PlayUp Australia review for 2024

Reviewed byDasha G.
82/100 Expert rating by Elena I..
Fixed-odds racing and esports

In this PlayUp review, we’re going to look at all the features available on this recently launched betting site. We’ll start by checking the popular markets on offer. 

For PlayUp Australia, we’re also going to look at the odds, the best tote and what bet types are available. Then, we’ll examine the payment options and any customers’ incentives. 

In addition to all this, we check out whether PlayUp abides by Australian law and has a licence, which prevents bookmakers from acting fraudulently. And, we look at how easy it is to join PlayUp. 

Finally, we’ll look at the customer support offered, whether there are extra betting features such as fantasy betting and how usable the site is as a whole across the main desktop site and PlayUp app. 

Pros and cons

  • AFL, PGA, and NRL partner
  • Great mobile app
  • 24/7 support
  • No esports
  • No live streaming
  • Glitchy live-betting interface

General ratings

82 / 100 Expert rating by Elena I.
85Betting features rating
87Odds rating
76Payments rating
80Safety rating
80Platform rating
87Support rating
79Sports & markets rating
87% Playscore based on 8 critics
100
Betting Top 10 logo
100
mybettingites.com logo
94
Beforeyoubet logo
92
captain gambling logo
80
Betting pro logo
80
80
70
Bettingsite logo

General info

Launch date 2019
Company behind PlayUp Interactive

Editor's note

This review is based on the operator’s current sports offer in Australia.

Expert verdict

Although PlayUp is an excellent Australian owned betting site, it is still one of the lesser-used betting sites out there. It’s not a brand new website anymore, it just needs more word of mouth, which we’re here to do. 

The PlayUp betting site has more than 25 different sports as well as an excellent fantasy sports site that really adds a little extra spice to the proceedings. It’s also got the best tote and good odds on a range of sports. 

If you do sign up for an account, new customers can check out the current promotions and even potentially claim a sign up bonus if that’s what is on offer via the PlayUp promo code. 

PlayUp also has quality mobile apps available and these offer the same betting experience as the main desktop site. The only downside really is the lack of niche sports and the fact that some of the sports have few or no live betting options, but this is easily changed. 

Sports and markets at the PlayUp sportsbook 

For any betting site, it’s important to look at the different sports betting options available. The PlayUp betting site is no exception to this, and it is where we start in our sportsbook review. 

Ideally, we want to see at least 30 options and PlayUp has 26 which is not far off the mark. These include popular Aussie sports such as cricket Australia, tennis, horse racing and NRL. 

The same sports are available in the PlayUp app. While there are a lot of strong sporting options, more unique or niche sports are missing from the site. For example, there are no eSports betting

Sports facts

CategoryDetails
Number of sports26
Betting markets — Aussie Rules120+
Betting markets — Basketball150+
Betting markets — Cricket100+
EsportsYes
Other markets (politics/event betting)Yes

Those sports that we did find on offer in our PlayUp review, do cover a wide array of different markets though. You can find both domestic and international events and leagues. 

Featured betting markets

  • Golf
    Golf
  • Greyhound racing
  • hockey icon
    Hockey
  • Ice Hockey
  • MMA
  • Racing
    Motor racing
  • Netball
  • Rugby
  • Icona Tennis
    Tennis

Available events

  • Big Bash League
  • AFL
  • ATP
  • Australian Open
  • ICC World Test Championship
  • La Liga
  • mlb logo
    MLB
  • mls logo
    MLS
  • NASCAR
  • nba logo
    NBA
  • NBL
  • nfl logo
    NFL
  • nhl logo
    NHL
  • NRL
  • pga tour logo
    PGA
  • Premier League
  • Rugby World Cup
  • Super Bowl
  • super rugby pacific logo
    Super Rugby Pacific
  • UEFA champions league logo
    UEFA Champions League
  • UFC

Sports & markets rating

79/100 Popular sports available across many markets 
  • Good range of Aussie sports 
  • Excellent horse racing options
  • Limited niche betting markets 

Starting out with a pretty solid score here, I will say that there wasn’t much that was special when I came to place a PlayUp bet. I was pleased to see numerous tennis Australia and PGA Australia options though. 

In fact, PlayUp is very similar to Neds in this respect and focuses on horse racing betting too. Similarly, both sites do lack a little when it comes to more unique sports and markets. 

I am a fan of the quick links though, as this meant I could check out a league or two without having to dive into that specific sport. It’s a much better setup than Bet Deck, which simply made things rather confusing. A solid start here. 

Additional market details: Racing is definitely a main feature here at PlayUp. This section is split into three giving you access to harness racing, greyhound racing and thoroughbred racing. You can also get the Best Tote here across all the main metro venues. 

Additional market details: Another top sport here is rugby league. You’ll find the NRL is a highlight with a lot of exciting pre match events on offer as well as same game multis. It does have a strong focus on the domestic rugby league, but there are international options as well.

Betting features at PlayUp 

Aside from things like the PlayUp deposit bonus, it’s important to have access to a variety of different top betting features. So, we check out what Playup offers all its players. 

When it comes to betting offers PlayUp does pretty well as it has extra betting options such as cashouts. This is not accessible for all sports, as you can’t place live bets on everything. 

The sportsbook has a strong bet builder available on the PlayUp website and this is great if you want to combine bets to form game multis. The Quick Bet option is also an easy way to add single bets without too much fuss. 

Feature facts

CategoryDetails
Bet BuilderYes
Cash OutYes
Live bettingYes
Live streamingNo

Although there is no live streaming available, live betting is available for some betting markets, but you can only do this via phone betting. Don’t forget to log in to your account to see if you can claim a PlayUp sign up bonus too. 

Betting features rating

85/100 Strong selection of betting features and tools 
  • Bet Builder available 
  • Easy bet slip 
  • Live phone betting
  • No live streaming

Again, I was pleased to see that PlayUp is really working hard to offer more than just the basics. It was nice to find a good bet builder and cash out options even if I’d like the latter to be available across more markets. 

I did take a quick peek at the specific betting markets on offer and found that, when it comes to racing for instance, PlayUp is really impressive. The same can be said of football and the 120+ markets in place which outstrip BBet quite significantly. 

It’s still a bit disappointing that you can’t place live bets online in Australia. In fact, the only exception to this is BetFair, so I didn’t mark PlayUp down for this, even if it is annoying to have to phone up. Sadly, it’s the law! 

Additional features: Parlays are a great option if you want to up the ante with your PlayUp betting. You can enjoy putting single bets into one parlay. What this means is that you will need to make sure that every leg of the bet actually pays out. If one leg fails, then the whole bet does and you lose the payout in its entirety. 

PlayUp sports betting odds 

We always take a look at the odds and how these stand at sportsbooks. Essentially, we want to see a good starting price on all bets available at a sportsbook, ideally, payout percentages of 95% and up. 

PlayUp doesn’t quite reach that 95% mark, but it’s got a very high 94.52% under its belt, which is respectable. Anything below 93% and we’re not going to give such a high score. 

Of course, we also take a look at the different sports odds too where some, like football, do actually pass the 95% mark, so it really depends on which sport you want to play as to the odds PlayUp offers you. 

Odds facts

CategoryDetails
Average payout94.52%
Boosted oddsYes
Parlay boostsYes
Line movementModerate

For the most part, PlayUp has good fixed odds although these do drop for live betting. This is to be expected as these bets fluctuate more during the game and you do get the privilege of being able to cash out. 

Odds rating

87/100 Good high odds and possible returns 
  • Average to high payout percentage 
  • Excellent racing odds
  • Lower payouts on live betting

As you can see, PlayUp does get a high score from me here. It is known for having good fixed odds and, when I checked, yes it does indeed. So that’s more points from me. 

Okay, so the odds aren’t quite as high as they are for other sites. For instance, Bet Right does just scrape in front of the PlayUp betting site here, but only by the narrowest of margins. 

And when you’ve got the likes of WinnersBet offering payout percentages below 90%, well, you can definitely count me happy when it comes to PlayUp. Definitely worth a look and those extra points I’ve given it. 

Payment methods found in our PlayUp review 

Often overlooked by players, it’s useful to actually see what payment methods a sportsbook offers up. This is important if you intend to play at the same site for a long time. 

We prefer to see sportsbooks offer around 10 betting payment options for diversity. PlayUp only has six options and doesn’t have that much variety on offer – there are no eWallets for instance. 

You can use various debit and credit cards though. And, there is the option to make a bank transfer, although this will result in slower payouts and transactions overall, which isn’t ideal. 

Payment facts

CategoryDetails
Number of payment methods6
Popular paymentPoLi
Minimum depositAU$1
Maximum depositN/A
Average deposit timeInstant
Minimum withdrawalN/A
Maximum withdrawalN/A
Average withdrawal time72 hours +
Deposit feesNone
Withdrawal feesNone

There are no fees in place though and there are some good low deposit limits, which is always good to see. However, information on some of the other areas of making payments, such as which single wallet can you use or what the withdrawal limits on a bank transfer are, were unavailable. We do advise checking with your individual bank to ensure it doesn’t add transaction fees. 

Deposit methods

Withdrawal methods

Payments rating

76/100 Decent selection of payment options but could be more
  • Fast deposit times 
  • No fees on any transaction 
  • Low minimum deposit 
  • Limited number of payment methods 
  • Slower withdrawal times

I had to give this an average score because, while there’s nothing bad here, there’s also nothing that’s really outstanding either. Just six payment methods and not a single wallet is a bit of a downside. 

I really wanted diversity, and this is what I get from sites like Sportsbet, which offers eWallets like PayPal among its 8 payment options. It just highlights how limited PlayUp is. 

That being said, I was happy to see the low minimum deposit in place, which was great. And, this is vastly lower than the huge AU$50 deposit minimum set out by Booki. So well done to PlayUp here.

Safety features

As we have mentioned, it’s very important to be safe when playing and betting online. We take great care to check out all security options available during our reviews to ensure your safety. 

PlayUp sportsbook has a licence from the Northern Territory RC. This is a popular licence in Australia and demonstrates PlayUp’s goals of being regulated and trustworthy within the gambling industry here. 

There are also SSL encryption protocols in place. This is 128-bit and designed to prevent anyone from getting their hands on the private and personal data you provide this online sportsbook with. 

Safety facts

CategoryDetails
Auditing sealsN/A
Responsible gambling sealsGambling help online, Gambler’s help
LicencesNorthern Territory Racing Commission
SSL encryption128-bit
Two-factor authenticationAvailable
Ever blacklisted?No
Deposit, wager, time, and loss limitsAll available
Self-exclusionAvailable
Cooling-off periodAvailable

You can also use a variety of responsible gambling tools to aid you with controlling your gambling. Additionally, PlayUp provides helpful hotline links if you need to talk to someone for more help. 

Licensed by

  • Northern Territory Racing Commission

Trusted by

  • Gambling help online
  • Gambler's help

Safety rating

80/100 Enforced responsible gambling 
  • Self-exclusion tools easy to use 
  • Gambling hotlines provided 
  • No auditor listed 
  • Low SSL encryption 

I have to say that all the boxes are ticked here very nicely from PlayUp. I found this to be a safe, secure gambling environment, although there isn’t really anything special or above and beyond. 

I’m not really complaining, but although the 128-bit encryption is acceptable, it’s on the low end especially when I know sites like Ladbrokes are putting in the extra mile and offering over 2000-bit encryption. 

That being said, all the responsible gambling tools were very easy to find. A few clicks and I was there. This wasn’t anything like the convoluted mission I had to go through to find these on Bet Nation, which I felt even tried to hide them. 

Customer support

Often players will overlook the support especially if a sportsbook is working very well. But you shouldn’t do that and this is why we do check support carefully ourselves. We want at least three options. 

PlayUp matches our requirements exactly, with three different methods of contact. You can get in touch via email, live chat or via a phoneline. And, the support is 24/7 which is another of our requirements. 

Depending on the option you choose, the response time varies. But if it’s the live chat you use, then this is very responsive and offers a turnaround time of just a few seconds, which is great. 

Support facts

CategoryDetails
Customer support availability24/7
Live chatYes
Email[email protected]
Contact number1800 888 001 (live betting); 1800 752 987 (support)
On-page supportHelp section and support tickets

There’s an easily accessible help section too with many detailed answers to top questions so you don’t necessarily have to reach out to support. That being said, when it comes to payments, it is a little lacking on information. 

Support rating

87/100 Three excellent support options available 
  • Phone support offered 
  • 24/7 live chat 
  • Help could be more comprehensive

Well, it’s another high score for PlayUp here simply because there are three strong support options for you to use. And, all of them are available 24/7, which was a really big bonus for me – yes, even the phone line. 

This excellent selection of support options matches other top sites such as Zbet. In fact, these two are on par even down to the fact that both initially answer the live chat with a bot. But, PlayUp doesn’t leave you with it for long before you can talk to a real person.

In fact, my biggest complaint is the bot and the lack of payment information in the FAQ section. But, given the fact that some sites like CrossBet don’t have an FAQ at all, well, it’s not really a complaint here at all! 

Platform and usability

At this point, we’ve covered all the features available at PlayUp, so the last thing to check is just how usable the site actually is. And yes, this is very important as you don’t want an app to glitch at the wrong moment. 

PlayUP sportsbook mobile screenshot

Overall, PlayUp offers a very nice minimalistic look that’s easy to navigate especially for beginners. It’s all very straightforward with clearly alphabetised sports and the same layout across all betting platforms. 

There is a free app for both Android and iOS devices and this has the same betting options for racing and other sports as the desktop site. In addition, you can claim the sign up bonus, use a bank transfer and even access the fantasy sports from the app. 

Platform facts

CategoryDetails
Mobile appYes
Ease of navigationEasy
FiltersNo
Search functionNo
Loading speed0.8 sec
UI and UX ratingGood
Other productsN/A

The only main issue noted with the app is that there are some limitations with the payment options. Otherwise, it works just the same as the mobile browser version of PlayUp. 

Play on devices

  • Android
  • iOS
  • Linux
  • MacOS
  • Windows

Platform rating

80/100 Simple platform that works well on desktop and mobile 
  • Dark theme 
  • Speedy loading 
  • Mobile compatible
  • No filter or search functions

I have to say that, even with some of the smaller downsides, overall I really like this site. For starters, it’s got a dark colour scheme, which is really nice for the eyes. Definitely a fan! 

It’s a very intuitive site making it a really great option for new players. It’s best to stay away from the more convoluted and complex sites such as BetGold if you’re a newbie to online betting in my opinion. 

While it’s great for beginners, more seasoned players might find the slow verification process a bit galling. It’s also so simple that you might be looking for additional features such as those found on the social betting site Dabble. Each to their own though, the high score stays! 

FAQs

Is PlayUp.com legit? 

Yes, PlayUp betting site is completely legit. The site holds an NTRC licence, which means that it follows the regulations set out by the Australian government. As part of this, it is not allowed to advertise any of the PlayUp bonus bets it has on offer. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t any though. You simply need to go through the sign up process and check your account to see what PlayUp bonuses there are. 

Who is PlayUp owned by? 

PlayUp is part of PlayUp Interactive Pty Ltd. As such, it is an Australian owned betting site with a focus on racing markets both domestic and international. The site makes sure that it meets all the legal requirements of the country. This includes offering responsible gambling tools and having SSL encryption protocols in place, which prevents bookmakers from leeching your private data to third parties. 

What is the PlayUp app? 

The PlayUp app is a downloadable version of the PlayUp website. You can download the betting apps from either of the respective app stores, just make sure you pick the app that can be used on your operating system. These betting apps simply make it easier for you to enjoy phone betting as you can play on the go. You can access all the same bonus bets, racing options, great promotions and more from the app. 

How long does a PlayUp withdrawal take? 

When it comes to getting a payout, you can get it in 72 hours. No matter what option you use, you will have to wait at least a day though, as all payouts get processed after 1 pm AEST each day. There are also payout limits in place that you must abide by if you want to claim a win. This is the same whether you withdraw on the main PlayUp website or on either of PlayUp’s apps. 

Does PlayUp offer cash out? 

Yes, when you make a PlayUp account, you can actually enjoy cashouts on various different sports. However, this is only available when you are live betting. There is a great range of cashout options across different live sports betting markets, and you can even make use of different bonus bets once you have your PlayUp account information and user ID in place. 

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