Bookmakers

This page provides a one-stop reference for betting agencies that are suitable for Australians. The agencies listed here all offer Australian dollar accounts. Agencies fall into two categories: bookmakers and exchanges. Bookmakers are agencies that set the odds and you bet against the agency. With exchanges, the odds are determined by fellow users within a marketplace, so you bet against fellow users. Bookmakers are recommended for beginners, while an exchange membership is a must have for serious enthusiasts, because it enables you to play the role of the bookmaker and bet against outcomes.

Some useful features and articles:

If you’re in a hurry…

If you don’t wish to spend too much time choosing a bookmaker, below are our picks for the best in the following categories:

Frequently asked questions

  • Q: I’m a beginner, should I go with a bookmaker or an exchange?
    A: Go with a bookmaker
  • Q: How many memberships do I need?
    A: Just one if you’re a casual punter. Intermediate to advanced punters should pair a bookmaker membership with the betting exchange Betfair. If you’re looking for additional memberships for the benefit of odds shopping, view our latest bookmaker margin survey.


If margins are what drive you…

The margin is a measure of the bookmaker’s profit for an event and can be regarded as a hidden transaction fee for punters. From a betting perspective, the lower the margin, the better.

These tables display the summary results from the latest bookmaker margins and markets survey.

bet365 came out well on top for the sports survey with a 4.9% average margin. They were particularly strong for the MLB and NHL, with average margins of 4.2% and 3.6%, respectively. bet365 also dominated for the frequency with which they offered the best odds for a particular selection. The bookmakers also had different strengths, depending on the sport. Unibet came out well on top for the EPL with an average margin of 4.4%, compared to bet365, who were next best at 5.5%.

The combined margin of 3.1% highlights the benefit of holding multiple bookmaker memberships. This margin is considerably lower than 4.9% for bet365 and 5.8% for the survey average.

For our racing survey, Colossalbet came out on top, both in terms of margins and the frequency with which they offered the best available odds on runners. Picklebet used the same fixed odds as Colossalbet, but during the survey they were slower to make these odds available for some harness racecards.

Some bookmakers like SportChamps were far more competitive for thoroughbred racing than they were for greyhounds and harness fixed odds.

Despite employing higher margins, BoomBet performed incredibly well when it came to offering the best odds on particular runners. This highlights the fact that bookmaker margins tell only half the story. Margins can be heavily inflated if a bookmaker offers notably lower odds for a few selections, even if that bookmaker offers good value on the remaining runners. A bookmaker can employ higher margins but still be worth including in a portfolio of memberships if they frequently offer the best odds on certain selections. BoomBet is a classic example of this.

View the full bookmaker margin survey results.

Sports Margins
Rank Bookmaker Margin Equiv.
Line
Freq
Best Odds
1 bet365 4.9% 1.91 51%
2 Unibet 5.3% 1.90 35%
3 Dabble 5.6% 1.89 25%
4 PlayUp 5.6% 1.89 26%
5 BlueBet 5.9% 1.89 14%
6 Colossalbet 6.3% 1.88 16%
7 BoomBet 6.3% 1.88 2%
8 Picklebet 6.6% 1.88 6%
Combined 3.1% 1.94  
Racing Margins
Rank Bookmaker Margin Freq.
Best Odds
1 Colossalbet 26.8% 42%
2 Picklebet 27.0% 35%
3 bet365 28.1% 29%
4 PlayUp 28.7% 18%
5 BlueBet 28.9% 22%
6 Dabble 28.9% 18%
7 Unibet 29.4% 19%
8 BoomBet 32.2% 39%
9 SportChamps 41.4% 10%
Combined 22.5%  


Bookmakers that are suitable for Australians

Below is a list of Australian-licensed betting agencies.

  • Name: bet365
  • Owner: Bet 365 Group Limited
  • Owner HQ: Stoke-on-Trent, England
  • Licence: Northern Territory, Australia
  • Type: Bookmaker
  • Live (in-play) betting: Phone
  • Average margin: 5.0%
  • Key deposit methods: Credit card, Skrill, Neteller, bank transfer, POLi, BPAY, Paypal
  • Positives: Competitive odds, great betting selection. Live video feeds.
  • Negatives: Limits accounts of successful punters
  • Visit website
  • View our full review
  • Name: Betfair Australia
  • Owner: Crown Resorts
  • Owner HQ: Southbank, Victoria
  • Licence: Northern Territory, Australia
  • Type: Betting exchange
  • Live (in-play) betting: none
  • Average margin: no data
  • Key deposit methods: Credit card, Skrill, Neteller, bank transfer, POLi, BPAY, Paypal
  • Positives: Competitive odds, can bet for and against outcomes
  • Negatives: Lower liquidity on less popular markets
  • Visit website
  • View our full review
  • Name: Bet Right
  • Owner: BetTube Corporation Pty Limited
  • Owner HQ: Sydney, NSW
  • Licence: Northern Territory, Australia
  • Type: Bookmaker
  • Live (in-play) betting: none
  • Average margin: no data
  • Key deposit methods: Credit card, bank transfer, PayID
  • Positives: excellent interface, broad range of markets, great customer service
  • Negatives: no in-play betting
  • Visit website
  • View our full review
  • Name: BlueBet
  • Owner: BlueBet Pty Ltd
  • Owner HQ: Randwick Racecourse, NSW
  • Licence: Northern Territory, Australia
  • Type: Bookmaker
  • Live (in-play) betting: none
  • Average margin: 5.5%
  • Key deposit methods: Credit card, bank transfer, POLi, BPAY
  • Positives: clean interface, founded by former Sportingbet & Centerbet CEO Michael Sullivan
  • Negatives: no in-play betting, no online identify verification
  • Visit website
  • View our full review
  • Name: BoomBet
  • Owner: BoomBet Pty Ltd
  • Owner HQ: Brighton, VIC
  • Licence: Northern Territory, Australia
  • Type: Bookmaker
  • Live (in-play) betting: none
  • Average margin: not yet surveyed
  • Key deposit methods: Credit card, bank transfer, POLi, BPAY
  • Positives: innovative Hot Bet feature
  • Negatives: no custom-made same-game multis
  • Visit website
  • View our full review
  • Name: Colossalbet
  • Owner: Ryman Racing Pty Ltd
  • Owner HQ: Brighton, VIC
  • Licence: New South Wales, Australia
  • Type: Bookmaker
  • Live (in-play) betting: yes
  • Average margin: not yet surveyed but looks promising
  • Key deposit methods: credit/debit card, PayID, BPAY, bank transfer, Blueshyft Cash-In
  • Positives: strong odds, Colossalbet Mastercard
  • Negatives: sporting leagues navigation could do with some refinement
  • Visit website
  • View our full review
  • Name: Dabble
  • Owner: 80% Dabble Sports Pty Ltd and 20% Tabcorp
  • Owner HQ: Brighton, VIC
  • Licence: Northern Territory, Australia
  • Type: Bookmaker
  • Live (in-play) betting: no
  • Average margin: not yet surveyed
  • Key deposit methods: credit/debit card, PayID
  • Positives: copy bet feature
  • Negatives: available as an app only
  • Visit website
  • View our full review
  • Name: Draftstars
  • Owner: PlayUp Interactive Pty Ltd
  • Owner HQ: Victoria, Australia
  • Licence: Northern Territory, Australia
  • Type: Daily fantasy sports
  • Live (in-play) betting: none
  • Average margin: N/A
  • Key deposit methods: Credit card, POLi
  • Positives: leading daily fantasy sports provider in Australia
  • Negatives: 15% rake is higher than fees charged by Sportschamps
  • Visit website
  • View our full review
  • Name: Picklebet
  • Owner: Puntaa Pty Ltd
  • Owner HQ: QLD, Australia
  • Licence: Northern Territory, Australia
  • Type: Bookmaker & esports
  • Live (in-play) betting: none
  • Average margin: not yet surveyed
  • Key deposit methods: debit /credit card, POLi
  • Positives: $0.20 minimum stake, strong for esports
  • Negatives: no racing exotics
  • Visit website
  • View our full review
  • Name: PlayUp
  • Owner: PlayUp Interactive Pty Ltd
  • Owner HQ: NSW, Australia
  • Licence: Northern Territory, Australia
  • Type: Bookmaker
  • Live (in-play) betting: Phone
  • Average margin: 5.6%
  • Key deposit methods: Credit card, bank transfer, POLi, BPAY
  • Positives: Australian owned
  • Negatives: fixed odds typically only provided on the day of weekday races
  • Visit website
  • View our full review
  • Name: SportChamps
  • Owner: SportChamps Australia Pty Ltd
  • Owner HQ: NSW, Australia
  • Licence: Northern Territory, Australia
  • Type: Racebook & competitions
  • Live (in-play) betting: None
  • Average margin: no data
  • Key deposit methods: Credit card, bank transfer
  • Positives: innovative competitions
  • Negatives: traditional sports betting not offered
  • Visit website
  • View our full review
  • Name: Unibet
  • Owner: Unibet Group plc
  • Owner HQ: Malta
  • Licence: Northern Territory, Australia
  • Type: Bookmaker
  • Live (in-play) betting: Phone
  • Average margin: 5.0%
  • Key deposit methods: Credit card, bank transfer, POLi, BPAY
  • Positives: competitive odds and excellent betting selection
  • Negatives: Fewer deposit options than leading competitors
  • Visit website
  • View our full review


Notes and explanations of terms

  • Live betting – due to the Interactive Gambling Act, bookmakers licensed in Australia cannot offer live online betting to Australian residents. Australian customers must phone in to bet live.
  • Key deposit methods – other deposit methods such as cheques and Ukcash may be available, but only popular methods have been listed.
  • POLi – enables you to make online bank transfers that are acknowledged immediately by the bookmaker. This feature is only available for Australian bank accounts.
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