Best Bookmakers for Live Online Betting

UPDATE

This article has been superseded by a more recent and comprehensive review. Click here to view the in-play online betting bookmaker survey.


Because Australian bookmakers only offer live betting over the phone, many Australian punters have been using the UK-based bookmaker bet365 to bet live online. However, in January 2012 bet365 ceased the provision of live online betting to Australian residents as part of its application for a sports book license in Australia. As a result, Australian customers must phone in to bet live in the same way they do with local bookmakers. This article reviews alternative services that enable Australians to bet live online. All of the bookmakers discussed offer Australian dollar accounts.

Australian Law

The Australian Interactive Gambling Act 2001 (IGA) makes it an offence to offer or advertise ‘real money’ online interactive gambling services to Australian residents. The term ‘interactive’ has been extended to include live sports betting. This law technically applies to all online operators, regardless of whether they are licensed in Australia. Interestingly, adherence to the IGA is the responsibility of the gambling operators and not Australian punters. An Australian resident is not breaking the law by betting live online.

Most offshore betting providers either ignore, or are unaware of the IGA, and continue to offer live betting to Australian residents. As things stand, Australians are free to participate in live betting offered by international agencies because any infringements would entail penalties for the betting operator and not the punter.

Alternatives to bet365

The following bookmakers offer Australian dollar accounts and adequate deposit & withdrawal methods for Australian residents. Please note that if you are not based in Australia, then bet365 offers the best live online betting service.

To learn more about the bookmakers below, visit the summary table in the Betting Agencies section. To assess whether a bookmaker will suit your needs, visit the upcoming live betting schedule on each site to see whether the service covers the sports you plan to bet on.

10Bet.com

The interface and betting selection is identical to that used by AllYouBet. The odds vary slightly between the two bookmakers, because while they’re using the same platform, their odds shift independently based on their own customer activity. At the time of review, 10Bet.com and AllYouBet offered the largest selection of live events to bet on, and a decent range of betting markets is available for most events. The interface works well, and a large live score graphic is displayed for an event when selected. Overall, the live betting offerings for 10Bet.com and AllYouBet were among the best we surveyed.

12BET

The 12BET betting interface is the least beginner-friendly of the services we reviewed, but its functionality will appeal to experienced punters. The interface is a simple text display in table format, with odds flashing to indicate that they’ve changed. The selection of events is strong, but the depth of markets offered for each event wasn’t as good as some other bookmakers.

AllYouBet

The interface and betting selection is identical to that used by 10Bet.com. The odds vary slightly between the two bookmakers, because while they’re using the same platform, their odds shift independently based on their own customer activity. At the time of review, 10Bet.com and AllYouBet offered the largest selection of live events to bet on, and a decent range of betting markets is available for most events. The interface works well, and a large live score graphic is displayed for an event when selected. Overall, the live betting offerings for 10Bet.com and AllYouBet were among the best we surveyed.

Betfred

The Betfred live betting offerings are minimal. At the time of review, no live events were offered and the upcoming schedule was sparse.

Blue Square

The interface is simple, but well designed. At the time of review the live betting offerings weren’t as extensive as other bookmakers surveyed. Virtual sports are offered, but we recommend you stay clear of these.

Pinnacle Sports

The live betting selection is fairly strong, however the interface is very poor. There’s no single place to view all live sports. Instead you have to navigate around the site from sport to sport to find what is available at any given time. This may not be an issue if you only intend to follow one event live at a time, however if you like to keep an eye on multiple sports you will be frustrated. The number of markets available for each event is less than most competitors.

Stan James

The live betting interface is the best of the bookmakers we surveyed (excluding bet365), however the selection was disappointing, with only one event open for live betting at a time when other bookmakers were offering upwards of eight events. Having said that, the most popular events such as English Premier League games are all catered for, so if you only plan to bet live on popular events then Stan James is well worth considering. Live video feeds are provided for some events.

Victor Chandler

The betting interface is beautiful, but the event offerings weren’t as good as other bookmakers at the time of review. Having said that, the most popular events such as English Premier League games are catered for. Virtual sports are continuously offered, but we recommend you stay clear of these.

Conclusion

Based on our survey, a good shortlist would be 10Bet.com, AllYouBet and Stan James. To assess whether a bookmaker will suit your needs, visit the upcoming live betting schedule on each site to see whether the service covers the sports you plan to bet on.

To learn more about the above bookmakers, visit the summary table in the Betting Agencies section.

To reiterate, if you are not based in Australia, then bet365 offers the best live online betting service.

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