Vicbet Review

VicBet was licenced by Racing Victoria in 1992 and VicBet online operations came on-stream in 2005. VicBet claims to be Victoria´s most progressive online Horse Betting operation and VicBet Racing is managed by father and son, Rod and Tim Cleary. They are an old-fashioned type of bookmaker even operating on-course at all the main Melbourne Race Meetings. Their point of difference is that they offer three ways of betting, Internet Betting, Phone Betting and on-course Face-to-Face betting.

The VicBet Racing Australia website has a well-structured clear layout. There is extensive use of blue & red colours to visually differentiate themselves from other bookmakers. And additionally, the VicBet App has been developed for mobile users in recent times and it is now available for download via the app store for Apple users, or the Google Play store for Android users.

The VicBet Australia website homepage uses a variation of the three vertical panels view. There is a menu across the top with Racing Help Contact About and Big Bets. There are 3 columns of information, the leftmost displays a multitude of information and you may need to scroll down to find items of interest, the centre changes depending on the race or item of interest selected. The rightmost which is not present when viewing races, lists the Upcoming Races. To further refine your view on screen you can select a racing focus of ALL, or the 3 icons for Horses, Harness Racing or Greyhounds.  

The VicBet website even has a link to Rod Cleary´s VNews website for racing tips which together with our expert betting tips at are all provided to help you on race day. 

Live chat is available in a talk “bubble” always visible at the bottom right of the screen and is also available after selecting the Contact option at the top of the screen. If you are looking for promos then VicBet Promotions are best navigated to further down the left column of the homepage. 

With 4 generations of the Cleary family having extensive involvement in racing since 1941 it is easy to accept how the VicBet website was developed by race lovers.  

There are no sports betting options, VicBet is a pure racing site. If you are only interested in sports then the VicBet betting Rod Cleary bookmaker and specifically the VicBet website is not for you, but it could be worth your while going to our best betting sites page for other bookmaker reviews. However, if your interest is racing then VicBet is an intuitive website that you can enjoy. This VicBet review is purely focussed on racing. 

VicBet do offer an extensive range of race options, but it could be improved if they offered some of the advanced features available from their competition. If, though, you are looking for a straightforward, pure racing experience, this could be the offering for you.   

🐴Betting Markets - 8/10
VicBet provide most of the race betting markets you would want including Favourite v Field, a range of exotics, with the only option that appears to be missing being Same Race Multi. Otherwise, there is an impressive range on offer for online race betting. 

💳Banking Options - 10/10
I have to say that any bookmaker who has multiple online deposit options AND takes deposits over the telephone AND via the post must be impressive. VicBet betting has equally impressive withdrawal options, offering to post cheque or cash withdrawals at the racetrack as well as regular online options including via Osko. 

📱Mobile Experience - 10
A decent iOS and Android VicBet mobile App offering which is now available to download from the App Store or Google Play Store respectively.

💸​Withdraw Speed - 10/10
VicBet offer both Electronic Funds Transfer via Osko, which is fast. If you happen to be at a Melbourne racetrack then cash withdrawal is available which will be equally as fast, if not faster.  

🧩Overall User Experience - 8/10
I think VicBet provides a decent offering to their users, whether via the VicBet mobile app or the website, where I have found that it is fairly easy to navigate through, and that loading times are reasonably quick!

🔒Security - 10/10
VicBet is fully licenced by Racing Victoria and strictly regulated by the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC). So you should not have to worry about security. The website and VicBet mobile app offers a 100% secure environment, allowing you to focus on the races.

VicBet is an experienced bookmaking family in a supremely active environment. The VicBet bookmaking experience is obvious if you are not already familiar with them just by looking at their history with 4 generations of family history in racing dating back to 1941. VicBet offers extremely comparable fixed betting odds for Australian racing. They are a very dynamic fast-moving organisation where I see odds close to race time comparable with their competitors.  

And in terms of their betting options here, to date apart from Fixed Win & Place Odds, they also offer an extensive range of options including the Best Tote option, which guarantees the best dividend from all the VIC/NSW/QLD Totes plus the Starting Price is another way of ensuring clients remain loyal.

Additionally, VicBet offers competitive fixed odds for every thoroughbred, greyhound, and harness racing meetings in Australia and New Zealand, as well as odds for overseas races in so many countries including (looking at prior day, today, tomorrow races plus website comments) France, USA, Brazil, Chile, Japan, South Africa, Hong Kong, Singapore, UAE, Ireland, the United Kingdom, plus others. 

You should receive Best Tote + SP win odds for all Australian races. 

The VicBet website is excellent for planning your racing schedule as down the left column (assuming today is Tuesday) you can see and therefore navigate to Today´s Racing, Tomorrow´s Racing, Thursday´s Racing and Friday´s racing. And similarly, I have found the experience on the VicBet mobile app to be much of the same!

However, I will note that one small issue that you may want to be aware of is that although the horses per race are listed according to their race number from 1, it is not possible to sort them by their Win or Place Odds. And while this is a bit annoying at times, I certainly do not see it as a major issue or anything like that!

Lastly, and this is something I have not seen on any other betting site, below the Racing days mentioned previously, there is a Racing Results option. Select this option and all the Thoroughbred, Harness and Greyhound race results for Yesterday are visible. But with one click you can see all the results for Last Saturday AND you can also select dates back to 1 Jan 2011, not just last week (!).  

(5 Nov 2013 was a full race schedule and Melbourne Race 7 was won by D Oliver at odds of 7.00.)  

Keen to learn more about the VicBet app? Well, the newly released VicBet app is a real boon for racing enthusiasts like myself! This new entrant, in my opinion, does an impressive job, making the excitement of the racetrack accessible anytime, anywhere!

 


But let's establish this: the VicBet app primarily targets the racing domain. It's akin to a specialist among apps, focusing exclusively on horse, greyhound, and harness racing - so there's no soccer, cricket, or rugby here. However, if you're a fan of local Australian races or elite international ones, VicBet is a reliable choice!

In terms of betting options, VicBet offers a variety: from standard markets to exotic quinellas, trifectas, quadrellas, and first four markets. There's even room for extras like favourite vs the field, same-race-multi betting, and individual horse head-to-head bets. So, if racing is your sport, VicBet is a worthy ally!

And when looking at the odds, VicBet's offerings are competitive, even if they're not at the very top. Plus, they offer a unique feature displaying the margin - a hint at the bookies' cut from each race. A higher margin implies less favourable odds - a useful piece of information, isn't it?

Also, I will say that I do believe the VicBet app could benefit from some fine-tuning. For example, finding a horse's form on race pages can be time-consuming, hidden behind a 'Form Guide' pop-up. Placing it directly under the horse's name, for example, would simplify things in my view.

A few other niggles, like the lack of a search bar and occasional technical glitches, can be slightly irksome. However, the app's excellent customer service comes to the rescue, providing prompt, straightforward solutions - a commendable attribute!

And so, in conclusion, while the VicBet app may feel a bit narrow in focus for some, it offers a robust array of features! With a bit of polishing and stability enhancements, it could rise among the top-tier betting apps in Australia. So, why not download your VicBet mobile app, key in your VicBet login, and get started on this thrilling betting journey!

VicBet includes numerous features that provide an excellent experience. Here are a few VicBet features that I believe punters should be aware of: 

24/7 Customer Service 

Every bookmaker needs to provide some type of customer care facility. I think VicBet Customer Support is up there as one of the best in providing so many methods to be reached. 

VicBet allows you to chat via LiveChat with real (Tim, Kevan, Louise, Rod) people, you can call from within or outside Australia, you can email, – all are available and responsive 24/7. This type of support allows punters to get in touch whenever they need to, day or night, and in my experience, the customer service team have been very friendly and more than happy to help. Even Betting by Phone is possible from noon to the last Main Australian race of the day. 

Protest Payout 

VicBet offers their Protest Payout feature, which covers both first past the post and official winners on Australian Thoroughbred Horse and Harness Racing. This means if your horse runs first past the post and later gets relegated due to an upheld protest, you will still be paid out as a winner. This is of course a great feature as it covers all punters in the event of a protest, whether the original winner or the runner protesting. 

Best Tote + SP 

On all Australian Thoroughbred, Harness and Greyhound markets, VicBet offers their Best Tote + SP prices. This product provides you with the best dividend between all three of the Australian Tote pools (VIC, NSW and QLD TABs) or the 'Official On-Course Starting Price (SP)'. Best Tote is a highly useful feature for punters as it guarantees you are getting the best tote odds possible at the time of the jump.  

For Each-Way wagers places on this product, the place portion of the wager will be paid out at “Middle Tote” which is the median dividend declared by the 3 Australian Tote Pools.  

VBoost 

VicBet VBoost is a feature offered to selected clients to boost the odds for Fixed Win and Tote Win bets. Both markets should see an increase of up to 15% for the odds on offer.  The number of VBoosts offered per day is at the discretion of VicBet and all expire at midnight of the day on which they are offered. The number of VicBet VBoosts available are simple to view on the homepage after any VicBet login. 

VRewards

VicBet VRewards is a useful loyalty program for all clients (except MBL clients). Points are accrued from account activity including deposits. One VRewards point is accrued for every $5 that is wagered. 100 VRewards gives a $1 Bonus Bet. Converting 5,000 VRewards would give a $50 Bonus Bet.  Once redeemed for a Bonus Bet, the bet must be placed in the next 30 days.  

VicBet provides one of the most extensive range of markets and features that makes it an excellent choice for race betting. 

• VicBet offers competitive fixed odds markets for both Australian and many International horse races, with a minimum internet bet starting at 1c. 
• VicBet offers a range of markets for Thoroughbred, Harness and Greyhound racing. 
• VicBet has Exotic betting options such as Trifectas, Quadrellas, Quinellas, First Four and Exacta for all races. 
• VicBet offer their Best Tote + SP betting option, a great way to guarantee the best tote prices available. There may also be Best of 2 Totes (VIC and NSW TABs) and Win & Place Tote +5% (VIC TAB dividend plus 5% of the amount profit generated by the wager). 
• VicBet offers Top Fluctuation which is the highest dividend forming part of the Official Price fluctuations as posted by the state where race is being run. 
• VicBet offers Best of the Best (BOB) which offers the greater of the highest of the dividends declared by the 3 TABs and the Top Fluctuation. VicBet claim they are the only operator on every Australian Mainland (no TAS) venue offering BOB. 
• VicBet offer Head to Head (H2H) but it is in 2 groups of 3. You pick against the others. Your bet may finish 4th and the others 5th and 7th, you Win. 
• Additionally VicBet offer Odds v Evens and Favourite v Field for those willing to try. 

VicBet has Multi and Double Bets. You can have up to 10 selections in a Multi Bet. Simply click on your selections in different races on any day and the Multi option will appear in the Betting Slip.  

VicBet is a well-known, reliable & experienced local Victorian bookie that offers good value for money.  

VicBet VBoost and VicBet VRewards are also great incentives to join, use and stay loyal to VicBet. 

VicBet only allows for 20 outstanding bets, to stop gambling getting out of control. 

VicBet claim to be the only Victorian Bookmaker who has an On Course presence, does Phone betting and does internet betting EVERY day of the year except Christmas Day. 

To sign up at VicBet, simply click on Vicbet to head to the VicBet site, or open up the VicBet app and select ‘Join’.. Once there, simply enter all your relevant personal details: 

• Given Name
• Middle Name 
• Surname 
• Unit #
• Street # 
• (Select) Street Type (from the dropdown list)
• Suburb 
• (Select) State (from the dropdown list) 
• Postcode 
• (Select) Country (select Australia from the dropdown list) 
• enter email  
• Contact number 

As per the screenshot below: 

Once you select Go to step 2 a screen like the one below will appear: 

Update all the fields:  

• your new password twice (system will check they are the same) 
• Select Gender, either Male or Female, from the radio buttons 
• Select your Date of Birth in the order Date-Month-Year (from the dropdown lists) 
• Select onlyracing.com.au from the dropdown list (especially if you like this review!) 
• Enter a VicBet Promo Code if you happen to have one 
• Optionally set your Deposit Limit Amount and Period (from dropdown list) 
  or select “I do not wish to set a Deposit Limit on my account” 
• Optionally Subscribe to mailing list  

Select Go to step 3 where a final screen similar to the one below appears:  

If you see an error select Modify to make the correction otherwise select the “I acknowledge …” button and then select Confirm Registration. 

Once completed you should receive an email from VicBet confirming that your account has been successfully created. You will be able to deposit funds and begin using your account.  

How to Deposit at VicBet? 

Firstly, Log-in and for website users, the ever-present panel similar to the one displayed below should be presented. Wherever you navigate, this panel is almost always present at the top of the screen. 

Three side notes worth mentioning:

1. The Red button allows you to quickly log off. 
2. Big Bets shows the largest bets placed displaying type of race, the amount bet, at what odds, in what Race and which horse. It can be very interesting to see where the money is going. 
3. Bonus Bets, VBoost Tokens and VRewards are always visible on the top row of the panel. 

Now to make a deposit there are 2 methods to navigate to the correct screen: 

1. Select “Account” and the My Account screen is displayed as below
   
   Then Select “Banking” 
2. Or Select Deposit & Withdrawal from the homepage top row menu

Both options will take you to the following screen with Credit Card Deposit already preselected. 

As you can see other options to make a Deposit with VicBet other than Credit card are POLi Deposit, EFT Notification and BPay Notification.

If you have made a bank transfer select EFT Notification which allows you to notify VicBet that funds are on their way.

VicBet bank details are also displayed for reference. 

In closing this section, note that for non-credit card deposits there is no minimum amount. For credit or debit card the minimum is $5, but for some reason if you want to deposit less just give VicBet a call, how flexible is that! 

How to withdraw from VicBet? 

It is worth noting that all deposited funds must be turned over at least once before they are able to be withdrawn. Your identity must have been successfully verified and you will be contacted by phone for the first withdrawal.

To withdraw any winnings from VicBet, login as per above examples then navigate to Banking and select EFT Withdrawal option:  

To make a withdrawal is straightforward, the first time in you can add a new account entering all the relevant Bank Name, Account Name, BSB Number and Account Number details as well as the amount you wish to withdraw and reconfirm with your password.

You can only withdraw to a Bank Account. Each time a withdrawal is made, it can be to a different account using the Add button for the new bank details or you can reuse the existing account from the previous time. 

Select the Withdraw Funds option and the withdrawal will be actioned. 

My interactions with VicBet Customer Service has been beyond excellent and I do not foresee you having any problem in using their services.  

VicBet’s live chat feature is available 24/7 on the bottom right of the website and in my experience the customer service agents have been very fast to respond to my queries. 

Overall, by now you will have seen that I have been more than satisfied with the VicBet customer service and can therefore recommend them to you. 

Another way to look at ‘margin’ is to consider it as the bookies cut on every bet they accept. An example of this: Randwick R8’s margin is 130%. This would mean that for every $1 bet accepted by VicBet, the bookie would be making 30c. 

Below I have compared VicBet’s margin to TAB and Sportsbet 1 hour before the jump, and 5 minutes before the jump. This hopefully provides some insight on which bookies are taking the most. 

Race 1 – Warwick Farm R2 4/1/23

1 Hour Before Jump: 

• VicBet – 129.6% 
• TAB – 124.9% 
• Sportsbet -129.3% 

5 Minutes Before Jump: 

• VicBet – 124.1% 
• TAB – 119.9% 
• Sportsbet – 120.3% 

Race 2 – Eagle Farm R5 4/1/23 

1 Hour Before Jump: 

• VicBet – 125.5% 
• TAB – 123.6% 
• Sportsbet – 122.9% 

5 Minutes Before Jump 

• Winnersbet – 119.2% 
• TAB – 120.9% 
• Sportsbet – 118.1%