BetStar Review & AU Rating 2023

Website

The layout of the BetStar website is very similar to that of their parent company Ladbrokes, only with a different colour scheme. That definitely isn’t a bad thing, as Ladbrokes is one of the best sports betting sites in Australia. Despite having plenty of features available the BetStar website still loads very quickly and is super-easy to navigate and use overall. The amount of information available on your screen is just on the right side of being a little bit too busy. Seasoned punters will find this site pretty intuitive, while it should act as an easy introduction for sports betting newbies.

Your BetSlip and account information can always be found in the top right corner meanwhile the bar across the top of your screen gives you easy access to racing, sports, live betting promotions and your how to betting guide. In addition to the betting guides, there's also a Punter Assist feature, which is a sort of live chat. All of the available sports are listed on the left hand side of your screen. Overall, BetStar is definitely among the best betting websites in Australia.

Mobile App

In addition to the excellent website, which is optimised for both desktop and mobile, there’s the BetStar App, which you can download to both Apple iOS and Android devices. To test the app for our BetStar reviews, we used the Apple version, however we check and the BetStar ratings on Android are every bit as good. Like the website, the app is click and ntuitive, following the colour scheme of blue and orange on a white background. Placing your bets is easy and the betslip works as seamlessly as it does on the website without much lagging or bugging. From start to finish, we contend that just 8 clicks were required in order to place a bet. So if you’re into betting on the move, we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the Betstar App.

Deposits

You can deposit funds into your BetStar account via either credit/debit card, PayPal, POLi, BPay or Flexepin. Additionally, you can link your payments directly to your account with the BetStar card. You can request a card as soon as you’ve registered your BetStar account, which will take 21 days to arrive which you’ll then need to activate to begin using it to bet and make withdrawals. The BetStar card is a visa card, meaning you can use your winnings to pay for things directly without the need to withdraw. As an added bonus, your BetStar card also works overseas. To make deposits by Visa or Mastercard, you’ll need to provide legible photos or scans of both sides of your card. The minimum deposit amount is $10.

Withdrawals

For instant withdrawals, it’s worth applying for the BetStar card. As well as being able to withdraw instantly from either the desktop site, app or an atm machine, you can also use your withdrawable winnings to pay for things directly using the card - just like you would with any other visa cash card. All other payment withdrawal methods are subjected to different terms and conditions. There is, however, no minimum withdrawal limit with BetStar Australia.

Recommended payment method: PayPal

In terms of efficiency and security, we’d recommend PayPal as the best method for funding your account because it’s the longest-running and safest payment service of its type. The main advantage of using PayPal to fund out BetStar account, and to make purchases/payments on the internet in general is the security they offer. PayPal doesn’t share your bank details or personal info with the site, helping to protect you from hackers, fraud and theft.

You can contact the BetStar customer service team 24/7 via the phone line. As is the case with most betting sites in Australia, thanks to Australian gambling laws, there are two phone lines - one for betting and one for support. This is because live bets can no longer legally be placed online, therefore it has to be done over the phone. The fact that BetStar Australia has decided to separate these phone lines, and that both operate 24/7 is a huge plus. For written enquiries, there's an email support form available on the website, who generally respond within 24 hours.

The downside is that there isn’t really a live chat service, which is a big miss in the digital age as it’s often the quickest way to get answers to your casual enquiries. For members, there is the “Punter Assistant'' which sort of acts as a live chat help tool for new punters or those having problems. In addition to that, there are ‘How to’ guides available. The FAQs section has plenty of questions but provides short answers in some cases. For example, they deposit and withdrawal related questions offer very little information regarding payment methods other than the BetStar card. In order to find this information for our BetStar Reviews, we had to contact the customer service team. Fortunately though, the customer service team are friendly and super helpful.

BetStar was bought by UK betting giant Ladbrokes back in 2014, which already inspires confidence in their reliability as Ladbrokes is a trusted veteran brand with an excellent track record in the UK and the US as well as right here in Australia. To back this up, BetStar Australia is licensed and regulated by the Northern Territory Racing Commission and is governed by the Code of Practice for South Australian residents. In answer to the question “is BetStar secure?”, BetStar uses SSL technology with a 2048 bit encryption. This helps keep your transactions and data secure, ultimately keeping you safe from hacking, fraud and online theft.

To keep yourself extra secure, we recommend using PayPal or POLi as your chosen payment method, Payment methods like these are extra secure as they don’t share your payment details or personal data with the betting site or any other merchants you pay using their service. Additionally, the fact that PayPal chose to work with BetStar further cements their legitimacy, as PayPal are very careful about who they do business with, given their trusted reputation globally. BetStar subscribes to responsible wagering Australia and is an approved betting operator by the majority of Aussie sporting leagues including the AFL, NRL and Cricket Australia.

To find out about the security of similar betting sites, see our answers to the questions  Is MoneyBall reliable? And Is BetEasy secure? 

As we mentioned earlier in our BetStar ratings & review, due to Australian gambling laws, BetStar alongside other online betting sites in Australia are limited in terms of what they can offer you. Additionally, they are restricted in what they are able to advertise to the general public.  Therefore to see the current BetStar information, you’ll have to register and account and be logged in. Once you’ve done so, you can find all available offers by clicking on the “Promotions Tab”.You can check out the experience others have had by consulting BetStar reviews from existing customers on sites like Trustpilot.

The good news is that while the current Australian gambling laws are very strict on promotions, they don’t mean that sportsbooks have to compromise the overall quality of their site and services. Given the quality of BetStar as an operator overall, we’d definitely say that this is a site that’s worth signing up for. Additionally, BetStar does a lot to make their existing customer feel valued through their excellent customer service team, which we explained in detail in the above section.