Bet365 Bonus & Review

In this day and age, few sportsbooks are as well known as Bet365, with this platform cementing itself as a leading name in the sports betting scene thanks to its engaging and innovative platform. With an impressive range of sports betting markets, each having competitive odds, live streaming services, and a whole number of other creative features packed into the site to enhance user experience, Bet365 is favoured by many. To understand every horse racing betting feature that Bet365 has to offer, Racing TV has taken a deep dive into this site's components, providing a complete picture of what you could expect from this industry powerhouse.

Bet365 is one of the most recognisable sports betting brands in the UK and beyond. It embarked on a significant expansion of its services throughout mainland Europe and North America, cementing the sportsbook as one of the industry's most reputable and trusted brands. bet365 was founded in Stoke-on-Trent, England, in 2000. The Coates family sought to develop a digital betting platform to build on the family’s retail betting shop estate and take it firmly into the 21st Century. Since then, it has been renowned for the depth of its sports betting markets, competitive odds, and ability to offer in-play betting markets on selected sports events.

Something that can be applied to most sportsbooks and bookmakers is the sign-up process at Bet365, which is a simple one, with only a handful of steps that can be completed within a few minutes.

Once all of this information has been input, you can submit the sign-up form, and your account will be created at Bet365. From here, you can choose to log in using the username and password you have just set before fully browsing all of the site’s offerings and sports betting markets. However, before users can actually make any deposits or place any bets at Bet365, they must complete some additional identity verification steps, either by submitting some ID or proof of address, in order for the account to be fully verified. 

One of the most impressive sections of Bet365 is its horse racing betting markets, which cater to all types of bettors in terms of their racing preferences. All of the horse racing racecards on-site categorise meetings by the racecourse they take place at, as well as being able to be ordered by the time the race begins, allowing users to easily navigate and locate any events they may be looking for. 

In terms of all the horse racing betting markets at Bet365, there are a myriad of options to select from. For users who prefer to keep things simple and bet on horse racing results, your usual win, each-way, and place bets are all available. For more specific wagers, forecast and tricast bets are also found on most major races, allowing bettors to predict the order in which horses will finish.

There are a series of more nuanced markets for horse racing at Bet365, too, including options such as cover bets, totes, exotics and even for specific horses not to win. All of the racecards containing these bet options contain information on each runner, such as their weight, age and form, as well as the jockey and trainer responsible for them. What’s more, for a lot of major meetings, these markets will prove useful with some horse racing tips, too, giving users additional insight into previous runs and how a horse may be expected to perform.

Another standout feature of Bet365 is its competitive odds, which is applicable to all sports markets on-site, including horse racing, of course. The platform consistently offers prices that rival those of other major sportsbooks, with all selections being either in line with market standards or above, and this aspect is one of the main reasons Bet365 is so popular amongst bettors. In-play odds on this platform add an extra layer of dynamism to the overall experience, too, with the prices of selections changing as events unfold or new information is brought to light in the lead-up to a particular race.

No matter the market or sport, odds are presented by default in fractional format, which is preferred by many. However, bettors who instead use decimal or even American formats fear not, as Bet365 allows bettors to toggle the formats easily through the settings menu, adding an extra touch of personalisation to the site as a whole.

First-time customers at Bet365 could claim a sign-up bonus, potentially rewarding users with £30 in free bets if they place an initial £10 wager. These free bonus credits can be used on most sports markets on the platform, with there being minimum odds requirements attached to these also. However, certain payment methods are excluded from the qualifying process though, something which is worth reading into should you wish to claim this Bet365 bonus for yourself.

Occasionally, you can find bonus codes ahead of major race meetings and other big sporting events that you can use to reload your Bet365 account and get more horse racing free bets to play with. There are also plenty of ‘price promises’ and ‘guarantees’ for horse racing enthusiasts on site, too, with Bet365 offering best odds guaranteed promises on any British and Irish horse racing meeting broadcast live with ITV Racing.

Existing customers can also take advantage of bet365 bonus loyalty promotions that are dished out periodically. This is often at the start of a new racing season or before major meetings when there are multiple Group 1 races in the same week. There are especially a lot of Cheltenham Festival free bets and Royal Ascot free bets given out for these specific events, with this also being the case for other major horse racing events throughout the year.

✔ Welcome bonus is good value with £50 in free bets up for grabs.

✘ The sign-up promotion excludes specific payment methods from making eligible qualifying bets.

One of the major components that has seen Bet365 become the leading name it is today is its abundance of betting features, which are extremely diverse and add additional layers to the platform. The first of these we will touch upon is ‘Bet Builder+’, which allows users to create the exact bet they want across a range of sports, whether it is football or horse racing.

The ‘Colossus Bets’ feature is a more innovative one at Bet365, potentially giving users the chance to win a share of a prize pool, with these being deleted for certain markets and events. The number of users who make correct predictions could receive a portion of the prize fund, depending on the stake they originally placed.

If you are someone who likes to work out the potential returns of a bet before actually placing any wagers, you may appreciate the bet calculator at Bet365, a handy betting feature that simply allows users to input their stakes and odds to see what their selections may pay out.

For certain horse races each day, Bet365 may offer each-way extra, increasing the number of places that these bets may cover. Although these are frequent at some of the major meetings, this betting feature is surprisingly available on a multitude of markets across the horse racing world, even some smaller events.

If you're someone who loves to watch horse racing, you will be happy to hear of the dedicated live streams Bet365 offers for this sport. Whether it is the UK, Ireland, Australia, or South Africa, users can spectate races and watch them unfold, whether they use a smartphone, tablet, or PC.

If you happen to miss any races live, though, Bet365 has the Racing Archive available for users. This is a collection of horse racing replays from across all UK and Irish races that day and the days prior, ensuring users can go back and analyse chases in more detail or simply relive some of that day's most exciting moments or finishes. 

Another betting feature solely dedicated to horse racing at Bet365 is the ‘My Horses’ tab. This allows users to select certain runners and build up a virtual stable filled with their favourite horses. By doing so, this shows any up-and-coming races for the selected horses, notifying users and ensuring they don’t miss any chases their favourite runners may be participating in. 

Like most major sportsbooks, Bet365 has cash-out options available for most sports. These give users the opportunity to potentially take a return before an event has fully finished or simply withdraw an initial bet prior to an event beginning. Working slightly differently is the ‘Edit Bet’ feature; however, this gives bettors the ability to add, remove, or swap selections from a bet. This applies to both unsettled and in-play bets, with the new stake for the now-edited bet slip being equivalent to the cash-out value at the time of the edit.

Bet365 supports a whole range of secure and convenient payment methods, something that caters to all types of users. Debit cards are the most common type available on site, with Visa, Mastercard, and Maestro being options to ensure widespread accessibility. If this is not your preferred payment method, however, Bet365 also allows its customers to use ApplePay, prepaid cards like PaySafeCard, and a handful of e-wallets such as PayPal. Direct bank transfers are another option; however, there are differences in terms of minimum deposits and withdrawals.

A majority of Bet365 payment methods have both instant deposits and withdrawals, with no additional fees taken. This is the case with the main debit card options and e-wallets; however, this can differ when it comes to other methods. For example, direct bank transfers could have processing times between 1 and 5 working days, with this being drastically longer than the other instant alternatives on-site.

In terms of minimum deposit and withdrawal amounts at Bet365, this once again differs from one payment method to another. As standard, the minimum deposit and withdrawal amount is set to £5 for a majority of payment options; however, this can differ in the cases of bank transfers and prepaid cards, for example.

Another area in which Bet365 excels is its customer support department, providing a wide range of tools and potential solutions to ensure its users have whatever assistance they may need. Their 24/7 live chat provides instant support for any potential account payment, betting, or other technical issues, with this not having down periods, unlike some other sports betting sites.

For more detailed assistance, Bet365 also provides email support, with the address being handily located in the help section of the site or app. Here, users can receive prompt responses from a support specialist, with the same applying to the direct phone line that can also be found on the same page.

The help centre at Bet365 also has a comprehensive collection of FAQs, with there being articles for all types of common issues to quickly address any potential answers a user may be seeking. By factoring in all of these support options, it is clear that Bet365 is committed to resolving issues both effectively and efficiently, helping it build a reputation for excellent customer service as a result.

It’s easy to see why Bet365 is so popular among horse racing bettors and sports bettors in general. Its market depth is unrivalled, and its commitment to offering the most competitive pre-race odds is hugely welcome for value seekers. With a multitude of features on site in tandem with its easily navigable platform, Bet365 is a prime example of a top-tier sportsbook.

✔ Abundance of horse racing betting markets from regions and racecourses globally.

✔ No shortage of innovative features on-site that can't be found elsewhere.

✔ Odds for all of their markets are either aligned with the industry or above standards.

✔ Various customer support tools and payment methods. 

✘ Navigation menu is not the cleanest and is slightly outdated.

✘ Qualifying bets for bonuses exclude certain payment methods.