Betfred: open online since 2005

How long it has been open

The registry's current record for betfred.com dates from 20 February 2003. The first copy of the address in the Web Archive that reads as a gambling site dates from 1 January 2005, so on 3 November 2026 Betfred had been open online for 21 full years under this name.

The title on that copy:

Betfred Online Sports Betting with Done Bookmakers

Before that, the earliest copy on this address (7 August 2003) carried the title “BetFred.com”, which is not a gambling page, so it does not count towards the house's years.

Open that archived copy

Who holds the licence today

• Petfre (Gibraltar) LimitedRegister account 39544 · licence 039544-R-319290-010 · remote casino licence active since 1 November 2014
• betfred.comAddress status on the register: Active

Open the register entry

The same account lists 3 web addresses in all, so Betfred shares its licence, its rules and its self-exclusion with other sites. See the addresses on the register.

Regulatory record

The register lists 2 actions against Petfre (Gibraltar) Limited (account 39544). Each entry gives the decision date and the outcome; the full statement is on the Commission's actions page.

• 20 May 2025
  Financial penalty

  The published figure is £240,000.

• 30 June 2026
  Public statementCommission costsPayment in lieu of financial penalty

  The published figure is £900,000.

Rule changes it has traded through

Every change below came into force after Betfred first appeared online as a gambling site. Sources are on the rules timeline.

• 1 September 2007The Gambling Act 2005 takes over. The Gambling Commission becomes the regulator for online casinos based in Great Britain. Sites run from abroad can still serve British players without a British licence.
• 1 November 2014A British licence for everyone who serves Britain. From this day any casino taking bets from players in Great Britain needs a Commission licence, wherever it is based. That is why so many licences on the register start on 1 November 2014.
• 7 May 2019Checks before the first bet. Age and identity have to be confirmed before a customer can deposit, play a free demo or gamble, instead of at the first withdrawal.
• 31 March 2020GAMSTOP becomes compulsory. Every online operator has to take part in GAMSTOP, so one self-exclusion closes the door at all of them.
• 14 April 2020No more gambling on credit cards. Casinos stop taking credit cards, including credit cards loaded into e-wallets.
• 31 October 2021Slower, plainer slots. Online slots lose autoplay and turbo spins, take at least 2.5 seconds a spin, stop celebrating returns no bigger than the stake and show the running net position. Withdrawals can no longer be reversed.
• 17 January 2025The same pace for table games. The game-design rules reach every online casino game; games other than slots take at least five seconds a round.
• 28 February 2025Money checks at £150. A light check of financial vulnerability is due once a customer's net deposits reach £150 in a rolling 30 days.
• 9 April 2025A ceiling on slot stakes. A single slot spin is capped at £5 for players aged 25 and over; the £2 cap for players aged 18 to 24 followed on 21 May 2025.
• 31 October 2025Limits offered from the start. New customers are asked to set a deposit limit when they register or first deposit. Raising a limit waits 24 hours; lowering it works at once.
• 19 January 2026Wagering capped at ten times. Play-through on promotional funds can no longer exceed ten times the amount given, and one offer cannot mix products such as slots and sports.
• 6 April 2026Complaints bodies under consumer law. Dispute services for gambling are now accredited under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024.
• 30 September 2026A deposit limit means total deposits. Only a limit on gross deposits may be called a deposit limit, and it has to be offered as a minimum.