Best Football Betting Sites in the UK for December 2023

10 Best Football Betting Sites

The best football betting sites for December 2023 are:

Quick Top 3 Video Review

Best New Football Betting Sites

The UK sports betting market is one of the most competitive in the world. New UK bookies appear regularly and get involved in a vigorous battle for the customer. In order to attract football bettors, new bookmakers can often offer:

Match.Center experts have analysed the UK bookmaker offers and compiled the top 8 platforms for football betting. We consider bookmakers who have been licenced by the UKGC and started operating in 2019 or later to be new UK bookies.

Football Betting Odds

Football odds reflect the probability of a certain outcome occurring in a match. These odds are determined by bookmakers who use a variety of factors to calculate them, including teams’ physical shape, player availability, and head-to-head records.

It's critical to remember that odds are not a perfect reflection of probability. Sports betting sites aim to make a profit, so they will often adjust odds to ensure that they have a built-in margin. This means that even if the true probability of an outcome is 50%, the odds may be slightly lower to account for the bookmaker's margin.

Let's compare the margins of the best British football bookmakers for the Champions Cup and English Premier League:

According to our analysis, VBET offers the best odds to its customers. Additionally, the company sets «boosted odds» for top matches.

Football Betting Offers

UK betting sites are some of the most creative in terms of bonus programmes for betting on football. However, UK bookmakers almost never offer no deposit Free bets to their customers. Below, we will take a closer look at the most popular football promotions.

Bet & Get

Sports betting sites offer Free bets to new or existing customers as a reward for a real money bet. This is the most popular type of bonus in the UK; Sky Bet has one of the greatest offers. 

Cashback or insurance offers

Some bookmakers offer cashback on specific bets or events, providing customers with a refund if their bet loses. Normally, the online sports betting site refunds a certain percentage of the lost stake amount; however, it can be the whole stake amount as well. For instance, Bet365 has an excellent offer: the betting site refunds the stake amount, if you bet on a match that ends with a score of 0:0.

Acca bonus

With an acca bonus, the more selections you add to your accumulator, the larger the bonus you can receive. For example, Bet365 offers a 10% bonus for a 4-folds successful accumulator, 35% for a 10-folds one, and so on.

Boosted odds

Bookmakers may offer enhanced odds on certain matches or events, giving customers the opportunity to win more. For such a promotion, VBET has some of the best odds.

No Risk Bet

A no-risk bet is a type of betting offer that allows customers to place a bet without any risk of losing their money. If the bet loses, the bookmaker will refund the stake in the form of a Free bet, bonus or cash. This type of offer is often available to new customers as a sign-up bonus; a good example is Betfair. 

Loyalty Programme

A loyalty programme is a rewards programme offered by some bookmakers to reward customers for their loyalty. Customers place bets and can get Free bets, bonuses, or other rewards. SkyBet has one of the most diverse loyalty programmes: UK punters can earn Free bets and Free spins on a weekly basis.

Betting App Offers

Betting app offers are promotions and bonuses that are exclusively available to customers who use the bookmaker's mobile app. These offers may include Free bets, enhanced odds, or other types of bonuses. For example, you can get a Copybet Welcome offer only by downloading the mobile app.

Early Payout

Early payouts are a type of betting promotion where the bookmaker pays out a bet before the event has ended. This type of offer is often available for betting on football encounters, where the bookmaker will pay out the bet if the team backed goes ahead by a certain amount of goals, regardless of the final outcome of the match. This allows customers to lock in a profit before the match has ended. For example, if your favourite is leading by two goals, Bet365 makes an early payout.

Free to Play offers

Many UK betting sites allow their customers to make predictions without risking their own money. Simultaneously, the bookmaker offers a reward. VirginBet has a very interesting offer: you need to select five players who will excel in the upcoming matches, and in return, you can receive a cash bonus.

Acca insurance 

This type of offer provides customers with a refund or bonus if one leg of their accumulator bet loses.

Request a bet

This option allows customers to create their own bets by combining different markets into a single selection. To use this feature, you simply select the markets you want to include in your custom bet, and then place a request through the bookmaker's social networks, website or app. The bookmaker will then respond with the odds for your requested bet, and you can decide whether to place the bet. Sky Bet is one of the best in this area.

Best Football Betting Site Must-Have Features

The range of markets and the quality of odds play a decisive role in choosing a bookmaker for betting on football. But there are other features that make life easier.

Football Betting Markets You Should Know

There are many different ways to bet on football, and each football market offers its own unique set of benefits and drawbacks. Let's take a look at some of the most popular football betting markets.

This is a simple football market that asks you to pick the team that will win the match. The payout is based on the odds of your selection, but the odds can be quite low, especially if the team you're betting on is a huge favourite.

It is similar to the moneyline market, but it has one key difference: if the match ends in a draw, your stake is returned to you. This market is a good option if you're unsure about the outcome of the match.

This market allows you to bet on two outcomes (1/X/2) out of three. This market can be profitable only if you are betting on a clear underdog.

One team is given a virtual head start advantage (or disadvantage), and you bet on whether they will still win the match. This market can offer higher odds than the moneyline one, but it is also harder to make a prediction. For example, if Team A is given a handicap of -1.5, they must win by two clear goals for your bet to be successful. 

The correct score market requires you to correctly predict the final score of the match. This market is challenging, but the potential payout can be high. 

This market allows you to bet on which player will score the first or last goal of the match, or any goal in between. The odds for this market can be great, especially if you are betting on a player who doesn't score often.

With the total goals market, you can bet on whether the number of goals scored in the match will be over or under a certain amount. 

Bookmakers accept bets on various statistical indexes, such as the number of cards or corners in a match. It could be said that you bet on the nature of the match. Even if the teams don't score goals, the match can get heated: a lot of attacks lead to corners, and excessive passion leads to disciplinary action. 

You bet on whether both teams will score at least one goal each. Often, football betting sites provide combinations of O/U and both to score bet types, which allow you to increase the odds.

This market allows you to bet on the result at half-time and full-time. For example, you could bet on Team A to be leading at half-time, but ultimately lose the match. This market can be quite profitable if you have a good feeling for how the match will progress.

This is a popular bet in the off-season, when the main European regular tournaments are interrupted for the summer break. With the outright market, you bet on which team will win a certain competition, such as the Premier League or Champions League. This market is perfect for those who like to place long-term bets.

Online Football Betting Strategies and Tips

There are a number of different factors that you need to take into account when placing football bets. Here are some tips to help you get started:

Most Popular Football Tournaments and Leagues

The English Premier League is the most popular football tournament in the world. It is also the most watched football league with over 4.7 billion viewers annually.

The EPL features 20 teams that play 38 Premier League matches each from August to May. England's three worst-performing teams will be relegated at the end of the campaign. The top four teams will qualify for the Champions League at the end of the season. In the XXI century Premier League teams have reached the Champions Cup finals 14 times. Numerous experts rank this league as the best in the world.

The Championship is the second highest football division in England. There are 24 clubs from all over the country and each team plays 46 games in the season.

The top two clubs are automatically promoted to the Premier League at the end of the season and one more elite place is decided by a play-off tournament between the teams ranked third to sixth. The bottom three teams are relegated to League One.

The Championship attracts a lot of betting interest, as there are many close football games and a lot of potential chances for unexpected results.

The FA Cup is the oldest football competition in the world, founded in 1871. The competition is open to any eligible club down to Level 10 of the English football league system, as well as a number of Welsh sides. More than 600 clubs enter the FA Cup each year, making it one of the most hotly contested tournaments in the world.

The tournament kicks off in August with qualifying rounds, before the first round takes place in November. The final is held at Wembley Stadium in May.

The EFL Cup, previously known as the Capital One Cup, is an annual knockout football tournament. It is open to any club within the top four levels of the English football league system, with League Two clubs being given preferential treatment when it comes to scheduling. The EFL Cup is traditionally played during the week, with most matches taking place on either Tuesday or Wednesday nights.

The UEFA Champions League is a club football tournament that is held every year by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). It is open to teams that have won their domestic leagues and to clubs ranked at the top of the UEFA rankings.

In the group stage, 32 teams are divided into eight groups of four. They then play against each other at home and away, with the top two teams in each group advancing to the knockout stage. There, 16 teams play against each other for two matches until the winner is decided.

The Europa League is a European football tournament involving the clubs that have finished in the top positions of their domestic leagues.

The tournament consists of a group stage, where teams are drawn into groups of four and play against each other at home and away. In this tournament, the best team in the group advances directly to the round of 16, while the second-place team enters the so-called "knockout round", where they will face off against the club that ranked third in the UCL. The 16 teams that qualify will compete for the cup in a two-legged home and away play-off.

This is the most prestigious international football tournament in the world, which takes place every four years. More than 200 national teams compete in the different stages of the tournament. 32 teams qualify for the main stage, where each club plays three group stage matches before progressing to the knockout stage — the round of 16. The quarter-finals, semi-finals and final then take place, with the winner being crowned world champion and taking the historic trophy.

The 2022 FIFA WC was held in Qatar. It was the first time an Arab country hosted a major international competition of national teams. Argentina became the WC champion. 

The European Championship is a football tournament that takes place every four years and involves the national teams of Europe. In recent years, the number of teams competing has increased from 16 to 24 and more than 50 participate in the qualification. The format consists of a group stage, where teams are drawn into six groups of four and play against each other once. The top two teams from each group then progress to the knockout stage, along with the top four teams that finished third. The playoffs follow the same format as the FIFA WC.

European Football Leagues: La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, Ligue 1

European football leagues have always been a hotbed of excitement for football fans and punters alike. The top football leagues from Spain, Italy, Germany and France - La Liga, the Serie A, Bundesliga, and Ligue 1 - attract a massive following globally.

La Liga boasts of football giants like Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid, which have produced some of the world's best football players like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar. At the end of 38 rounds, the top four clubs qualify for the Champions Cup, while the three weakest clubs are relegated to the second division, the Segunda.

The Serie A, Italy's top professional football league, features 20 teams playing 38 matches from August to May. The top four clubs qualify for the Champions League, while the fifth and sixth-ranked teams enter European competitions. Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan are some of the popular clubs in the Serie A, making football betting on the league quite attractive.

The German Bundesliga is one of Europe's strongest leagues. Eighteen clubs compete in a season of 34 matches, with the top four clubs qualifying for the Champions Cup. The Bundesliga is home to football giants like Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, making it one of the most popular football leagues for betting.

The French Ligue 1 rounds off the top five most popular European tournaments, featuring 20 clubs competing in a season of 38 matches. It also has a promotion and relegation system, with three teams moving up from Ligue 2 at the end of each season. PSG's big-money signings of football superstars Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe have made Ligue 1 even more attractive to football fans and betting enthusiasts. AS Monaco and Olympique Lyonnais also draw attention with their participation in European Cups.

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