SBC: For those unfamiliar, can you outline how Matchbook works and what it offers customers?

Matchbook is designed for smart bettors who want more value. At Matchbook we offer deep liquidity in a whole range of sports and low commissions.

What are the advantages of betting through Matchbook compared to other exchanges or traditional bookmakers?

While you bet against the ‘bookie’ with a Sportsbook, at Matchbook you go head-to-head with fellow bettors. This means better odds across a whole range of sports and a betting site that is open to winners. While many of the big sportsbooks are in the habit of restricting winning players, at Matchbook we welcome them.

What are the main markets and sports you offer and see the most trading on?

Football Betting is consistently our top traded sport and the FIFA World Cup was a huge success with £260 million traded throughout the tournament.

Focusing on football for a minute – how do your odds compare with those from the big Asian firms in the main 1X2, Over/Under and Asian Handicap markets? 

We are consistently best priced on numerous Asian handicaps and Asian goal markets. On the Matchbook Betting Podcast our panelists regularly highlight the advantages of Asian handicaps minimising risks by halving your stakes on 2.0 and 2.5 for example. One of our key objectives is to provide our customers with content that enables them to become smarter bettors and we do this through the Matchbook Podcast and insights.matchbook.com.

Moving onto Horse Racing, it’s now been 2 years since you first introduced racing markets on Matchbook. How have these markets developed during this time?

We have made great strides with our Horse Racing product in recent times. While there’s always room for improvement, Matchbook customers can get substantial amounts matched on selections even a couple of hours before the off of each race. The needle may move a bit slower in the early morning but take a look as the day progresses and you can really see the action heating up.

What about in-play and live betting on sports like football and racing. Can you outline what you offer and the volume of money traded on Matchbook these days?

With football we have seen an uptick in in-play wagering and the vast majority of pre match markets are also offered in running which is ideal for any customers who are looking to trade out of their positions.

In play Horse Racing only launched this year prior to Cheltenham and while it started slowly we have seen a gradual uptick on customers getting involved in these markets. Flat racing is always a tougher proposition to trade in running but come the National Hunt season we would expect a lot more customers to get involved.

I understand Golf betting is a keen area of growth on Matchbook with a large array of tournament matchups now covered. How has betting on this sport grown on Matchbook recently?

Golf betting is now consistently in our top five traded sports and it’s not just when the majors roll around either. Tournament matchups, as you mentioned, cannot be found at any other exchange or sportsbook in this part of the world and we have seen from our customers reaction that there is a real appetite for these markets. We have Ollie Noonan (aka @fairwaywedge on twitter) on the Matchbook Podcast with us every Tuesday to preview these matchups and we’ve most definitely highlighted markets that may have been missed by many bettors in the past.

Are there any other new markets or innovations introduced over the past year to be aware of?

In running Horse Racing generally was a huge addition for us. That launched at a similar time to the 0% on Racing offer so it was a real fillip to our product and allowed customers to manage their position once the race was off. We have a few more exciting Horse Racing features to follow in the coming weeks and months so watch this space on that one.

One of our key motivations is a focus on customer service, which is our differentiating factor. We want to be the exchange that makes the difference, if you experience a problem or have a suggestion as to how we can improve the customer experience we want to know and have a dedicated team focussed on engaging with and sorting any issues for customers.

Can you explain the commission fees for using Matchbook and how they work?

There is no question we offer the lowest commission in the exchange market on Horse Racing with a 1.5% net win rate and as we head towards the end of the flat and into the National Hunt season we’re really excited with the level of activity on site.

In other sports Matchbook has two different commission rates of either 1.5% or 0.75% on all trades, depending on whether you accept another user’s offer or whether they accept your offer.

If you accept an existing offer in a market the standard commission rate is 1.5%. If you post an offer, which another user then matches, the standard commission rate will be 0.75%.

I understand the fees change slightly for UK and Ireland customers – can you outline how and why?

Since 2015 laws in both Britain and Ireland Matchbook is required to pay an additional 15% tax on all betting exchange commission payments received from its customers to the respective governments. Customers residing in the UK and the Republic of Ireland will be charged a portion of the Point of Consumption taxes. So if you accept an existing offer in a market the standard commission rate will be 1.7%. If you post an offer, which another user then matches, the standard commission rate will be 0.85%. If you are betting on Horse Racing which is 1.5% Net Win commission, the standard commission rate will be 1.7%.