Open a Betfair Exchange Account Through a Broker
The short answer
All four brokers open a route to Betfair Exchange, each by its own route: Piwi247 and OrbitX at AsianConnect, Sharp Exchange at BetInAsia, Sharp Exchange and Edge at MadMarket, and FairExchange at Sportmarket. You register with the broker, fund its wallet, open the exchange account on the platform you chose and then bet, either backing or laying. The broker holds your balance, so withdrawals go back through it too. This page covers the routes, the steps to open an account and the commission on Betfair routes.
What Betfair Exchange access means
Betfair Exchange is the part of Betfair where bettors play against one another rather than against a bookmaker. You back a selection at a price another bettor accepts, or you lay it and take the other side. Back and lay are explained from scratch under exchanges; here the question is how you get an account.
That is the whole mechanism. The platform is where you place the bets. Each of the four brokers builds that platform differently, so the choice of broker comes first. Broker first.
Why bettors reach Betfair Exchange through a broker
One broker account reaches several exchanges, so you compare prices before you stake instead of taking whatever a single exchange shows, and BLACK at BetInAsia lists Betfair Exchange beside Matchbook Exchange, Betdaq Exchange and Smarkets while Edge at MadMarket lists the same four.
One account. One screen. The practical gain is admin as well: one deposit, one login, instead of one of each at every exchange.
The older reason is limits. A high street bookmaker shrinks the stakes of bettors who win, and how to avoid bookmaker restrictions explains why it happens, and it is the pressure that sends bettors looking past the first bookmaker they joined. For the other side of it, read about stake limits at brokers.
The four routes to Betfair Exchange
Table 1 lists the platform each broker uses to reach Betfair Exchange, in our usual order. Figure 1 draws the same four lines running into one exchange.
| Operator | AsianConnect | BetInAsia | MadMarket | Sportmarket |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exchanges | ||||
| Betfair | Piwi247 + OrbitX | Sharp Exchange | Sharp Exchange + Edge | FairExchange |
Platform name the tool you useOn request opened on demand- not listedSource: Bet Brokers access matrix
Show the steps as a list
- In parallel:
- AsianConnect
- BetInAsia
- MadMarket
- Sportmarket
- In parallel:
- Piwi247 + OrbitX
- Sharp Exchange
- Sharp Exchange + Edge
- FairExchange
- Betfair Exchange
Where the cell names two platforms, as it does for AsianConnect and MadMarket, the broker offers both and you choose which one to open. The four cards say what is particular to each route.
OrbitX is AsianConnect's Betfair-powered exchange, where you back and lay. Table 1 also lists Piwi247.
Betfair through AsianConnect
Table 1 lists Sharp Exchange. BLACK lists Betfair Exchange among its exchanges, and Sharp Exchange's Cash Out places bets on the Betfair market to lock in a position.
BetInAsia overview
Edge carries Betfair Exchange odds. The exchange only, not Betfair Sportsbook. Sharp Exchange, MadMarket's own exchange platform, is the other route.
using MadMarket
FairExchange is an exchange available exclusively through Sportmarket, and Betfair is listed on its betting platform among the exchanges.
get access via SportmarketWhere we start depends on the bet, and we use all four brokers. We start with Edge: Classic to Exchange is one switch, no second account. BLACK if you want Betfair beside the other exchanges.
OrbitX is the shortest line at AsianConnect, since you choose it on the registration form. FairExchange is enough when you already bet through Sportmarket.
How to open a Betfair Exchange account through a broker
Six moves, in this order. The route differs by broker; the sequence does not.
Pick the route
Choose the broker from Table 1. The route belongs to the broker, so settle it before you register anywhere, and decide which platform you will spend your time in and which wallet you would rather fund. Pick one.
Register with the broker
Open an account on the broker's own site. At AsianConnect the registration form is where you choose your platforms: Piwi247, PS3838, Asianodds88 or OrbitX.
Fund the broker wallet
Deposit with the broker, not with Betfair. AsianConnect keeps one balance shared by every connected platform. At BetInAsia the wallet must be funded before you can create a product account. MadMarket has its own wallet and Sportmarket a Main Account, and you transfer from either to the platform.
Open or activate the exchange account
AsianConnect: select the exchanges you want to activate in your AMS account.
BetInAsia: in the Portal, press Create Account for Sharp Exchange, then transfer from the BIA Wallet.
MadMarket: press Create Account on the Products page, enter a username and currency, then transfer from the MadMarket Wallet.
Sportmarket: FairExchange takes four steps. Register, pass KYC, deposit into the Main Account and ask support for access. Two-factor authentication must be on.
Place a first back or lay bet
Pick the market, then back or lay at the price shown. A back bet wins if the selection wins. A lay bet wins if it loses, and you are the one offering the price. Commission is covered in the next section.
Withdraw through the broker
Withdrawals go back through the broker: the AMS at AsianConnect, the BIA Wallet at BetInAsia, the MadMarket Wallet at MadMarket and the Main Account at Sportmarket.
All four brokers can ask for a photo ID and proof of address at any time, and our walk-through of KYC step by step covers what each one wants, so read it before you deposit rather than when your first withdrawal is waiting.
Every broker limits you to one account, and AsianConnect, BetInAsia and MadMarket write personal, non-commercial use into their terms. If AsianConnect is your pick, the facts on AsianConnect answer the usual first question.
Commission on Betfair routes
Three per cent. Already in the price. That is Betfair's commission on BLACK, where commission applies only to exchange bets and is calculated into the price you see, with none on bets at the connected bookmakers. We like that arrangement, because the price on the slip is then the price you are paid.
Sportmarket adds no commission of its own, and the exchange fees are built into the odds on its platform. The other routes have their own rates, set out with the rest of the exchange detail. For the prices themselves, our best odds guide shows how to compare them.
The same four brokers, other accounts
Betfair is one line of the grid: Pinnacle account access runs through all four brokers, and you can access Sbobet at BetInAsia and MadMarket.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between Betfair and Betfair Exchange?
Betfair is the brand, and Betfair Exchange is one of its products: the market where bettors back and lay against each other at prices they set themselves. Betfair also runs a sportsbook, where you bet against the house instead. This page is about the exchange.
Can I lay on Betfair Exchange through a broker?
Yes. At BetInAsia, BLACK lets you lay on exchange prices from its Exchange view. At MadMarket, Edge shows back options under Classic and adds lay options when you switch to Exchange. Sharp Exchange, OrbitX and the PIWIX exchange inside Piwi247 all take back and lay bets, and Sportmarket lists lay bets among its bet types, shown as exchange-style odds.
Do I need a separate Betfair account?
Not on Edge or BLACK. Betfair Exchange odds on Edge come with no separate account, and BLACK connects its exchanges, Betfair Exchange among them, inside one BetInAsia account. On the other routes the account you open is on the platform named in Table 1, and the steps above show where each one is created.
What is Piwi247?
Piwi247 is one of AsianConnect's platforms. It holds the PIWIX exchange, where you back or lay, and a sportsbook under one account. Table 1 lists it with OrbitX as AsianConnect's route to Betfair Exchange, and the registration form offers both.
Can I leave an offer on an exchange and wait for it to match?
Yes, at BLACK. When the price you ask for is not available and there is no liquidity, the software tries to post an offer on the exchange you picked. The feature is on by default and you switch it off in Settings. For waiting rather than posting, BLACK's Timeout holds an order from 5 seconds to 72 hours, Edge's Timeout holds one for up to 72 hours, and Sportmarket's Future Fulfilment places an order when your target price is reached.