VolcanoBet is very much a baby in the Australian betting landscape, having only arrived on the scene in July of 2023. For the most part they keep things pretty simple, but there’s a bit to like about this colourful new betting site, and on this page we’ll dive into what makes VolcanoBet worth checking out, and what they need to improve on. So if you’re looking to find out more about this new Aussie bookmaker, you’ve come to the right place
No betting site is perfect, let alone a brand new one. In this section, we’ll take a look at VolcanoBet’s most notable strengths, and the most significant weaknesses
Overall, the strengths and weaknesses of VolcanoBet are pretty standard for a new betting site, with limited betting options countered somewhat by a good mobile experience. Their quality fixed odds for racing, however, sets them apart from some other new betting sites.
| Website: www.VolcanoBet.com.au | Company: VolcanoBet |
| License & regulation: VolcanoBet is licensed by the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission. They are governed by their Responsible Gambling Code of Conduct, and in South Australia by the South Australian Responsible Gambling Code of Practice. | Year founded: 2023 |
| Contact information: Live chat and email. | Live betting number: No live betting available |
| Address/Headquarters: N/A | Sponsorship Deals: N/A |
| Deposit Methods: Debit/credit card, bank transfer | Withdrawal Methods: Bank transfer |
| Features: Live chat, VolcanoBet Community | Apps Devices: Yes, available for iOS and Android |
| Owner: BetCloud | Odds Providers: TAB |
It’s never easy to stand out from the crowd in the Australian betting industry, courtesy of the enormous number of different betting sites that exist. But VolcanoBet have managed to do exactly that, with their eye-catching home page giving them an immediate point of difference to their competitors
Their colour theme is light blue, green, orange and dark grey, so it’s safe to say that there is a bit going on. The font, too, is pretty quirky, with an all caps, almost Clip Art looking font decorating their home page, and images of a cave man riding a dinosaur further down the page. Whether you like the appearance of it or not, it is, at the very least, unique, and certainly stuck in my mind after I first used the site.
But a good aesthetic means nothing if the website doesn’t function properly, or if the overall betting experience from the bookmaker isn’t a good one. Fortunately, in the case of VolcanoBet Australia, the website and app load pretty quickly and are easy to use. Rarely is that not the case for a betting website, but the apps are a different story and can often be a little jumpy, but I’ve spent a bit of time scouring the VolcanoBet one and didn’t encounter any issues.
But enough about the functionality and appearance of the website and app – let’s get down to the nitty gritty that truly makes or breaks a good betting site; the odds and range of markets. As mentioned earlier in this VolcanoBet review, often new betting sites have pretty average odds compared to some of their competitors, but from a racing standpoint that’s not the case with this one.
VolcanoBet Australia offers a normal selection of different racing markets, and importantly offer very competitive fixed odds. Unfortunately there is no tote betting available at this time, but if you’re happy to punt with the fixed odds then you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
The same, however, does not necessarily apply for the sports section of the site. The odds offered by VolcanoBet for sports are, to put it bluntly, relatively average, and that is particularly so for the less popular events.
The depth of markets, too, leaves a little bit to be desired. At the time of writing there were 11 different sports available to bet on, and given the bigger sites often have well over 20 that means there are plenty of sports which aren’t available here.
Of course, those are only the less popular sports, and all the big ones that you’d expect to find are here. There is footy – all kinds – basketball, cricket – you name it, if it’s a popular sport in Australia there are odds for it with VolcanoBet, so if those are the ones that you typically bet on then you won’t be too concerned by the lack of other sports coverage.
It’s also worth mentioning that VolcanoBet actually does a pretty good job of providing good coverage for the sports that they do cover. Considering they’re a new site, I expected to open up their individual matchups and find only markets like head to head and line betting, but there is actually a fairly decent array of player props too, which is an added bonus for a new site.
In terms of customer support – which is hopefully something you won’t need but which is always nice to have available – VolcanoBet does a reasonably good job. They don’t have a phone number, something which would certainly improve this part of the site, but I’m a sucker for a live chat function, and they’ve got that. They’ve also got an email address, so if you don’t have time to sit around on chat then that can be a good option.
Finally, to banking. This isn’t the most interesting thing to talk about but it can be important, particularly if you don’t just use the basic payment methods. That is especially the case with VolcanoBet Australia. They only offer debit and credit card and bank transfer for deposit and just bank transfer for withdrawal, which limits your options somewhat – though that won’t bother plenty of punters.
Overall, there is plenty to like about VolcanoBet. A lot of their flaws are pretty common for new betting sites, but they also do a lot better than some of their new counterparts in a couple of areas, most notably their racing odds and their depth of markets for the sports and leagues they do offer. There is, as always, room for improvement, but VolcanoBet have made a strong start to life in a competitive industry
Betting Variety ⭐⭐⭐⭐
There could certainly be more sports available with VolcanoBet, but the number of markets they have for the sports they do offer is good for a new betting site.
Banking Options ⭐⭐⭐
Not too much on offer here, with only debit/credit card and bank transfer available for deposit, and only bankj transfer available for withdrawal.
Mobile experience ⭐⭐⭐⭐
VolcanoBet have a really functional mobile betting app with a fun layout which is easy to navigate around.
Payout Speed ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The payout speed with VolcanoBet is generally perfectly good, with funds coming through very quickly.
Security ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Likewise with security – I haven’t encountered any issues in this regard with VolcanoBet
Betting Experience ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The overall betting experience with VolcanoBet is a good one, courtesy largely of an easy to use website and mobile app
Customer Support ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The presence of live chat is always a significant positive for any betting site, though the fact that they don’t have a phone number could be a source of frustration for some.
Let’s now take a look at some commonly asked questions about VolcanoBet, covering topics that aren’t covered in depth elsewhere in this review
Unfortunately, at this point VolcanoBet Australia does not offer live streaming of anything. That’s not uncommon for new bookies though, which VolcanoBet certainly are. New betting sites don’t usually have the surplus funds to fork out on broadcast rights of anything worth streaming, but if they grow and develop then it will presumably be something that they will take a look at
Similar to above, they don’t at this point in time, but that does not mean that they never will. Live betting is still not all that common in the Australian betting industry, with mostly only the bigger companies offering it, and while that’s what VolcanoBet aspires to be they are certainly not there yet, so it’s little surprise they don’t offer live betting at this point in time.
In this section of this VolcanoBet review, we’ll take a look in detail at the racing component of VolcanoBet. Already we’ve discussed their racing odds, which are relatively competitive for a new site. They’re certainly not industry-leading, but they’re very much around the middle, if not towards the top end.
For example, for an upcoming race, VolcanoBet Australia have the favourite listed at $2.85. The best out of any site at the time of writing is $3.10, while the worst is $2.60. Of the 14 other betting sites looked at, eight of them have worse odds for the favourite, five have better odds, and one has the same. That sort of trend is relatively consistent for the other runners in the race, too.
So if you bet on racing with VolcanoBet, you won’t be getting the best odds in the industry but you can be confident that you’re likely getting odds which are a little better than the average.
That’s just for the win/place bets, too, which is not all that VolcanoBet offers in the racing department. Like all betting sites, they also have exotics available, with Exacta, Quinella, Trifecta and First Four all easily accessible via a group of tabs just above the runners on the site.
The site itself is relatively simple, but for the most part does what it needs to do. As mentioned, the VolcanoBet site and app have a unique aesthetic which I quite enjoy, but others may find a little much. Still, aesthetics are just that, and more important is what you actually find on the page.
VolcanoBet has the flucs broadcast prominently behind each runner, so you can easily see whether runners are firming or drifting prior to the race – something which is generally a pretty good indicator of what’s to come. Unfortunately, there isn’t any written content about the runners or the race; instead, you’ll just get the basics like flucs, weight, form etc. – all of this you can analyse yourself, but if you want a write-up about the runners you won’t get it here.
Accessing the race pages on VolcanoBet follows pretty much the same process as on most betting sites. They’re very easy to find, and the next up races as well as a couple of more prominent upcoming ones are shown on the home page, so you can click straight through to them.
Otherwise, simply click on the type of racing you want on the left-hand side of the home page – Thoroughbreds, Harness or Greyhounds – and you’ll be taken to a page which shows every meet and the times of each race at that meet throughout the course of the day. You can also toggle through at the top of the page to upcoming days.
Simply click on the race that you want to analyse, and you’ll be taken straight to the race page. One final feature worth noting on the race page is the addition of a couple of highlighted notes which reference particular things about a horse – for example, ‘Best Rated Horse in the Race’ or ‘Last Start Winner’.
These are useful little banners, though they can be a bit deceiving because the layout makes it easy to attribute more weight to those factors than they perhaps deserve. Make sure you’re still doing your research, and not being swayed by the flashy banners next to the name of a specific runner.
Overall, the racing section of VolcanoBet Australia is a pretty good one. Their odds are in the top half of those offered throughout the industry, and betting on racing via either their desktop site or their mobile app is a quick and easy process
It’s hard for a new betting site to stand out from the crowd given that there is so many existing betting sites in Australia. A couple of notable features of VolcanoBet, however, help them to do just that
Now to the sports coverage – an area which can really separate the best from the rest. Generally sports are advertised below racing for betting sites, so one can only assume that more punting money goes towards the latter than the former, but as a sports bettor, for me the range of coverage of different sports and leagues, as well as the markets for those individual games and the odds, has a huge influence on where I choose to bet.
VolcanoBet unfortunately doesn’t offer a major selection of different sports to bet on compared to some of their competitors, but it is certainly not all bad. Though the number of sports available isn’t huge, the range of markets for the sports and leagues that they do offer is pretty good, especially for a new betting site. These are some of the sports they do have markets for, and what you can expect from them
At the time of writing, the ODI Cricket World Cup is in full swing, and VolcanoBet, like most other betting sites, has a good selection of markets for it. They have markets for every game at the event, with upwards of 50 individual markets for upcoming games. One area they could certainly improve in is by having their odds up a little earlier; there’s only a good range of odds available about a day in advance, with later matches only having odds for basic markets like head to head. There is also a bit of a funny layout where different tabs display the same games, making it a little cluttered, but overall there is a decent selection of markets and solid odds
Basketball is a growing sport in Australia, with interest in the NBA significantly higher than it once was and the home-grown NBL also growing in stature both locally and around the globe. VolcanoBet Australia have markets for leagues from all around the globe, with markets for a huge number of leagues, though clearly the number of different markets for bigger leagues is more substantial. For the NBL, for example, upcoming games can have upwards of 200 different things you can bet on, and it’s a similar story for the NBA
It’s the offseason in the AFL at the time of writing meaning that the number of AFL betting options is a little more limited than it would usually be, but when the season comes around VolcanoBet offers a pretty good selection of different markets. Importantly, in my view, they have some really good player props with competitive odds, which is where betting sites can really excel, or alternatively flop. They’ve also got a solid number of AFLW markets, though there are not all that many markets for these games, with only around 20 markets for each game
When the AFL is in full swing, the states of New South Wales and Queensland are generally more occupied with the NRL, and VolcanoBet have plenty of NRL betting markets during the season as a result. They’ve also got odds for other rugby league tournaments too – for example, at the time of writing the English Super League is in season, and there are upwards of 30 markets for individual games in that league. There are also some international games with markets too, and when Australia are involved they have a whole lot more markets – upwards of 100 for an individual game – as well as same game multis
The world game might not have as much interest in Australia as it does elsewhere in the world, but there is still plenty of love for the biggest sport on the planet down under. That is well and truly reflected in VolcanoBet’s soccer odds. Basically every league you can think of is available here, from the English Premier League all the way down to the Zambian Super League. As you might expect, there are a lot more markets for the former than the latter; while there are just over 20 for the smaller leagues, that number is closer to 300 for the biggest leagues in the world, giving you plenty of soccer betting options with VolcanoBet
At the time of writing, VolcanoBet do not have any sponsorship deals with sporting teams, which is pretty normal for a new betting site.
In the above section we went into detail about the types of markets that you can expect to find for different sports with VolcanoBet Australia. Now let’s take a look at all the different markets available with this bookmaker.
A betting sites mobile offering is becoming an increasingly important element in their success. No longer is a mobile app a welcome bonus for customers – it’s an expectation, and any betting site that doesn’t have one is going to be putting themselves at a distinct disadvantage to their competitors.
VolcanoBet has wisely entered the market with one pretty much at the ready, and it’s a good one. The most noticeable thing you’ll find when you first download it is the unique aesthetic, very much in line with their website.
You’re welcomed with the distinctive blue, green and orange that make VolcanoBet so recognisable, as well as the almost TextArt-like text. Likely that text will divide opinions – it looks a little bit like a casino or games website rather than betting site, but as they say, change is better than a holiday and this is certainly a change from most other bookmakers.
The app is nice and easy to use, which to be honest doesn’t exactly mean a whole lot in the modern day betting scene. There are very few apps which have a similar layout, and its part and parcel of these to be easily navigable.
What can set some apart from others, however, is how efficiently they function. Some of them are really difficult to use, with issues with lagging regularly popping up and some of them even just closing randomly, logging you out or having any other myriad of issues.
This is not the case with VolcanoBet. I’ve used it a number of times for an extended period and haven’t run into too many troubles – on occasion it was a little slow if I was using it for an extended period of time, but in general it functioned pretty quickly.
The mobile app, as it should, allows you to access all of the features of VolcanoBet which are available on the website. Again, this is part and parcel of most betting apps these days, though new or small betting sites can at times not quite deliver in this regard.
Overall, the VolcanoBet app does what it needs to do for VolcanoBet. It provides a more versatile way to access their markets, enabling punters to bet with VolcanoBet on the go, rather than having to have their computer with them to place a bet. With their customer support platform, an ability to deposit and withdraw and everything else you may need to do with them available here, and the app generally functioning reliably, this is a really solid overall mobile app.
As a general rule, new betting sites don’t typically excel in their range of banking options. This is understandable – presumably it costs money to implement the different systems and as agencies which have typically got a little less cash to play with, it makes sense to invest that money in more important areas.
That is very much the case with VolcanoBet. While some betting sites can have every different payment method under the sun available to punters, sometimes upwards of 10 or 15 options, VolcanoBet pretty much has two – and they are the most basic you can find.
While that might not sound ideal, to me it isn’t an issue in the slightest. Those two payment methods are the ones that I would use regardless, and they’re the most simple and basic options around for good reason.
For depositing, your two options with VolcanoBet Australia are debit/credit card and bank transfer. For me, the way to go here is debit/credit card. This is very easy to register – you just need to verify it belongs to you – and after that you’re free to deposit money which will arrive in your betting account instantaneously. Bank transfer, meanwhile, takes a little longer and you’ll have to wait likely a day or two for it to arrive.
For withdrawals, your only option is bank transfer but again, this is what I would use even if there were 1,000 options available because it’s simple to set up and easy to use. All you need to do is verify your bank account, and you’re free to withdraw the funds that you have in your account quickly and easily on the VolcanoBet desktop site or mobile app. Unlike debit/credit card deposits, this won’t be instantaneous, and withdrawal times with VolcanoBet seem to sit at around 1-3 business day to see it in your bank account.
It's not exactly the most extensive of payment options, but while that may bother some, for me it’s not an issue at all. The options available are those that I would use regardless and are super easy to set up. If you like to use an eWallet or another less common payment method then this may be an issue to you, but for most, the lack of options likely won’t be a huge problem..
Of course! Would we provide a detailed VolcanoBet review otherwise? At BettingTop10, we only review legal betting sites, so if we’ve reviewed it you can be confident that it’s legal.
VolcanoBet are governed by their own Responsible Gambling Code of Conduct, except for in South Australia where they’re also governed by the South Australian Responsible Gambling Code of Practice.
VolcanoBet also have a number of responsible gambling tool available to their users. Among these are the deposit limit, which allows you to limit how much you can deposit with them over a certain period of time, and the use of BetStop, which is a National Self-Exclusion Register with which punters can exclude themselves from all online wagering providers in Australia.
Customer support is an important part of any betting agency, and is something that new betting sites often invest a fair bit of time into. If an issue arises, not having a user-friendly customer support platform is a great way to put those customers offside, and with new betting sites trying to snatch existing customers from their more established competitors, this is not something they can afford to be doing.
VolcanoBet doesn’t have the most developed customer support platform in the betting industry, but it is a relatively good one largely because of the presence of their live chat function.
Live chat, as I so often repeat, is in my view the easiest way by some margin to solve a problem. It’s quick, with agents generally responding within a couple of minutes, and an efficient way to get things solved. It avoids you having to wait around on a phone – something you can’t do in a lot of situations anyway – and is a lot quicker than using email.
The live chat function is accessible by clicking on the ‘Contact Us’ button on the left-hand side of both the website and the mobile app. That will bring a pop up which will give you the options to either use Live Chat or to send an email, or alternatively you can click the ‘Answer’ tab at the top of the pop up to get answers to a few frequently asked questions.
As you may have guessed, that makes email the main alternative to live chat. This is a good option if you don’t have the time to spend waiting for an answer right there and then, or if you don’t need it immediately, as it will obviously take longer to get a response.
The one common option which is missing from VolcanoBet Australia is a phone number. As I mentioned there are some drawbacks to this method, but equally it has its advantages and there are plenty of people who prefer to talk to a real person on the phone, or situation in which it might be preferable.
The addition of a phone number would round out the customer support platform, but overall it’s a pretty solid one produced by VolcanoBet, largely because of the presence of live chat and the helpfulness of the agents on it.
We’ve nearly made it to the end of our detailed VolcanoBet review. To finish things off, we’re going to give you a detailed run down of how to perform a few basic functions on the site, with three different step by step instructions for opening accounts, placing bets and setting deposit limits
Opening an account with VolcanoBet is super easy, as it is with most betting sites in Australia. These are the steps you need to follow to do it
Once you’ve created your VolcanoBet, you’ll invariably want to place a bet with them. This is how you do it
Deposit limits have really come into vogue in recent years with betting sites, acting as a great option for punters looking to limit how much money they are spending betting. This is how you set one on VolcanoBet
What’s gambling really costing you? For free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit Gamblinghelponline.org.au or Gambleaware.nsw.gov.au.
