bet365 vs Betfair Compared for Ireland

Quick verdict: bet365 or Betfair?

Choose bet365 if you want the widest range of markets, in-play depth, live streaming across football and tennis, and a Bet Builder for combining selections in a single match. It scores 9.6 for market coverage and 9.5 for sports depth in our ratings.

Choose Betfair if price is your priority. Across the odds we sampled, Betfair held the best price on 53% of markets and ran an average margin of roughly 4.3%, noticeably tighter than bet365's ~7.4%. That difference compounds over a season of Premier League and horse racing bets.

Avoid bet365 as your only book if you chase the very best available price on every line. Avoid Betfair if you rely heavily on Bet Builder-style same-game combinations, where it scores lower (7.4) than bet365 (9.0).

Head-to-head comparison table

• Founded: bet365 2000 | Betfair 2000
• Odds rating: bet365 8.8 | Betfair 8.9
• Average margin (sampled): bet365 ~7.4% | Betfair ~4.3%
• Best-price share (sampled): bet365 0% | Betfair 53%
• Market coverage: bet365 9.6 | Betfair 8.8
• Sports depth: bet365 9.5 | Betfair 8.6
• Live capability: bet365 9.4 | Betfair 8.7
• Bet Builder: bet365 9.0 | Betfair 7.4
• Licence & safety: bet365 9.5 | Betfair 9.2
• Payments: bet365 8.8 | Betfair 8.4
• Withdrawals: bet365 8.9 (0–24h) | Betfair 8.5 (0–24h)
• App: bet365 9.3 | Betfair 8.4
• Support: bet365 8.6 | Betfair 7.9
• Minimum deposit: both €10

Note on the sampling: Betfair's best-price figures come from a larger sample (213 markets) than bet365's (30 markets), so treat the margin gap as indicative rather than absolute. It still points clearly in one direction — Betfair prices tighter more often.

Odds and margins: where the value is

This is the clearest gap between the two. In BETAURO's odds sampling, Betfair offered the best available price on more than half of the markets checked and carried a lower average margin. Lower margin means the book keeps less and you keep more, all else equal.

For recreational punters betting a few euro on a Premier League weekend, the difference is small per bet. For anyone staking regularly across football, horse racing and tennis, a margin gap of roughly three percentage points is the sort of thing that decides whether you're ahead or behind over a year.

bet365's odds still rate well (8.8) and it wins on the sheer number of markets it prices — so you'll find lines at bet365 that Betfair's sportsbook simply doesn't list. The trade-off: more markets, slightly wider prices. Compare live prices yourself on our betting odds Ireland pages before you stake.

Sports and competitions for Irish punters

Both cover the fixtures Irish bettors care about: Premier League, Champions League, Serie A, Ligue 1 and the World Cup in football; ATP and WTA tennis; plus horse racing, GAA, rugby and golf.

bet365 pulls ahead on depth (9.5 vs 8.6). If you like betting deeper markets — corners, cards, player props inside a GAA or rugby match, or niche football divisions — bet365 typically lists more of them. Its live-betting capability (9.4) and live streaming also make it stronger for following matches in-play.

Betfair's sportsbook covers the mainstream well and prices it sharply, but its market catalogue is narrower (8.8 coverage). For big-race Saturdays and the main football cards, both are more than adequate; the choice again turns on whether you value price or breadth. See our Football betting sites and Horse Racing betting sites shortlists for how each ranks by sport.

Features: Bet Builder, Cash Out and streaming

Both bookmakers offer Live Betting, Cash Out and Live Streaming. The dividing line is Bet Builder.

bet365 lists Bet Builder among its features and scores 9.0 for it — handy if you like combining, say, a result, both teams to score and a shots-on-target line into one same-game bet. Betfair's feature set here is weaker (7.4) and Bet Builder is not among its listed features, so if same-game multiples are central to how you bet, bet365 is the more natural home.

Betfair does list Fast Payout as a feature, which fits its 0–24h withdrawal window. Both support Cash Out for locking in or cutting losses on live and pre-match bets. If a specific feature is your deciding factor, our Bet Builder, Cash Out and Live Streaming category pages show which Irish bookmakers support each.

Payments and withdrawals in Ireland

Both take Debit Card and PayPal, and both set a €10 minimum deposit with a quoted withdrawal time of 0–24 hours.

bet365 has the wider payment menu, adding Apple Pay and Revolut Pay — useful if you prefer paying by phone or already run your money through Revolut, as many Irish punters do. Betfair's listed methods are Debit Card and PayPal only.

On ratings, bet365 edges payments (8.8 vs 8.4) and withdrawals (8.9 vs 8.5). If mobile wallets matter to you, that's a point for bet365. If you're happy paying by card or PayPal, the two are effectively level on the basics. See PayPal betting sites, Apple Pay betting sites and Revolut Pay betting sites for the full picture.

Apps and mobile betting

Both offer iOS and Android apps. bet365 scores higher (9.3 vs 8.4), reflecting its stronger in-play interface, streaming and market depth on mobile. If most of your betting happens on your phone during matches, that gap is worth weighing.

Betfair's app (8.4) is solid for placing and cashing out bets on the main sports; it's just less feature-dense than bet365's. For a broader look at how both stack up against other operators, see our betting apps Ireland rankings.

Safety, licensing and support

Betting in Ireland is overseen by the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI), and the minimum age is 18. Both bet365 and Betfair are listed as licensed operators in our data, and both score highly on licence and safety — bet365 9.5, Betfair 9.2. We verify licence and register status from the operator data supplied; we don't make first-hand testing claims.

On customer support, bet365 rates higher (8.6 vs 7.9). Neither figure is exceptional, but if responsive help matters to you — for example resolving a withdrawal query — bet365 has the edge. You can read the full write-ups in our bet365 review and Betfair review, and check the wider list of legal betting sites Ireland for context.

Which should you pick?

Pick bet365 if you want the all-round package: the widest markets, the best app, Bet Builder, Apple Pay and Revolut Pay support, deeper in-play and stronger support. It's the better default for most Irish punters who value breadth and mobile experience.

Pick Betfair if value is what you're chasing. Its tighter margins and higher best-price share in our sampling make it the sharper option for regular stakers who compare prices and want to keep more of the edge.

Many punters run both: Betfair for price, bet365 for markets and features. There's no rule that you must choose one. Compare them against other operators on our comparisons hub and all bookmakers directory.