Playup vs. Boombet What is the Top Aussie Betting Site?

Both PlayUp and Boombet have been an integral part of the Australian betting landscape for a few years now, but we wanted to find out which was better. With so many bookmakers to choose from it can be hard to know where to deposit your hard-earned, so we’ve done the hard work for you, comparing a range of different metric including odds, range of markets, mobile apps, customer support and much more.

Find out quickly who took out each and every one of the ten sections we reviewed below:

Opening an account is the first experience most punters have of a bookmaker, so it’s important that it’s a quick and easy process or potential customers will quickly find an alternative site. We’ve opened accounts with both of these sites, and this is how it went down.

PlayUp: Opening an account with PlayUp is super easy and can be completed in under two minutes. All you need to do is head to the site, click on the ‘Join Now’ button in the top right corner of the home page, and enter your relevant details. Confirm everything and voila, you’re ready to go.

Boombet: It’s not a whole lot different with Boombet– in fact the process is much the same. Simply click the ‘Join Now’ button in the top left corner and, as with PlayUp, fill in the relevant details.

Verdict: The sign-up process with both of these bookmakers is pretty straightforward, and in neither case should it act as a deterrent for any punters considering creating an account. The PlayUp process, however, was a little bit quicker when we went through the process, so for that reason we’ll give them the nod for this one.

 Round 1 Winner: PlayUp

This is something which can help bookmakers set themselves apart. Unique features which exist with few if any competitors can help to improve the overall experience for the user, so do these two bookmakers offer any examples of this?

PlayUp: One great feature which is virtually exclusive to PlayUp is the existence of a client manager for those who want it. Essentially this is an account manager who can help to keep you up to date with upcoming events and help you with any queries you may have. These are things which you can organise yourself if need be, but PlayUp makes it that little bit easier with this feature.

Boombet: Boombetset their own independent racing odds, which can be a valuable feature for the savvy punter. It doesn’t necessarily mean their odds are better – more on that below – but it does mean they sometimes differ a little, and on occasions you can find value which doesn’t exist elsewhere.

Verdict: Some may see the PlayUp client manager as something of a gimmick, given that you can theoretically do all the things they will do without their help, but it does actually make the service a little more streamlined and helps to keep you on top of the action. Courtesy of that feature, we’ll give them a slight edge here.

 Round 2 Winner: PlayUp

The variety of markets on offer is arguably the most important component of any bookmaker – after all, if the market you’re after doesn’t exist on one site, it almost certainly will on another, so why would you bother persisting with the first? This is how the range of markets available on PlayUp and Boombet compare.

PlayUp: Overall, the sports coverage on PlayUp is pretty solid. All of the sports you would anticipate being available are, and there are quite a few non-mainstream sports and leagues on offer too. The vast majority of leagues have a fairly good variety of betting markets as well, though it certainly doesn’t compare to some of the bigger names in the Australian betting landscape.

Boombet : Boombet has a good variety of racing markets, but it fails to repeat the dose in the variety of sports betting markets on offer. The standard sports and leagues are available, but even within those there is a little left to be desired in terms of how many markets are available, while they could also expand their selection of leagues.

Verdict: This one was a little bit easier to adjudicate. While Boombet has a reasonable selection of racing markets, so too does PlayUp and the latter is also far superior in its selection of sports betting markets.

 Round 3 Winner: PlayUp

The difference in odds between bookmakers might not seem huge on first glance, but it certainly adds up and is why this should be a key factor you look out for when deciding whether to use a bookmaker.

PlayUp: PlayUp’s betting odds are generally very competitive across both racing and sports. As an example, taking a look at their lines for the AFL they generally set the market at $1.90, which is right around the industry average, and it’s a similar story for most sports.

Boombet : Boombet pride themselves on offering great fixed odds, particularly in racing, and they set these odds independently from other bookmakers, meaning there can be some variance. Their racing odds aren’t industry-leading but are competitive, but in major sports markets they do fall a little behind the rest of the pack.

Verdict: Contrary to their slogan, the odds available with Boombet aren’t the best available, and in fact they even fall a little short of those of PlayUp. In terms of racing the two are on roughly even pegging, but in most sports markets it’s PlayUp who offer the superior odds.

 Round 4 Winner: PlayUp

Live betting is continually growing in popularity in Australia despite the fact that you’re still required to call up to place a bet in this way.

PlayUp: To place a live bet with PlayUp all you need to do is call them up on 1800 888 001. They offer a fairly comprehensive range of live markets and solid odds, though they could benefit from making those odds more prominently available on the website.

Boombet : Unfortunately, Boombet does not offer live betting at this point in time. They don’t take any bets over the phone at all – only via the website or the mobile app – and with Australian legislating dictating that live bets must be taken over the phone, this is clearly not on the agenda for the bookmaker at the moment.

Verdict: With Boombet failing to offer live betting as yet, this is a pretty comfortable victory to PlayUp. Though the live betting component of their site isn’t perfect, at least they’ve got one!

 Round 5 Winner: PlayUp

Increasingly, bookmakers are purchasing rights to stream certain sports and/or racing to enable punters to watch their bets unfold without leaving the sites. So how do these two fare on this metric?

PlayUp: Unfortunately, PlayUp doesn’t yet offer live streaming. They do have the kind of functional and fast-loading website which would make it a good candidate for live streaming in the future, but at this point in time, it’s notably absent.

Boombet : Boombet aren’t much better. They too offer nothing in the way of live streaming, neither for sports or racing, so if you want to watch the action then you’ll have to find another way to do so.

Verdict: This one is a nil-all draw. With neither PlayUp nor Boombet offering live streaming of even one sport or event, we can’t give either of them the tick of approval here.

 Round 6 Draw: PlayUp / Boombet

A few short years ago sports betting mobile apps didn’t exist, but now it’s rare to find a bookmaker without one. Both PlayUp and Boombet have followed the trend, but which one is better?

PlayUp: In line with their intuitive and easy to use website, the PlayUp mobile app is excellent. It’s available for both iOS and Android, available for download from wherever you get your apps, and can easily be used as a substitute for the website itself if you prefer to punt from your phone than your computer.

Boombet : Boombet’s app also offers a reliable way to place a bet with the bookmaker using either iOS or Android devices. It’s a decent enough app, but it can be a little slow to load on occasions and is a little more prone to crashing than some others.

Verdict: Both these bookmakers have decent apps which can be used as a substitute for the website, but once again PlayUp takes the cake. Their app is a little more user-friendly – it is legitimately as functional as the website, and while the Boombet app can also be used as a substitute, the website itself is far easier to use.

 Round 7 Winner: PlayUp

Generally, bookmakers offer the appropriate payment methods to keep punters happy, but some offer a few alternative options to cater for a wider audience. So which of these bookmakers fares better here?

PlayUp: PlayUp has an excellent range of different payment methods for both deposits and withdrawals. The credit card is the most popular option, but you can also use POLi, paysafecard, BPAY, EFT, or deposit directly from your bank account.

Boombet : Boombet ’s options for depositing and withdrawing are much the same as those of PlayUp. In fact, it is identical with the exception of paysafecard, which isn’t offered with this bookmaker.

Verdict: It could hardly be closer and realistically, both are likely to offer deposit and withdrawal options that are suitable for you. If, however, you happen to be an ardent user of the paysafecard payment method, then you’ll only be able to find it with PlayUp, and it’s in this minor difference that they once again get the tick here.

 Round 8 Winner: PlayUp

Customer support is an integral part of any business, and demonstrating a willingness and ability to help out can help bookmakers set themselves apart from the rest, so let’s take a look at the customer support options for both of these bookies.

PlayUp: PlayUp offers the standard forms of contact if you need help with anything. You can give their support team a call from 6.00am-12.00am AEST every day of the week, or alternatively you can reach them on Live Chat or via email. Live Chat is the simplest option, and on testing that process we found that in general they respond relatively quickly and are able to help with most enquiries.

Boombet : Boombet is similar in the contact options they offer. Again, the Live Chat feature is the quickest way to get an answer to your question, but they also have a phone line open 8.00am-10.30pm every day of the week, an email address, a PO box, or you can contact them via their Facebook page. As with PlayUp, we tested out their Live Chat and found them to be very helpful.

Verdict: This is a tight one. For both bookies, the Live Chat function is easy to use and the representatives helpful. PlayUp’s phone line is open for a couple of extra hours per day than that of Boombet, but the latter offers a couple of additional contact methods, and it’s for that reason we marginally gave the nod to Boombet.

  Round 9 Winner: Boombet

Basically this refers to how hassle-free your betting experience is. Were you able to seamlessly go about your business, or were you forced to reload pages, ask for help or inconvenienced in some other way?

PlayUp: PlayUp does a great job of staying out of the way of the punter. The website is very well laid out and simple to use, never lags, and everything feels as though it’s where it should be. The overall user experience is a thoroughly positive one, and would be a major reason many punters stick with this bookmaker.

Boombet : Boombet also offers a relatively hassle-free experience for the user. A minor criticism would be that there could be some improvements made to the website, which at times feels a little slow, and as mentioned the app is not always as functional as we would like, but for the most part they provide a good experience.

Verdict: Each of these bookmakers offers a solid overall user experience, but undoubtedly it’s PlayUp who once again come out on top. Their intuitive website is better than that of Boombet and rarely have any problems arisen for us when using their service.

  Overall User Experience Winner: PlayUp

Both of these bookmakers are popular among Australian punters, but it’s PlayUp who clearly stand head and shoulders above Boombet. They came out on top on the vast majority of the metrics by which we chose to judge these bookmakers – in fact they saluted in nine of the ten – and though a number of those judgements were close, they are the clear winner here. Boombet could most quickly close the gap by adding a wider range of sports markets and improving their odds, while a better app would also help them compete with the likes of PlayUp.

If you enjoyed reading this comparison and found it in any way useful, we’ve put together reviews on plenty more Australian betting sites for you to look at. Check out our reviews of WinnersBet and PalmerBet, for example, or head to the website to find even more.