BetterBet Bookmakers - Better Bet betting - www.betterbet.com
BOOKMAKER REVIEW – BETTERBET
Being of the opinion that the UK betting market is “tired and stale”, BetterBet have attempted a renovation via pioneering design of modern betting shops, high levels of customer service, along with the use of the latest technology.
HISTORY
Better is the trading name of Betting Shop Services Ltd (BSSL). BSSL is a privately owned limited company.
Launched as recently as 2005, BetterBet is one of the newest names in UK Betting. The first betting shop was opened in King’s Cross in May 2006, proving extremely successful. Better have subsequently opened a further 25 shops in London and the South-East.
BETTING SHOPS
The emphasis on the design of retail outlets has been on providing an inviting, relaxing environment for punters. There are also revolutionary betting options, namely “betterex” machines, which are automated cash betting exchange terminals. These terminals are the only method by which high-street punters are able to both “back” horses to win and “lay” horses to lose. BetterBet have also tried to provide access to their shops for wheelchair-bound punters, and assistance for the hearing impaired, via hearing loops. The King’s Cross shop was awarded a Gold Access Equality Award, by Scope.
TELEPHONE BETTING
Better offers a freephone betting service to complement its retail and online activities. The call centre is based in Gibraltar. Operators appear to be knowledgeable and courteous. The majority of debit and credit cards are accepted, and bank authorisation only takes a matter of seconds.
ONLINE BETTING
The BetterBet online betting site is not one of the most attractive. Links to horseracing, football, cricket and golf are listed in the centre of the home page. Unfortunately, there are also a number of broad green bands, which do not align properly with the headings they are supposed to be highlighting, and actually overlap with some of the betting links. This is unsightly and irritating. Furthermore, if the Internet Explorer sidebar is open, the home page does not fit on the screen (unlike other sites), requiring repeated scrolling. The majority of site operations are irritatingly slow. The “Betting Slip” feature in the top right is useful. A free matched bet of up to £25 is offered for new customers. All bets must be in Sterling, and the site is English only. However, the minimum deposit is only £5 and the minimum stake £1.
Online help is available, broken down into the following areas:
- General Help
- My Account
- Security Issues
- Technical Help
- Player Protection
- FAQ’s
- Terms & Conditions
Help with Betting Rules is also provided:
- General Help
- Football
- Horses
- Dogs
- Other Sports
- Specials
Customer services can be contacted by e-mail or a freephone number.
SPORTSBOOK
The range of sports and markets offered on the website appears pretty comprehensive. Navigation is simple, via drop-down menus, located on the left side of the screen. However, it appears that a number of markets are not always available.
CASINO
The casino offers an excellent range of card and table games, slots, video poker, arcade games, craps roulette and mahjong. Navigation is straightforward, with excellent drop-down menus. Unfortunately, “instant” casino games are not available, games requiring the downloading of approx. 40MB of appropriate software. Following the software download, an 11-character username and 8-character password are automatically generated. These must be noted for future use, and it appears they cannot be changed. Having downloaded the casino software, each game must be downloaded individually, which is a time-consuming and frustrating process. However, once the laborious task of downloading the software is completed, the games play very well, with speedy game play and attractive graphics. Better Casino offers a first deposit match of up to £100. However, this requires wagering 20 x (Deposit + Bonus).
POKER
As with Better Casino, Better Poker requires download of software (approx. 70MB). Better Poker offers a wide range of games, including Texas Hold ‘Em, Omaha, 5 and 7-card stud, with stakes as low as $0.10. Beginners’ tables are available for novice players. Subject to accumulating sufficient “Better points” via game play, a first deposit bonus of up to $500 is offered.
Poker VIP Programme
Better Poker offers a range of online games and tournaments. Regular players can benefit from the “VIP Programme.” All new players start at the Bronze Level. As players begin to earn “Better Points” at games and tournaments, they can qualify to be upgraded to a higher level. Subject to accumulating sufficient point, players can graduate to Silver, Gold, Platinum and Platinum Plus levels. Players are assigned a VIP Level based on a weighted “Better Points” average for the preceding three months: For example, if a player earns 10,000 points in January, 10,000 points in February and 10,000 points in March, the calculation is 10,000 x 20% (January) + 10,000 x 30% (February) + 10,000 x 50% (March) = 10,000. This determines the player’s VIP level for April. At the higher levels, monthly loyalty cash bonuses and free sports bets are on offer.
POKER TOURNAMENTS
Better Poker also offers a number of “Sit and Go” poker tournaments, with large jackpots (up to $50,000) and progressives for players winning a specific number of consecutive tournaments.
Born from the belief that the British betting industry has failed to move with the times, BetterBet attempts to provide fresh, modern environment for betting shop punters, catering for “professional type” punters along with those who have an occasional “flutter.” BetterBet offer single account functionality for horse racing, sports betting, poker and the casino Better claims that it always lives up to its name. Compared with some other bookmakers, this is definitely not the case. However, with well-designed shops, efficient telephone betting and a decent online site, BetterBet is worthy of inclusion of a punter’s list of bookmakers.
