live betting console
What is the best sportsbook for live betting?
Feb 6th
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 months of voting by people like you – punters and sports fans – the results are clear. One site stands out from the rest but will they hold that lead through 2010? We’ll see. Read on for more details and cast your own vote in the live poll on the right of the page.
It’s 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.
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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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...
Sky Bet Redesign
Jan 23rd
I haven’t been paying attention but at some point in the last few months Skybet have implemented some major changes to their website and they are definitely for the better. The deeper integration of content works well although it would be nice to see the Sky Player (their video streaming) in the main page. It is a simpler look with fewer grids and columns on the home page. The focus is on the big events and upcoming events. The single image provides a strong focus on the key events. It seems that the 80 million or so spent on 365 media is starting to be put to work.
I still struggle with adding bets to “the basket” along with my quarter pound of tomatoes. The live betting doesn’t deliver the goods but I’m sure that is being looked at.
Top site though. Well thought through and it has addressed some of the weaknesses of the previous home page.
Unibet Live Betting
Jan 15th
Unibet’s sportsbook has taken shape and really improved over the last year. They have some nice marketing modules on the home page and a traditional pop-up live betting console. The home page has a great little winners promotion.
The live betting application uses a two column layout for markets and is visually very strong. The overall sportsbook design is bright and modern – almost too bright! It’s a good effort all round and I’m sure there is more to come.
Live Video
Sep 17th
A great development for all punters out there is the increasing availability of live video streaming on bookmakers websites. We have services from Racing UK, AtTheRaces and from Perform Group – adding up to several thousand events every year to have a bet on.
You can watch the greatest number of events on Betfair, William Hill and on Bet365. The quality of the video is getting better but there is still room for improvement. I’ll keep an eye out for new services as things go on and maybe try to find the best of the bunch.