Nowadays, online gamblers have many different tools at their disposal for making sure they get the best odds. But which odds comparison sites are beyond compare and which are comparatively useless? Internet expert Elkan Allan investigates.
Odds comparison websites are among the most useful tools for both professional and amateur punters. These electronic marvels compare and update the prices in a wide range of markets from a whole raft of odds makers. By checking the wide range of bookmakers and exchanges they compare, and selecting the one that has the best odds on the bet you’re looking to place, you will often get up to 33% better returns on your winnings. And that, let’s face it, is what this game is all about: not losing edge to bookies with uncompetitive prices, and knowing that when you win, you’ve got the best price available.
On these pages, we compare the comparers and provide a guide to the guides. We tested 20 of them, and invited them to tell us why punters should choose them over their competitors. The sites are many and varied, in terms of both approach and quality. Some of them are a waste of time that add nothing to punters’ understanding. Others, especially Oddschecker and BetBrain, are sites that every discerning punter should consult before placing a bet. If you haven’t visited these sites yet we strongly recommend you give them a try. You can access BetBrain by clicking on the Instant Odds icon on the inside-edge-mag.co.uk homepage.
Revenue for the comparison sites comes from two main sources: online advertising and commission from linking punters via their sites. Be sure to look carefully at them to differentiate the advertisements they carry from their objective information.
Top Site
ODDSCHECKER.COM
>> 21 sports covered
>> 25 betting firms represented
>> 200,000 unique visitors per month
They say
‘Oddschecker provides the best, most accurate and reliable odds comparison service – and it’s free. You can instantly compare the odds from the top online bookmakers, covering a huge range of sporting events, as well as get a wide range of other betting information, guides and tools. The average bet through our site is £50. We are the primary comparative site used by bookmakers’ odds-setters.’
We say
This is the grand daddy of all odds comparison sites, with a fantastic array of services that together offer sports gamblers a huge range of benefits. No-one who is serious about gambling should ignore this site. It’s easy to negotiate your way round and market movers are clearly flagged.
Key features
>> ‘Introduction to betting’ section gives simple explanations of why bookmakers’ prices differ and how various factors affect odds.
>> A ‘Best Book’ facility shows the best price available (from any bookie) for each runner and the lowest overrounds. Exchange prices take into account their commissions.
>> The ‘Steamer’ list shows horses, teams, etc, that are being backed significantly prior to the event, causing odds to shorten markedly. ‘Drifters’ show those going out in the betting. Prices in blue have shortened, red drifted.
>> All bookmakers’ and exchanges’ terms and rules compared.
>> Power tools include a bet calculator, a hedging calculator, which shows how much to lay off to guarantee a profit and a dutching calculator shows returns on more than one outcome.
>> You can click on the horse’s name to get its odds-history. Also available is five-year form guide of every horse, a speed-rating plus information on whether the horse is suited to the prevailing weather and going.
>> You can get an audio commentary on every race which is quite a compensation for not being on-course.
Our Pick
BETBRAIN.COM
>> 20 sports covered
>> 65 betting firms represented
>> 10 betting exchanges
They say
‘The fastest odds update for any odds comparison website. We cover more bookmakers and exchanges than our competitors, which means better arbitrage and value betting opportunities due to regional differences in the bookmakers’ odds. We compare bookmakers and exchanges from the UK, Australia, Gibraltar, Austria, the Caribbean and beyond. Prices are updated every 10 seconds, and we will get even faster soon.’
We say
An excellent and informative site that, along with Oddschecker, should become a must-see on a daily basis if you’re serious about sports betting. Why not bookmark the InsideEdge website ( inside-edge-mag .co.uk) which has an easy link to Betbrain on the homepage?
Key features
>> ‘SureBet’ is a very useful service for those who love an arb. A SureBet is a bet that BetBrain’s techies have spotted where there is such a difference in bookmakers’ odds that by betting on all outcomes in an event, you are guaranteed a profit.
>> ‘Valuebet’ is another feature based on a purely mathematical way of calculating how good a set of odds are.
>> When you go to the BetBrain homepage you are instantly given a summary of where all the action is on the site. For example, when InsideEdge went to press, there were 77 bookmakers’ odds represented, 404 events, 36 leagues covered. 199 ValueBets had been chalked up, and two SureBets.
>> The ‘bookmaker information’ section tells punters all about the different bookies whose odds are on offer. It tells you how to place bets, what fees they charge, what type of bets they accept, and what their minimum and maximum bets are.
>> The range of promotional offers (bribes, if you will) offered by bookies available on BetBrain is pretty comprehensive compared to many other sites.
Runner Up
EASYODDS.COM
>> 22 sports covered
>> 18 betting firms represented
They say
‘When sports gambler Tony Plaskow won a first goalscorer bet at 7/1, he felt ripped off when he realised that another bookmaker was offering 10/1 on the same player. Guided by this sense of injustice, he teamed up with fellow punter David Gross to set up a service devoted to helping gamblers find the best value. It was not long before the pioneering easyodds.com was born, on 4 July 2000, becoming the first sports betting site on the internet comparing real-time fixed odds from a range of internet bookmakers, on all major sports. BestPrice is our odds comparison service; HorseAlert is our service alerting users when and where their favourite horses are running. TopTipster is our free tipping competition.’
We say
This is one of the first, and best, sites available, with good tipping, alerts and results services offered. Devotees swear they will never desert it in favour of more modern upstarts. In case you had any doubts that this is a quality service, the knowledge that InsideEdge’s own chief racing tipster, Paul Jacobs, has a column should help to allay them.
Runner Up
BESTBETTING.COM
>> 20 sports covered
>> 18 betting firms represented
They say
‘We are currently comparing 73,058 odds in 2,246 markets. That’s more markets than any other odds comparison site in the world. One special feature we offer is ‘Steamers’ – selections that have shortened with a significant number of bookmakers.’
We say
An impressive site with a wide range of markets and betting possibilities. Can be slow to respond though. ‘Odds shortening/lengthening’ is a useful service, although despite their claims, hardly unique to BestBetting.
Runner Up
SMARTBET (at racingpost.co.uk)
>> Mainly a racing site but other sports carried
>> 9 betting firms represented
We say
As they are seemingly shy of promoting their service, we are only too happy to fill the void. This is a slick and quick site from the Racing Post stable. This site’s real strength is the information it offers on horse racing, which comes largely from the newspaper. Annoyingly though, ante-post prices don’t always include some major bookies – William Hill and Coral, for instance – so a proper comparison of prices isn’t possible. The best feature is the Desktop Betting Shop where a text commentary of every race can be viewed.
THE BEST (AND WORST) OF THE REST
BETPROVIDER.COM
>> 8 sports covered
>> 8 betting firms represented (’15 soon’)
They say
‘Unique feature: betting news and value-based tips as well as odds comparison.’
We say
Rather slow and not very user-friendly, with a limited range. Some useful information extras, but much less comprehensive than other comparison sites.
BETRESCUE.COM (linked to megabet.com and goals365.com)
>> 9 sports covered
>> 20 betting firms represented
They say
‘Betrescue and Megabet are the only sites on the internet to offer football, tennis scores, US sports scores, racing results, free bets and odds comparisons on one website.
We say
Suffers from limited market coverage and an unhealthy obsession with ‘free’ bets.
BETSCANNER.COM
>> 7 sports covered
>> 46 betting firms represented
They say
‘Makes it easy to have several websites open at the same time, which is useful in these days of great choice for online punters.’
We say
Above claim seems a dubious advantage. Site focuses on football, so if racing is your primary interest, forget it. There are other more useful sites.
BETTINGADVICE.COM
>> 12 sports covered
>> 96 betting firms represented
They say
‘Covers almost everything that there is to bet on. Average of 300,000 visitors per month with 200 freelance tipsters signed up. Great forum at bettingadvice.com/forum.’
We say
Technically unstable, hard to navigate and difficult to find out which sports were covered and where.
BRITODDS.COM
>> Football and racing only
>> 10 betting firms represented
They say
‘The best odds offered by bookmakers are highlighted. Betfair and Sporting Options are not included in this analysis, because the top odds shown there are usually only for very small amounts.’
We say
A modest but competent website that admirably fulfils its somewhat limited objectives.
GG.COM/ODDS
>> Racing only
>> 20 betting firms represented, including its own GG service
They say
‘Compare prices from the UK and Ireland’s leading Internet bookmakers. Why take 6/1 when you can get 7/1 next door?’
We say
A very good racing site but somewhat compromised by owning a bookmaking organisation. Good news service.
ODDSEXCHANGE.COM
>> 23 sports covered
>> 57 betting firms represented (although 86 are claimed)
They say
‘We’re a provider of real-time information even on little changes that occur in the world of betting.’
We say
Slick and superficially impressive site, based in Malta. It’s generally a disappointment, though, because it mostly comes up with ‘no events found’.
ZAZEWE.COM
>> 60 soccer markets covered
>> 20 betting firms represented
They say
Nothing, actually.
We say
This is a primitive but useful, pan-European, football-oriented website, with many obscure comparative markets. There is an excellent arb feature called Masterstrokes. Looks as if it was put together by a miscreant 15-year-old schoolboy in his bedroom.
ONLINE-BETTINGGUIDE.CO.UK
>> 19 sports covered
>> 23 betting firms represented
They say
‘100,000 unique visitors per month giving 100,000 hits per week. Tipster competition and betting calendar are key offerings. Improved site in the works.’
We say
Difficult site to navigate. Pages are often empty except for an apology. Don’t bother.
READABET.CO.UK (part of call-centre jam.uk)
>> 8 sports covered
>> 19 betting firms represented
They say
‘We provide well informed and well presented, in-depth analysis of anything bookmakers offer odds on.’
We say
A good selection of bets but the website is technically difficult. The site carries a diary of an online gambler that is moderately entertaining.
….AND SOME MORE
TIP-EX.COM
>> 9 sports covered
>> Subscription service lists odds from over 170 betting firms
They say
‘Free, in-depth betting previews from long-term professional gamblers. Our odds comparison software and Tip-Ex Pro service enables you to monitor odds changes as they come in.’
We say
Confusing site which appears to attempt too much.
TODAYSLATESTODDS.CO.UK
>> 14 sports covered
>> 17 betting firms represented
They say
‘Here you can view the current odds from the best bookmakers on the internet.’
We say
Nice, clear, efficient but rather off-putting site. It is not nearly as comprehensive as many others detailed here. There are a few freebies advertised, but nothing special.
SPORTSPUNTERS.COM
>> 50+ sports covered
>> 60+ betting firms represented, typically 20-40 for each sport
They say
‘Unique features include computer predictions, stats and expert tips available from the prediction competitions.’
We say
Australian bookies, which can have better odds than European ones, are represented. Sadly, it’s a busy site, with multiple options that can be confusing.
SOCCERVISTA.COM
>> 23 sports covered
>> 5 betting firms represented
They say
‘We offer huge resources for soccer betting. If you are a soccer enthusiast, you can find tables, results, picks, stats and predictions for the coming week and much more.’
We say
Useful for obscure continental soccer but not for mainstream events. Not enough bookies for price comparison.
BETBASE.INFO
>> 296 football markets
>> 75 betting firms represented
They say
‘We keep an eye on 296 football tournaments… There is a results service and an archive of all previous results.’
We say
Football only, but efficient in this area, with a large selection of games covered. Technically clunky and visually inept, but quite useful if football’s your thing.
