Fitzdares

Fitzdares UK Review (2023)

Fitzdares is an online gambling platform with both sportsbook and casino betting options. This award-winning bookmaker accepts customers from the UK, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Since launching in 2005, Fitzdares has had several high-profile people buying into it, including James Osborne, Zac Goldsmith and Ben Goldsmith. Fizdares is currently privately-owned by Balthazar Fabricius.

Being an exclusive UK bookie, Fitzdares is regulated by the UK Gambling Commission with license number 000400-R-103839-019; thus, it is considered safe and legal. It is also licensed in Ireland. 

Although Fitzdares may lack the public profile of the UK's largest sports betting sites, this SBC Racing Sportsbook of the Year award winner is one to watch out for. While the bookie has a reputation for horse racing betting, it has extended its focus to providing outstanding overall sportsbook betting services to its clients. 

This Fitzdares review looks at the bookie’s layout, sports available, markets, odds and payment methods. We also review its customer support helplines, security, promotions and how to join and start betting. 

Website Overview and Layout

Before we get into details about this bookmaker, let's first find out how the general overview and layout appeal to punters. 

The first thing you will notice about Fitzdares is its homepage layout which has a rather professional appearance, with links to all the essential pages of the platform provided. 

The top section of the site has links that feature the promotions, contacts, sign-up page and the casino section for those interested. The sports betting section is relayed in a white, black, yellow and red font and background colours, making it easier to skim through and scan the website. The available sports are listed at the top of the sports betting section for easy visibility and accessibility, even for new and first-time gamblers. 

Even the mobile betting application for iOS and Android has a great layout that makes accessibility and navigation effortless. When using these betting apps, you will realise they have the same smooth user experience as the desktop version. The promotions, ease of deposit and available games are similar on the mobile app and desktop.

Even better, the onsite capabilities of Fitzdares are quite something, allowing punters to exploit options such as cash out, bet editor and in-play wagering. The platform also allows users to stream horse races throughout the season. 

At the bottom of the website, Fitzdares presents a way for punters to select the format of odds they understand best. You can select to display odds in fractional or decimal formats. 

At the very bottom of the page, users can access other links for terms and conditions, privacy policy, betting rules and response gambling. These links can be quite useful if you wish to know everything about gambling on the Fitzdares platform. 

Fitzdares Sportsbook

There is plenty on offer at Fitzdares betting platform, which is much more than just another sports betting site. You'll find that this dedicated bookmaker has a private members club in London committed to serving its loyal customers with an exquisite live betting experience. 

Back to the gaming itself, Fitzdares has snapped up older bookies such as Guntrips and Sunderlands in its efforts to extend its gambling profile. The gambling platform is now one of the most popular and preferred sports betting sites in the UK, competing with established brands like bet365 and Coral. 

With a strong emphasis on the sport of Kings, Fitzdares offers live streaming of all UK and Irish horse racing events. Racing markets are thus fronted on the website. There is a wide range of horse races to bet on, including the Cheltenham Festival — these events come with special bonuses to entice new users. 

Football betting markets also feature prominently on this site, with games available from all the major leagues in Europe and around the globe. Other sports available include cricket, American Football and boxing, among others. Minor sports on the platform include water polo and bandy, which are also covered by some of the biggest sports betting bookmakers in the UK. 

Special betting options such as politics are also available on this platform. They allow you to bet on who is to win a specific country's general election. 

Sports Available

As a customer of Fitzdares, you will be able to place wagers on the following A-Z list of available sports:

• American Football
• Athletics
• Baseball
• Basketball
• Boxing
• Cricket
• Cycling
• Darts
• eSports
• Football
• GAA Football
• Golf
• Greyhounds
• Handball
• Horse Racing
• Ice Hockey
• MMA
• Motor Sports
• Olympic Games
• Politics
• Pool
• Rugby
• Snooker
• Specials
• Table Tennis
• Tennis
• Volleyball

eSports Betting Section

The sportsbook section on this platform also features esports betting, where users enjoy the following games:

• CS: GO
• King of Glory
• Dots 2
• Rainbow Six
• League of Legends

Virtual Sports

This is another element of sportsbook betting that Fitzdares excels in. You can punt on some of the most popular virtual sports, including RNG games. UK punters who are virtual games enthusiasts have the following options:

• Virtual horse races
• Motor racing
• Greyhound racing
• Jump racing
• Football

These are high-quality virtual games developed by industry leader Kiron Interactive — well-known for developing top-quality virtual sports globally. 

Betting Markets

Betting markets on Fitzdares are quite extensive. For instance, a typical premier league match offers 250+ betting markets. Although not as high as other established bookmakers who offer up to 500 markets, it covers all the basics.

Some of the popular Football markets that punters can bet on Fitzdares include:

• Match winner
• Over/ Under
• Total number of goals
• Goalscorer
• Handicaps
• HT/FT
• Number of cards
• Player performance
• Draw no bet
• First half result
• Outrights

Betting Odds and Margins

One of the interesting things about Fitzdares is the odds. The pre-race and pre-match odds are pretty high compared to other betting sites. 

Even better, punters have the chance to bolster their odds further using the promotions and betting tips provided by the Fitzdares Times online blog. 

Looking at the betting margins, we estimated the margins for this bookmaker by analysing the odds offered and categorising them into:

• 1%-5% – Good value
• 5%-7% – Average value
• 7%-10% – Poor value

The margins were determined by considering the odds for final results outcomes and measuring this in line with the total goals scored for different football leagues. The average result provided us with each league's margin and the bookmaker's average margin. 

Our results showed that Fitzdares has an overall margin of 6.18% for football matches, reflecting an average value. Punters who prefer betting on the premier league should know that the overall margin is 5.53%, while Serie A and Spanish La Liga's margin stands at 5.74%. Lower football leagues such as FA League One, Austrian Bundesliga and Polish Estraklasa had a margin of 7.28%.

Existing Customer Promotions

Fitzdares has succeeded in an aspect many other sports betting platforms have failed — rewarding existing customers. The welcome bonus aside, Fitzdares has a promotions page dedicated to providing its existing customers with offers they simply can't turn down. 

When you click on the Offers link, you'll be redirected to a page with all the available offers and the attached terms and conditions. 

As of this writing, Fitzdares was listing the following sportsbook betting offers:

• Injury Time Saver: This is a free bet offer given to punters who lose their bet as a result of a goal scored in injury time
• 25% Boosted multis: This promotional offer boosts a bettor's winnings on horse races of Lucky 15, 31s and 63s. 
• Game, Set, Money-Back:  This tennis offer gives bettors 10% of their stake back if they lose their in-play bet at the end of every week. 
• Matched free bet: This free bet offer is given to gamblers who place bets on five pre-tournament matches. 
• Rags to Riches: This is a money-back offering given to horse racing punters whose selection comes second to a 20/1 +rag. 
• Free bet: You can also back a winner at 4/1 (or bigger) at Royal Ascot for a chance to get a matched free bet.
• World cup of darts money-back specials: This promotion offers Fitzdares punters a free bet if your team misses a match before going on to lose.
• The eagle has landed a free bet: This special golf betting offer gifts you a matched free bet if a player you back cards an eagle. 
• Up to 25% bonus on 2- and 3-balls: You get bonuses on winnings from 2- and 3-ball accumulators.
• One, two, FREE, four, five!: You place five pre-tournament bets for a chance to get an in-play matched free bet.

These free bet perks are spread across multiple sports, including Football, Horse Racing, Tennis, Golf, Darts and American Football, among others. The beauty of this is that everyone feels cared for, unlike on most other sites whose majority of bonuses are only dedicated to Football events. 

Before rushing in to grab these promotions, read all the terms and conditions attached to these betting offers as provided in the link above. 

Fitzdares Betting Features

If the layout, amount of sports available, betting markets, odds, margins and free bet offers are not enough to help you choose Fitzdares as your preferred betting partner, perhaps it's time to consider the betting features. 

Live Streaming and In-Play Betting

Fitzdares has a live streaming feature that allows you to follow all the live-action for horse racing in the UK and Ireland. This feature makes betting exciting and provides an immersive experience to the whole gambling affair. The events you can stream include the Epsom Derby, Cheltenham Festival and the Grand National. 

Additionally, Fitzdares also allow in-play betting. This option features many sports, including football, tennis, racing, boxing, cricket and American football. This feature is complemented by simple statistics that bettors can access when placing in-play wagers. These stats include the number of goals, corners, penalties and substitutions. 

In-play betting on Fitzdares features the following markets;

• Team to score in period
• Period goal betting
• Period winner
• Last team to score
• Goals Under/Over
• Penalties Under/Over
• Asian corner

Although the live streaming and in-play betting on this platform give bettors an exciting betting experience, it is worth pointing out that it lacks notifications in the form of bells or whistles as provided on most other sites.

Moreover, the rather too basic interface is further compounded by the insufficient stats in certain sports such as tennis. 

Cash Out

Fitzdares betting platform enables punters to use the cash-out feature on various singles and multiples. The essence of invoking the cash-out feature is to lock in a profit or limit your losses if you feel the game might be turning against you. 

This bookie notifies bettors whether their cash-out request was successful or not. A failed cash-out request may be a result of suspended markets. 

Bet Builder

The bet builder is another significant feature that overshadows any limitations Fitzdares may have in terms of the number of betting markets. This customised betting option gives punters the freedom and creativity to add different markets to their bet slips. The bookie will update the odds automatically every time you create and add a new market to your selection. 

Customer Support Options

In this section, we put Fitzdares’ customer support options to the test. Fitzdares provides punters with five contact channels;

• Live chat
• On-site contact form
• Text
• Telephone
• Social media

The contact section on the desktop site can be accessed across the top of the webpage. You can enquire about anything related to the betting operator and get your feedback from a knowledgeable agent. 

These customer support staff maintain a high degree of professionalism and seem to know everything to do with betting, including closed bets, open bets, deposits, suspended accounts and much more. They are also quite prompt, ensuring they provide you with answers in the shortest time possible, under 24 hours. 

If you wish to contact the customer support via the live chat option, be advised that the agents can be reached during the following working hours;

• Monday: 9 am - 9 pm
• Tuesday: 9 am - 9 pm
• Wednesday: 9 am - 9 pm
• Thursday: 9 am - 9 pm
• Friday: 9 am - 9 pm
• Saturday: 9 am - 9 pm
• Sunday: 10 am - 9 pm

If a large sporting function is taking place, Fitzdares extends the working hours of its call agents to ensure they can attend to all customers. This UK sportsbook bookmaker allows you to place bets across all the contact channels. 

Feel free to contact Fitzdares customer support agents through the following lines:

• Text: 07492 882213
• Call: 020 7851 5407
• Email bet@fitzdares.com
• Live Chat app or desktop
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram

Payment Methods and Limits

Fitzdares allows bettors to deposit funds into their accounts using Visa, Visa Electron, Mastercard, Apple Pay and Maestro. These four payment options may seem quite limited, considering competing bookies offer several options, including e-wallets such as Skrill and PayPal. 

That said, Fitzdares’ payment options are highly secure. Besides, these options are linked to your bank account; hence easy to keep track of all deposits and withdrawals. 

Using the four payment methods discussed above, Fitzdares betting accounts can only receive a minimum deposit of £10 and a maximum of £40,000. This caters for all levels of bettors, whether cautious rookies or big-money-bettors. The highest winning is also capped at £250,000 for the online sports betting platform and £1,000,000 when using the Fitzdares betting shops. 

The good news is that Fitzdares charges zero transaction fees. However, always check with the provider of your individual payment that no transaction charges will accrue from their side. 

Withdrawals can be made using the same payment options used for deposits. The only difference is that you'll be required to provide proof of identity as a standard anti-fraud and anti-money laundering procedure. 

Whereas deposits reflect in your betting account instantly, withdrawals from your betting account into your wallet take time. With Visa, you should expect to receive funds within 24 hours, whereas Visa Electron and Mastercard can take 2 to 5 days for the funds to reflect. 

Mobile App

It is common practice for betting operators to provide their customers with simple, convenient and easily accessible ways to punt through mobile applications. Fitzdares Android and iOS apps can be downloaded from the Google Playstore or Apple Store. The apps feature all the sports, betting markets and promotions on the desktop site. 

The app is also secure with 2FA making it difficult for anyone to access and steal your funds. However, you're encouraged to update the app to the latest versions whenever it comes up to continue enjoying an improved mobile betting experience.

Fitzdares Safe & Responsible Gambling

Fitzdares advocates for safe and responsible gambling. For starters, Fitzdares has a thorough KYC process to guarantee that only players 21+ years of age can play on its platform.

Additionally, the bookie monitors all accounts to ensure members bet within their means and offers tools to limit spending. There's even a help button where gamblers who feel unhappy with how much they are staking and their betting frequency can ask for help.

There's also an option of self-exclusion, which gamblers can activate to suspend their accounts for six months. 

Safety and Security 

Fitzdares also takes security seriously. As a regulated gambling operator with licenses from both the UK gambling commission and Ireland tax operator, it is fair to say that the bookie operates within the law. 

Funds are kept in a segregated account, while a KYC process must be followed to prove one's identity. In addition, the platform features the latest data encryption methods on-site and in-app to protect its members' personal information and fence off any external threats.