Matchbook Review: £50 Free Bets, Betting Exchange, Apps Rated 4.8 and 4.6, Cashier Tested
Matchbook is a betting exchange, where you back and lay against other customers and pay commission on winnings instead of a bookmaker's margin, run under UK Gambling Commission licence 39504 since 2012, and sits twenty-fourth in our table of the best UK betting sites. Below: £50 in free bets for £50 staked across four events at evens, how an exchange differs from a bookmaker, 22 sports with cash out, a six-method cashier with no PayPal, apps rated 4.8 and 4.6, and a 4.1 Trustpilot score.
Gambling Commission39504
Bet £50 Get£50in Free Bets
- Why Matchbook ranks
- Betting exchange: back or lay, with commission instead of a margin
- Apps rated 4.8 on iOS and 4.6 on Android
- Trustpilot 4.1, the highest on our list
- Analytics tools showing where the money is going
5.1/ 10Overall score
- Welcome offer6.0
- OddsHand-priced
- Markets5.0
- Payments4.0
- App, in-play5.0
Scored against our five criteria. How the scoring works.
Full T&Cs apply New customers Only. New customer must place and settle £50 in bets on Matchbook markets only. The user must bet on at least 4 different events to qualify. The user must place and settle bets at odds of 2.0 or more. Bets can be placed on singles, multiples and Bet Builders. The user must place and settle bets before the closing date of the promotion to qualify. . T's and C's Apply. Be Gamble Aware. 18+
- UK licence39504
- TypeBetting exchange
- Trustpilot4.1
- Withdrawals1 to 5 days
Matchbook Welcome Offer: Bet £50, Get £50 in Free Bets
Place and settle £50 in bets on Matchbook markets across at least four different events, each at odds of 2.0 or longer, before the promotion's closing date, and Matchbook credits £50 in free bets. Singles, multiples and bet builders all count. The £50 qualifying stake is the largest on our list and the four-event rule means spreading it over several days or a busy Saturday. The offer scores 6 out of 10: 8 for the £50 headline, minus 1 for the 2.0 minimum odds, minus 1 for the £50 qualifying stake. No expiry is stated for the free bets.
- Offer£50 in free bets after £50 in settled bets
- Qualifying bets£50 across at least 4 different events at odds 2.0 or longer; singles, multiples and bet builders count
- DeadlineBets must settle before the promotion's closing date
- AvailabilityNew customers only
Markets and Betting Types
Matchbook is an exchange: on every market you can back a selection at the price another customer is offering, or lay it, which means betting that it will not happen. Prices are set by the customers, and Matchbook takes a commission on net winnings in place of a bookmaker's margin, which is the 'low commission rates' line our table carries. The exchange covers 22 sports with 121 markets on a typical Premier League match, cash out, multiples and bet builders, and an analytics section showing matched volumes and price movements. Matchbook is not in our price feeds, so the depth figure is our own count. Markets score 5 out of 10: 4 for breadth and 1 for cash out. There is no streaming and no esports section.
Odds and Payout
Matchbook is not in either of the price feeds behind our monthly odds test, so it has no measured payout and the odds criterion is left out of its overall score. Because exchange prices come from customers and commission is charged separately, a hand-priced measurement would have to take the back prices after commission on the same markets as the bookmakers.
None
Overall score calculated on welcome offer, markets, payments and app until an odds measurement exists.
Mobile App
Matchbook has native apps on both platforms. The iOS app needs iOS 15 or later and is a 65MB download, rated 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store, level with bet365 as the best iOS rating on our list; the Android app needs Android 6 or later and is rated 4.6 on Google Play. The app scores 5 out of 10: 3 for both platforms and 2 for the store ratings. There is no streaming.
In-Play Betting and Live Streaming
In-play betting on an exchange means backing and laying while the match runs, with cash out available. There is no live streaming.
- Back and lay in-play
- Cash out on exchange positions
- Analytics showing matched money and price history
Payment Methods
Six deposit methods: Visa and Mastercard debit, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Skrill and Neteller, with withdrawals to card, Skrill, Neteller and bank transfer. The minimum withdrawal is £10 and withdrawals take one to five days. The minimum deposit is not published. No PayPal, no Paysafecard.
Payments score 4 out of 10: debit cards 2, Apple and Google Pay 1, Skrill and Neteller 1. Nothing for PayPal, for an unpublished minimum deposit or for withdrawals of up to five days.
Safe Betting and Responsible Gambling at Matchbook
Matchbook holds UK Gambling Commission licence 39504 and partners with GamCare and GAMSTOP.
Tools in your Matchbook account
- Deposit limits
- Loss limits
- Time-outs and self-exclusion
- Reality checks
Help outside the bookmaker
- GAMSTOP: one registration blocks every UK-licensed site, including Matchbook
- GamCare: the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133, 24 hours, and live chat at gamcare.org.uk
- GambleAware: self-assessment, advice and local treatment at begambleaware.org
Identity is verified before the first withdrawal. Laying a selection means your liability can be many times your stake, so set a loss limit before laying at long odds.
Our Verdict on Matchbook
Matchbook scores 5.1 out of 10 on four criteria. It is the only exchange on our list, the apps are the best rated and customers rate it 4.1 on Trustpilot. The cashier has no PayPal and no published minimum deposit, there is no streaming, the welcome offer needs £50 staked, and odds are unmeasured while it sits outside our price feeds prices the exchange after commission.
What we like
- Betting exchange with back and lay
- Apps rated 4.8 and 4.6
- Trustpilot 4.1
- £50 in free bets, no stated expiry
What could be better
- £50 qualifying stake across four events
- No PayPal; minimum deposit not published
- No live streaming or esports
- Not in our price feeds, odds unmeasured
Alternatives to Matchbook
The three bookmakers ranked directly above Matchbook in our comparison this month.
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Bet £10 Get£20in Free Bets
- Extensive sports markets
- Regular odds boosts
- Good range of payment options
Visit Site18+. New customers only. Full T&Cs apply.Full T&Cs apply New customers only. Place £10 first bet in min odds 1/2 to get £20 Free Bet. Stake not returned. Valid 7 days, min odds 1/2. Settled bets only. One sportsbook welcome offer per customer. Full T&Cs apply.
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Bet £10 Get£10in Free Bets
- Great horse racing coverage
- Quality cash out options
- Easy to claim welcome offer
Visit Site18+. New customers only. Full T&Cs apply.Full T&Cs apply 18+ | Available within 7 days of registration | Opt-in required | Min. stake £10 | Excludes Boxing | Min. odds EVS (2.0) 2x £5 Free Bets credited per customer, valid for 7 days on selected markets with stake not returned | UK only & excl. NI | T&Cs apply.
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Bet £10 Get£10Free Bet
- +50% accumulator boost on football
- Popular online casino option
- Simple welcome offer
Visit Site18+. New customers only. Full T&Cs apply.Full T&Cs apply New customers only. £10 in real money. Bets placed on sports at odds of 2.00 or more to qualify. Bets must be placed 24 hours within registration. £10 free bets must be wagered on sports. T&Cs apply. Gambling can be addictive, play responsibly. +18 GambleAware.org