It’s time to take a closer look at these two exchanges and determine which does what best. We’ve taken into consideration the main criteria for the sake of comparison, and ultimately find out which is the better betting exchange and sportsbook.
Betfair vs Betdaq
Table of Contents
Both betting sites were founded around the same time, in the year 2000, however, Betfair arrived on the scene prior to Betdaq.
Both of these betting sites are regulated under the UKGC and therefore we can confirm they are both very trusted names in the betting world.
Overall Rating Winner: Betfair
As often is the case, the original tends to be better. Betfair was founded first and seems to enjoy the lead till today. The only difference we found is that the gap started to widen considerably and only in recent years has Betdaq began to close the gap.
MONEY BACK AS CASH UP TO £20 IF YOUR FIRST EXCHANGE BET LOSES
Offer
Terms and Conditions
Max £20 cash refund. Bet must be placed in first 7 days of account opening. Payment restrictions apply. T&Cs apply.Betdaq has some distinct advantages over Betfair. Betfair, however, owes its continued success, to its constant innovation and being the first betting exchange platform. This means that Betdaq has yet a lot of work to do if it ever wishes to dethrone the behemoth that is Betfair.
Betfair
Having the largest amount of players also means that punters have a better chance of matching their bets, as the liquidity available is so much larger. Given it was the first on the scene and continues to excel, we find that Betfair continually improves and invests in its own products to push innovation and be at the forefront of the betting game.
Betdaq
The biggest appeal here for any punter might likely be the lower rate of commission Betdaq charges its winning players. If you have a hard time parting ways with your profits, then Betfair’s 5% might be less attractive than Betdaq’s 2% winning commission rate.
Sign-Up Offers
One of the biggest factors when choosing a betting site for the first time is the welcome bonus, free bet offers or sign-up offer being promoted. And whilst some sign-up offers may not be to your choosing, the following to welcome offers have proven to be popular among new players signing up. Moreover, a welcome offer can give you the insurance you need to bet more confidently your first time round!
Betfair Current Offer
Get a £20 Risk Free First Bet On the Betfair Exchange
To claim this offer you must be a new player. The first Exchange bet you place within 7 days of registering your new Betfair account can risk up to £20. Your bet must settle in this period too. Betfair will then refund a losing bet within 72 hours of the bet being settled.
Betdaq Current Offer
Bet £10 Get £10
If you place a £10 qualifying bet as set out above, and that bet wins or loses within 14 days of account opening, we will refund your stake as a free bet, up to a maximum of £10.
The Better Offer
Whilst Betdaq does offer a £10 refund regardless of whether your bet wins or loses, Betfair offers you more security and a higher value refund on your first bet, up to £20. This means you can bet a higher amount, which could yield higher returns!
Winner: Betfair
Promo Codes
Promo codes differ from sign up bonuses, as these promotions are available to both existing and new customers. We all love a good promotion, and in fact, some of us hold out until we find real value in the promotion being marketed. But which exchange offers the better promotions?
Betfair
Betfair promos have their own dedicated Promotions page which you can access whether you are a new or existing player. This page will outline the active promotions Betfair is currently running and as you will come to realise, they have plenty – on a weekly basis. Betfair is popular for a reason and their marketing budgets mean they can be ahead of the competition – browse their promo codes for more.
Betdaq
Betdaq does have good promotions that are ongoing and you can find these by doing a little research online. You will find new player offers as well as existing player offers. New player offers are marked accordingly, therefore you can assume that if it doesn’t state it is a new player offer, it likely isn’t. New player offers can only be redeemed if you are yet to create an account. Once you’ve created an account, you are eligible for all types of other promotions such as free bets, risk-free bets, money back offers or even odds boosts.
The Better Offer
Betfair seemingly has more variety in its promotions and more weekly bet deals therefore taking the win.
Winner: Betfair
Loyalty Program
These rewards can heavily sway your decision when picking an exchange to bet with, especially if you are a player that tends to wager a lot. In order to show their appreciation, some bookmakers and betting sites have devised a loyalty program or rewards plan for customers that meet certain criteria. In some cases, these programs are also called VIP programs, as they are only valid for the highest wagering players.
Betfair
The VIP program introduced by Betfair is one you can appreciate. It is a three-tiered program meaning there are levels of VIP status to reach. It rewards players by giving them access to exclusive offers, prizes and competitions. How does it work? You play and once you’ve reached the first VIP status, you will be notified and a VIP agent will be assigned to you!
Betdaq
Unfortunately, Betdaq does not offer a loyalty program. We believe this is only a matter of time as VIP programs are increasingly common and pretty much expected by the highest-grossing players, especially. You will be assigned a VIP manager once you have reached their requirements however there is no word of this on their website.
The Better Offer
Considering Betdaq does not currently have a loyalty program, Betfair runs with this one. We can only hope Betdaq joins the movement and offers its players a loyalty program also.
Winner: Betfair
Available Sports / Markets
A punter may be interested in more than one sport to place bets on. In fact, many punters tend to diversify their betting across multiple sports, but also on multiple markets. Markets allow you to find value in areas otherwise less popular and therefore, the more markets are available, the more likely you are to find odds that are more to your favour.
Betfair
It can’t get much bigger than it does here, in terms of selection. Betfair does its utmost not only to bring us the largest array of sports around but also has gained popularity for offering side markets others wouldn’t. Special Markets are heavily sought after and as we enter an era of customisation, more and more players will request this amount of diversity. Betfair will even add markets dependent on its popularity, and therefore if there is a demand for a particular market, Betfair will more than likely offer it.
Betdaq
It’s the second-largest exchange and whilst therefore it may not have the diversity and as large a selection of markets, Betdaq does a relatively great job at producing these options for punters. Since, however, there is less liquidity or money being traded, fewer markets will be available due to there being less demand for it. Betdaq does a great job here, but not when compared to the likes of giants such as Betfair.
The Better Offer
Given Betfair was the first to market and has enjoyed the popularity offer Betdaq, the amount of money traded on Betfair is much higher and therefore offering more markets and variety.
Winner: Betfair
Odds
When punters look for a betting website, odds become a very important factor and can many a time, be the deciding factor. Oddsmakers have to find a healthy balance between offering odds that entice more players to place a bet but also, ensure they won’t shoot themselves in the foot by giving exaggerated margins in the punter’s favour. In this case, however, we are measuring these two betting sites on their exchange, meaning the odds here are not set by oddsmakers, but by the betting public instead. It is worth mentioning that in Horse Racing, Betfair offers ‘place’ SP (starting price) meaning an unmatched bet will be settled at the starting price, should it remain unmatched. Betdaq does not offer the ‘place’ SP feature.
Betfair
Both the exchange and the sportsbook offer better odds than most rivals due to the size and popularity of Betfair. The more popularity a betting site enjoys, the more punters play and the higher the total stake amounts. Meaning Betfair can afford to give slightly better odds than its competitors as it can close the loss margin further. When it comes to the exchange, the more players place a stake, the higher the market liquidity meaning the more likely it is your bet will be matched. This is increasingly important as low liquidity markets can leave you frustrated when your bet does not match.
Betdaq
Had it not been compared to Betfair, Betdaq has a good amount of liquidity and is known also to give better odds than the average betting site. Unfortunately, however, they do not enjoy the same amount of liquidity on their markets which means your bet is less likely to match on the exchange, especially for special or less popular markets.
The Better Offer
Whether on the exchange or the sportsbook, generally, you will find better odds on Betfair due to the size of their liquidity. They can give better odds and the exchange trades more value.
Winner: Betfair
Live-Betting and Streaming
In-play betting as it is often referred to -as well as live streaming, have become almost invaluable to punters and has added a dynamic and fast-paced layer to betting. This feature allows users to follow games or matches they ultimately may not have had access to, and also bet on the game during the time it is being played. Traditionally this was only done before a match was played. You now have the ability to change, modify or place a bet during the match or race meaning changing your position. This ultimately means giving you more control and it could be the difference between winning, breaking even, or minimising your losses!
Betfair
There are no additional charges when viewing in-play or live streams on Betfair except on some specific horse or greyhound races. Other than that, their offering is second to none and are renowned for their great coverage and in-play market options. You can easily access in-play games by going to the In-Play section on the website.
The largest in-play markets are Football, Horse Racing and Tennis but you can find in-play markets for e-Sports and more!
Betdaq
When it comes to Horse Racing, Betdaq tends to cover all UK courses. Betdaq does an equally great job with maximizing their live betting and streaming offer however given the size of Betfair, it means it doesn’t have as many in-play options at any given time.
The Better Offer
Betfair wins this too. The reach across multiple sports makes it one of the best, not just versus Betdaq. Betdaq does cover all UK courses when it comes to Horse Racing however doesn’t offer replay.
Winner: Betfair
Mobile Betting App
As we move from desktop to mobile for most of our web uses, so have betting sites. The desktop websites make for a very poor experience on mobile and therefore the top betting sites have found great value in offering mobile apps.
Betfair
The Betfair Mobile App isn’t perfect, however, it provides a decent mobile experience that is reliable and just as secure as the website. The mobile version, like the website, is constantly being improved upon. However, we generally found that the response can be sluggish at times. This does however also differ when using different mobile devices. On top, it is worth mentioning that the Betfair Sportsbook mobile web application is available, and does not require downloading or installing an app.
Betdaq
It is a secure and reliable app however the most attractive part of the app, isn’t the app itself. Betdaq released an incentive to move more of their players to the mobile app by setting a 3% commission rate. The Betdaq app can be found under the name Ladbrokes Exchange App (Ladbrokes bought Betdaq in 2013).
The Better Offer
We’ve given the nod of approval to Betdaq simply because whilst their app doesn’t stand above Betfair’s, they do offer an incentive in reduced commissions when betting off the app.
Winner: Betdaq
Our Verdict
Betdaq was announced after Betfair and since, has never really threatened the popularity and rise Betfair has enjoyed. The fact that Betfair was first to market means they’ve had a lead in every facet, except for perhaps the lower commission rates Betdaq charges. But that’s about it. Betfair simply outshines Betdaq in every other area or, at the very least, equals their competition’s offering. As more users begin to learn about Betdaq, and with the backing of Ladbrokes, we believe Betdaq will continue to steadily increase its visibility and reach more users. However, we cannot see Betfair being surpassed by Betdaq in the foreseeable future.
