Betfair Price History

Watch the video, and see the magic it can work...

Find the latest FLUTTER ENTERTAINMENT PLC UNSPO (PDYPY) stock quote, history, news and other vital information to help you with your stock trading and investing. Betfair excludes any and all liability whether in contract, tort, statute, equity or otherwise for any use of the Historical Data. The resale, distribution or the use of the service by another organization or individual is prohibited unless a specific agreement in writing with Betfair exists. The company was founded in June 2000, by Andrew Black and Edward Wray. Softbank purchased 23% of Betfair in early April 2006, valuing the company at £1.5 billion. In December 2006, Betfair completed the purchase of the horseracing publishing company Timeform (which traded under the name Portway Press Ltd). Betfair was the first betting company to sponsor an English football. Betfair SPs and comparisons with the industry SPs are available in the results section on the Betfair Racing Form site. Final win and place Betfair Starting Prices for GB and Irish races are available for each day in the files here.These files also provide a range of other aggregated prices. The Betfair Historical Data service provides time-stamped Betfair Exchange data for purchase & download to registered Betfair customers. Using this data you can: Access historical Betfair Exchange price & market data. View details of historical market settlements. Custom filter data prior to download. Back test your strategy before going ‘live’.

Brand New Cloud Based Software.

Brand New, and is cloud based.

New Additional Information added,

Another New Feature added 5th September, 2020

UK Profit for the 21-8-2020 : 17.83 points.

Ireland Profit for the day 21-8-2020: 12.11 points.

June 2020 UK Only Racing All Green Results.

June summary UK racing.

Betfair price history chart

You can see above, how the Back 1-4 staking power boosts returns.

Using only races that have 4 or 5 all green horses in a race.

If you want to use a staking plan a a daily basis Look at this Back 1-4 results.

Just over double the investment, but 250% increase in Profit.

Since Racing restarted in UK.

These are all the green selected horses under 30.00 in the UK.

After a few quiet days.

June 9th grabbed these three.

Ishvarfa @ 28.43

Mordred @ 18.20

Too Shy Shy @ 15.76

Plus 11 other winners. 45 points profit for the day.

Overnight UK biggies. 4th June, 2020

Bungee at 27.00

Valpollicella at 20.19

The big one that got away because we use 30.00 as the cut off.

3rd June, Shatha (All Green) @ 75.80 pl 11.00

Great Start to the UK post Covid-19 shutdown.

Very first race.

Newcastle 1st June, 2020

Winner @ 28.00 (BSP 26.00) pl 5.50

2nd @ 2.06 place

Betfair Price History Today

3rd @ 4.78 place.

This is a Summary of the Newcastle Meeting.

All Green from 60 minutes before the race, no over 30.00 odds horses included.

Winners were:(BSP)

Zodiakos @ 26.00

Art Power @ 2.36

Brian The Snail @ 8.06

Oakensheild @ 6.64

Alignak @ 3.80

Valyrian Steel @ 4.60

Day 2 Winners:

Kempton.

History

Olympic Conqueror @ 5.08

Army Of India @ 4.49

Secratario @ 7.95

Gigi's Beach @ 7.00

Newcastle

Betfair Price History

Canagat @ 4.40

Muker @ 22.05

Gabrrial The One @ 9.48

Australia 1st June, 2020

Interesting to see both had the same win and place strike rates.

7 Days, 139.36 Units Profit after commission!

Winners from 13th May, 2020

Hi,

Thanks for dropping by.

Interesting question, isn't it.

Horseform is the form on the horse and it is easy to look at every source for racing has the form shown, so I guess punters think it is very important, otherwise they would not spend money supplying it.

Of course form of the horse is how it has performed in the past, and in reality does not convert to what has been happening since it's last outing to todays race.

What has past is documented and can not be changed to reflect the race today and the chances of the horse.

So really horseform form that you see everywhere is a history report of the horse, not a reflection of what it can do today, yes the past often reflects the future, but it is not the only weapon you have, as everyone betting has the horse form, you need the edge.

Not everyone has the minute by minute PRICE FORM.. the fact that you can have a tool that can be a guide to horses performance, that the stampeding mob does not have has to be an advantage right?

Sure you can look at the betfair or bookie graphs, but these are not specific, and while giving you an overall view, it does not filter out the noise of non runners, or specific time frames.

Plus you can not get a steamer and drifter report to your requirement, of volume and time frame, and save and print the report.

Why is PRICE more reliable that past race form?

Many things can happen between runs and the most accurate guide is the price of the horse. As this is telling us what connections to the horse think on the prospects of the horse for this race right now.

How the horse is training, eating, health and injury wise is believe it or not all reflected in the price. Horses may be running to get a lower handicap, or getting race fit.

In these cases the connections will not be supporting the horse, and the prices will drift as ressure from horse connections that know there horse is cherry ripe and are putting money into the market.

While horses that connections think are not racing to win, will not be putting money into the market, so these horses will be drifting out in most cases.

Racing Price Monitor, is as it suggests, it monitors the prices of all horses racing on the day that Betfair is covering.

So you have figures that others don't (unfair advantage?). These figures can be tailored to suit what you are looking for.

Racing Price Monitor
As the name suggests, Racing Price Monitor is monitoring all betfair race meetings right from 6:00 am UK time and till the last race for the day is over. And it does that monitoring all seven days of the week and all 12 months of the year.


Without wasting any more time, let me take you into the software interface.
The software is cloud based interface (after your purchase), you will see the following screen.

On the left-hand side, you will see all the races for different countries. There are primarily two tabs we have in this software Races & Runners and Steamers & Drifters.

We will discuss the Races and Runners tab first.
In this tab, you will see the price movement of all horses for all races for any data point (time) during the day.

You will get the following screen after clicking sub button for time options.
You can configure country

You can see that we have six time set options which we can use in order to capture prices at these time slots.

For any time set, (T), you can choose either the exact time or minute before the start.


If you want to change to any time settings, please change it and then submit the settings.

You can change these T settings and get even small gaps between the T setting to 5 minute increments, if you are betting on races where the markets form late.

This is a tool to be used anyway you like.

You could even do T1, 15m, T2, 10m, T3, 8m, T4, 6m, T5, 4m and T6, 2m

And you can do this and see retrospect races to see patterns in your research.

Let’s go back to main screen.

Understanding the columns and headings now:-


Selected race – it will show the course, time, type of the race.


Runner - Horse Name


Current Price – it will show the current price on offer for that horse. Once the race is over, it will show the last price available. (Please remember it is not Betfair Starting Price (BSP) but last price on Betfair before the BSP price.) you can assume it is price 1 second before the start time.


Racing Price Monitor is showing only Betfair prices. No Bookies prices here.


It will always reflect the price which is best back price where the money is available to be matched. In short, it is considering the prices as highlighted in the circle below.

Other good thing about the software is that you can change the T1 to T6 settings in interval of minimum 1 minute or more and you can also change the T1 to T6 once the race has been run, just to know the price at other times.


And you can see all the race data for any given day till mid night UK and then it switches over to next day and all previous data is either gone or you can save the data in your excel sheet before the switch over.

This is the excel button and it will save all required data from the screen on to your pc.
Refresh button: There is auto refresh in every 15 seconds but if you want to refresh much earlier than 15 seconds, please press refresh. I don’t think you really need to use refresh button.

Let’s look at what we have on another tab Steamers and Drifters.

Now, it is important to note about T0.

T0 is the time from where all the steamers and drifters will be measured
you can see all the horses for the day (both steamers and drifters) in the descending order of % movement.

So, both biggest drifters and steamers will get highlighted at the top. Their % movement is being measured between the current price and price at say, 8.00am your local time,or whatever time you select.


And it changes continuously with every auto refresh and the runners which have been run will get automatically deleted.


Now, as a user of this software – you may want only horses for steamers and drifters which has decent amount of money matched


So, we have an additional feature where you can decide the minimum volume matched for that horse to be either qualified in steamer or drifter category.


Please remember, we are considering this extra feature on volume matched only for steamers & drifters side.

You can enter the value here. i.e. if you enter 100, it means only those horses will find their place in steamers & drifters list which has minimum of $ ( AUD) 100 matched. Yes, this takes values in Australian dollars.


Intent of this filter is to ensure we don’t get poor liquidity horses in our list which will obviously impact the % movement of prices and hence impact our steamers and drifters list. I would recommend keeping it 100 to show you more horses to work with, and earlier detection.

Enlarged of above screen shot.


The Steamers & Drifters list constantly update itself with every auto scan and you will know the best steamers and drifters for the countries you have selected at any given point in time.

This is the only software in the world which can provide you visibility to Betfair price at every minute for all betfair races.

First Day Live with New Cloud software.

10th May, 2020 5 Meetings Australia.

Profit After 8% Commission Betfair.

See Complete results and Selections. Click Here

Feedback

(These were on the old version).

And a follow up.

And Dave....

Look after 4 days!!

Hi Michael and Steve,

Had to send this RPM testimonial based on what happened on NYD - Happy New Year. Will send another once into the year.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

'RPM had it at 17.0 but Betfair was then showing it at 50.0 by the time I 'tuned-in'!!'

I just want to say Happy New Year to Michael and Steve, the guys behind Racing Price Monitor, for their software/bot giving me so many big-priced winners since signing up midway in 2020.


I expect many more winners in 2021 as I learn to use this amazing tool that follows the money.
No one throws lots of money at a horse unless it has a chance of winning or a fair return from a placing and RPM tells you when this is happening as you watch prices reducing, often quite dramatically.


When you get RPM - and I gain no advantage by saying you really should have this in your arsenal, because it will repay you over and over - you get expert advice how best to use it. But once you are familiar with the simple settings you will have the scope to try out your own strategies.
I am at the point now where I simply look for a big reduction in prices of one or more horses in any race, usually handicaps.


From when betting opens on a race up to minutes before the scheduled race time you can check the reduction or drift in prices at six stages, which are also highlighted in percentage terms, say a 25% drop from 12.0 to 9.0 on Betfair, or the fractional odds with the bookies.


My New Year's Day was a brilliant start for me and it was a rather unusual occurrence – the cherry on the cake, if you like, of many winners RPM usually indicates.


I was rather late looking over in Ireland at the last race at Tramore, a middle-distance chase, and spotted there was really only one horse in the race whose price had dropped significantly, by a percentage of around 25% or more in the final few minutes before the 'off'.


I was so late pulling up the Betfair betting screen and race video that I missed the flag-fall. Still I was going to go through with my moderate wager, even though the horse was listed at a massive price when I joined in.


RPM had it at 17.0 but Betfair was then showing it at 50.0 by the time I 'tuned-in'!!


It was only after I had taken the 50.0 that of course I realised it was an in-running price!
The horse was being ridden by a conditional who hadn't ridden a winner under rules and yet was jumping soundly and they moved up from being in the final three of the 11-horse field to contesting fourth, then third then second place.


At the finish Whoyakodding was a very easy winner, returned at an even shorter 14/1 but I had 50s!! Thanks to RPM indicating to me that the horse's connections obviously had it primed and strongly fancied to go close.


Of course 'one swallow', etc, but RPM throws up big-priced winners on a daily basis and I found the best way to start was to dutch a couple of qualifiers to small stakes until you get used to using it as per detailed instructions from Steve.


I am now looking at different ways to add to my current use of RPM, for instance only using certain types of race, size of fields, certain courses and even going deeper into watching which stables the big-priced winners are coming from.


If you'd like to share my excitement at getting a 50.0 winner and would like to achieve something similar with RPM, here is the link to the race – jockey in green with an orange cap

.
https://www.racingtv.com/videos/watch/horse_racing_replays/309122-tom-carroll-memorial-handicap-chase


– Dave, Bath, UK.

Often the difference between the normal and expert..

Is knowledge and tools..

This tool will give you the knowledge the average bettor does not have.

Betfair Price History

For around 27 pences a day you can get this software, that will give you the EDGE.

In the words of the GREAT Arnold Pamer (Golfer)

'The HARDER I WORK

The Luckier I get...'

Betfair Price History Yahoo

Racing Price Monitor, maybe your LUCKY CHARM...

Certainly a valuable tool to serious horse players.

Betfair Share Price History

If you want it in an Auto Betting Bot, we have two that

will do some of the above but not the all greens.

Here is another way to use the software.

The settings for time in the Top 3 one all green are:

The current price setting is at 20 seconds before the official start time.

So as soon as the race is less that 20 seconds (before the official start time (ignore delays) place the bet).

Below you can see the all green is Deolali as it is the only horse in the top 3 that is all green.

Figures below are UK Racing Only.

From 8th Oct, 2020 To 20th November, 2020

15% Return On Investments.

If you were betting larger Level stakes.

£10 bets, just over £1,100 for the 42 Days.

16th October 20 Bets, 11 Winners, 85% ROI.

Saturday 17th October, 2020. 70% ROI, 15 points Profit.

19 bets. 9 winners

Sunday 18th October.

9 Bets 1 winner (1) loss -7.45

Monday 19th October.

16 bets, 6 winner, profit 8.50

Tuesday 20th October.

12 bets, 5 winner, profit 5.34

Wednesday 21st October.

19 bets, 8 winner, profit 8.81

Below shows the returns if staking 1,2,5 or 10 per bet.

You can monitor steamers and drifters for any of the first 4 in betting, over any time length you like.

And the bot bets to your settings.

You can monitor the bets back horses, plus market favs.

You set the monitoring time on the steamers,

Access is to all the Countries,

Horses, and Harness

Covers Most Betfair Horse Racing

12 Months

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$399.88

Aussie Dollars

$199.97

Save 50%

12 Months

Licence

£203.93

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£99.97

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Licence

Save $40.00

$159.97

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Grab the lowest price today!!

If you don't accept this offer where will you be with your punting in a month from now?

2015-20© www.racingpricemonitor.com

Steve Davidson © 2015-20

Refund Policy

We, as a merchant, provide both products (goods) and services (information) to our customers.
Unlike companies that provide a tangible product that can be returned for a refund, our product is information. It can be used immediately upon viewing, and there is no product to return. Once a service has commenced, there can be no refund. Our services are the absolute best we can make them. Just as with the Stock Market, our customers must recognize that the information cannot be guaranteed, and that past performance is not a promise of future results. What is guaranteed is that each and every customer will receive the service that was purchased in full.

If merchandise or products are ordered through a Direct Mail advertisement or via the Internet, the guarantee, if any, is included in the mailing, promotion or service description. Our advertising will also include the terms and conditions for refunds on any books, publications and/or systems purchased.

Cheers

Steve Davidson

DateSubject
27/10/2015
10:06
11023154: Anyone having a bet on the capital cup this eve? some people on betfect.com got some good shouts.
16/1/2015
09:52
iankn73: HiIn anticipation of the launch of our Betfair approved Bot4Us Betting Bot, we have updated the Bot4us Configuration Utility which includes all 79 of our UK and Irish horse racing betting systems for the back, lay and back place markets.Within the Bot4us configuration utility you will be able to create your own portfolio of micro betting systems to use with your Betfair account. As soon as the Betting Bot is launched you will then be able to auto bet selections from those micro portfolios by using the Bot4us Betting Bot in auto-pilot.The Bot4us configuration utility will come pre-loaded with 6 default portfolios to help get you started.Each system within the configuration utility includes a raft of statistics for each system including ROI (return on investment), drawdown, system profit and loss, system highs and lows, as well as many more.We will advise on pricing and launch date as soon as the Bot is officially approved by Betfair.In the meantime you can download and run the FREE Bot4us configuration utility from here:hxxp://www.acebots.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?2617-Bot4us-Beta-Systems-viewer&p=61351#post61351You just need to register with the forum initially, and from there you can proceed to download the program. There is a Youtube guide within the forum that will advise you on how to use the program.Important: In order to use our Automated Betting Bot. You will need to open a Betfair account.hxxp://ads.betfair.com/redirect.aspx?pid=61520&bid=1861Here are the 17 system portfolio results for 2009 till present.http://i61.tinypic.com/mubrbq.jpg17 Portfolio Sys results 2014http://i58.tinypic.com/2zyx4ip.jpg17 Portfolio Sys results 2013http://i58.tinypic.com/suyj47.jpg17 Portfolio Sys results 2012http://i62.tinypic.com/30j33sz.jpgThanks
12/1/2015
15:13
jeffcranbounre: Betfair is featured into today's ADFVN podcast.To listen to the podcast click here> http://bit.ly/ADVFN0105In today's podcast:- Technical Analyst Nicola Duke will be chatting and charting, Anite, Big Yellow Group, ITE, Union Jack Oil, Afren. Nicola on Twitter is @NicTrades- And the micro and macro news including:Quindell #QPPAfren #AFRShire #SHPITV #ITVTaylor Wimpey #TW.Big Yellow Group #BYGITE #ITEUnion Jack Oil #UJOAnite #AIEUnite Group #UTGPace #PICRoyal Mail #RMGPrudential #PRUHikma Pharmaceuticals #HIKAO World #AO.Betfair #BETSound Oil #SOUAdvanced Oncotherapy #AVOInternational Airlines Group #IAGAfren #AFROphir Energy #OPHRPremier Farnell #PFLNew River Retail #NRRVictrex #VCTCatlin Group #CGLEvery Tuesday is Ten Bagger Tuesday on the podcast. If you know of a stock, whose share price has the potential to increase ten fold, just click the link below.Ten Bagger Tuesday(All it involves is filling out a form that will take you around 5 minutes and you don't personally appear on the podcast).Once a week, on a Friday, I feature a tip from a listener to this podcast, if you'd like to suggest a stock click the link below:Suggest a stock(Again all it involves is filling out a form that will take you around 5 minutes and you don't personally appear on the podcast).You can subscribe to this podcast in iTunes by clicking HERETo follow me on Twitter click HEREAs a listener to the ADVFN podcast you can take advantage of some exclusive first year discounts on popular subscriptions:Bronze - £50 (normally £73.82/year)Silver - £145 (normally £173.71/year)Level 2 - £350 (normally £472.94/year)Call 0207 0700 961 and ask for the ADVFN Podcast discount to take advantage of these reduced rates or just CLICK HERE for more information.Please DO NOT buy any stock recommended in this podcast basely solely on what you hear. The opinions in this podcasts are just that, opinions. Please do you own research before investing.Justin
12/11/2014
23:18
merism: The share price is having a Price Rush!
14/8/2014
15:03
mechanical trader: BET Betfair14 Aug Jefferies International Buy 1,097.50 1,175.00 1,230.00 RetainsSP Target 1230p
23/6/2014
04:16
21traader: 3 Targets For Private Equity In The UK Today, 5:15 AM Quindell plc (LON:QPP), Ophir Energy plc (LON:OPHR) and Betfair Group plc (LON: BET) are buyout candidates, argues this Fool.http://bit.ly/1hAMc5m
15/4/2013
10:01
corus3: Possible bid lifts Betfair sharesBy BFN News 10:40 AM Monday 15 April, 2013Factsheet Betfair Group PLCOrd 0.1P (BET) Shares in Betfair, the online betting company, jumped over 12% to 785p in early trading in London. This was after CVC Capital Partners said that it has had preliminary discussions about making an offer to takeover Betfair. After some profit taking the shares dropped back by mid morning to 772p, a rise of 72.5p, which was more than 10% higher than Friday's close. At 10:40am: (LON:BET) betinternet.com share price was +72.5p at 772p Story provided by StockMarketWire.com
28/1/2013
18:41
canteatvalue: Sorry, Hedgebetter, you're just plain wrong here. I'm bearish on the stock too for other reasons (regulation being by far and away the biggest - December 2014 you get UK POC tax coming back in which will hurt margins big time) but you're incorrect on the prices - and I know, as I derive a significant income as a professional gambler on Betfair. I have no idea how oddschecker came up with those stats but they bear no relation to the reality I observe (they don't even give details of the actual bets to compare how they did it!). For example, even if you go on outsider horses (which Betfair always crush competition on) oddschecker claim they are only 4th!! Betfair's own price comparison tool is much more accurate:http://betchecker.betfair.comBetfair's prices are less competitive on things like football match odds but they still, on average, beat most bookies. On anything with longer odds like correct score they just crush them.As I say I'm in no way positive on this stock and think it's still overpriced but felt I had to correct you here.
03/1/2013
20:54
gotnorolex: Investec Gives Sell Rating to Betfair Group (BET) When the ugly sister says Sell! It's a signal to BUY!January 3rd, 2013 - 0 comments - Filed Under - by Latisha JonesGroup (LON: BET)'s stock had its 'sell' rating reiterated by investment analysts at Investec in a note issued to investors on Thursday. They currently have a $9.44 (585 GBX) target price on the stock.Betfair Group opened at 688.00 on Thursday. Betfair Group has a 1-year low of GBX 656.425 and a 1-year high of GBX 905.00. The stock's 50-day moving average is currently GBX 733.0.Several other analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Analysts at Davy upgraded shares of Betfair Group to a 'neutral' rating in a research note to investors on Thursday, December 13th. Separately, analysts at Barclays Capital reiterated an 'overweight' rating on shares of Betfair Group in a research note to investors on Friday, December 7th. They now have a $16.53 price target on the stock. Finally, analysts at Jefferies Group reiterated a 'buy' rating on shares of Betfair Group in a research note to investors on Tuesday, November 27th. They now have a $13.63 price target on the stock.Betfair Group plc is an online betting and gaming operator. The Company's segments include Sports, Games, Poker, Management of customer funds, Other investments, Betfair US, LMAX and High rollers.http://www.dailypolitical.com/finance/stock-market/investec-gives-sell-rating-to-betfair-group-bet-2.htm
24/10/2010
16:03
spob: Betfair claims technological high groundBy Mary Watkins FTPublished: October 22 2010 02:41 Last updated: October 22 2010 02:41 Technology enables Betfair to offer 'in-running, inplay' betting as sporting events actually unfold As Betfair prepares for its shares to start trading in London on Friday, many in the technology sector will be hoping that the company has a smooth ride. The flotation of a stake in the world's largest betting exchange, which will value Betfair at more than £1.3bn ($2.04bn), is being seen as a key test for UK initial public offerings in a year when market volatility has sapped confidence and caused some listings to be shelved. EDITOR'S CHOICEBetfair eyes £225m listing size raised 50% - Oct-19.Betfair bankers say IPO is covered - Oct-08.Betfair sets wide price range for flotation - Oct-07.Betfair backers decide to cash in chips - Sep-21.Betfair targets £1bn flotation - Sep-21.Betfair eyes £1.5bn autumn IPO - Jul-16..Recent technology listings have performed poorly: technology bankers say they are looking for fair pricing and a solid debut from Betfair to help reopen the pipeline of IPOs. Often billed as a straight gambling business, Betfair highlights how the lines between what is a technology group and what is not are increasingly blurring.Traditional businesses are moving online while others see the internet as the opportunity to do something that would not have been possible previously.Founded 10 years ago by Andrew Black, a one-time professional gambler and former contract programmer at GCHQ, and ex-JPMorgan derivatives trader Edward Wray, Betfair has taken a different route from other gaming groups. Bankers confident IPO will be priced towards top end of rangeBankers spent Thursday evening pricing Betfair's long-awaited initial public offering, one of the biggest companies to list in the UK since Ocado, write Anousha Sakouiand Roger Blitz. The UK market has been a difficult one for companies trying to list this year, as choppy conditions and investor scepticism forced some to pull their IPOs. The betting company had the advantage of only needing to list 10 per cent of its stock to meet listing rules.Betfair hoped that would build demand for its fundraising, which is set to collect up to £234m for selling shareholders. It will value the company at about £1.35bn.On Thursday, banks managing the sale indicated to investors that the new shares would be priced between £12.50 and £13 each, at the higher end of a pricing range of £11 to £14.They were even able to increase the share sale to more than 15 per cent of the company's stock. Betfair's group earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation is forecast to be £99.2m for the next financial year, when Betfair's Australian business and LMAX, its online financial trading platform, are expected to break even, according to research by Goldman Sachs. That would give Betfair an earnings multiple of 14 times if pricing comes at £13 a share.For the end of this financial year, Goldman is forecasting group ebitda of £62.9m. Based on its core betting exchange business alone, a pricing of £13 a share would imply an earnings multiple of about 11 times. Betfair's strong growth and leading technology, which creates barriers to entry, put it at a premium to other betting companies such as PartyGaming and Bwin. Bankers working on the deal said the group was being priced more in line with tech companies.Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley are joint bookrunners for Betfair, while Barclays Capital and Numis are co-lead managers...Rather than taking the role of a bookmaker, the site simply connects customers wanting to make a bet. The odds are dictated by the customers themselves. 'Conceptually it's like a stock exchange,' says Philip Carnelley, research director at TechMarketView. Betfair does not bear the risk of the bet. It connects punters to each other and then pays out winnings rather than offering odds that it stands to win or lose. It makes its money by taking a commission on any winnings of between 3 and 5 per cent. A small percentage of consistent winners pay a 'premium rate'.Although sales in the year to April 30 2010 improved 13 per cent to £341m, pre-tax profit dropped from £47.5m to £17.8m as Betfair spent more on marketing and invested heavily in technology.'You could not do what we do without the internet,' says Tony McAlister, chief technology officer at Betfair. 'We've created an electronic trading floor that is more similar to Nasdaq.'He says the site, which has 3m users, makes 1,000 bets a second and completes 5m transactions a day. Because of the increasing complexity of online betting, gaming companies have been early adopters of new technology, often employing experienced teams to drive their technology forward.Of the 2,000 people working at Betfair, 600 are IT engineers. The company has spent £300m on its IT platform since it launched 10 years ago. It recently embarked on a major revamp of its technology, allowing it to improve speed and prevent downtime during the football World Cup. 'What is clear is that volumes and trading activity within betting companies is starting to mirror what happens in the City. It's getting more and more complex from a technology point of view,' says David Loveday, chief executive of OpenBet, a betting software supplier. As online gaming has grown, the types of bets have also become much more complex, moving from straight wagers on the outcome of a football match or a horserace to more exotic possibilities.Darren Hudson, chief technology officer at betting software provider Push Technology, says more companies are offering 'in-running, in-play' betting, where punters can bet on the next penalty or corner while a game is playing. This makes website speed and latency critical issues.'Matching has to be lightning quick,' says Mr Hudson. 'As we move forward with the technology, gambling companies can't afford to have any down time.'Betfair's success has earned it some critics, not least from traditional bookmakers and gaming bloggers. Some claim that the exchange system allows professional gamblers or even bookmakers to take advantage of smaller players – a claim that Betfair rejects.'The only way to ensure a bet is matched on Betfair is by offering best price,' Betfair says. 'That applies equally to the big and small players.'On an exchange model, customers are offered prices in an open market which makes it all but impossible to build in a profit margin. Therefore, compared with betting with traditional bookmakers, Betfair customers generally get better odds.'Others have questioned the role of a group of companies that use advanced software to create markets on Betfair where they see opportunities. For example, Betting Promotion, a Sweden-listed trading company that acts on the sports betting market, said in 2008 that it had signed an agreement with Betfair 'to provide liquidity on a large number of markets'. Betting Promotion says on its website that it always acts on its own book. It declined to comment.Betfair says it does not employ any of these companies but as an open market it attracts a range of customers, which helps add liquidity to the system. No single customer accounts for more than 1 per cent of revenue. In its IPO prospectus, Betfair says that much of the success of the product is dependent on Betfair maintaining high levels of liquidity, a significant proportion of which is generated by Betfair's sophisticated and high-spending 'Heartland Customers'. Others query the company's growth potential. UK-listed gaming groups have in the past fallen foul of changes in regulation, forcing a number to move their domicile overseas. The company is, however, preparing to open a data centre to house its servers in Dublin, a move that Betfair admits would give it the flexibility to move abroad should regulations turn against it.Betfair insists that it has no plans to leave the UK at the moment.In the meantime, those managing the float will be hoping that the Betfair brand, along with the limited supply of shares, will lift the stock on the first day of trading. No new shares are being issued as part of the float, with all of those being made available coming from existing investors. Strong demand for the shares has already allowed more shareholders to sell out than first expected.When the shares start trading, more than 15 per cent of the company's share capital will be sold, suggesting that investors are impressed enough by the group's 'disruptive technology' to take a punt.Additional reporting by Roger Blitz, Anousha Sakoui and Neil Hume