Are you on the hunt for a bookmaker with a little bit of international experience? A global betting giant that has made a name for itself overseas before venturing down under, rather than starting from humble beginnings in Australia? There are plenty of reasons why you might prefer to use an international betting site, and on this page, we’ll talk you through what there is to like about them, some of the top international betting sites in Australia, and a whole lot more.
Best International Betting Sites
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Bet365
Bet365 was founded at the turn of the century over in the United Kingdom, and 12 years into their existence they opened up an Australian version of the site. For punters in Australia, that provided a new platform on which to bet which was, in many ways, superior to most of the smaller, local betting sites we had to choose from at the time.
In over a decade since opening up their virtual doors down under, Bet365 has developed into a favourite for many Aussie punters, yours truly included. The primary reason for this is that their range of markets is, without wanting to be too hyperbolic, virtually second to none. I’ve just taken a look at the site, and at the time of writing there are no less than 39 sports to bet on, from the most common like Australian rules football and basketball, to curling, lacrosse – even Big Brother Argentina.
And within those sports there are as many options for betting as with any bookmakers. I’ve just had a quick look at tomorrow night’s AFL game, for example, and there are well in excess of 100 markets available.
The odds are also excellent, close to industry leading for many different markets. For basic head to heads, you’ll be looking at odds of up around $1.90 or more. One of my preferred bet types is player props, and Bet365 excels here too, offering a great range of these markets and excellent odds.
Outside of this, Bet365 also has a really good app, good customer service – though they do make it a little hard to locate – and more payment methods than you could poke a stick at. Overall, this is one of the top international betting sites, and for many, arguably the best betting site in Australia.
Most well known bookmaker – always a solid experience
Unibet
Unibet shares plenty of parallels with Bet365, so it’s easy to see why they, too, come under the umbrella of one of the top international betting sites in Australia. Unibet was founded, in fact, before Bet365, back in 1997, but like Bet365 it wasn’t until 2012 that Unibet Australia appeared on the market.
Timeline aside, the reasons why Unibet Australia is one of the best international sports betting sites are also relatively similar to their British counterpart. Their range of markets, too, is pretty impressive. Not only are they one of the best international horse racing betting sites, but their selection of sports to bet on is comprehensive to say the least. They fall just short of Bet365 upon my recent check, but 35 different sports available isn’t bad.
And for the number of markets they have for individual games – well that has to be seen to be believed. For tomorrow night’s AFL match, for example, they have no less than 532 markets currently available. Don’t believe me? Take a look at the screenshot below for proof.
As you can see in the above screenshot, the odds are really good too. In fact, they Unibet Australia has some of the smallest margins of all bookmakers in Australia, so if you’re looking for value then it’s hard to go past this international betting site.
There are some areas that Unibet Australia could work on. The website, for example, can be a little clunky and slow to use at times, which can be frustrating, but the mobile app is a little more functional, at least. Overall though, Unibet Australia is a terrific betting site; one of the best in the country, and among the top international betting sites in Australia that you’ll find.
Unibet Blog, for sport game information!
International bookmakers vs Australian bookmakers
Whether to use an international bookmaker or an Australian bookmaker is a question that many Aussie punters grapple with. For some, using a company which is Australian-owned and operated is important, particularly given how many new betting sites are available in the country; others don’t necessarily mind where the company comes from, in which case international bookmakers can sometimes have a bit of an advantage.
Bear in mind that the content in this section isn’t necessarily universally applicable to every betting site. There are, however, some relatively consistent themes which separate these two kinds of betting sites.
As mentioned a little earlier on this page, when an international betting site breaks into the Australian market, it’s generally a pretty big organisation. That means they’ve got lots of experience, lots of money, and lots of capacity to provide things that smaller betting sites can’t necessarily offer.
The first of these is great odds. That’s not to say that Australian betting sites can’t have good odds – many do – but the likes of Bet365 and Unibet Australia are often right up the top in this area, and their ability to offer such good odds presumably comes from the fact that they have pretty deep pockets. Take a look at the Bet365 line odds for an upcoming AFL game for an example.
These sites will also tend to offer a really good range of markets. This was touched on earlier in this page, when I mentioned how extensive the range of sports, and then more specifically the range of markets within individual matches, was with Unibet and Bet365. Of course, among Australian betting sites, there is a lot of variation in this area, so plenty do have a good selection. Equally, however, there are many who can’t hold a candle to the top international betting sites.
When it comes to things like websites and apps, there’s generally a little more parity between international betting sites and Australian betting sites. Often, in fact, smaller Aussie betting sites create really good apps likely as something of a compensation for their reduced ability to provide elite odds and range of markets. Bet365’s is good, too, while Unibet’s has a bit of work to do, as does Ladbrokes, so the superiority of international betting sites is not quite so prevalent here.
Finally, to customer support platforms. Again, there isn’t necessarily a major difference here and there is a fair bit of variance from site to site, but by and large this is one area in which Australian betting sites are often better. With all of their operations based in Australia, it’s easier for them to provide broader support hours, with international sites sometimes not being quite as easily contactable or helpful when you do need them.
Not all international online betting sites are made equal, nor are all Australian betting sites. However, there are certain tendencies which you’ll notice across many of them, and in this section we’ve explained some of those in detail to help you to decide whether you’re better suited to betting abroad, or staying local.
Bet365 app
As one of the biggest betting sites in the world, you’d hope that Bet365 would be able to put together a pretty decent app. And they’ve done just that. The Bet365 website is a little different to many Australian bookmakers but generally functions really well and is very easy to use, so I certainly wasn’t surprised when they put out an equally functional app.
The Bet365 app, available for download on iOS and Android devices, has a group of tabs at the bottom of the home screen which allows you to toggle between sports, racing and more. You can then quickly and easily locate the individual leagues and games that you’re looking for.
In something which is a little different to other apps, when you click on a game, rather than taking you to an entirely new page, the Bet365 app has a pop up for that game which appears. I have, at times, found this a little cumbersome as there have been occasions when it hasn’t properly opened or I’ve been unable to get out of a game, meaning I’ve had to close the app. However, these issues appear to have ironed themselves out, as I haven’t encountered them for over a year.
Now that such issues appear to have been sorted, I find the app extremely functional and most importantly, responsive. It’s a major bug bear for me and many punters that a lot of apps just don’t load very fast, making them very difficult to use. Fortunately, that’s not the case with the Bet365 app, with new pages opening up super quickly.
On the whole, this is a mobile betting app befitting of one of the biggest bookmakers in the world. It’s fast, it’s responsive, and it’s got everything that you need on it – what more could you ask for?
Most well known bookmaker – always a solid experience
Unibet app
Like Bet365, Unibet is one of the top international online betting sites in Australia, so you’d be expecting a pretty decent betting app to go with their sensational range of markets and great odds. However, with a website that can be pretty clunky to use at times, I had a little less confidence in their app when I first used it.
Really, because of the fact that I struggle a lot with their website, the Unibet mobile app took on even greater importance. Though I do use Unibet at times, I’m certainly less inclined to do so because of the slow website, and a dodgy app would mean I’d be far less likely to use them overall.
Fortunately, however, the betting app is a lot more responsive than the website itself. It’s got a pretty standard layout, with sports and racing easily accessible and markets available through a logical series of clicking, so there are no issues there, and when I first checked out this app the main thing I was looking for was how quickly everything loaded and whether there appeared to be any bugs.
The Unibet app is probably not the most responsive going around, and at times it can feel a little clunky, just as the website does. However, these issues are nowhere near as prevalent as they are with the website. When I use the Unibet desktop site, my computer often starts humming away and gets quite hot; that doesn’t really happen with my phone. What’s more, though the Unibet app can lag a little, it’s hardly worth complaining about and is not close to the extent that the same thing happens on your computer.
In all, though this isn’t the quickest or easiest app to use going around, it is still a very good one. Importantly, it’s a fair bit more straightforward to use than the Unibet desktop site, meaning that if you’re trying to access Unibet’s great range of markets and elite odds, the betting app might be the best way to do it.
Unibet Blog, for sport game information!
Ladbrokes app
Ladbrokes is another major international betting site which has tapped into the Aussie market, but for me they don’t quite provide quite the same level of quality as the two bookies listed above. Mainly this is to do with their odds, which at least for sports aren’t particularly competitive with Unibet and Bet365, and while their website is reasonable enough it does leave a little to be desired. But what about their mobile app?
Like the above two bookmakers, the Ladbrokes mobile app is available for download on iOS and Android. It uses the same layout as a few Australian betting sites, as does the website, and is overall pretty straightforward to use.
When you open it up, you’ll find a few upcoming markets on the home page, and the ability to toggle to racing and sports at the bottom of the app – just the same as most betting apps. Overall, things tend to load pretty quickly, though there is some margin for improvement here; at times the Ladbrokes app does lag a little, and some improved responsiveness would certainly help to put this app in closer contention to some of its competitors.
On the whole, though there is some room for improvement with the Ladbrokes app, it is a pretty usable platform. You’ll be able to do what you need to do, be that sign up, contact customer support, or, of course, place a bet, relatively easily, so if you’re looking for an international betting site app, this is worth checking out.
Signing up with an international betting site
There is often a little bit of confusion about how to sign up with an international betting site, but it’s actually very straightforward. In fact, there’s not really any difference between signing up for an international betting site with a license in Australia, and simply signing up to an Australian betting site.
Some people seem to wonder whether you need to be overseas to sign up for these international betting sites, but the answer is that you don’t – in fact, to sign up for the Australian branch of these sites, you need to be in Australia. If you are, then all you need to do is head to the betting site in question and sign up as you would normally. For more info on how to do this, take a look at the step-by-step explanation below.
The one thing that you do need to be wary of when signing up with an international betting site as opposed to an Australian betting site is to ensure that you go to the Australian site, not the international one. For example, if you’re heading to Unibet, make sure that you add the .au at the end of the URL, or you’ll end up on the international version of the site – which you won’t be able to sign up for.
Take a look below at how to sign up with an international betting site.
- Head to the international betting site with whom you wish to sign up, ensuring that there is a .au at the end of the URL.
- In the top right hand corner of the homepage, there will be a ‘Join’ or ‘Sign Up’ button – see the screenshot below for the example on the Unibet website. Click this button.
- You’ll then be prompted to fill in a handful of details, some personal and some about your account. These will be straightforward details such as your name, date of birth, username and password, while most international bookmakers will also provide you with the option to set a deposit limit, which can be a good idea to limit your spending.
- Continue to click confirm once you fill in the details, and you’ll have created an account. The entire process should take no more than one or two minutes.