Matchbook review: a lean exchange for football punters
Matchbook has been matching bets between customers since 2004, and it has stayed small next to Betfair while pricing aggressively. You back or lay at prices set by other punters, Matchbook takes commission on what you win, and the platform adds a fixed-odds Bet Builder and cash out for those who want bookmaker-style tools in the same account.
This Matchbook review looks at the exchange as a UK customer would use it: what you pay in commission, how deep the football markets are, how money moves in and out, and which limits you can set. The file below holds the licence, the measured football margin with commission included, the withdrawal times and both app ratings.
Matchbook commission: 2% or maker and taker?
Commission is where the published sources disagree, so we went back to Matchbook’s own statements. In August 2019 the exchange announced a flat 2% across all sports, charged on net profit only. Its chief marketing officer said at the time that customers would no longer pay anything on losing bets under the new net win structure.
Some guides still quote 0.75% for offers you put into the market and 1.5% for bets you take. Those numbers match Matchbook’s earlier model, which charged a percentage on winning and losing bets alike. Current UK reviews, including Football Ground Guide’s October 2026 review, list 2% of net winnings per market, with nothing paid on a losing market.
Per market matters more than it sounds. If you back one team and lay another in the same match odds market, Matchbook nets the two before charging anything. Winnings in one market are not offset against losses in another, though, so a punter spreading small bets across many fixtures pays the full 2% on every market that ends in profit.
What the commission does to a price
Commission works like a small haircut on winnings. Say you back a team at 3.00 with £10 and it wins: the profit is £20, Matchbook takes 2% of that, which is 40p, and you keep £19.60. In effect you were paid at 2.96, and that adjusted price is the one to compare with a bookmaker.
Laying works the same way in reverse. Lay a team at 3.00 to a £10 backer’s stake and your liability is £20, paid out if the team wins. Had you laid the same team for £10 instead and it lost, you would collect the £10 stake, Matchbook would keep 2% of it, and £9.80 would reach your balance. Watch the liability, since it can be many times the stake.
Our football tables make that adjustment for you. The margin in the file above is measured on Matchbook’s match-result prices with the 2% already folded in, so it sits on the same footing as a bookmaker’s built-in margin. Our bookmaker margins page explains the method and shows where exchanges land against fixed-odds firms.
The tables cover English and Scottish football only. Racing, tennis and darts are not measured anywhere on this site, so the commission maths above is the only price check we can offer for those sports. On a thin racing market the gap between the best back and lay prices can matter more than the commission itself.
Matchbook Zero and its payout caps
Matchbook Zero is the exchange’s most distinctive idea. On selected horse racing and football markets it charges no commission at all and promises zero-margin pricing, so a winning bet is paid at the full price shown. The catch is a payout cap on those markets, with £200 one of the limits quoted, which keeps the offer aimed at smaller stakes.
For a casual punter the cap barely bites. A £10 bet at 5.00 returns £50, comfortably inside it, and saves the commission a normal market would charge. Bigger stakes are a different story: once a potential payout passes the cap, the zero market stops being the obvious choice, and the normal 2% markets with deeper liquidity usually serve better.
The Bet Builder and cash out
The Bet Builder is not an exchange product. Matchbook prices it at fixed odds and takes the bet itself, combining up to 12 selections from one football match: result, total goals, both teams to score, cards and shots on target. Fixed-odds betting needs a general betting licence, which Matchbook has held since December 2023.
Cash out comes in full and partial forms, so you can settle a position early or bank part of it and leave the rest running. On an exchange you can also do this by hand, laying a selection you backed earlier. Compare the cash out figure with a manual lay, since the two will not always agree.
Liquidity: where the money sits
Liquidity is the honest weakness in any Matchbook review. Football is its deepest sport, with Premier League and Champions League markets the busiest, and racing and tennis are well covered. Across the board, though, the money waiting to be matched is well below Betfair’s, so large stakes on minor markets may take longer to fill or move the price.
Think of Matchbook as a second exchange. If the back price there is better than elsewhere and enough money is waiting at it, take it and pay 2% in place of a bigger rate. If the queue is thin, the commission saved will not make up for a worse price on the unmatched part of your stake.
Who holds the licence
Matchbook is licensed by the Gambling Commission to Triplebet Limited, account 39504, with a head office in Alderney. The public register entry shows a remote betting intermediary licence active since November 2014, the category that covers exchanges, plus pool betting, virtual event betting and the real-event general betting activity added in December 2023.
A small curiosity: the iPhone app is sold on the App Store by Xanadu Consultancy Limited, not by the licensee. Software publishers and licensees often differ, and it changes nothing for you. A complaint about a bet still goes to Matchbook first and then, after eight weeks, to the independent dispute service named in its terms.
Payments and withdrawals at Matchbook
Deposits can be made by debit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Skrill, Neteller, Paysafecard or bank transfer, usually from £10. PayPal is missing, which will annoy some customers, and credit cards are not allowed for betting in the UK. Card, wallet and Paysafecard deposits land instantly; a bank transfer can take three to five days to arrive.
Withdrawals are slower than the best bookmakers but reasonable. Apple Pay and Google Pay take up to 24 hours, Skrill and Neteller up to 48, debit cards one to five business days and bank transfers three to five. Testers have seen card payouts arrive within three hours, but plan around the stated times when you need the money.
The app and customer support
The Matchbook app on iPhone and Android carries the full exchange, with back prices in blue and lay prices in red, plus the Bet Builder and cash out. Both stores rate it well, from fewer reviews than Betfair’s app; the scores are in the file above. Football fans get a match tracker in place of a stream.
Support runs through live chat, email and a phone callback service. It is staffed from morning until late evening, not 24 hours a day, so an overnight problem waits until the next day. If you trade in-play on evening football, set any limits or payment changes in daylight hours to avoid being stuck without an agent.
Safer gambling tools at Matchbook
Matchbook offers deposit limits, time-outs, reality checks, session limits and self-exclusion, and its pages link to GamStop, GamCare and GambleAware for anyone who wants outside help. Since 30 September 2026 the Gambling Commission has required every operator to offer gross deposit limits, which count every pound paid in, regardless of any withdrawals.
Exchange trading can feel more like a hobby than betting, with charts, ladders and quick in-and-out positions. That is exactly when a session limit or reality check earns its place. If you want a break from every licensed site at once, a single GamStop registration covers Matchbook along with the rest.
Matchbook review verdict
The verdict of this Matchbook review is positive for one kind of punter: the football bettor who compares prices and wants a cheap second exchange. The 2% net-winnings commission is among the lowest on offer, Matchbook Zero rewards small stakes, and the Bet Builder gives multiples fans a fixed-odds option without leaving the account.
It is weaker for anyone relying on deep liquidity in niche markets, PayPal users and night owls who want 24-hour support. Our advice: open it next to Betfair or Smarkets, check the back price on all of them before a big football bet, and use Matchbook Zero markets for the small stakes where the payout cap never comes into play.
Frequently asked questions
How much commission does Matchbook charge?
UK customers pay 2% of their net winnings on each market and nothing on a market where they lose overall. Matchbook moved to this net win model in August 2019 and applies it across all sports.
Why do some sites say Matchbook charges 0.75% and 1.5%?
Those figures come from Matchbook's older commission model, which charged a percentage on winning and losing bets alike. The current rate for UK customers is 2% of net winnings per market.
What is Matchbook Zero?
Matchbook Zero is a set of selected football and horse racing markets where no commission is charged. Payouts on those markets are capped, so the zero rate suits modest stakes best.
Is the Matchbook Bet Builder part of the exchange?
No. The Bet Builder is a fixed-odds product priced by Matchbook itself, so you bet against Matchbook and not against other customers. It combines up to 12 selections from one football match.
Can I use PayPal at Matchbook?
No. Matchbook takes debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Skrill, Neteller, Paysafecard and bank transfer, but PayPal is not on the list.
How long do Matchbook withdrawals take?
Apple Pay and Google Pay withdrawals take up to 24 hours and Skrill or Neteller up to 48 hours. Debit cards take one to five business days and bank transfers three to five.
Who owns Matchbook?
The exchange is licensed by the Gambling Commission to Triplebet Limited, account 39504, with a head office in Alderney. The App Store listing names Xanadu Consultancy Limited as the seller of the app.
Does Matchbook stream football?
No. Football comes with a graphical match tracker, while live streams cover selected horse racing and greyhound events.