BetSid - Closed

BetSid is a traditional British bookmaker, not just an online entity as many new betting sites are today.  The company began life as an aside to catering firm at Preston North End’s stadium back in 2013.  Set up by a Lancashire businessman now has eight high street shops across the North West, employing local people and contributing far more to the UK economy than your average new bookie.

Impressive considering most independents have folded or been bought up by the big boys such as Ladbrokes-Coral and William Hill.

BetSid Casino

Of course online all bookmakers offer a casino these days and for BetSid the benefit of running their online operation on an existing software platform with FSB Tech means they can deliver a vast amount of games out of the box.

You will find around 400 titles to play from leading developers such as NetEnt, Microgaming, SG Digital and at least five others.  What you also get here are some genuinely useful casino promotions for regular players too, ones that are actually suitable for average players.  A sign again that BetSid have a foot in the real world.

If you are more likely to want to play games with your welcome bonus then you can alternatively claim the casino offer from BetSid which you can find out about via the button below.

BetSid Existing Customer Betting Features

BetSid are very strong on existing customer promotions, particularly for the traditional British sports.  They offer bet boosts daily, but ones that are actually thought through and attractive to bet one, a sign there are some experienced brains behind the company.  The brand also offer free bet clubs to reward those that like to bet on a variety of sports and events through the week.

Horse and Greyhound racing deals are rife here too, ranging from money back and insurance offers to free bets, depending on the season and meetings.  The bookmaker also advertise themselves as the place to go if you like Lucky bets, and this is true as at the time of writing they are the only brand to match Betfred’s Lucky offers, Betfred are another who claims to be the lucky’s bookie.  Basing your horse racing offers on Betfred’s however is no bad thing considering they have been a leading UK high street brand for 50 years.

Most of the features such as live betting, etc., are provided by FSB, although again this is no bad thing as it means you get a seamless platform from an established developer.  FSB in particular are renowned for prioritising functionality over graphics and this means you get a very fast site with features that don’t crash.  If you mainly care about betting and not flashing graphics and colours then you will love this interface.

BetSid add their own character through a weekly blog feature, another rarity for new sites and something only possible because of their high street history.  Read the blogs and you will see their is a genuine knowledge base in this company, which is reassuring as a bettor.

In terms of payments BetSid accept major bank cards as well as eWallets such as Skrill and Neteller.  Minimum deposits and withdrawals are good at just £10, the minimum bet amount is £1 and the maximum payout a very decent (for a new site) £100,000 a day.

About BetSid

Simon Rigby, a successful Lancashire entrepreneur, set up BetSid in 2013 at Deepdale, the stadium for Preston North End FC.  In the early days it was run as a secondary earner to Rigby’s catering business at the ground, genuinely out of the back of a van.  Since then the ambitious family run local firm has gone from strength to strength with eight shops in Blackpool, Preston, Chorley and Lytham Saint Annes.

As mentioned earlier the feat of growing a new real-world betting chain in a few years against a backdrop of austerity, more people moving online, and the big five bookmakers buying everyone else out, makes you sit up and take note.  This is a determined company but also one that understands British punters and what they want, and most importantly the understand betting markets inside and out.

FSB hold the UK Gambling license for the online sportbook/casino, BetSid also have their own licence that covers their real world betting shops. Watch this space however as I think in time to come BesSid are going to grow with their own site under their own licence simply because they are one of the only new companies in the UK market that understand the UK betting landscape properly.

“Win a few quid with Sid” is the tag line of the brand, which kind of sums them up as a bit Betfred like, light-hearted on the surface but serious about sport underneath.

In terms of drawbacks there is no mobile app, although this is becoming fairly standard now as sites are responsive on any device, this is certainly true with FSB who have a mobile-first approach.  There is no streaming offered or broadcasts, although this is likely to change in the future.  The brand is also very UK focused, which may be a good thing or not depending on how you bet.

Customer services are available by email only online, which can be a little restrictive, although saying that the responses you get are much better than with most others as these guys actually understand betting.  Of course being a real world operation if worse comes to worse you can phone them up, post them a letter or even walk in to their shops (although not so handy if you don’t live in Lancashire).