As you can imagine, a bookmaker is somewhere that people go to place wagers on events such as horse races, cricket matches and the outcome of reality show contests. Some bookmakers specialise in one or the other, others are all-rounders that can take bets on a wide range of sports and events. Australians will be familiar with Sportsbet as they are the official wagering partner of Australia’s two biggest football leagues and are a big-name master sponsor of Sao Paulo FC in Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A. It’s also hard to scroll through TikTok or Instagram without seeing some form of Sportsbet advertising or content.
The Sportsbet website is a clean, functional platform that has been designed to be easy to navigate for first-time punters. The homepage can seem a little overwhelming with sliding promotions and lots of markets on display but once you click on an event the site will narrow down the number of available options so it’s less in-your-face. Similarly, your betslip is always open on the right side of the page so you can see all of your active and pending bets at a glance.
As the name suggests, sportsbet has a huge range of sports on offer and they are very competitively priced. They also have an extensive offering of minor sports and esports as well as the major ones. Their sports betting is clearly separated into ‘In-Play’ and ‘Upcoming’ so you can easily find the events that you want to bet on.
A good feature of the website is that it shows a full list of odds for each team/player and this includes a + sign if the team/player are the favorites to win, or – if they are underdogs to win. This is very helpful for punters who are new to the sport and can help them make smarter decisions when placing a bet.
One of the coolest features that sportsbet offers is their Bet with Mates tool which allows you to create a group, invite your mates and pool your funds. This can be used to bet on any racing or Sports market and is an excellent way for mates to enjoy the camaraderie of betting together – even when they are apart! The organiser can set the buy-in amount and choose how much and how often members can top up their account. The group can track their performance and activity on the homepage and use emoji reactions to enhance the experience.
Responsible gambling is a key commitment for Sportsbet and they have been a leader in the development of responsible gambling initiatives and tools. They have a self-service tool called Take a Break, which gives users the ability to stop betting for a period of time if they feel it is necessary. They have also supported restrictions on advertising to mitigate the risk of targeting minors and helped establish the independent peak body representing online wagering, Responsible Wagering Australia. They are also supporters of the National Responsible Gambling Fund, which is a great initiative to support problem gamblers.