Betfred.com is owned and operated by Petfre (Gibraltar) Limited and is in a sense a separate entity to Betfred (retail and telephone betting). However, they claim to be "committed to maintaining the core values and ethos of the Betfred brand and of Fred Done himself" and are owned by the same people.

The brand began life in 1967 when Fred Done opened his first shop in Salford with his brother Peter (hence Petfre). Expansion was steady until the late 1990s when, in the space of three years, they went from owning 100 shops to having 200 (they now operate almost 1,400). Telephone betting was launched in 2002 before Betfred.com two years later.

Under Fred's charismatic leadership the brand has become incredibly strong and with the purchase of the Tote in July 2011 they will get even bigger. They are the world's biggest independent bookmaker and, with almost 50 years of betting experience, they are a British institution and a highly polished outfit.

Betfred have the range of markets you would associate with a bookmaker of such magnitude. As one might expect from a company that began on the British high street there is a heavy focus on football, horses and dogs, with a great array of markets for those sports.

Whilst they have expanded to cover ice hockey, UFC and other American sports, there is still a heavy UK bias - so cricket, darts, snooker and golf are all very well catered for.

The odds are quite simply very impressive. Fred is prepared to take a stand on big UK and European football matches and you will often see them head the betting. They run to tight margins on the horses so the odds there are also excellent and, when you throw in the various promotions that are usually available, the value on offer can be hard to beat.

As stated, there are always promotions available with Betfred, as befitting a company whose owner labels himself the Bonus King.

The opening offer is very generous and pleasantly straightforward. They will match your first bet of between 5 GBP and 50 GBP with a free bet of the same amount. The qualifying bet must be at odds of 2.00 (evens) or higher and placed within 30 days of opening the account, the free bet is added within 24 hours and you have 30 days to use it. The stake is not returned with any winnings, as is pretty standard these days.

As well as the main offer there are loads of freebies available in Betfred's casino, poker room, games parlour and bingo "hall". As if that wasn't enough, as said, there are no end of promotions on offer such as Fred's enhanced odds "Bet of the Day", regular cashback and refund offers and their ongoing "Double Delight" and "Hat-trick Heaven" specials.

There are far too many promotions to list here but thankfully the site has a dedicated promotions area where all the latest offers can easily be seen, so be sure to check it out.

Again, high marks are scored with an in-play console that is quick, slick, easy to use and has its own area navigable to from the top tool bar. There is a good selection of sports and markets covered, above-average odds and a handy tab that shows upcoming in-play events. Throw in live commentary for many matches and you have an excellent in-play suite that updates efficiently in real time.

Mobile betting also has its own tab on the main menu where various useful apps are offered and you will find details of a £5 mobile betting bonus. There are various ways to access this but the easiest is via betfred.mobi or by texting "Mobile" to 89660. There is even a mobile-specific FAQ section so you really can't go wrong.

Telephone: +44 1925 285 027 (or 0800 783 9146)
Email: support@betfred.com
Address: Co/ The Spectrum, 56-58 Benson Road, Birchwood, WA3 7PQ, UK
Other contact methods: Live chat

Betfred's customer service is excellent. There is loads of information on the site with various glossaries and FAQs for different topics and the contact details and live chat are always easy to find. Their agents are always friendly and helpful and in tests were able to answer various gambling and technical questions without needing to check with colleagues.

Support is now available 24/7, but our only minor gripe is the speed with which live chat is answered. On three tests we faced a long wait on two occasions. It's also a shame you don't have the option to email or print the transcript of your communication. But overall, much better than satisfactory.

Betfred are right up there with the very best bookmakers around and apart from the minor customer service issue above they cannot be faulted.

The website is as good as any, with a wealth of information provided in a clean, intuitive and easy to use fashion. The in-play and mobile betting facilities are also superb and the various promotions and bonuses keep the keenest of freebie-hunters happy.

The only caveat is that if you do the majority of your betting on US or European sports you may find a wider range of options elsewhere. But we would wholeheartedly recommend Betfred as one of the best bookmakers in the business.