Frequently asked Questions
If your question is not answered here please get in touch with us.
Installation
BetTrader works in the browser – do I have to download anything onto my computer?
Yes, although BetTrader displays in the browser, you do need to download software in order to use it.
I click on the desktop icon and nothing happens
To launch the software you need to right click on the tray icon in the system tray (bottom right of the screen on Windows, top right on Mac) to see the control menu. On Windows the tray icon may be hidden behind a small up arrow to the left of the system tray.
The software won't open
Please check that you are right clicking on the blue and pink BetTrader icon in the system tray, not on the Windows notification popup or the desktop icon.
Check that your antivirus software is not blocking BetTrader. You should be able to find an option to allow a specific program within your antivirus.
Windows Firewall can silently block programs. Click Start > Control Panel > Windows Firewall. If you click change settings it will bring up a popup. Choose the Exceptions tab and make sure “Notify me when Windows Firewall blocks a new program” is ticked at the bottom of this tab. This will then tell you if it is Windows Firewall that is the problem, and give you the option to allow access.
Check that your antivirus software is not blocking BetTrader. You should be able to find an option to allow a specific program within your antivirus.
Windows Firewall can silently block programs. Click Start > Control Panel > Windows Firewall. If you click change settings it will bring up a popup. Choose the Exceptions tab and make sure “Notify me when Windows Firewall blocks a new program” is ticked at the bottom of this tab. This will then tell you if it is Windows Firewall that is the problem, and give you the option to allow access.
Failed to discover latest version URL
If you see this message please contact support@racingtraders.co.uk.
Subscriptions
Is the free trial the same as a paid subscription?
Yes, you get exactly the same performance and features from the free trial as from a paid subscription.
How long is the free trial?
The free trial is 14 days.
What payment methods do you accept?
We accept Paypal, credit/debit card and Skrill. Credit and debit card payments are processed by Paypal, therefore if you wish to purchase a monthly subscription by card your card needs to be registered and up to date on your Paypal account. Our 1 year subscriptions are not recurring and can be purchased by card without a Paypal account. Paypal and card subscriptions can only be purchased via one of the links on your BetTrader homepage and your time is credited automatically. You may need to log out and back in again to see the added time.
How do I pay by Skrill?
Please send your payment to accounts@racingtraders.co.uk including your support ID number with the payment. Skrill payments are credited manually so please allow a few hours for the time to be added to your account.
I have 2 Betfair accounts, can I use BetTrader on both?
Yes, but you will need 2 subscriptions to BetTrader because your subscription is linked to your Betfair account.
General
Do I need to have a Betfair account?
Yes, BetTrader works only with Betfair. You cannot use it with other exchanges or with white label Betfair sites such as Orbitx.
Why is the date in the left panel wrong?
The date below your Betfair account information tells you when your free trial or current subscription term ends, it is not today’s date.
How realistic is training mode?
We have designed training mode to be as realistic as possible. You will see the real prices and money in the Betfair market. Your training bets will queue behind the money in the market and will not be matched until any money in front has been matched in reality. In-play delays will be applied as appropriate. However, there are things that the training mode cannot do:
- Your training bets are not sent to Betfair so nobody else can see them and they, therefore, can’t affect the market.
- You can “take” available money repeatedly because training bets can’t make real money disappear.
- Training mode has no information about your location, so if you are in Australia you will be able to bet in play on sports which you can’t bet on in play with real money.
Betfair can get annoyed with people who constantly poll their markets without betting. As training bets are not sent to Betfair, using training mode for a long time can result in your access to the API being blocked. We recommend placing the occasional real money bet if you are using training mode frequently.
Can I bet less than the Betfair minimum stake?
Yes, BetTrader is designed to be able to place bets below the Betfair minimum. Normally you will notice no difference when doing this, but the bet will take 3 times as long as an ordinary bet because of the way the workaround works and in markets with a long in-play delay this can be significant. The software has to place a £2 bet at 1000 for a back or 1.01 for a lay, alter it, cancel the £2 and move the new bet to the required odds. For back bets, there is a small risk that if the odds go to 1000 during this process the whole £2 will be matched.
Can I bet at Betfair SP?
No, BetTrader currently does not support betting at Betfair SP.
Does BetTrader work on iPad/iPhone/Chromebook/Android/Linux etc
No, BetTrader is only available for Windows and Apple Mac computers and laptops.
Tricks and Tips
How do I keep a bet in play?
Wherever you see an unmatched bet, e.g. in the list in the left panel or below the ladder, you will see a padlock to the right of the bet. If the padlock is gold coloured and shut the bet will be kept in play, if it is silver and open it will not. To lock or unlock the padlock simply click on it.
How do I reverse the ladder?
At the top of each ladder is a coloured cell which shows the last traded price (located between the 2 % values). Click on this cell on any ladder to reverse the columns.
Can I rearrange the selections on the grid?
No, the grid order is determined by the order in which the selections are sent by the Betfair API.
Tools
Important information about the tools
The tools are designed to allow you to place bets into the Betfair market faster than could be done manually. When you program a tool nothing is sent to Betfair until the tool is triggered. In order for the tool to work BetTrader must keep polling the market, so you need to keep the software logged in and connected to the internet and the market open, preferably in the top tab. Tools may work on background tabs if the market is moving slowly, but there is a risk that trigger points will be missed because background markets refresh much more slowly.
Can I use combinations of tools?
In general, the tools are not designed to be used together and we advise that you do not do this. Some of them will interfere with each other and may produce unexpected results.
Can I program the software to...?
BetTrader has some simple tools, but it is not a programmable bot and is not designed to be programmed and left to perform a series of actions on its own. If what you want to do is not covered in the individual tool descriptions, it is probable that it is too complicated, although you can always email support and ask.
Troubleshooting
If something that was working stops working, restart the server
Your connection to Betfair may have failed or become unstable. To do this, right-click on the tray icon and select Stop BetTrader server. Wait a few moments then click Start BetTrader server and launch the software in your preferred browser.
I get a 404 "Page not found" error when launching the software.
BetTrader uses internet port 9080. We do not have exclusive rights to this port and some other applications may also use it. The most common one is Logitech G Hub (management software for Logitech G403 mouse). If you are using this you will need to turn it off to use BetTrader as two applications can’t use the same port at the same time.
I can't log in
Can you log into the Betfair website? If not you need to contact Betfair, otherwise, try restarting the BetTrader server as above.
Does your Betfair password contain the character “&” or “%” ? The software cannot handle this and you will need to change your password to one that does not contain an “&” or a “%” .
If you are still having problems after restarting the server and changing your password, please contact us.
The menu says no events or markets are available
The software is trying to load old or cached market information. Please try restarting the BetTrader server as above.
When I click on grid/ladder/sports mode nothing happens
You need to load a market from the left menu before you can access these.
Bets appear with a ! then disappear
You have insufficient funds in your account (or training bank) or you are trying to bet on something that is not allowed (eg in-play markets when you are in Australia).
The exclamation mark in BetTrader lets you know that the Bet has been submitted to Betfair, we remove the exclamation mark when we have confirmation back from Betfair that your bet has been accepted.
Graphs won't load
To load a graph, click on the jockey silks or sports icon next to the selection you want the graph for. If this does not work, go into the Settings menu on the left and scroll down to Graphs. Check that the boxes for Show Panel and Panel Open are ticked and click on the save icon if you change anything. You should then be able to load the graphs next time you load a market.
Ladder looks broken/diagonal
You have probably altered the zoom in the browser. To check this, click on the 3 horizontal lines top right of the screen in Chrome (or on the view menu in Firefox/IE). Reset the zoom to 100%.
Bettrader works at some zoom levels, and others can cause visual issues.
When I click on Betfair video it tells me to log in
To use the Betfair video feature you need to be logged into the Betfair website in the same browser as BetTrader.
Ladders won't drag
The ladders will only drag in Chrome. If this feature is important to you, please use Chrome browser for BetTrader, or Brave, which is very similar to Chrome.
My training mode balance hasn't updated/training mode bets have disappeared
Training mode bets exist only within your copy of BetTrader. If you close the market tab, log out or get disconnected from the internet your training mode bets will disappear. If you close down the market tab before the closed market report forms BetTrader has no information about the result of the event and your training bank will remain the same as it was when you closed the tab, regardless of the actual result.
My stake values and other settings are not saved
Make sure when you change anything in the Settings menu that you click on the purple save icon before exiting the Settings menu. If your settings are still not saving please contact support.
Known Issues in BetTrader 6.0.8
Freezing in training mode only
There is a bug in training mode which causes the browser tab to become unresponsive under some circumstances. This bug does not affect real money mode.
Video icon disappears on ladder
Sometimes the Betfair video icon does not appear on the ladder. If you can’t see it in the position shown in the ladder videos, you can still launch the video by clicking where the icon should be. Refreshing the tab in the browser should restore the video icon.
Account balance not updating (homepage only)
The account balance on the homepage updates only very slowly if at all. Market tabs should always show your correct Betfair account balance.
Countdown clock
A very small number of customers have reported that their countdown clock does not match the off-time by up to 2 minutes. We are investigating this issue. If your timer clock seems wrong please check that the time showing on your computer is accurate and reset it if necessary. If this does not help please contact support.