These are the traditional players in the market, so you can expect good welcome bonuses and some reasonable odds. Fixed odds bookies will never be able to offer as higher odds as betting exchanges. This does not really make a difference if you are betting on the favourites, but if you are betting on an outsider they odds difference can be huge. For example, if you wanted to bet on Holland to win the World Cup you can get odds of 42 at Betfair (£10 wins you £420) but only 33/1 at William Hill (£10 wins you £330). Traditional fixed odds bookmakers make up for this by offering significantly better offers once your accounts is open. They can do this because they make more money from their customers. Betting exchanges make money by charging a percentage of winnings ranging from 2% to 5%, whilst fixed odds bookmakers take everything from losing bets. Of course they have the disadvantage of having to pay out on long shots and favourites, but there are very healthy margins.
The key to winning with fixed odds bookies is to take advantage of the continual betting offers.
A great strategy is to bet and lay arbitrage from one bookie to another. This is when the odds differ slightly between bookmakers and can be taken advantage of. For this to work you need to have funded accounts with as many bookmakers as possible and keep an eye out for changes in prices. The World Cup is an excellent platform for this as it is held over a short period of time and player changes can effect winning chances. Here we highlight the key traditional bookies and the welcome offers. Remember though, the best offers will come after you have opened your account as they want you coming back for more….
- Ladbrokes – Well established with a large range of bets – Claim your £50 of free bets here
- William Hill – One of our favourite fixed odds bookies – Claim your £25 free bet here
- Paddy Power – A huge Irish bookie well worth a look – Claim a £20 free bet here
- 888 Sports – A recently added sport book with good offers – Claim a free £88 bet here
- Betfair Fixed Odds – Set up after the BlueSq acquisition – Claim a free £50 bet here