Best Bookie for Big Horse Racing Bets and High Rollers
Which are the best betting sites for high rolling racing fans to place big bets on the horses?
If you are lucky enough to be a racing high roller that places big horse racing bets, good for you. Read on as we take a look at some of the bookmakers that are the best for big bets.
The starting limits at most betting sites are often fairly standard and usually quite generous. However, virtually all bookies are prone to behave a bit like small children once you land a few winners.
Obviously we understand they are business who need to protect their profits but sometimes they can be far too quick to limit bets. All bookies have limits but you may find that after a few big bets, sometimes even if they lose, your personal limits are not the standard ones. Or even worse, eventually you may get banned entirely. Anyway, below we list the two racing betting sites we think are best for high rollers.
Betfair
Betfair are undoubtedly the top pick for high rollers who bet big on horse racing or indeed any other sport or event. When it comes to betting at Betfair you have two options, both of which are very good. There is the Betfair Sportsbook and the Betfair Exchange.
Exchange
The Betfair Exchange is really the place to be if you want unlimited betting on the horses. For the highest of high rollers and the biggest of big bettors, the Betfair Exchange has no limits. It also has no risk of your stakes being limited and no risk of you being banned when you get a good run of winners.
The Exchange isn’t like a normal bookmaker and you aren’t making bets against the betting site. Instead the Exchange matches your bet with a third party who is looking to lay that selection.
The only limit to your bet is the liquidity on the other side of the market and this can be seen easily on the site. The Exchange isn’t always great for each way bets, whilst you might also find liquidity is limited on much smaller races. However, if you’re looking to bet HUGE amounts on one of the major races of the year you should find no problem betting five, six and even seven figures.
Betfair Sportsbook
The Sportsbook is just like a normal bookmaker. Betfair’s Sportsbook offers all the racing options you would expect. Their odds are strong, they don’t limit too quickly, especially if you’re betting on mainstream events and races and the site is really easy to use.
In theory you can win up to £1m per day on UK and Irish racing. Good luck if you manage that and remember who told you about Betfair! That £1m limit only applies to UK/ROI races that are covered by the ‘Full SIS Service’. That’s most races in truth, although any that aren’t SIS are subject to smaller limits.
There are also smaller limits for non-UK/Irish races and for ante-post bets, the latter being subject to a £250,000 maximum win.
Note that Betfair also recently introduced their Minimum Bet Guarantee. Whilst the above sums are theoretical maximum payouts, this guarantee means you can be sure of being able to win at least £500.
That might not seem like a big bet to many high rollers but it means that (subject to Ts and Cs) you will always be able to get at least £500 on a bet at evens. However, with the guarantee, if you want to pile into a 1/10 banker you’d be able to stake £5,000.
This applies to Class 1 and Class 2 UK/Irish races for UK/Irish residents. Note too that the £500 lay to lose guarantee is only a minimum. You may be able to stake and win much more.
Betfred
Betfred is pretty much the only big UK bookmaker that is owned by an old school bookie. Fred Done has been in the UK betting industry since betting shops first became legal. In fact he was involved before then but we won’t talk about that.
He remains at the helm of Betfred and whilst most of the other big sites are public companies, or owned by investment companies, Betfred is owned by a bookmaker. Fred Done is a hugely successful businessman too these days but he has more than a ittle knowledge of what being a bookie is all about.
And, of course, what it is all about is being prepared to stick your neck out and take a bet when a genuine high roller comes along. Done has been pensionable for a good few years now, and we’re not suggesting he’s out at race courses doing tic-tac anymore; but a little of the old-fashioned ethos remains and Betfred are certainly one of the few bookies who won’t limit you too quickly.
Maximum Wins
In terms of their maximum payouts, Betfred are the same as the Betfair Sportsbook. That means that £1m can be won on most races, with limits of between £50,000 and £250,000 on other types of race or bet.
That isn’t to say that you will necessarily be able to whack down £500,000 on an even money favourite at some small meeting. However, on the big races, we’ve found Betfred to be perfectly happy taking big bets and this is backed up by our richer friends and other reliable sources.
In truth though, only Betfair’s Exchange can guarantee no bans and no limits. It may well also provide the biggest maximum bets, especially for the major races. However, there is no doubt at all that for many high rollers, Betfred is a brilliant alternative.