Navigating the Betfair Exchange

Designed with navigation ease in-mind, using the Betfair Exchange can however prove to be slightly overwhelming when you’re first trying to get to grips with it. Learning the ropes on how to navigate throughout the platform on desktop, mobile and the app certainly helps to unlock its full potential though, so stick with it, and we’ll give you some pointers.

The Betfair Exchange offers you a hub of markets, of which there are over 220,000 on horse racing alone (2019), to delve into at your pleasure, with in-play options featuring across the vast majority, taking you right to the heart of the action. 

Users can bet on events while they're taking place, whether that be from a Backing or Laying perspective. Though a small number of available odds to Back and Lay at will be displayed, it is worth mentioning that if you're accessing the Exchange via mobile or the app, you'll need to switch to a landscape layout and then click into the race itself, in order to display a wider range of the in-play backing and laying betting odds. 

Now we’ll quickly run through some of the key links which you might find useful when you come to use the Betfair Exchange, on either desktop, mobile or the Betfair Exchange app.

• Logging In & Signing Up

Found at the head of the webpage, Betfair Exchange users can log in to the platform easily, with the option available to ‘Remember your details’, so that the next time you visit, you do not have to input this information. Note that this is an option best utilised on your own personal device, and not on a device which is shared amongst multiple users. Should for some reason you forgot your log in details, you can request for this information to be sent to the email which you have attached to your account.

To sign up to the Betfair Exchange, click on the ‘Join Now’ link which is displayed next to the Log In function, and this will commence the process to enable you to join. You will receive guidance throughout the joining process once you have gone beyond this point.

• Sports

With 38 individual Sports and  Specials covered on the Betfair Exchange, these can be easily navigated, simply by clicking on the A-Z Menu which can be found on the left-hand side of the webpage. Within this section, you'll be able to access every sports market available on the Betfair Exchange, from American Football right through to Tennis, with popular markets such as Horse Racing, Football and Golf amongst – you can also put a star against your favourite markets so they come to the top of the menu. Contained within the list of events, you can also locate markets such as Specials, Politics and Esports, meaning that there really is something for everyone when it comes to betting on the Exchange.

• Next Races

If you’re searching for the next upcoming Horse Racing event, simply click on the 'Today's Card' tab, which will then display the times and venues of all the schedule meetings and races for that specific day, whilst also indicating how long there is until post time for each of those afore-mentioned events.  Accessing the market for those upcoming races can be done so via clicking on the name of the race. For example, if you wish to view the ‘13:50 at Cheltenham’, click on the relevant link, and you will then be presented with a list of odds, for both backing and laying options, within that given event. 

Additionally, on this page, you’ll find a whole host of information and pointers provided by Timeform, including our analyst’s 1-2-3 for the race, a brief description of each of the runners in the field, alongside a more detailed verdict, which is known as the ‘Timeform View’. Within this area, users will be able to access a summary as to how we, at Timeform, have arrived at our main selection for that given race. To help Exchange users further, Timeform also provide ‘Cash Out Hints’ for the race, which may relate to the in-running trading price that a specified horse has reached in previous contests to help guide a punter’s tactical approach towards a given race.

• Search

If you are already aware of what bets or markets you would like to explore further, whether that’s football, horse racing or any other sport for that matter, then the best way to access them is through using the Search function which is available. You can find the Search tool at the head of the website on the right-hand column, on desktop, mobile and in the app.

Fear not if you’re struggling with the spelling of a specific horse or football players name, as the Search tool is able to distinguish what you’re intending more often than not, so for instance if you’re looking for Chacun Pour Soi, but have typed in Chacun Por Soi (see below example) then it will still direct you to the relevant markets, in this case the 2020 Champion Chase market at the Cheltenham Festival.

• In-play

To access the range of in-play events and markets, click on the ‘in-play’ link which can be located in the top left corner of the webpage, on both desktop and mobile. Once you have clicked through on the link, the various in-play markets will be categorised individually into different sports, allowing you to quickly navigate through to find those which may be of interest.

• Cash Out

It’s likely you’re aware of Cashing Out, but if not, this can be best explained as an in-play option which enables you to cash out your bet selection before the event has been completed, whether that’s to take a small profit whilst you’re ahead, or to cut your losses and cash in on your initial bet selection.

To locate the Cash Out section on the Betfair Exchange website, simply click on the Cash Out header to discover how you can gain even more control over your bets, by locking in profits and cut losses in-play.

• Quick links

Displayed on the right-hand side of the webpage, ‘Quick Links’ provides you with direct access to a range of popular sporting events and markets. The events which are listed often coincide with the Sporting calendar, so for instance in June you can expect to see the Cheltenham Festival feature in the run-up to March, whilst Wimbledon markets will be amongst those listed in May and June, as the tournament approaches. Other key sporting events, such as the Champions League and the Premier League, will almost always be present on this list due to their popularity.