So what is the best sportsbook for live betting? The results…

At the end of May 2009 I created a survey that you can see on the right-hand column of this page. It was a simple question - which online sportsbook offers the best live betting website. After 8 months the results are plainly obvious and the winner is Bet365 by a long shot. Taking 30% of the vote in a crowded and competitive market is no mean feat.

Poll results: The best in live betting

The best in live betting 2009

So what is it about Bet365 that allow them this lead? Why do you like them so much? From chatting to punters, reading comments and from working in the industry and speaking to companies who work with them, the answer as far as I can see is three-fold:

  1. They do the simple things really well. They have a great range of events to bet on. The site is easy to use and live betting is placed centre stage and has been for some years.
  2. They think for themselves. Bet365 know what they want and act on it. They don't follow. When the rights to live streaming video were offered to bookmakers 365 were one of the first to offer it to customers. They got maximum value from the deal - punters loved it. There seems to be a simple simple strategy, well executed. Give the customers what they want and keep doing it.
  3. They move quickly and decisively. Being the 1st to offer live streaming video has more of an impact on the bottom line than being the 10th.

What does this mean? It means you'll get a great experience on www.bet365.com. There's always some sport to watch and you'll get the latest scores for the games that do not have video. You'll be spoilt for choice and looked after well by one of Britain's largest private companies. It's that simple. Except it's not. And that's why their competitors are sometimes struggling to keep up. If you haven't used them, go and take a look...

(And check out their latest ad campaigns on youtube)


Skybet about to launch new sportsbook

I had a sneak peak at Skybet’s new sportsbook this week and it is going into beta preview next week. It’s looks great and is fast! The navigation is nice and they have broken away from one of the longest running conventions in sportsbook design – the right hand side betslip.
It’s going to be a good year for Sportsbetting. Hopefully we’ll see even more great product launches but keep an eye on skybet.com for the beta preview link.

Betfred launch a new live betting application

UK retail and online bookmaker Betfred have launched a new live betting application that allows punter to feast on real time stats during live football games. Fred even pops up with relevant markets during the action. The software was developed by live betting software specialist Boolabus using their Betstream framework.

The video below gives a sense of the data available and the user experience. Full team listings and formations are generated before the game. One of the nicest features is the goal alerts. If you are watching one game and goals or red cards from other games are flashed up on screen.
Take a look for yourself:

Bet in play – at your wedding?

It’s not quite live betting but it is mass market in its appeal. Paddy power have everything you need to get your wedding speech sweepstake organised.

The best live betting website

You stumbled on this website because you have an interest in live betting. Before you go on your way take a look at the poll on the right. Who has the best live betting experience? I figured Betfair would win just for the breadth of coverage but the user experience is continuously improving. Bet365 have to be a strong contender as well. What’s your opinion? Is live video streaming important or do you just want best price?

I’d really appreciate your vote and you can leave a comment at the end of this post if you like on why you made your choice. Many thanks…