Matchbook Sports Betting Exchange

Matchbook Exchange

Normally, I would want to start this piece by tapping Matchbook on the back for taking a big leap of faith. For standing up against Betfair's mighty wrath, of course. But, then I wikied it. Turns out they started their operations back in 2004. So, that's a dud. Matchbook has been around, pretty much the same time Betfair brought online its then-unthinkable concept of exchange betting. Making bettors part of the liquidity supply during hot sporting events, is not only a technically and financially sound idea; but also a morally equitable practice. Other than Matchbook and Betfair; no major gambling brand picked up on it. Ever. Whereas, under a divergent industry, it would have become a legal obligation. Money made by bookmakers laying bets alongside their clients is peanuts compared to taking the opposite side of the trade; where all trickery can be conveniently hidden, to the monetary disadvantage of the poor gambler.

Matchbook has been in the market for nearly two decades. Brings plenty of experience in terms of handling tens of millions of bets. However, despite its solid position; it's still looked at as an alternative to Betfair's exchange. Kind of like a cousin, who isn't that rich or famous. But, in its own right, it does deliver top-notch spreads on horse racing and football. The odds do seem to closely compete with Betfair. Matchbook does also have a unique selling point; its bespoke brokerage service. Meant for mega whales who really want to bet big (six to seven figures), and require a specialized backchannel liquidty pool. Retail betting exchanges may not able to take extremely large bets. Matchbook's private brokerage service is perfect for such excessive counterparty risk scenarios.

To address the frequently occurring low liquidty problems of their exchange, they also have a program called Matchbook Zero; where it does not charge any commission, nor has any margin requirement for any kind of bet. It's as if the bettor, truly becomes a bookmaker on his own. Whether it has resulted in upping the overall use of their exchange is currently unknown. But, it would make sense, if it did.

Matchbook can be fully trusted. It's licensed in Alderney (AGCC) and United Kingdom (UKGC). Most of its betting clients do come from the UK (over 57% of its traffic, source: Semrush), and it's a bit restrictive on countries it can accept players from. Indians, who can't open betting exchange accounts at Betfair tend to opt for this site. Redditors have no visibly concerning complaints either. Most praise the speed of its customer support, quick payouts and low juice on major sporting events. A few comments do mention the lack of liquidity on low-spectator sports, and push Betfair as the alternative. The folks on TrustPilot seem to love Matchbook too. Ratings stand over 4.4/5, which is quite high, anyway you look at it. The negative comments on TrustPilot are mostly from people, who seem to have failed their personal ID checks, or were unable to supply the correct documentation for the source of funds. And resultantly got themselves permanently banned.

The Lay / Back odds table design looks pretty much the same as Betfair's. Even uses the same colors, light pink and blue. Though exchange betting is what they do, their clients can also play the traditional casino games like slots, blackjack, roulette; even Live Casino. In fact, they have partnerships with over 20 igaming providers. Play games like NetEnt's Gonzo's Quest (96% RTP); Jackpot Quest (96.30% RTP) from Red Tiger Gaming, or Lightning Roulette (97.30% RTP) by Evolution Gaming, among many others.

Sports exchange betting is what Matchbook has always been known for. Football / Soccer, Darts, Cricket. Even American Football, Basketball. Horse and Greyhound Racing also makes up a significant portion of its total daily bets. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Horse race betting is their main bread-and-butter service.

Deposits can be made through credit and debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Skrill etc. Being able to pay through Apple and Google's e-wallets is a huge advantage and testament to the fact that Matchbook is authentic and legit. Withdrawals are processed timely. In fact, the talk of town is that they never make a fuss or create dramas. They will pay any amount, at any time, without any weekly or monthly limits; something that's very out of the ordinary when compared to typical betting sites. But, fully complying to KYC procedures is a must, and their clients are expected to produce proper documentation to be green-lighted for funds withdrawals. Minimum deposit and withdrawal amounts are set to £ $ € 10. This amount is deliberately kept low for bettor's convenience, and for building trust. The bill at one's local chippy is usually more, so this makes Matchbook cheaper than Fish and Chips! - lame?

They don't offer any bonus, or no deposit bonus. But, their welcome offer does gift out £20's worth commission-free bets for the first 3 months. Funny as it might sound, I have never been able to figure out the zero commission campaigns, sites like Matchbook and Betfair run from time to time. It's as if they want people to just make repeat deposits, nothing else, like how the banks work. I'm not accusing anyone, but could they be using client deposits to expand their business considering most people will lose their funds anyhow. Perhaps my thoughts are running way ahead of theirselves, and I should stop, before Matchbook mails me a legal notice.

Their customer service is fairly fast. That's what I've read about them on casino review sites. Even places like Reddit and TrustPilot paint the same picture. It's provided through Email and Live Chat. The links to both these can be found right at the bottom of their website. I haven't personally tested their response times. But, it would be a great idea to do so, for new bettors. It will sort of prove their worth, if they aren't faking it like a cheap Rolex.

Matchbook has been around for sometime now, but it's mostly known as playing second fiddle to Betfair. Perhaps this is quite a harsh, even an unfair way to put it. But, tell me, if I'm wrong. Despite all the wealth in the world, Matthew Benham - owner of Matchbook and Brentford FC - hasn't been able to turn it into a globally recognized brand. It should have been a tier-1 conglomerate doing multi-billion dollar merger deals, working towards consolidating the massive online gambling industry. But, yet, it's found a quiet corner, where it prefers to sit and watch the world pass by.

May be Matchbook's true calling is to remain a sleeping giant, that will perhaps, one day wake up, and claim its mantle. Until then, it's happy as it currently stands; and apparently so are its protective and loyal customers.

Official website address: www.matchbook.com

Claire Reid

Why should Claire's review be trusted?

Completed Gaming Management Program from the University of Nevada Reno. This gives her the ability to evaluate gambling establishments on technical grounds.
Worked for three years at the UKGC as a compliance manager at their Birmingham, West Midlands office. This means she knows the ins and outs of what makes up a good law-abiding gambling site.
Completed an online course on Ethics and Ethical-Decision Making Essentials from Udemy, which serves as a guide for her when writing true reviews, without taking sides.

A word from the author:

To make this review fair, transparent and to remove any sponsorship bias, I allocated anywhere between $500 (for casual betting) to $25,000 (for evaluating the quality of the high-roller gambling services) out of my own pocket for testing the browser-based platform and the app (where available) of this betting site.

This money was spent on online casino games and sports betting, depending on what the place is primarily known for. For example, certain brands only cater to slots, while others are predominantly sportsbooks.
My tests involved all the processes, such as initial deposit and accepting welcome bonuses, KYC, an actual experience of playing the games, and finally withdrawing my winnings, if any.

Legally Binding Oath: I hereby declare that the above made statements are true to the best of my knowledge and belief, and that I understand it may be used as evidence in court and is subject to penalty for perjury.

Disclosure: BestSites.Bet is not compensated, for any outbound clicks or new customer signups at Matchbook. This document is free of affiliate marketing links in order to maintain its editorial integrity. As per our internal company policy, we do not use any AI or Automated tools to produce content on this website. To maintain the accuracy and innovation of new ideas, all reviews are written and edited by real humans. Guaranteed.

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Page Last Updated: 10th February 2024.