Sportsbet review 2026

What is Sportsbet?

Sportsbet is one of Australia’s biggest online bookmakers, run by Sportsbet Pty Ltd. Its Sports and Novelties rules cover elections, politics and a wide range of novelty markets. It ranks #4 in our ranking of the legal alternatives to prediction markets in Australia; for sport, see our Sportsbet sports betting review.

Is Sportsbet licensed in Australia?

Yes. Sportsbet Pty Ltd, ACN 088 326 612, is licensed by the Northern Territory Wagering Commission to accept bets by electronic transmission 24 hours a day, and sportsbet.com.au is on ACMA’s register of licensed interactive gambling providers.

Its record is the heaviest in our ranking. In February 2022 ACMA said Sportsbet had paid a record $2.5 million infringement notice and committed to refund customers about $1.2 million after sending more than 150,000 marketing messages to over 37,000 people who had tried to unsubscribe, and it accepted a three-year court-enforceable undertaking. In 2025 the Northern Territory fined it $92,500 on June 19, for SMS marketing sent on October 2, 2024 to 154 restricted customers, 30 of whom had self-excluded, and $313,140 on November 12, for failing on 18 occasions to send monthly activity statements to many customers between November 2022 and April 2024, a breach it reported itself. It was also fined $21,488 in a customer dispute in March 2024. AUSTRAC, the financial-crime regulator, ordered an external audit of Sportsbet’s compliance in 2022 and later accepted an enforceable undertaking from it; we couldn’t read the details. Check any site with our legality check.

Event markets

Sportsbet’s Sports and Novelties rules have sections on elections, Australian politics, UK and European politics, and US politics. Next-leader markets are offered all in, run or not; Sportsbet may settle on projected results; Australian markets pay on the party that is sworn in, with the Coalition meaning the Liberal and National parties; and US presidential markets settle on the candidate with the most projected electoral college votes as reported by the Associated Press. Its novelty rules cover entertainment, current affairs, weather, music, Hollywood, pageants and sports novelties, and bets on an awards ceremony are void if it’s cancelled or not held in its scheduled year.

The Northern Territory confirmed in November 2023 that Sportsbet offered a market on the 2022 US Senate election under the territory’s declaration of political elections as a betting event. It dismissed the complaints about that market, but found that Sportsbet had kept taking bets on an outcome that had become impossible, which were refunded, and urged every NT licensee to review its terms for US election markets. We couldn’t see which politics markets are open now, because Sportsbet’s site was blocked to us.

Pricing

Sportsbet is a bookmaker: it sets fixed odds with a margin built in, and we found no published figure for its margins. It may limit winnings to $1 million on a single event or selection, and the minimum bet online is one cent. Online in-play bets on sport are banned in Australia; Sportsbet takes them by phone on 1800 138 238.

Deposits and withdrawals

You can deposit from $5 by debit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayID or PayPal, instantly, or by BPAY, which takes 1 to 3 days. Sportsbet stopped taking bank transfer deposits on March 18, 2025, and credit cards have been banned since June 11, 2024. Withdrawals start at $10 and go to your Australian bank account, card, PayPal or a Sportsbet Cash Card: within a few hours to a bank that accepts fast payments, or up to one business day by PayPal. Sportsbet charges no debit card fees, but you must bet a deposit through once before you can withdraw it.

App and experience

The Sportsbet app is rated 4.62 out of 5 from 184,991 ratings on the Australian App Store, the most in our ranking, but 3.1 from 22,178 on Google Play (October 23, 2026).

Safety, responsible gambling and support

You can set deposit limits by day, week, fortnight or month, take a break of 1 to 30 days, or exclude yourself for 6 months to 5 years or for life. Sportsbet checks every customer against BetStop, the national self-exclusion register, emails a monthly activity statement and verifies your identity before you can transact. Live chat runs from 6am to midnight AEST, and customer service is on 1800 990 907. Free, confidential help: the National Gambling Helpline on 1800 858 858, 24/7, and our guide to gambling help in Australia.

Who is Sportsbet best for?

• Punters who want broad election and novelty markets in a familiar app.
• Small stakes, from one cent online.
• Not for anyone who weighs a clean regulatory record heavily, or wants chat support overnight.

Our verdict

Sportsbet’s election and novelty rules are thorough and its app is Australia’s most-rated in our ranking, but its fines in 2022 and 2025 hold it to fourth. Compare it in our ranking, or see the best Sportsbet alternatives.