For many years, the sports betting industry has been dominated by UK and European companies. However, there are many other top drawer brands available, and one of them is Dafabet.
Established in 2004, Dafabet’s headquarters are in Makati, Philippines. It proudly boasts that it is Asia’s largest online betting and casino platform, and also its most secure. High-profile football sponsorship deals with Norwich City, Fulham FC and Scottish giants Celtic, in addition to multiple licences, demonstrate that this is a legit company. That means you can be assured of fair odds and getting paid when land a few big winners.
Dafabet Review
Let’s cut to the chase, Dafabet is the real McCoy. This is a mega-brand in several south-east Asian countries. Through the years, Dafabet has evolved into a first-class gambling platform for both mobile users and traditional desktop customers. As well as sports betting, it also operates a Playtech-powered casino, live casino, and Dafa Poker, which is a part of the ever-growing iPoker Network.
However, our Dafabet review solely focuses on India. We find out what its cricket betting service is like, and check the markets and odds to see how competitive they are. Furthermore, we explore the Dafabet India bonuses, look at the banking options and assess its mobile apps for Indian punters.
Dafabet India
The Indian betting market is big business, which is why many of the biggest brands in the industry are making moves in this direction. Yet, it’s not simply enough to offer a generic sportsbook in this country because one sport rules like no other – and that sport is cricket.
Dafabet India fully acknowledges this. The promotional banners all highlight the importance of this game. It takes pride of place at the top of each sports menu, so you are never more than one click away from the action.
Something that clearly sets Dafabet India apart from the competition is its recently-launched mobile betting exchange. Many Indian punters prefer exchange betting over traditional bookmakers, so this is a positive step. It shows that Dafabet is truly focused on delivering a premium-quality betting product that is in-tune with what punters want. So, let’s find out more about Dafabet India, and you can decide if it’s the best bet for you. In fact Dagabet competes with 10Cric and Royal Panda for a leading position in the Indian market.
Is Dafabet Legal in India?
We are often asked is Dafabet legal in India? In short, the answer is ‘yes’. While gambling is largely illegal in the country, it does not prevent its citizens from joining an overseas online betting company. This means that Dafabet can (and does) legally accept players from India.
Essentially, the only condition imposed by the Indian lawmakers is that the betting operator must accept the Indian Rupee as one of its used currencies. This allows Indians to deposit, bet and withdraw in the Rupee. Dafabet India ticks this box with ease, so you should have no concerns about betting here if you desire. Furthermore, Dafabet offers customer service and support which is strictly dedicated to this country alone. It is certainly going the extra mile, and that’s pleasing to see.
Dafabet Sports
Dafabet is unique in that it offers two sportsbooks on the same platform. One is Dafa Sports, with the other being OW Sports. There’s no clear reason given for this. It appears OW Sports uses the original sportsbook design while Dafa Sports is a newer, revamped platform. From our research, the sports, markets and betting odds are identical. The good news is that Dafabet India allows customers to use either of these products; so you can check them out for yourself later.
More than 25 sports are open for betting at Dafabet India. Naturally, cricket is the pack-leader, but you also have football, tennis, golf, rugby and badminton. There’s also all the top US sports action with loads of basketball, baseball, American football and ice hockey bets available. Ultimately, Dafabet India has a strong local focus, but this a global betting site, so every event is covered.
You can wager pre-match or hit the ‘live’ tab and bet on action that is happening right now. Market depth is variable, in our opinion. In some areas, it’s outstanding but diluted in other places. However, for all of the big events: important cricket matches, European football, NBA, and so on, Dafabet India is comparable with the other top online bookies in the country.
Dafabet Cricket
International test matches, 50 over games and Twenty20, it’s all here at Dafabet India. The priority is on live games and those that are coming up in the next few days. There aren’t too many ante-post markets for the World Cup and other events taking place months in the future.
What really caught our eye was the market depth Dafabet cricket has for the big games. For instance, New Zealand vs India in the T20 series has just over 100 markets. Many other games had 75+, and even test matches weighed in with a healthy 40+. It does drop off for the less popular games (e.g. U19 World Cup matches only hosted 5 markets). However, many betting sites follow this pattern.
When it comes to betting odds, Dafabet is one of the best-priced bookmakers around. We are not saying its odds are always the best. The truth is no betting site can claim that honour, but the odds here are generally strong with competitively low margins. That means punters are getting good value.
Dafabet India Exchange
This product is specifically for India. The mobile exchange allows bettors to back and lay selections. There is no traditional bookmaker involved when betting on an exchange. It’s basically two punters going head-to-head.
The greatest advantage of betting this way is the odds are quite often higher because there isn’t the necessity for a bookmaker’s margin. Dafabet India makes its money from charging a 3% commission on winning bets. This is a fair amount considering Betfair (the world’s biggest betting exchange) charges between 5 and 7%.
You can wager on a range of sports on this exchange, including cricket and football. However, some markets do lack liquidity, which is a common issue on the majority of exchanges. For brand new bettors. We advised learning the betting basics with the traditional bookmaker service, then progressing onto laying and backing when you’re ready.
Dafabet App & Mobile
India is a mobile betting country, so it’s imperative for site operators to be up to speed in this department. Once again, Dafabet is on the ball. If you load up the main website and click ‘Mobile’, you’re presented with your options. There is a fully-customised Dafabet mobile site or the Dafabet app (Android only).
These are both high-quality products, and to be honest, there’s little to choose between them. If you use an Apple device, you will have to stick with the Dafabet mobile site. Android users can use one or the other (or both). Inside you’ll find the full range of betting options that desktop users have. There’s all the best Dafabet cricket with stellar market depth, live streaming, customer support, and hassle-free banking.
While it’s a matter of choice, we slightly prefer the Dafabet mobile cricket app. It offers slightly faster load speeds, and you get push notifications related to time-sensitive promotions. You may miss out on some of these if you don’t use the Dafabet app.
Dafabet App Download
As we emphasised, there isn’t an iOS Dafabet mobile app, so this section only applies to those with an Android device. For starters, there are four Dafabet apps:
- Dafa Sports app
- Dafa Casino app
- Dafa Poker app
- Mobile Exchange app
The reason for splitting them is because they can become too heavy and clunky if too much is packed into them. A point of note is that your Dafabet login details are the same across all products, so you don’t need to remember multiple passwords.
To download your desired Dafabet app, visit the main website. Hit the ‘Mobile’ link, which is found in the main menu, and then select the ‘Android’ tab. You can then scan the QR code to download the Dafabet app. Alternatively, from your mobile, visit 888df.com/DFSAPPIN.
Please note: None of the Dafabet apps is available in the Google Play Store. We advise all players to follow the instructions provided above so that you download a genuine Dafabet product.
Dafabet Live Chat & Support
Dafabet India’s commitment to this market shines through again when you assess its customer support options. It offers live chat 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There is also a toll-free phone number (00080-0100-7166). This is just for Indian players, which is great to see. Lastly, you can also send an email to [email protected].
Additionally, if you like to find information out for yourself, there is a FAQ section you can use. It’s not as comprehensive as that of bet365 or Betway, but it covers all of the important topics. These include Dafabet login troubles, claiming bonuses, and banking issues, among others.
Dafabet India Payment Options
Dafabet accepts bank transfers from Indian bank accounts. The platform is highly secure with state-of-the-art firewall protection and SSL data encryption software used. However, if you’d prefer not to make a direct bank transfer, you can use the following e-wallets:
- Neteller
- Skrill
- Skrill 1-Tap
- ecoPayz
- Diner’s Club, Mastercard, Visa, Visa Debit (by Skrill)
No payout times are given on the website. Dafabet does state that processing times vary depending on the payment method used. Furthermore, it does not provide the minimum and maximum deposit/withdrawal limits. For more information, you’ll need to contact customer support.
Dafabet Promotions & Casino Bonus
Dafabet India offers a staggering range of bonuses and promotions. At the time of writing this review, there were 17 Dafa Sports promos and 24 casino and live casino offers. While this is a great collection, you should always read the terms and conditions, and also compare the bonuses to those at other betting sites to ensure you’re getting a good value.
This is a glimpse at the main offers at Dafabet.
- Sports first deposit bonus: 150% up to INR 15,000. This is an instant bankroll booster, but it does have a 15x (deposit + bonus amount) wagering requirement. Therefore, if you deposited INR 1,000 (which is the minimum amount), you get INR 1,500 extra in bonus cash. The total amount of INR 2,500 must be wagered 15 times = INR 37,500 at odds of 1.50 or greater. Not the most punter-friendly terms, in our opinion.
- Cricket Cashback: Get up to INR 11,000 cashback every week on your pre-match and live cricket bets. You get a 10% refund on each bet as long as the odds are above 1.50. There is a 1x rollover requirement which is fair. This looks to be a much better offer.
- eSports welcome bonus: 100% matched deposit up to INR 5,000. This can only be used for esports betting. Minimum deposit INR 1,000, 10x wagering requirement (other T&Cs apply).
- Casino welcome bonus: 100% up to INR 8,000. Before you can claim this offer, you need to join the Dafabet India VIP scheme. The minimum deposit is INR 2,000, and the wagering requirement is 20x (deposit + bonus amount). Other terms apply.
Conclusion of Dafabet Review
Dafabet provides Indian customers with an excellent online sports betting site that is tailored to the needs and desires of this market. The depth of first-class cricket betting options is impressive, and there’s live streaming for cricket, too. Albeit, only for matches taking place outside of India. Furthermore, the mobile betting exchange is perfect for India, and no doubt, this will be very successful once it gets established. We also liked the toll-free customer service phone number and dedicated support solely for India.
Of course, every sportsbook has a few weaker areas. The wagering requirement on some of Dafabet India’s bonuses is rather high. You should certainly evaluate each offer before accepting them. We found some were punter-friendly, and others were not. Also, a little more clarity regarding withdrawal times would be nice. However, this isn’t a major issue because you can quickly ask support via live chat. Overall, Dafabet India scores highly on our charts. You can compare it against other popular sites, such as bet365, ComeOn, 888sport, and several others in our review section, to find your perfect place to bet.