by a few areas. Towards live-streams, there’s excellent horse racing coverage, with all UK, Ireland, UAE and South African races available for live-streaming, after a minimum bet of €1 is placed upon the race. However, that’s as far as it goes here, with live-streaming not offered for any other sports.

Multiple Betting Options

BetVictor allows up to 20 individual selections. For the more complex system bets, most types are covered, such as yankee and heinz types. Even goliath system bets are available to use here, which combines all variables of 8 selections. For those wishing to combine more than 8 selections, up to 20 can be combined as doubles. All the multiple bet options available for the selections made will show up automatically in the bet slip on the right side of the screen. Simply enter the bet stake in the box next to the multiple bet type of choice and then hit place bet to confirm the bet. Potential returns from all types of bets are displayed which is always useful.

Bet & Win Limits

With the minimum bet amount just 5p, BetVictor is second only to William Hill in terms of having the lowest minimum stake threshold. On the other side of the spectrum, the winning limits are relatively low. This is somewhat surprising, since BetVictor has made its name through offering wagers of practically any stake in the past. Anyway, the limits are determined by the sport and market which is being bet upon. Both football and horse racing have a maximum win amount of €500,000 in a 24hour period, while for tennis, the maximum amount that can be won is €100,000. While not small, these numbers are significantly lower than the amounts that can be won at other operators.

How Good are the Odds?8

The quality of the odds at BetVictor is probably the bookmaker’s biggest strength and what attracts many to its online platform. In fact, of all the operators we’ve reviewed here, BetVictor offers the best odds generally and for most sports markets specifically. Check out the table above to see for yourself. The odds for football are a huge pull for many. The bookmaker has obviously taken pride in the fact that studies have shown it has consistently offered the best odds for football over the last five years. Our table really backs up this claim.

Our tests found football odds to reach a huge 98% at their highest point, leaving a bookmaker’s margin of just 2%. The range between the highest and lowest points of the odds is also smaller than at most other operators. This means that you can be assured that across all fixtures in a sport, you’re likely to be getting among the best price here. Horse racing had a larger range than the other markets tested here, but this is completely normal. Plus, the highest range of horse racing odds was very high, which leads me to believe you stand a great chance of getting the best price on horses here. The story is much the same for live odds, which are generally significantly higher than average here, once again especially for football. The bookie deserves full marks in this area.

Functional and Aesthetic Platform8

I really like the appearance of the online platform. The approach is minimalistic, with a conscious attempt to keep things stripped back and simple. The metallic blue and silver colour scheme is also very stylish. This approach is helped by the fact that BetVictor employ most of the screen in the layout, rather than compressing everything into the centre, like many other sports betting sites do. This allows everything room to breathe and makes for a clear layout and easy navigation between the different areas of the platform.

In keeping with the minimalistic approach, the front page has links to just five sections along the header. Here the user can toggle between sports, in-play, football, horse racing and virtual betting arenas. Listed in a column on the left side of the page are a featured links, popular pages and A-Z sports listings sections. Each day the bookie has selected events that will have enhanced odds and these selections are always prominently displayed in the centre of the screen, under the price boosts heading. The selections can be chosen directly from here. After clicking a link to a specific sport, the markets are organised by leagues and tournaments. The markets can also be displayed under bet types, by sorting via the match betting, outright and specials market selections displayed at the top of the page. This is a tidy and efficient way for users to quickly reach their desired selection.

Unfortunately, I can’t say I feel the same way about the in-play platform. The main problem here is that once the link to the in-play section is clicked, the user is directed straight to the in-play betting selections list for a specific fixture, rather than an overview section. This is compounded by the infographic displaying the action of the automatically selected in-play fixture being fixed in the centre top of the page, which makes things messier than they need to be. I find it strange that the designers went with this approach, but there you go. Anyway, all the other in-play fixtures are listed on the left side and organised by sport. The colour scheme changes a little to include gold, which is used for the odds and bet types, which helps to keep them clear and prominent. Once selections are made they are added to the bet slip, which automatically opens on the right hand side of the page. The bet slip is particularly well designed with all selections and multiple betting options available clearly displayed. All in all, this is an aesthetically pleasing and functional platform that has earned a solid score, but is unfortunately let down a little by a slightly sloppy in-play arena.

How To Place a Bet with the Bookie

Once you’ve gotten to grips with navigating your way around the online platform it’s time to start placing some bets. This is as easy here as at any other operator and once you’re in the right area where the desired selections can be found, then it’s just a three step process. The first step is to add the selections to the bet slip. This can be done simply by clicking on the odds of the desired selection. Once clicked, these selections will appear automatically in the bet slip and remain there so you can keep track of the selections, if you’re making a multiple bet. The bets selected will also stay highlighted in dark blue on the main page, as an extra way of keeping track of what selections have already been made.

• [1] Make Your Selection(s)Choose your market from the left hand column, then your selection(s) from the available markets that will appear in the middle.
• [2] Enter in the StakeAll selections will be added to your bet slip, where you can enter in the stake. Any multiple bet options will appear below.
• [3] Confirm your Selection(s)Once all the selection(s) have been added and the stake entered correctly, hit Place Bet Now to confirm the bet.

The next step is to confirm the details of the bet in the bet slip. The bet slip here is well designed and clear. Simply type the bet stake into the box next to the selection, or in the relevant multiple bet box, which will appear below the main selections section. Should the odds of any of the selections change before the bet is confirmed, you’ll be prompted to accept the new odds before you’re able to bet. Once the stake is entered, the potential returns will be shown on the right hand side of the bet slip. If everything looks good, then it’s time to confirm the bet. To do this, click the place bets now button at the bottom of the bet slip.

Further Important Criteria

Now to those aspects that are perhaps a little less obvious when choosing a bookie but are important nonetheless. Proper licensing, regulation and quality customer support are all vital to ensuring a proper betting platform, so we’ll take you through how BetVictor lines up in regard to these aspects.

The BetVictor Business

BetVictor is an old school bookie, but one that has pioneered the way for some of the newer online operators. One of the first to move its operation offshore to Gibraltar, the bookmaker obtained its licence from the Government of Gibraltar in 1999. The Gambling Commission provides the licence for Irish customers. The success of the online platform has led to over 500,000 members regularly betting at BetVictor.

Customer Service 8

Customer service is available 24/7 here, across live chat, email and phone. Rather than contacting customer service directly via phone, users can request a call back from a representative via a form on the website. Overall, I found the level of support here to be great. The help section is comprehensive and split into different sections which can be found via search, a glossary or by browsing. I had nothing but good experiences chatting with customer service here. Most were very helpful and where they struggled or were slow to find an answer to my question, they were polite and assisted as best as possible. Waiting times for live chat were around average, but one drawback to the system here is that the user is not informed which position they hold in the queue to speak with an operator. While not a huge issue, most other providers use this queue based system to give punters an idea of how long they will be required to wait.

Licensing & Security 9

As I touched on earlier, BetVictor was one of the first major operators to move their operation offshore to Gibraltar, gaining its licence from the Government of Gibraltar in 1999. For IE customers, it is licensed by the Gambling Commission. Player protection is an especially strong feature here. Deposit limits can be set at daily, weekly and monthly intervals, while betting limits and self-exclusion are of course also possible. The bookmaker is associated with Gamble Aware for responsible gambling, so those who need assistance in this area can be directed here, should this be required.

Equally strong are the site’s security features. The online platform is protected by 128bit protection from Thawte. This system encrypts all data sent to and from the site, meaning your personal and financial data is protected. It’s also great to see that the bookie is a member of both the European Sports and Security Association (ESSA) and the Independent Betting Adjudication Service (IBAS). The ESSA helps to provide an early warning system to its members about potential corruption or manipulation in betting markets across the world. The IBAS serves as an impartial adjudicator should any disputes arise between an operator and its customers. Membership of these bodies shows that BetVictor is clearly committed to providing a fair, transparent and secure service to its customers and it performs very well in this area.

Solid Result at Bonus Points6

First up on the bonus points round is live-streaming capabilities. The only sport that can be viewed here is horse racing. To view a race, a punter must place a bet of at least €1 on that race, after which a TV icon will appear alongside the event. Clicking this will take you to the live-streaming arena. However, should you miss the start of the race then you’ll be unable to launch the live-stream. While the horse racing cover – with all UK, Ireland, UAE and SA races covered – is excellent, the bookie can only really earn 1 point here, due to the limitations on the number of sports covered by live-stream. I think it’s fair to say live streams are not the bookie’s strong point and its score reflects this. Things pick up though in the sponsorship round. Although most bookies sponsor or are associated with big name horse racing events, BetVictor is one of the most prodigious in this aspect, sponsoring a large number of big name events. It is the official associate of this year’s Cheltenham open meeting. The bookie also joined three other operators earlier this year, becoming an authorised betting partner of horse racing. It is also active in football sponsorship as the global betting and gaming partner of Chelsea FC.

• Live Streams.1/3
• Sponsorship.2/3
• Awards.1/2
• Extra Markets.1/1
• Bonuses.1/1
• Bonus Points.6

Things drop considerably again when it comes to awards however. Despite its long-term presence at the forefront of the sports betting world, BetVictor has won very few awards for its online sportsbook operation. Its only major award win came in the category for Asian Live Gaming Operator of the Year at the e-Gaming Review awards in 2009. This definitely puts it in a lower league than the operators that have won some of the coveted awards like sports betting operator of the year, such as William Hill. The bookie performs much better when it comes to extra markets however. Along with the deep coverage of more obscure leagues and tournaments in the most popular sports, there are also politics and entertainment betting selections. There are also plenty of extra betting markets and price boost options that change daily to help keep things interesting.

I also like the extra bonuses and offers that are available here. First off, there’s the instabet app – an app dedicated to quick-fire betting that has its own bonuses and enhanced odds specials. This app is really intuitive to use which makes taking advantage of its offers even better. The online platform also has its own enhanced prices each day, which are always prominently displayed in the centre of the screen. There is also of course a welcome offer.

Conclusion – A Perfect Sports Betting Site for Football Fans

It’s a credit to the bookie that it isn’t just a one trick pony through offering the best football odds around. The odds across most sports markets are very competitive and definitely in the upper tier of all the bookies analysed here. Both the online platform and the mobile app are also very strong, with functionality across both extremely intuitive and user friendly. There’s also market and bet coverage to rival most other providers. On the whole I really like the offering from BetVictor.

Unfortunately, it stumbles at a few hurdles; inconsistent and insufficient live streams compared to the market leaders and less betting options available for cash out are the main sources of lost points. It’s a shame that its better features – excellent football odds and great coverage of horse racing – are let down by these areas. It leads to a fairly inconsistent operator and playing experience. Its welcome bonus is also one of the more difficult to play through. But I think that BetVictor has it where it counts and there’s more than enough to appeal to any punter. A solid score for a solid bookie.

Q&A/FAQ

Here we have given a comprehensive overview of the BetVictor gambling experience, if you require further clarification, please refer to the BetVictor sub-pages or send us an email at info@bestbettingsites.com.

How do I use partial cash out?

Partial cash out allows a punter to cash out a portion of the stake while leaving the rest to play. The cash out value must be higher than €1. Use the slider to select how much of your stake you want to cash out, then confirm by hitting the bank my stake button.