Founder & Editor · Last reviewed 2026-10-09
The Short Answer
This comparison answers a question a lot of racing punters ask: given I already have or am considering a Bet365 account, do I need Star Sports too? And if you are picking just one, which one?
The short version: Bet365 is the stronger day-to-day product for most racing punters. It has the best live streaming product in the UK market, the deepest integrated form data, a 4.7-star app rating against Star Sports' 3.2, and Best Odds Guaranteed on UK, Irish and some international racing. For day-to-day betting — picking a horse in the 2.30 at Newbury, watching the race, settling up — Bet365 does the fundamentals better.
Star Sports is a different proposition. It is not trying to be Bet365. It is the specialist racing account — deep ante-post markets priced early with a published £100,000 maximum liability, a trader desk on 0800 052 1321 that will lay six-figure bets by phone, on-course pitches at Cheltenham, Royal Ascot, Epsom, Goodwood and Aintree, and an independent British identity under Ben Keith that the corporate groups cannot credibly claim. For a punter who bets ante-post at size or picks up the phone to get on at stakes the app will refuse, Star Sports earns a place in the portfolio.
For most readers this is not an either/or question. Bet365's strengths are daily-use ones and Star Sports' are specialist ones. The case for Star Sports on its own is narrow: a preference for phone betting over apps, or an ante-post-only betting style.
The rest of this page breaks down the head-to-head on each product feature that matters, then gives the verdict for three types of punter — the casual daily bettor, the ante-post specialist, and the big-staker phone bettor.
Head to Head
| Feature | Star Sports | Bet365 | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Odds Guaranteed | Withdrawn Dec 2024 | UK, Irish + some international | Bet365 |
| Racing streaming | UK & Irish, £1 qualifying bet | UK, Irish, French — funded balance or recent bet | Bet365 |
| Mobile app rating | iOS 3.2 · Android 3.1 | iOS 4.7 · Android 4.6 | Bet365 |
| Ante-post depth + transparency | Early prices; published £100k max | Deep markets; unpublished maximums | Star Sports |
| NRNB on Cheltenham Festival | 4 of 28 races | All 28 races | Bet365 |
| Racing bet builder | None | Bet Builder on most markets | Bet365 |
| Cash Out | Yes (partial disputed) | Full, partial, auto | Bet365 |
| Payment methods | Debit card + bank transfer only | Full e-wallet stack inc. PayPal | Bet365 |
| Phone trader desk for big bets | 0800 052 1321 — documented six-figure bets | Phone line exists; algorithmic, no bespoke trader | Star Sports |
| On-course pitch network | All major festivals | None | Star Sports |
| Integrated racing form data | Thin — stats via editorial blog | Strong — trainer / jockey 14-day panel in racecard | Bet365 |
| Independent ownership | Yes — Ben Keith sole owner | No — Denise Coates family | Star Sports |
Welcome offers are left out of this comparison. We only cover offers from bookmakers we work with, and we have no affiliate deal with Bet365. Star Sports' current terms are on our Star Sports sign-up offer page.
Where Bet365 is clearly ahead
Streaming is the biggest single gap. Bet365's free UK, Irish and French racing streaming with only a funded balance or recent bet is the best product on the UK market. Star Sports gates per-race with a £1 qualifying bet on UK and Irish racing only. For any punter who watches racing as part of the bet, this is not close.
Form data in the racecard. Bet365's integrated trainer / jockey 14-day strike-rate panel, course specialist filters and racing stats live inside the betting flow. Star Sports delivers stats via the Starters Orders morning report on the editorial blog — useful content, but not where you want it at 2.28pm.
App polish. The 4.7 vs 3.2 star gap reflects real daily-use differences — speed, reliability, feature depth. Review counts are also incomparable (tens of thousands for Bet365; tens for Star Sports), which compounds the user-facing quality difference.
Where Star Sports is clearly ahead
Ante-post published limits. Star Sports' £100,000 maximum ante-post liability is published and verifiable. Bet365's equivalent is hidden, applied by trader discretion, and often lower than the headline suggests for winning customers. For a serious ante-post punter at size, this transparency is genuinely valuable.
Phone betting at size. The Star Sports trader desk on 0800 052 1321 is documented in Racing Post's "big bets, big calls, big pressure" trading-floor feature as willing to lay six-figure bets — £600,000 at 1/6 on Douvan to win the Champion Chase and £400,000 at 2/7 on Altior for the Arkle. Bet365's phone operation exists but does not have a comparable big-layer reputation.
On-course heritage. Betting pitches at the Cheltenham Festival, Royal Ascot, Epsom, Goodwood and Aintree. For a punter who attends racing, this is a cultural and practical differentiator — you can walk up to a Star Sports pitch at Cheltenham and place the bet with a trader in person. Bet365 has no on-course presence.
Independent British ownership and a recognisable public face (Ben Keith) are accountability features the corporate groups cannot replicate. Whether that matters to you personally depends on how you value that dimension.
Racing Punter's Verdict
For the casual daily racing punter
Bet365 is a strong fit. The app is fast and reliable, racing streaming is broad, the form data is integrated, and BOG provides SP-protection on every UK and Irish racing bet. For the punter who bets daily across many meetings via the app, Bet365's product suits that pattern.
Star Sports is built for a different style of betting — ante-post depth, phone-betting at size, on-course access. It earns a place in this audience's portfolio as a specialist add-on for ante-post or phone bets, not as the daily app account.
For the ante-post specialist
Each covers something the other doesn't. Bet365 runs Non-Runner No Bet on all 28 Cheltenham Festival races, providing wider safety-net coverage; Star Sports' published £100,000 ante-post max liability is more transparent than Bet365's unpublished per-market maximums, and its early prices are often competitive.
For the big-staker phone bettor
This is the segment Star Sports was built for. The freephone 0800 052 1321 connects to a trader who understands betting terminology and is willing to lay sizes most online apps decline. Six-figure bets on Douvan and Altior are publicly documented in Racing Post's coverage. If your bet size regularly exceeds what an online book will take, Star Sports is one of the few UK operators that will write the ticket.
For the ante-post punter who wants published limits
Star Sports publishes £100,000 as the maximum ante-post liability per market. Bet365 keeps its caps at trader discretion. For punters who want to know the ceiling before committing stake, that transparency is a real differentiator at Star Sports.
The portfolio answer
The two books do different jobs. Bet365's product is the stronger one for daily racing, streaming and form data. Star Sports is the specialist for ante-post and phone bets. Star Sports is a Stablebet partner; we have no commercial relationship with Bet365.
See our full Star Sports review for the complete Star Sports audit.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Changed on This Page
- 16 October: took Bet365's welcome offer out of the comparison. We only cover offers from bookmakers we work with, and Bet365 is not one of them.
- 9 October: corrected the Best Odds Guaranteed history from Star Sports' own betting rules: closed to new accounts first, then removed for all customers.
Share this article
More betting guides
Research the field with the AI Race Predictor
Our model publishes calibrated win-probability estimates for UK races — a second opinion to understand a race, not tips. It's open about its record: it doesn't beat the market, and we show exactly how it does.
Gamble Responsibly
Gambling should be entertaining and not seen as a way to make money. Never bet more than you can afford to lose. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, help and support is available.