When I came to make a withdrawal I used the same debit card that I had signed up with and this incurred no charge. The funds appeared in my account the next day but I understand that it could have taken up to 5 days. The full list of withdrawal methods was available from the bet365 help page. The fees, processing times, minimum withdrawals and maximum withdrawals varied a lot from method to method.

Only bookmakers themselves can know all their reasons but the following in my opinion outlines the most likely rationale:

• To incentivise signing up - The first bet placed with bet365 always takes the longest from beginning to end. The registration process and learning the new interface takes time, so an incentive is used to help overcome this initial hurdle.
• To reward brand loyalty - Loyalty promotions that span events are sometimes available to encourage users to stay on bet365 between events instead of, for example, going to a competitor at the end of a horse race.
• To advertise a product - In a crowded marketplace, attention grabbing promotions and codes can help a brand stand out. This becomes increasingly important at popular events such as the Cheltenham Festival and the football World Cup, often resulting in enhanced offers as bookmakers vie for attention.

The terms and conditions of a promotion may also give insight into the bookmakers motivations e.g. temporary access to an exclusive new player area for poker or bingo players might suggest they are trying to provide a gentle introduction to the interface and games. Always read the terms and conditions. 18+.

The Cash Out feature allows you control over your bets by giving you the option to take a return before an event is over.

You can fully or partially cash out your bet. Partially cashing allows you to leave a portion of the stake to run until the end of the event. Bet365 also offer the option to set up an Auto Cash Out. This allows you to set a pre-determined limit where your bet will automatically Cash Out.

Full Cash Out Example:

• A £10 treble placed on three football teams at odds of 3/1, 5/2 and 4/1 has the potential to return £700 if all three teams win.
• 2 of your teams win their games, and with ten minutes left to play on the third game your team are winning 1-0, and a cash out value of £550 is offered.
• If you cash out for £550 and your selection goes on to draw then your payout will be unaffected. If you had not cashed out then your bet would have lost. However if the score remains 1-0 and you had not cashed out your bet you could potentially have won a further £150.

Partial Cash Out Example:

• As in the example above, a £10 treble placed on three football teams at odds of 3/1, 5/2 and 4/1 has the potential to return £700 if all three teams win.
• 2 of your teams win their games, and with ten minutes left to play on the third game your team are winning 1-0, and a cash out value of £550 is offered.
• You could opt to cash out a portion of your Cash Out offer and leave the rest to run.
• If you cash out 50% then you take a payment of £275 and leave £5 to run on the bet. If your selection goes on to draw, your payout will be unaffected, but you will lose the remaining portion of the bet, giving you a profit of £265. However if the score remains 1-0 you would win a further £350, giving you a total return of £625.

Auto Cash Out Example:

• With the example above you could set a rule by clicking on the bet in the My Bets section of your account. If you enter a chosen cash out value of £500 then as soon as the Cash Out value of your bet reaches £500 the bet will automatically cash out, regardless of whether you are online.
• Using this option allows you to avoid potential losses when away from the screen.

The Bet365 Bet Builder feature allows you to combine popular betting markets and calculate the odds to create your own, unique, bet on any football match.

Create a bet from a chosen fixture by selecting "Add Selection" and then choosing a market and the options within that market. Repeat this up to 6 times and the odds will update automatically as options are added. Bet Builder bets can be used with the Cash Out feature, but only pre-match.

Bet Builder Example:

• You can Build Your Bet in any soccer match. For example, for a Manchester United v Watford Premier League game you may select Manchester United to Win in the Match Result market, Full Time Score to be 2-1, Most Goals to be scored in the 2nd Half and Man Utd to score in both halves in the Team Special market.
• These 4 market selections could return odds of 25/1.
• Giving you a potential return of £260 on a £10 stake.