Ladbrokes.com.au Vs Betfair Aus - In-Depth Betting Site Comparison

By Jake McEvoy

11 Apr 2023

Jake McEvoy 11 Apr 2023

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Before this Battle of the Bookies, we genuinely have no idea who could come out on top, but what we do know is that either betting site - Ladbrokes Australia and Betfair Aus - is more than capable of looking after you following your registration.

After launching in 2013, Ladbrokes soon became a dominant player in the Australian sports betting market. When it comes to international sports betting, the UK-based Ladbrokes is a safe pick because of the company's long history and stellar reputation.

Ladbrokes, one of the largest sports books in the world, recently acquired Bookmaker.com.au and entered the Australian sports betting market, which was met with enthusiasm owing to Ladbrokes' strong reputation in the industry and its emphasis on horse racing, as well as its extensive sports betting markets and excellent service and customer support.

Betfair was founded in 2005 and functions as both a sportsbook and an exchange for wagers placed on sporting events. As far as we know, they are the only peer-to-peer wagering platform in Australia, and they also happen to be the biggest across the globe.

Betfair is a virtual marketplace where punters can place wagers against one another in the hopes of winning money. Betfair is the only Australian bookmaker to provide the unique LAY bet, which allows you to take the other side of a bet and wager on the underdog.

Ladbrokes Australia vs Betfair Aus Comparison

In these head-to-head comparisons that we’ve been running throughout the Battle of the Bookies series, we have stuck to a strict set of criteria which we analyse at each site and compare to choose a victor.

These are all of the sections we look at in order to keep these comparisons as fair as possible across the board:

Odds Value: Odds are the measure of likelihood when placing bets on sports and racing. They essentially work as a price, too, as they tell you how much you’ll get in return for choosing particular outcomes. The betting sites which offer the best prices on racing and sports usually attract the most customers.

Available Markets: The available markets at a betting site are all of the variables that you are able to place your wagers on. Markets include different sports, different competitions and the specific outcomes that can happen in a particular event. Sites with the most markets provide more options for punters to place their money on.

Betting Features: Betting features usually allow customers to make the markets that are available go much further, like with Bet Builders, for example. The more unique betting features a betting site has, the more customers they are likely to entice to register.

Betting App: Betting apps are by far the most popular method to wager on sports and racing in the modern age. There’s no longer the need to set up on a desktop PC and load up a website. Betting sites which offer their entire service on a mobile app are preferred to those that do not.

VIP Program: Loyalty programs are used by all kinds of online gambling sites to reward repeat custom. It goes without saying that the sites which reward loyalty are always preferred to those that forget about looking after customers after they’ve signed up and spent their money.

Safety & Security: The best betting sites in Australia are those that provide the best security features. The most secure betting sites are those that use encryption technology to mask your information from those that are able to get hold of it.

Payment Methods: In the modern age, there are countless ways to make payments online. We immediately think of debit cards, credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal, but there are also the likes of Skrill, Neteller, BPay, POLi and simple direct transfers. The more of these a site accepts, the more customers there will be signing up.

Live Betting & Live Streaming: Nothing beats the thrill of betting on sports while it is taking place as we watch it unfold live. The best betting sites are those that allow us to do all of these things in one place. There aren’t too many betting sites in Australia that offer live streaming, so this category is usually awarded to any that have it.

Customer Support: When we need help, we expect to be able to find it quite easily. The greatest Australian betting sites offer multiple ways to get in contact with them, respond fast, are informative and are friendly.

Promotions: We are unable to detail the exact promotions that are offered by Aussie betting sites as it is prohibited by law, however, we can tell you which sites offer them at all and which sites we feel offer the best in comparison.

Licensing and Regulation: Betting sites operating in Australia have to be licensed and regulated by the appropriate authorities. If they are not, they simply do not get featured on this site.

Responsible gambling practices: The best betting sites are those that look after the well-being of their customers, understanding that their service could have negative effects on individuals and families. To win in this category, a betting site must show that it cares about responsible gambling practices and offers tools for customers to use for self-help.

Our Verdict: Ladbrokes AU vs Betfair Aus

In this head-to-head comparison between Ladbrokes and Betfair Australia, we evaluated both sites in a variety of different areas. Here is our overall judgement for each of those categories:

Best Betting Odds: Draw.
Available Markets: Betfair Aus.
Best Features: Betfair Aus.
Mobile App: Ladbrokes AU.
VIP Program: Draw.
Safety and Security: Draw.
Deposit and Withdrawal Options: Draw.
Live Betting and Live Streaming: Betfair Aus.
Customer Service: Draw.
Safer Gambling: Draw.
Licensing and regulation: Draw.
Best offers: Ladbrokes AU.

Even though Betfair Aus does beat Ladbrokes Australia 3-2, the 7 draws are hard to ignore here and we think it would be a harsh decision to give Betfair the outright win.

Overall, this match-up will be considered a draw and whichever one you choose to sign up with should just come down to personal preference, or down to whether you want to bet at an Exchange or not.

Ladbrokes AU Pros & Cons

Live video stream of horse racing (and some sports).

Ladbrokes card for easy deposits and withdrawals.

Excellent selection of sports markets.

Multi-builder tool for easy betting.

Lack of variety of futures betting markets.

Fixed odds are relatively low.

Customer support can improve.

Betfair Aus Pros & Cons

Better odds than most of its competitors.

Valuable insight is available with the “The Hub” feature.

Over 1,000,000 other customers worldwide waiting to match your bet 24/7.

'In-Play' betting.

'Trading' is available to lock in a profit on all possible outcomes.

Hard to use for first-time bettors.

The exchange feature might be too complicated for some punters.

Comparing Ladbrokes vs Betfair Aus Betting Odds

Ladbrokes has been around long enough to know that trying to charge too much is never a good idea. They’ve seen many betting sites come and go after trying to do this.

The target is to remain competitive, and that’s what both of these sites are good at doing.

Sometimes you might find slightly better odds at Ladbrokes and sometimes you might find slightly better odds at Betfair, but, overall, neither site can be considered cheaper or more expensive than the other.

What Markets Are Available at Ladbrokes vs Betfair Aus

Both Ladbrokes and Betfair in Australia offer odds on a great range of sports, competitions and events, meaning that whatever you like to bet on, there’s a good chance you’ll be covered by the options available on both of these sites.

In a rare instance, though, Ladbrokes is to lose this round, as they do not offer the ability to LAY bets like the Betfair Exchange can.

Which Sportsbook Offers the Best Features?

The best betting features are those that can be used to help your deposits go much further, which both of these two sites offer in abundance.

Ladbrokes offers Bet Builders, #GetAPrice, the Ladbrokes card, Cash Out opportunities and more, however these features are far from unique and can be found at a number of other betting sites across Australia.

Betfair Aus, on the other hand, offers some fantastic unique features that we’ve not seen elsewhere - mainly because other sites cannot offer them. These features include choosing your own price, The Hub, Betfair Live, Expert Tips, Betting Models and more.

Betfair wins again.

Does Ladbrokes vs Betfair Aus Have the Mobile Betting App?

Both of these online betting companies provide mobile applications, which can be downloaded for free from either the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store, depending on the kind of smartphone or tablet you use (Android or iOS).

Each of these applications is user-friendly, packed with features, and provides the same kinds of betting chances that are available on the website.

However, if we had to choose a winner between Ladbrokes and Betfair in this area, we would have to go with Ladbrokes since it is considerably simpler to navigate than Betfair.

However, this is not Betfair's fault; rather, it is due to the fact that the application for an exchange is somewhat more complicated to understand than the application for a standard betting website.

Ladbrokes vs Betfair Aus VIP Program Comparison

While Ladbrokes and Betfair are both very good at rewarding customers for their loyalty through ongoing promotions, neither of them offer an actual VIP program, so this is a round that will be labelled as a tie.

The promotions that are available can be used by all registered customers, meaning spending more time and money does not earn you exclusive rewards in the same way a loyalty program would.

Ladbrokes vs Betfair Aus Safety and Security

When users gamble online at these websites, the operators take considerable safety measures, such as using SSL technology, to ensure that their customers are protected.

This is now the norm for the most popular betting sites in Australia, and we are well aware that we should not expect anything else to be the case.

The outcome of this match is a draw due to the fact that both of these platforms provide their customers with superior protection options.

Comparing Deposit and Withdrawal Options

Betfair accepts a wide variety of payment types in addition to major credit cards like Visa and Mastercard. Betfair accepts deposits made through BPay, NAB, Bank Transfer, Credit Union Transfer, Neteller, and Moneybookers in addition to these more traditional payment methods.

Since Betfair is one of the few sites able to keep up with Ladbrokes's extensive list of betting markets (14 in all), we will also call this section a draw.

Live Betting and Streaming Options: Ladbrokes vs Betfair Aus

With Betfair Live, the company's in-house racing market monitoring technology, Australian punters can watch events in real-time while gaining actionable insights from data visualisations and statistical analysis.

Live betting is available on the Betfair app, and the website has tools for comparing the best tote and corporate pricing for horse and greyhound races, providing extensive runner data, and displaying price fluctuations in fluctuation charts.

Although both Betfair and Ladbrokes provide live streaming and in-play betting, we found ourselves gravitating more towards Betfair's offerings and awarding them the point.

Comparing Ladbrokes vs Betfair Aus Customer Service

The Betfair Contact Center may be found in Darwin, and it provides round-the-clock customer service to accommodate the needs of all Betfair customers. The team has received extensive training and is happy to be of assistance to you so that you may make the most of the time you spend betting.

Accessing the proper departments is made simple via a variety of channels, including live chat, email, phone, and social media.

At Ladbrokes, the situation is quite comparable, as difficulties are quickly resolved and you get back on your feet in a short amount of time.

For the sake of this portion of the bookie showdown, we will record a tie for customer service.

Where Do Ladbrokes vs Betfair Aus Stand on Safer Gambling

It is in the best interests of Ladbrokes and Betfair that its consumers gamble sensibly and within their means. Betfair wants its consumers to have fun when betting, therefore it takes precautions to ensure their security.

Both sites promote responsible gambling with features including limiting spending (deposit and loss limits), pausing play (time out or self-exclusion choices), and getting help if needed.

As a result of both companies showing due diligence when things get serious, this category will be yet another tie.

Where Are Ladbrokes vs Betfair Aus Licensed and Regulated?

All of Betfair's gaming activities are supervised by its Responsible Gaming Code of Conduct and by the South Australian Responsible Gambling Code of Practice, and Betfair runs Australia's sole betting exchange under a Tasmanian Gaming Licence.

Ladbrokes Australia is licensed by the Northern Territory Racing Commission and is regulated to make sure they are conducting themselves fairly at all times.

Both of these sites are appropriately licensed and we are seeing yet another draw in this Battle of the Bookies.

Does Ladbrokes vs Betfair Aus Have The Best Offers?

We can’t tell you which promotions are being offered at either Ladbrokes or Betfair, but we can tell you that we prefer going back to Ladbrokes when we’re looking to make the most of ongoing offers.

This round of the best offers will be awarded to Ladbrokes Australia.

Ladbrokes vs Betfair Aus FAQs

Can you have both a Betfair Aus and Ladbrokes account?

In Australia, you are able to register with both Ladbrokes and Betfair and bet with either of them as often as you like. Just make sure you only create one account with each of them!

Which Bookmaker has been around longer?

While Ladbrokes is technically more than 100 years older than Betfair, they have both been operating in Australia for roughly the same amount of time.

Do both bookmakers have mobile apps?

If you like to bet on official betting site mobile applications, you’ll be happy with what both Ladbrokes and Betfair have available to you.

Which betting site offers the better odds – Betfair Aus or Ladbrokes?

Betfair and Ladbrokes offer competitive odds, with none providing better odds in more than just a few cases. You will not be ripped off by either of these two betting services.

Do Betfair Aus and Ladbrokes allow for live betting?

If you like to bet on in-play markets, you can do so at both Ladbrokes and Betfair in Australia.

Who offers the better customer service, Betfair Aus or Ladbrokes?

With multiple ways of getting in touch and informative customer care teams, you’ll be pleased with the customer service you get from either of these two online betting sites.

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