Casino games and the exchange are often mentioned in one breath, yet they work on opposite principles. This page sets out the main differences so you can tell which kind of cost and risk you face.
In casino games the operator takes the other side of every wager and builds an advantage into the payouts. On the Betfair Exchange customers take opposite sides of one another, and the operator charges commission on net winnings per market. Betfair describes its casino as launched in 2000 and part of Flutter Entertainment; this guide does not describe any casino game in detail or claim availability for Pakistan.
Each point below can be verified from the rules an operator publishes.
The operator is the authority on what it offers and on the rules for each product.
Betfair says customers can use Live Messenger, a direct message on the official Facebook page or the BetfairCS Twitter account.
Customers outside the UK who stay dissatisfied can use eCOGRA with a deadlock email and can refer gaming complaints to the Malta Gaming Authority.
This guide does not hold accounts, so it cannot reverse a bet or look into a payout.
Comparisons can easily slide into promotion, so we set clear limits.
We do not name casino titles because none has been confirmed for customers in Pakistan.
Neither product guarantees profit. Both carry the risk of loss.
Account holders must be at least 18, and Betfair's terms leave it to customers to follow local law.
Read each card as a pair, with the casino description first and the exchange description second.
Casino: the operator takes the other side. Exchange: another customer takes the other side and the operator matches you.
Casino: a margin built into the payout, paid on every bet. Exchange: commission on net winnings, charged per market and not on losing bets.
Casino: you can only back a result. Exchange: you can back an outcome or lay it.
Casino: almost none, because outcomes are random. Exchange: information about teams or conditions can matter, although prices often already reflect it.
Plain definitions for terms that appear throughout the casino pages.
The operator's average advantage in a game, resulting from payouts that are lower than the true odds.
A fee on net winnings in an exchange market. Betfair's help page says it is not charged on losing bets.
The party on the other side of your bet. It is the operator in a casino game and another customer on the exchange.
A bet that an outcome will happen, placed at the odds on offer.
A bet that an outcome will not happen, available on an exchange where another customer is willing to back it.
Questions that arise when a reader is trying to decide which type of product they are looking at.
No. It is a market where customers bet on real events against each other. A casino offers games whose payouts are set by the operator.
Because prices are set by customers rather than by a margin-building bookmaker. Whether that gives you a better deal depends on the market and on commission.
No. They embed their cost in the payout, so you pay it on every bet, win or lose.
Neither is automatically better. A beginner should first understand liability and costs, and should bet only what can be lost.
Betfair describes a casino, launched in 2000 and part of Flutter Entertainment, as well as the exchange. Availability for Pakistan has not been confirmed.
This guide cannot say. Betfair's terms leave it to the customer to follow local law, so seek proper advice before using any betting service.
Back and lay, explained