Madbookie.com.au
Year established: 2015
Mobile compatible: Yes
Jurisdiction: Australia
Overall rating: n/a
Recommended: For recreational players
Mad Bookie Sportsbook Review
Mad Bookie is an online sports bookmaker, with a real focus on Australia, whilst also catering for countries across the world including the UK. They advertise their offering as for the Aussie Punter, aiming to steal customers away that currently use the UK based bookmakers which don’t cover Australian sports comprehensively. The bookmaker prides itself on delivering a personalised service, although it doesn’t specify how it achieves this – perhaps in part through its telephone betting service. The company is regulated by the Government of South Australia, which doesn’t have the best or most renowned reputation worldwide.
Betting Markets
Mad Bookie is definitely a different kettle of fish to the vast majority of UK or European focused bookmakers on the market today. The site is has a large range of Sports, Events and Betting Markets for customers to explore and bet on, albeit being very focused towards the Australia market. You can bet on Aussie Rules Football, Basketball, Cricket and Gridiron, along with some of the usual major sports like Soccer, American Sports and Tennis. Australian Horse Racing is a big highlight of this site, with all the major parks and racing events easily found through the Racing tab. Just in case you were going to be disappointed, they also offer UK and Irish Horse Racing to cater for international / none Aussie customers. A tasty 100% matched deposit bonus is available to entice new customers to the site, offering $100 dollars on their first one, and there’s a select few offers on some of the major Aussie sports, but nothing to write home about. Player Bets is a cool new feature of the site, where you get the opportunity to build your own customised and personalised bets from scratch – definitely worth a look in.
Usability of the Site
Mad Bookie is unique in how it feels and its usability, in both good and bad ways. The layout and interface is different from 99% of other bookmakers, breaking up Horse Racing and Sports, and also a further section for the Player Bets (customised build-a-bet function). The format of conveying betting markets and odds is also different, presumably Aussie focused, so it may take some time for international players to grasp the differences here. Unfortunately at the time of writing, the Sports Zone, a social area with news and forums, is down for maintenance, so cannot be reviewed (if it doesn’t indeed exist). The site isn’t mobile friendly, although there is a mobile app available on both android and IOS, so if you plan on betting on the go its recommended to do so through the app rather than a browser. Both Visa and MasterCard are available for deposits and withdrawals on the site, but currently no E Wallets (like Skrill or Neteller) are allowed. In terms of support, contact is by phone or email during extended Australian business hours.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it would be nice to give Mad Bookie a solid review and recommendation here, because its nice to see Australian focused bookmakers hitting the market. Sadly, there are quite a few areas for improvement if the site wants to start competing with the leading bookmakers around the world. Online in play betting is a must, along with decent promotions for customers to enjoy. A general tidy up, streamline and modernisation of the site would also be appreciated, to bring it inline of the offering for most of today’s competitive bookmakers.
Advantages:
– Australian owned and run company;
– Good markets for sports and pretty early to go on site;
– Competitive horse racing markets;
– Love the ‘Racing’ page layout, very easy to find any race for thoroughbred, greyhound and harness;
– Great bonus offer through before you bet;
– Basic site that’s ideal for beginners and moderate punters;
– Plenty of prizes/rewards on offer through social media;
– Excellent personal customer service including 7 day phone line.
Disadvantages:
– Bit new to the game but they’re quick learners;
– Not much on offer in the way of promotions;
– International racing and sports markets are limited;
– Round markets are a little buggy when it comes to switching between markets and teams;
– User interface could be more polished.
Payments:
Visa/Mastercard, BPay, POLi, Bank Transfer
*Keep in mind to double check information. Be prepared for changes to restricted countries, bonuses, currencies, deposit and payment options, languages, contact info.
(!) The Mad Bookie website is no longer available and has been re-branded as PlayUp. Click here to read our detailed PlayUp Review >>>
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