The Betfred online casino developed as an offshoot of the bricks and mortar betting shops which have been a British high street staple since the 1960s. It holds a licence from the UK Gambling Commissions, hosts a great set of Playtech games and offers players a multitude of casino bonus opportunities. Foremost of these bonuses is a bundle of 50 no wagering free spins, which new players receive as soon as they make their first deposit on site. As you’d expect from a business which started life as a traditional bookie, a comprehensive sportsbook compliments the Betfred casino to provide an all-round gambling experience that’s widely considered to be one of the best in the business – and for good reason.
Betfred Bonus – What Is It?
There’s no better place to start this review that the Betfred bonus. Regular readers of our site will know how much we value free spins no wagering, and Betfred delivers them in bucketloads as part of a cracking sign up bonus. A newly registered player receives a total of 50 no wagering free spins when they first stake at least £10 across at least give different spins on an online slot. Betfred will credit the free spins to your account within 48 hours of your qualifying bet. It’s all pretty simple.
The Betfred casino welcome bonus does not feature a cash 1st deposit bonus so the free spins are your lot. If you become a regular player, you can benefit from the site’s busy Betfred promotions page and take advantage of various ad hoc casino bonuses and participate in competitions and game of the week promotions to earn complimentary points, which effectively drive the Betfred loyalty scheme. Nobody could accuse Betfred of being shy of a casino bonus or two.
Betfred Free Spins No Wagering
Having said all that, there’s no doubt that Betfred promotes free spins as their primary method of reward for registered players. The 100 free spins no wagering you receive when you complete your first £10 worth of bets is a great introduction to the site. You can use the free spins on a long list of eligible games including the network jackpot slot Age of Gods and its many offshoots, Cat in Vegas, Mr Cashback and the underrated Stars Awakening. I like that they offer both a wide choice and some unusual options here. It’s not your standard bundle of Starburst free spins.
The real headline here is that these are no wagering free spins though. This means that all winnings generated from the bonus spins are paid in real money and credited to your account straight away. Unlike most free spins bonuses, the Betfred welcome bonus does not require players to play through the value of their deposit or stake multiple times over before they can withdraw the cash they win. There are some caveats. Most notably that the free spins are only worth the minimum value 1p per line so effectively 10p-20p in total depending on the casino game you choose to play.
No wagering free spins are rare for a reason. Not many online casinos are confident enough to give players free spins and let them keep their winnings with ifs or buts. Betfred’s approach doesn’t end with the welcome bonus offer either. Indeed, you can accumulate weekly no wager free spins by playing regularly at Betfred. You get 1 free spins for every £10 you stake. Note that’s ‘stake’ not ‘deposit’ so a single deposit of £10 can potentially earn you a bundle of free spins depending on your luck.
Betfred Welcome Bonus Terms & Conditions
I’ve mentioned many of them in my description of the Betfred welcome bonus but while onerous wagering requirements are absence, there are a few terms and conditions to understand. Most of them relate to qualification criteria and to make it super-easy, I’ve summarized the most important terms below:
- New customers only. 18+. Promo code CASINO100. £10 min transfer and stake on Slots at Betfred Casino within 7 days of registration. Minimum 5 game rounds. Game restrictions apply. Max 100 Free Spins. 50 Free Spins on selected titles credited instantly after qualification. Second 50 Free Spins on selected games within 48 hours. £0.10 per spin. Free Spins must be accepted within 3 days. 7-day expiry. Not all titles may be available in iOS app. Payment restrictions apply. SMS verification and/or Proof of I.D and address may be required. Full T&Cs apply.
Betfred Loyalty Scheme – How Does it Work
There are four levels to the Betfred loyalty programme – base, premium, platinum and black. As you play, you proceed through the various levels. The level you’re at directly effects the value of you’re the ‘compensation points’ you receive in exchange for wagering. You get 1 compensation point (or ‘comp point’) for every £10 you stake. You can then convert those points to cash. This is where your loyalty level comes to prominence.
If you’re at the base level, 100 points convert to £1 bonus cash. However, by the time you reach the highest ‘black’ level, just 70 points can be exchanged for £1. It’s 95 and 85 respectively for the intermediary Premium and Platinum levels. You can only cash in your points for cash when you’ve earned £10’s worth and the higher your level , the quicker you can do that. All players are enrolled onto the compensation points scheme as standard so just start playing to start earning. I do think they could have given the rewards a more exciting name than ‘Compensation Points’ though!
Betfred Slots
Betfred’s significant partnership with Playtech provides players with access to a near-complete catalogue of games from the UK software provider. The Betfred casino also hosts games from IGT, Boss Media, Blueprint and Ash Gaming. Playtech takes centre stage though, accounting for a good chunk of the several hundred slots you can play in the casino. The site nominates a ‘game of the week’ every seven days, allowing you to play the chosen slot in exchange for double compensation points. You can also play from a choice of more than 70 jackpot slots at Betfred, with a mixture of local jackpots and global jackpot games available.
The games are arranged into pre-defined sections but I would argue that Betfred have over-complicated that process a little. There are loads of these sections, some of which share games, and I’d prefer a more sophisticated self-defined filtering system which would allow me to view games by provider or feature type. You can, however, easily browse through small thumbnails of every game in the Betfred catalogue, while a small ‘information’ link gives you instant access to key information about each one. Slots make up around 75% of the entire catalogue but you can also play a dozen or so roulette games and around the same number of blackjack titles.
All the casino games are available from the ‘casino’ tab in the top menu but you can also access some through the ‘Games’ and ‘Vegas’ links. Again, this is a little bit of unnecessary complication that I could live without. Gripes aside though, and there’s lots to enjoy in this catalogue. If you are used to playing MicroGaming or NetEnt slots, this is a great chance to give some of Playtech’s finest a go. Breakout Bob, Nifty Fifty and the Age of Gods games all come highly recommended.
Betfred Live Casino
Live casino players are well looked after at Betfred. The Betfred live casino is accessible from the top menu of the site and features of doesn’t of live dealer games beamed in from real casinos. You can enjoy country-themed roulette in a variety of languages, plus 20 different Blackjack rooms including 6 specifically designed for high rollers. 7 Baccarat games and a popular version of the Deal or No Deal gameshow round off the Betfred live casino catalogue. Having played both, I’d say that the live casino is even more competitive that the Betfred online casino in comparison to its peers. There’s lots to enjoy if you’re looking for live dealer action.
Betfred Customer Service
You’d expect a gambling platform with Betfred’s credentials to offer players 24/7 live chat support – and they do. The chat pop-up is available from the Contact Us section of the site, which is split into three sections for ‘Sports’, ‘Games’ and ‘Casino’ (the latter two overlap). You can also contact the Betfred customer support team by email. Betfred did previously offer telephone support too but at the time of writing its ‘unavailable until further notice’. Most players are used to using live chat for online casino customer service though so phone support is increasingly rare. We don’t mind that its missing.
Unusually and impressively, Betfred provide customers with an indication of waiting times for live chat support. When chat is busy, they tell you and encourage you to visit some comprehensive and clear self-help pages. However, live chat is often ‘busy’ especially across the weekend. I tried at three different times and found high volumes at two of them. The wait wasn’t terrible in practical terms and I feared worst. Still five minutes is a lot longer than instant access. I did find the Betfred customer support team knowledgeable and friendly when I spoke with them though. There are other nice customer support touches, such as a bespoke journey for players who need to reactivate a blocked account. Plus the cashier system works well with quick payments. Overall, Betfred’s customer support is impressive, but they may need to unblock some issues at weekends.
Betfred Mobile Casino
You can play the Betfred mobile casino from a browser or download the Betfred app for Android or iOS. While standalone casinos increasingly offer browser-only support, multi-gambling platforms are much more likely to offer an app – especially when they have been around as long as Betfred. The user experience of the app vs the browser based version is largely the same, with little functionality missing from either. You can use the cashier on both and contact customer support. Most games are available too, with the vast majority of games from the likes of Playtech and IGT available across multiple platforms.
Betfred Review
Betfred’s website adopts a familiar design that’s broadly similar to many of the other big British, multi-product bookmakers. They haven’t separated their online casino from other aspects of their platform such as the sportsbook, bingo site or online poker. This means they pack a lot into a single website. But it’s easy to navigate your way around thanks to a straightforward main menu which is available on every page. The online casino is the third option in that top menu. Elsewhere, there’s none of the brightly coloured razzamatazz that you might associated with standalone online casinos. Betfred’s blue and red branding will be familiar to many in the UK and they stick with it online. The ‘Fred’ in their moniker refers to the company’s founder Fred Done, rather than a character to rival the likes of Mr Green.
The Betfred sports book functions as the site’s homepage. You’re greeted by a scrolling banner, list of the latest betting odds and a betslip when you first land there. The online casino homepage follows a broadly similar theme, with the banner introduction the free spins bonuses, new games and other features. Beneath that, players can browser through pre-filtered games categories including new games, jackpots, popular slots, blackjack, roulette and online poker games. A side menu points you to different sections of the online casino, including a handy ‘quick links’ feature directing to your account, the live casino and other popular parts of the site. ‘Useful Links’ take your straight to blog posts explaining what’s new as well. Registering is easy and takes a few minutes from start to finish, but UK players need to verify their identity before playing in line with UK Gambling Commission rules.
Betfred is a well-known UK bookmaker that has successfully transitioned to online gaming. The scope of its multi-gambling platform offering compares it favourably to direct rivals like Ladbrokes and William Hill. The Betfred online casino is just one component of that offering and while it lacks some of the modern design and prominent branding of some of the specialist casino sites, it still provides players with a great choice of games and some seriously impressive casino bonus promotions. No wagering free spins not only contribute to the site’s excellent casino welcome bonus, but they are also available weekly and via various ad hoc promotions. That gets a big green tick from me.
