97/100
Rating
Go to DraftStars Sports
Highlights
  • Daily horse racing events
  • Guaranteed prize pools
  • Multi-entry markets

DraftStars Reviews & Ratings Australia 2024

Is DraftStars Reliable & Secure?

Having been established back in 2016, DraftStars is a daily fantasy sports operator based in Sydney, with the platform having been acquired by PlayUp Interactive Pty Ltd in 2018.

Acting differently to a traditional bookmaker, players at DraftStars AU are able to gain points when betting on horse races, which can then be turned into prizes.

We recommend visiting DraftStars off the bat and jumping straight in — but of course we’ve got a dedicated review if you’re the cautious type.

DraftStars: Pros & Cons
  • An Australian platform, licensed by the Northern Territory Government of Australia
  • Horse racing introduced in 2020
  • Minimum deposits of just $5 available
  • Deposits available using POLi
  • Lack of bonuses
  • Customer support only available via an online form

Welcome Bonus

Unfortunately, this is an area of DraftStars reviews in which they do not score highly, with a distinct lack of bonuses or extra bets being found on their site. This means that the DraftStars ratings might not be as good as those for the PlayUp deposit bonus.

In fact, at the time of writing this review, customers in Australia had no welcome offer or ongoing promotions to utilise, something which does let them down, especially in comparison to other platforms. For those who are looking for bonus offers and extra bets, the promotions found at Bet365 bonus review, SportChamps offers, MoneyBall bonuses and Swopstakes bonuses are likely to be of more interest to you. DraftStars ratings would certainly be enhanced by the addition of bonuses.

However, this may be due to laws in Australian online gambling – many providers only offer bonuses once you’re signed up with them. So, there may be something waiting after all!

Usability, Look & Feel

 The overall experience at DraftStars AU is certainly enhanced by the usability of their site, which is made easy thanks to a clever design and a visually appealing colour scheme. All sports markets are listed across the top of the page upon entering the DraftStars lobby, with horse racing options being separated by Featured, Paid, Head to Head and Custom.

Meanwhile, unlike on other bookmaker sites, the DraftStars platform is easy to use as a result of a simplistic interface, which does not overload users with information and unnecessary imagery. Meanwhile, during testing of the site as part of DraftStars reviews, the platform also performed well when it came to loading times, with there being no frustrating waits for markets or features to appear. This means that DraftStars ratings are good in this area.

Payment Methods - Important part of our DraftStars review

Minimum deposits at DraftStars AU begin at just $5, while the minimum bet amount has been set at $2. However, it is worth noting that any deposit must be turned over at least once before withdrawals using it can be made. The majority of payment methods allow for instant deposits, while punters looking to take home their winnings may have to wait up to five business days. At the time of writing this DraftStars review, the following payment methods were available to customers:

Visa, Mastercard, POLi, and Bank Transfer.

BPAY
Visa
POLi
Coindirect

Unfortunately, no e-wallets are accepted at DraftStars at present, which will come as disappointing news for those who are registered on platforms such as PayPal. Withdrawals at DraftStars start at $20, however those living in New Zealand must withdraw a minimum of $100. Payments is an area of DraftStars reviews in which the fantasy sports operator can certainly improve upon.

Customer Service

Unfortunately, customer service is another area of DraftStars reviews in which they do not score highly, with potential or existing punters only being able to communicate with members of staff via a built-in online form. While they do aim to respond to all messages within just four hours, the fact that they do not provide any options when it comes to telephone, live chat or social media platforms is a concern.

Those who do require assistance should note that the DraftStars customer service team are on hand between the hours of 7am-11pm AEST, Monday to Sunday. Support is also only available in English, which perhaps comes as little surprise that only players in Australia and New Zealand can register on their site. However, the addition of 24/7 support would certainly enhance DraftStars ratings.

License & Security

DraftStars are able to target betting customers in both Australia and New Zealand thanks to a gambling license from the Northern Territory Government of Australia, one of the most respected authorities online today.

Australia’s Northern Territory

Is DraftStars secure? In terms of security, secure socket layer (SSL) technology is used throughout in order to ensure that all personal and financial information is safe at all times, while all members of staff at DraftStars are subject to confidentiality agreements, adding another layer of protection for customers. Password protection systems are also used on both desktop and mobile in order to combat any unauthorized use.

The fact that DraftStars are also associated with organizations including Gambling Help Online demonstrate how committed they are to promoting responsible betting. All in all, the information in this paragraph should help potential players in answering the question – is DraftStars reliable?

DraftStars Sports Betting

Betting Markets

Daily fantasy sports (DFS) has become increasingly popular over recent years, with the format revolving around punters paying an entry fee in order to compete against others in predicting upcoming events. Points are won based on real-life performances, with markets lasting for a short period of time as a result. Winners will receive a share of the prize pool, while a percentage of entry fees go to the provider itself.

 Horse racing was introduced at DraftStars at the beginning of 2024, adding to the list of sports betting markets found on their platform. Aussie Rules, Rugby League, football, basketball, golf and cricket are available to bet on in total, with both pre-match and in-play markets being found. The Australian Football League (AFL), National Rugby League (NRL) and National Basketball Association (NBA) are among the most popular competitions available at DraftStars, with each and every match being covered by the daily fantasy sports operator. Horse racing fans are in with the chance of betting on meetings from domestic tracks including Flemington, Randwick, Rosehill and Ascot, while a selected number if international races are also found.

Odds

DraftStars operates differently to traditional bookmakers, with the fantasy sports platform bringing together sports betting, Supercoach and Dreamteam. Customers can battle it out for cash prizes, with players having to first select the contest in which best suits them, with horse races being available on a daily basis. Punters must pick a specific horse for each race meeting, with all customers being paid out at the closing S-TAB prices, which will ultimately determine scores in the process. Those collecting the most amount of points at the end of a meeting will be in line to win big! Players are allowed to change their picks right up until the start of races, with prize pools of up to $20,000 being up for grabs.

Looking at an example, players who bet on a horse featuring in an upcoming race at $20 to win and $5 to place will receive 25 points for their troubles. Players are able to enter up to x50, meaning that those who are particularly confident in a specific runner can put their money where their mouth is, with the potential rewards being excellent. While there is no live streaming available at DraftStars, customers can follow the live leaderboard in order to track their selections, hopefully seeing them rise to the No.1 spot. Live betting is available at DraftStars, however this unsurprisingly does not involve horse racing, given the nature of the sport, with Aussie Rules, basketball and rugby league being more common in this area. Click here to see our SwopStakes ratings for odds.

Limits

Punters must stake at least $2 on races in order to enter. However, horse racing fans will be limited to x10 $10 entries per day, as well as x25 $10+ entries over the same period of time. Such limits should cater well for the majority of players, with those looking for something different from a traditional bookmaker certainly being advised to check out DraftStars. A large number of horse racing markets are available on their fantasy sports site, with the large prize pools set to continue to attract new customers.

The Rapidfire feature at DraftStars is also available when it comes to horse racing, which allows players to predict who will score more points for individual player matchups. In horse racing, the winner of races will score 1 point, the runner-up two points and third-place three etc. Then, the horse with the lowest score, or the highest finishing race position, will determine the tier winner.

Sportsbook Conclusion

Elsewhere, the following game types are available to customers at DraftStars, catering well for fans of fantasy sports and adding to the overall DraftStars ratings score:

Guaranteed – This form of game at DraftStars arises when they guarantee the prize pool for a featured event, with payouts being completed in full in the event of there being at least two entries from different players.

Multi Entry – Multi entry markets mean that players have the opportunity to enter a contest more than once, potentially submitting a variety of stakes in the process. Additional entries cost a fee, while they will be scored as such.

Multiplayer – Both double and triple contests are also available at DraftStars, with resulting prize pools among the top 45% and 30% of finishers winning respectively, worth double their entry fee.

Target –Available on selected markets, target betting at DraftStars consists of predicting a specific target score in the game rules. Players who reach their target score will equally share the prize pool.

Drop 1 – Only the top 8 scores of 9-player lineups will count towards a player’s total points score, which while not being available to horse racing fans, may still come in handy when staking elsewhere.

Overall Conclusion

The popularity of fantasy sports now means that DraftStars are one of a number of sites catering for players in this area. However, those in Australia should certainly take advantage of what they have to offer, with horse racing having recently been added to their list of sports markets. Despite there being no bonuses or extra bets on offer, the prizes available are hugely appealing, with DraftStars being nothing but 100% safe and reliable.

Improvements when it comes to withdrawals and customer service would take Draftstars AU to the next level, as well as enhance DraftStars ratings, however considering that they have only been in operation since back in 2016, their platform is impressive. DraftStars reviews found online all point to them being a market leader when it comes to fantasy sports, with our opinion being no different to this. If you’d like to find out more about existing offers, take a look at our DraftStars Offers review.

DraftStars Review FAQ

🏇 What bonus offers are available at DraftStars?

Many horse betting sites in Australia will offer some kind of welcome bonus to entice new bettors to sign up with them. To find out what bonus offers are currently available at DraftStars, be sure to consult our latest DraftStars review at HorseBetting AU.

✔️ Is DraftStars legit?

Before signing up for new horse racing bookmakers in Australia, you’ll first want to make sure they are completely legit and licensed. To find out which licenses DraftStars currently holds, take a look at our latest DraftStars review at HorseBetting AU.

🐴 What horse betting markets are available at DraftStars?

If you love horse betting, you’ll want a bookmaker that offers a wide range of markets for you to bet on. To see what horse racing markets are currently available at DraftStars, you can take a look at our latest guide. We’ll share all the latest horse betting news on this popular provider.

97/100
Rating
Go to DraftStars Sports
Highlights
  • Daily horse racing events
  • Guaranteed prize pools
  • Multi-entry markets
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