TopSport is Australia’s most well-known sports bookmaker owned and run by the Merlehan family. The face behind one of the first bookmakers in Australia to provide online betting in 1998 is Tristan Merlehan, Lloyd Merlehan’s son. Currently, they run the business with at least 30 years of experience. TopSport is one of the few Australian-owned corporate betting platforms poised to take on the global market with their competitive odds and range of betting markets.
TopSport has its main office located in Miami, Australia. In terms of licensing The New South Wales Racing Administration Act of 1998 gives TopSport authority to accept Racing & Sports wagers over the phone and online. The NSW Office of Liquor & Gaming NSW is in charge of regulation and administration under the Act (L & G NSW). Although TopSport hasn’t been nominated nor won any awards as a bookie, it’s still one of the most popular bookmakers in Australia, thanks to their no-ban and lenient policies against wagers.
Unfortunately, not everyone can enjoy the fantastic odds provided by TopSport since the bookmaker has restricted its access to a small fraction of countries. This list includes:
- Australia
- Canada
- Ireland
- Japan
- New Zealand
- Papa New Guinea
- South Africa
- United Kingdom
- Solomon Islands.
Design, layout, and user-friendliness of the site and app
As we navigated through the TopSport website, we found it adorned in cool blue tones on a white background. Highlights can be found on the left side of the home page, immediately below the TopSport phone number. The addition of the occasional splash of purple – notably for the timings ticking down to the start of the subsequent events – is a great touch.
The website doesn’t seem too cluttered, nor are any events hard to find. Even a novice on TopSport betting can easily find its way through the website. A list of all the major betting categories is seen on the website’s left-hand side. So that bettors may access the most popular betting alternatives with a minimum number of clicks, TopSport also has quick links.
On the Home page just below the bar showing the main events, you can access the ‘Next to Jump’ for horse racing. This is a fantastic touch as it allows horse racing enthusiasts an easy and quick way to place their bets.
For sports markets, the live betting option is accessible on the right-hand side of the page. It’s easy to tell which sports and matches are taking place by looking at the sports betting offers, which employ the same structure as horse racing events. Having live betting options out in the open is a wonderful addition from TopSport, as it can be difficult to discover them on other bookmakers websites.
Using the TopSport mobile app, you can enjoy TopSport offers and bet on the go with ease. To Download the TopSport app for iPhone head over to the Apple App Store. On the other hand, the Android app may be downloaded by visiting TopSport.com.au and clicking on “Android.”
It is now possible to wager on any of TopSport’s markets and options using the app, even if you aren’t in close proximity to your computer. It has all the right elements needed to place bets on your favorite markets against the best odds.
Services and live
For racing and sports, TopSport has a wide selection of markets to choose from. They offer set odds on horse racing, greyhound racing, and harness racing, as well as all major sports from across the world. TopSport offers extensive racing coverage, including both internal and overseas events from Australia, New Zealand, United States, South Korea, and more.
In terms of sports betting, TopSport provides roughly 20 different sports, including all of Australia’s largest leagues. When it comes to racing events, there are numerous advanced bets available, such as:
- First Four
- Quinella
- Exacta
- Middle Tote
- Trifecta
- Best Tote
Australian Rules Football, Cricket, Rugby League and Union, and Basketball are among the sports that TopSport provides bets on. TopSport also offers wagering on sports events that are less well-known, such as chess, futsal, and hurling, among many others. Other than the events mentioned above, TopSport offers multiple markets for the following sports:
- American Football
- Australian football
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Boxing
- Cricket
- Golf
- Ice Hockey
- Snooker
- Soccer
- Table Tennis
- Tennis
- Volleyball
Unlike other betting sites which offer wagering against racing events, sports matches, and casino games, TopSport doesn’t offer a casino betting option.
Live line
If we had to point out a major flaw while writing our TopSport review, it is that they don’t offer live streaming. Live streaming is a popular feature on other major Australian betting sites. However, the same can’t be said for TopSport and we, unfortunately, cannot expect this change to appear any time soon.
While a race or game is in progress, users can still place a wager on call. Your name, selection, and stake will need to be provided over the phone in order to place a live bet at TopSport. TopSport accepts live bets from 9:00 am to 10:30 pm AEST. Users are unable to place live bets and must instead call due to Australian legislation (Interactive Gambling Act 2001), which requires all in-play bets to be placed over the phone.
Users can view all live matches by going to the live tab in the sports section of the site or the in-play option in the main menu. The default setting here is to view the ‘any sport’ section, which displays all live matches and events that are taking place at the time. Users can also choose any of the sports listed on the page. The list includes:
- Baseball
- Boxing
- Cricket
- Tennis.
Freebies, bonuses, and promotions
TopSport offers the promo code ‘BETSAU’ to new customers when they complete the registration form and sign up for a new account. TopSport offers no welcome bonus due to Australian legislation governing bookies.
TopSport has several excellent promotions, which you may view once you sign up on their website (or have created your account). The good news for bettors is that no TopSport promo code is required to get special promotions added to your account. You can head over to the ‘promo’ tab and view all the running promotions and avail them simply by having an account.
Among the many promotions that users can win for free on TopSport include:
- Top-Up: This allows participants to increase payouts on some of their bets every day. A ‘Top-Up’ token can be used to rapidly raise the value of a single fixed odd bet, win bets on horse racing and sporting events, and also win tote odds on horse racing events. Top-ups are provided on particular wagering channels for specific events. If you have the option to ‘Top-Up’ on your pick, the ‘Top-Up’ button will display on the Betslip.
- TopSport Loyalty Rewards Program: All TopSport members, with the exception of corporate bookies, are able to join this loyalty program. Once you become a member of TopSport, you will be instantly enrolled in the loyalty rewards program as soon as you have accepted the terms and conditions of the program. Member Loyalty Rewards Points will be earned based on account activity, including deposits.
- Protest payout: In this offer both the interim winner, as well as the official winner, will be paid if a protest is upheld against the first horse to finish the race. The Protest Payouts are eligible for all Australian Thoroughbred and Harness races.
Customer care, live chat, email support, and telephone call
A successful bookmaker is one who understands and caters to its clients’ needs. As with TopSport, they have successfully catered to their clients’ needs and concerns each time, swiftly without any delays. If you ever come across a problem while navigating the TopSport betting platform, you can always rely on their customer service. You can reach out to them via several methods such as:
- Telephone: call them on 1800 TopSport (867-776) or at 07-5599-2244
- Post: PO BOX 455, MIAMI, Qld 4220, Australia
- Email: support@TopSport.com.au
- Fax: 07-5599-3855 (Australia)
There is one downside to the bookmaker, and that is their lack of live chat. This means that bettors cannot get an instant reply to their queries as they would on other platforms.
Registration
To register on TopSport is child’s play; you can begin the process by clicking on the ‘Join’ button next to ‘Log in’ on the top right corner of the screen. You’ll then be redirected to a page where you’ll need to add your personal information. Here all necessary personal information such as your first and last name as well as your home address and phone number are required.
After you’ve successfully filled in the personal information tab, you’ll then have to fill in the account information tab. Here you’ll be asked to enter a password, gender, date of birth, and deposit limit. Additionally, you’ll also have to provide data on how you found out about the bookmaker.
Lastly, new users will be asked to verify that they are above 18, have understood and agreed to the terms and conditions.
According to the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing Act 2006 (C’wlth), TopSport clients must provide the necessary documents for identity verification. Bettors will need to provide identification that includes verification of your name, age, and current residential address. A driver’s license or passport copy would be acceptable proof of identity. The documents need to be sent prior to the first withdrawal to TopSport via their:
- Email: support@TopSport.com.au
- Fax: on (07)5599 3855
If a user fails to verify within 14 days of registration, the account is placed on hold until the required documents are sent in for verification.
Financial information
When making a deposit into your account, note that TopSport only accepts Australian dollars. To deposit cash into your TopSport account, you can do so by using:
- a credit/debit card
- BPay
- POLi
- direct deposit
- telegraphic transfer
- check
Do note that If you are using a credit or debit card, your bank may charge you a small fee. Although the deposit methods are plenty, the withdrawal methods only include bank transfer and credit cards.
The maximum amount that may be paid out on any bet placed via a telephone call is $200,000, while the maximum amount that may be paid out on any bet placed through the internet is $100,000.
On the other hand, TopSport has a $2 minimum bet limit for Internet transactions and a $10 minimum bet limit for on-call transactions. Depending on the type of event and betting trends for that event, maximum bet limits will be decided on a case-by-case basis.
Reliability, integrity, and safety
TopSport is a well-known bookie in Australia and has an excellent reputation amongst betting enthusiasts. The site’s interactive betting technology, GenerationWeb 270c, provides bettors with peace of mind in terms of security. The NSW Office of Liquor and Gaming has also approved TopSport, so members can be confident they are accessing a reliable website.
What does the site not have?
TopSport is a great betting platform compared to the many others present in the market. It provides great odds, and the TopSport offers are undeniably one of the best. However, every bookmaker has some tweaking to do before it can satisfy each and every user on their platform.
As with TopSport, there are three major things that the bookie can improve on. First, we’ll discuss their region-wise availability. The countries in which TopSport is available is quite a shortlist. This can and should be improved upon.
Moreover, their non-existent live chat option is rather disappointing. Every top bookmaker present online knows the importance of providing quick service to their users. It’s about time that TopSport does too. The live chat option will act as a cherry on top and further increase the bookmaker’s popularity.
Lastly, we’d like to shed light on the absence of live streaming matches. Most bookmakers allow their users to watch live-streamed matches. This makes an excellent addition to any betting site as it allows users to place live bets and watch live matches on one platform.
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