Until 2022, BetGoodwin were one of the only bookmakers from the pre-internet era not to have launched an online sportsbook.
They are better known for telephone betting and for their pitches at racecourses, a model that has won them countless fans and kept the business healthy since they began in 1997.
This long history, and their personal approach to taking wagers, means that BetGoodwin are the perfect bookmaker for punters who want to know who they are betting with, maybe have a chat and even a haggle. Personal relationships between the bookie and the punter are rare in the modern age, but they can still happen at BetGoodwin.
Experts in the horse racing markets, the company offer global coverage of the nags and many other sports besides, with all the benefits of a big-name bookie but without the faceless corporate feel.
They come up with their own promotions, run their own British based support service, have their own odds traders, and are even run by the same family that founded the business at the start.
BetGoodwin might not have embraced the online betting world until much later in their story, but there is nothing antiquated about their site or their service. These guys are proper British bookmakers, offering a huge book covering 30+ sports and thousands upon thousands of markets.
- Personal approach – You can actually get to know your bookie with BetGoodwin, their customer service is second to none.
- British based – Support British business. BetGoodwin are not an offshore tax dodge, and they pay full British tax.
- Horse racing masters – With so much pedigree in this area, there are not many bookies who offer such a comprehensive book on the horses.
About BetGoodwin: Company History
Back in 1997, before online betting had even got off the ground, telephone betting was the hot topic.
Goodwin Racing Limited was set up specifically for this purpose, although they also established pitches at racecourses up and down the country.
It’s not clear where the Goodwin name came from, as the two men who founded Goodwin Racing Ltd where named Robert Michael Quine Fuller, and Julian George Norman Head. Perhaps it is supposed to be taken literally; a good win.
Based in Uckfield, East Sussex, Goodwin Racing have always been a very British betting brand, not opting to move offshore to save on tax like so many others, and ultimately ending up as one of the few remaining independent British based bookmakers in the UK industry.
This has given the company a unique selling point, and customers who prefer to do business with a human being rather than a computer screen really love Goodwin Racing.
Indeed, many of the staff spend time chatting with punters when they call, making their service one of the most personable there is, and giving the sort of value that an online only bookmaker would find it impossible to match.
This is anything but a faceless brand.
Robert Fuller resigned as a director of the company in 2017, the very same year that Julian’s son, Benjamin Head, became a director alongside his father. They run the business together to this day, so it is very much a family affair.
Then, in early 2022, about two decades after everyone else, Goodwin Racing decided to finally launch an online betting product, which they called BetGoodwin. This was also their 25th anniversary as a bookmaker.
Interestingly, although BetGoodwin operate on the same gambling license as Goodwin Racing, the two companies have been kept partially separate, allowing Goodwin Racing to continue offering that personal service it is famous for, whilst also allowing the overall business to expand via BetGoodwin, a site which can also take advantage of their years of experience.
They sponsored a few small races along with their launch, such as The Spring Cup at Newbury, and also signed up a number of brand ambassadors from the horse racing world, but mostly, the launch wasn’t heavily publicised.
Nevertheless, word has spread, and as more and more punters realise what a great bookmaker BetGoodwin is, their market share will only increase.
Sports Betting Markets
Now obviously, for a company born out of horse racing, their markets on the horses are a bit of a scene stealer.
Anyone who bets regularly on horse racing can enjoy the benefits of BetGoodwin’s long history in this area, as they cover races from around the world and provide excellent detail for researching form etc. too.
Few bookies offer so comprehensive a market on the horses as BetGoodwin, and they even include a beginners guide on how to do it plus tips and strategies if you are interested in that sort of thing. This is a great little extra touch that shows the company’s approach to customer service.
The parent company, Goodwin Racing, also accepts bets over the phone which is a rarity these days. You can’t use online funds to make these bets, but you are essentially betting with the same company if it is something you choose to explore.
In other areas, BetGoodwin provide similar tips and guides for betting on each sport, but more importantly, there is a great range of different sports to bet on.
From favourites like football, golf, tennis, and darts, to US sports, esports, motor sports, and specials; there are more than 30 categories to choose from.
Within football you can bet on leagues and competitions from more than 60 different countries, as well as National competitions and manager specials and things like that, and in the UK markets expand into women’s football, U23 games, and non-league matches.
Market depth is strong in most categories to be honest, so don’t be surprised to find leagues and competitions you have never even heard of before in the likes of basketball, ice hockey and the like, while you will be more limited with sports like cycling and cross country skiing for obvious reasons.
There’s nothing missing here at all really, so although horse racing could be classed as BetGoodwin’s speciality, punters interested in other sports will be more than happy here too.
Odds and Offers
What you get with BetGoodwin is a fair deal.
They aren’t trying to win headlines with their odds, but they are certainly keeping pace with the biggest names in the industry, with very little between them on the sample of markets I tested.
I stuck to major sports and events, so things might get a little wilder in more niche markets, but I would be surprised to find anything outrageous going on.
BetGoodwin are all about providing a personable, reliable service to their customers, so cash grabs by way of inflated odds wouldn’t be their style at all.
They go against the grain somewhat with their approach to offers.
Yes, regular promotions like best odds guarantees are available on horse racing and greyhound racing, but their other promotions aren’t just copycats of what is already out there at other brands.
Being a smaller independent brand means they can think outside of the box, and compete with brands that have far bigger bank balances in more innovative ways.
The company made a splash with their free bet refunds when the website launched in 2021, and I would expect more of this sort of thing in the future.
In-Play Betting and Streaming
In-play betting at BetGoodwin is an enjoyable experience for the most part, with a particularly interesting game representation and information graphic.
It shows you what is going on in real time via a sort of digital recreation of the action, but also incudes stats like head to heads, league or competition tables, in-game statistics and even heat maps where appropriate.
It’s a lot more advanced than the equivalent offerings from other platform providers, so FSB have done well here and it benefits BetGoodwin’s live betting product.
Looking at the in-play overview, the interface can be set to show events that are currently in-play, or upcoming (or featured, but that’s a bit pointless if you ask me). You can also place a few common bets from this screen too.
This is great if you are trying to quickly get a late bet on something that has just kicked off, but also means you can switch over to the upcoming view, and have more of a leisurely browse.
The one thing I would say, is that if you want to go from looking at a specific event straight back to the overview, your only option is to hit the in-play tab in the main menu again. Hitting the ‘back’ arrow reloads the homepage which isn’t what I expected.
It’s not a big deal, but it feels odd and could benefit from a more intuitive solution – users don’t tend to think in that way, they will look for a back button or something similar like I did.
Back on the positives though, and they have a lot of cash out available pre-event and during it, and although they didn’t launch with any streaming services, it’s now possible to watch horse racing and greyhound racing provided you have made a small bet on the race.
I would expect more streaming to become available as the site’s user base grows; BetGoodwin were quick to add the streaming services they currently offer, so more are bound to follow.
In-play betting markets are good without being industry leading, but you will find useful options like Next Team to Score and that sort of thing, which you can’t place pre-event.
Help and Support
BetGoodwin have streamlined their support service, keeping the options limited to email and a live chat function.
This could be seen as a negative, but you have to appreciate the sort of company you are dealing with here. The whole BetGoodwin team work from a UK based office, so the support is from real employees of the company who really know what they are talking about, not some 3rd party provider sat in a call centre somewhere who also handles enquiries for countless other brands and is just reading from a screen.
So the quality of the service is much higher at BetGoodwin than at other brands, even if those other brands have more contact methods and longer opening hours.
Speaking of which, BetGoodwin support is available from 8am until 10pm 7 days a week, so it’s not exactly lacking anyway, and there is a phone number, although technically it’s for phone betting rather than support.
You could try it anyway though, since everyone there works in the same building. I bet they would be able to advise.
There is no FAQ or anything like that, just the betting rules and terms and conditions, so the company are clearly happy to be contacted. Some bookies do everything they can to keep punters at arm’s length, forcing them through FAQs and chatbots before you can get anywhere near a human being. Not so here.
Limits, Deposits, and Withdrawals
Method | Min Deposit | Min Withdrawal | Fees | Withdrawal Time |
---|---|---|---|---|
Debit Card | £10 | £5 | 0% | 1-4 Days |
Skrill | £10 | £5 | 0% | 24 Hours |
Neteller | £10 | £5 | 0% | 24 Hours |
On the one hand, BetGoodwin pride themselves on being on of the quickest paying bookmakers in the UK.
On the other hand, they only accept payments via bank cards.
Their official line on withdrawal time frames might say 1-4 days, but I have literally never had to wait for a withdrawal from BetGoodwin; and since I use my debit card anyway, the lack of other options is a non-issue for me.
I understand though, that for some people this will be a deal breaker. It’s just one of those things, this isn’t the bookie for you if you want to use ewallets or pre-paid vouchers or things like that.
Their terms are fair though, and BetGoodwin known to be a highly trusted bookmaker after their 25+ years in the industry.
Their maximum payout limits are average for a business of their size.
I know it’s exciting to see the big names boast 7 figure maximum payout limits next to major sport categories, but in reality, it’s hardly going to make a difference to the payout of your £20 bet builder, is it?
The limits at BetGoodwin are plenty high enough for the sorts of bettors that will use them and the kinds of bets that they will make – the only areas where you need to be careful are massive odds multiples really.
Even then, just lower your stake. It’ll stretch your bankroll and leave you more to bet on something else.
Who is BetGoodwin Recommended For?
Anyone who misses the days of telephone betting, or who simply misses the days when we interacted with other in person more often – BetGoodwin is for you.
Especially if you are a fan of horse racing.
Horse racing punters who want a more personal experience, maybe to strike up a bit of banter with their bookie or the ability to ask for boutique bets and things like that, you have direct access to the people drawing up the odds here.
Yes, you will technically have to use Goodwin Racing Ltd to do it, but they are in effect the very same company (the same people on the phones operate the live chat online, for example).
If you have a patriotic streak you might appreciate doing your business with a proper British company too, rather than giving money to some Malta based corporation that is little more than a logo to you.
It really is about service here. The odds and markets are just as good as at most other bookies, and although they do have a casino it’s not something they push in your face, so pure sports bettors who want range and depth with solid service should settle in nicely at BetGoodwin.
The Website and Platform
Since Goodwins had no real experience in the online marketplace, but plenty of experience as a bookmaker, they opted to work with an industry leader to create their online betting platform.
The popular FSB are the guys being the website, but BetGoodwin are not relying on them for everything like so many other ‘new’ online bookies do.
The support, payments, offers, and odds are all handled by BetGoodwin themselves, so while the site might look similar to a lot of other FSB powered sportsbooks out there, the activity going on throughout the interface is unique.
The FSB platform does provide an incredibly user-friendly interface though, placing everything where you would expect to find it and never leaving the user wondering how to get to their next destination, or where an account feature might be hiding.
The black and yellow colour scheme is quite helpful in keeping things nice and clear, highlighting important areas and odds, and also making it clear which markets have be marked as favourites.
The search bar is one way of finding your bet, but the A-Z list is another, with the ability to further drill down into specifics available from filtering options once the sport category has been selected.
There’s nothing out of the ordinary about the site really, it uses drop down menus and collapsible headings just like most others, and is laid out in much the same way too. You might not get anything interesting or industry shaking from the website design, but it is never going to let you down or leave you frustrated.
It’s simple to use, it processes requests and information quickly, and the user journey is clear.
Betting App and Mobile Site
BetGoodwin have a mobile site as you would expect, but they also launched their sparkly new website with a sparkly new app.
Again, it was their partnership with FSB that allowed them to do this so well, and every time I have used it I have been impressed.
Much like the desktop site, it doesn’t do anything that hasn’t been done before, but every decision that has been made with regard to the layout and design only serves to improve the navigation and general user satisfaction while using the app.
You instinctively know where to go when using it, there is zero learning curve, and each page loads up quickly and efficiently so you are not left waiting around.
Responsiveness is good too, although once or twice I have experienced a very minor amount of lag, but honestly, I’m stretching for improvement pointers here.
It’s unusual that they have chosen not to include any quick links in a footer menu or up at the top, although I don’t think that is to the detriment of the mobile app.
It means you need to navigate using the A-Z unless what you want just happens to be showing on the homepage, but while it may require an extra tap than if there was some sort of scrolling menu on the interface itself, it’s hardly a barrier to getting your bet on.
It also means that more of the screen is available to show you what you are really interested in, which is the odds and markets within each category. That, in turn, means less scrolling to get to your destination, so yes it might not be quite as quick to get back to the homepage or the in-play area or whatever, there is less faffing overall.
This might be a marmite situation for some of you, but I would wager that for most punters the BetGoodwin app will do the job very nicely.
Contact and License
- Name: BetGoodwin
- URL: www.betgoodwin.co.uk
- UK Licence ref/No: 2927
- Registered Company Name: Goodwin Racing Ltd
- Phone Betting: 08000 421 321
- E-Mail: [email protected]
- Live Chat: Available onsite
- Twitter: @betgoodwinuk
- Registered Company address: Goodwin Racing, 4 Kingfisher Court, Brambleside, Bellbrook Industrial Park, Uckfield, TN22 1QQ, United Kingdom