Best Betting Sites UK 2024: Top New Online Bookmakers
We have developed a rating system to evaluate all legal UK betting sites to provide an objective assessment of online sportsbooks. There are nine criteria to consider: the number of events and markets, mobile apps, streaming, new customer bonuses, existing customer offers, sign-up and support service quality, legal information presentation, and ease of navigation. We assessed all the licensed bookies for each parameter and then calculated the average value, which is an objective evaluation of the betting service.
We do not limit ourselves to numbers and describe the offers of the best betting platforms in detail. This page also includes niche ratings (best betting sites for football, horse racing, tennis, etc.).
Let’s find out which UK sports betting sites are worthy of your attention.
List of Online Bookmakers for April 2024
The position of the bookmaker in this list is determined on a commercial basis. The ratings on Match.Center are compiled as honestly and objectively as possible, so we indicate “Not for sale” to make it clear which are based on merit.
This page contains the best bookmakers chosen by us based on the experience of our Match.Center authors. We are a global project. We evaluate the legal betting businesses of various countries based on best practices . We take into account all the finer details including how they adhere to legislation as well as their day to day business practices. The evaluation criteria doesn’t change regardless of whether a betting company is our partner or not.
Best Betting Sites Free Bets for April 2024
Keep in mind that gambling operators, including online gambling sites and online sports betting sites, are not allowed to accept credit cards as a deposit method. Make sure you read the welcome offer terms and conditions carefully, as using your preferred deposit method may mean you won’t qualify for a Free bet or bonus. Look for sections “deposit method restrictions apply” or “payment method exclusions apply”.
Sky Bet
£30 In Free Bets When You Place Any Bet
#ad / 18+. Register on the Sky Bet website or in the app. Deposit £5 into your sports betting account and place any bet from 5p. Once the bet has been settled, you will receive 3 x £10 Free bets. Full T&Cs available at https://skybet.com/. www.begambleaware.org
Betfair
Bet £5 & Get £20 In Free Bets
#ad / 18+. To claim the bonus, new customers must sign up with the Betfair bonus code ZBHC01. SMS verification required. Place your first bet of at least £10 on sport at minimum odds of 1/2 (1.50). A £20 Free bet will be credited to the account. The Free bet is valid for 30 days. Only deposits via bank cards count. Full T&Cs available at https://www.betfair.com/. www.begambleaware.org
Bet365
500% on First Deposit Up to £50 in Free Bets
#ad / 18+. Offer for new customers. Make a deposit of £5 to £10 and get 500% of your deposited amount (up to a maximum of £50). To withdraw the bonus, you must wager it 3 times at min odds of 1/2. Full T&Cs available at https://www.bet365.com/. www.begambleaware.org
Ladbrokes
Bet £5 Get £20
#ad / 18+. Register and place a bet of £5 or more at odds of 1/2 or greater. Once the bet has been settled, you will receive 4 x £5 Free bets. You can use them on any sport at any odds. Free bets are valid for 7 days. Full T&Cs available at https://sports.ladbrokes.com/. www.begambleaware.org
Parimatch
Bet £5 Get £30
#ad / 18+. Promotion for new customers. Place a first bet of £5 or more at odds of 1/1 or greater. You will receive 2 x £10 Free bets for betting and £10 for casino. The first sportsbook Free bet must be used on single bets at odds of 1/1 or greater. The second £10 sportsbook Free bet must be used on accumulators of 5 selections or more. The bonus is valid for 7 days after it has been credited. Full T&Cs available at https://www.parimatch.co.uk/. www.begambleaware.org
Unibet
£40 Money Back (Sports) + £10 Casino Bonus
#ad / 18+. Create an account at Unibet and place your first bet on any sporting event (except horse racing and greyhounds). The minimum bet is £1 at odds of 2/5 or greater. For accumulators, each selection must be at min odds of 2/5. In case of a loss, you will receive up to £40 in bonus money. The bonus must be wagered 3 times with min odds of 2/5 and within 7 days. You will also receive a £10 casino bonus. Full T&Cs available at https://www.unibet.co.uk/. www.begambleaware.org
BetVictor
Bet £10 get £40 in Free Bets + 50 Free Spins
#ad / 18+. Register on the betting site, confirm your participation in the promotion, make a deposit and place a bet of at least £10 at min odds of 1/1. As a reward, you’ll get £40 in Free bets:
- £10 Free bet on horse racing.
- £10 Free bet on football Bet Builder.
- £10 Free bet on football accumulator with 3+ selections.
- £10 Free bet on any sport.
Full T&Cs available at https://www.betvictor.com/. www.begambleaware.org
10bet
50% Up To 50 GBP
#ad / 18+. New bettors; Code PLAY10; Wager deposit & bonus 8x; Max qualifying bet stake=initial bonus; Valid 60 days; Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply; Full T&Cs apply. www.begambleaware.org
Copybet
Bet £10 Get £50
#ad / 18+. Register and complete verification in the mobile app. Place a £10 bet at odds of 1,9 or greater. You will receive 5 x £10 Free bets (one per day). Each Free bet is valid for 7 days. You can only use the bonuses on single bets. Full T&Cs apply. www.begambleaware.org
McBookie
Bet £5 Get £20
#ad / 18+. For new customers. Make a deposit, place a £5 bet and get a £20 Free bet. Place a qualifying bet at min odds of 1/1. If there are more than four selections in the bet, the odds do not matter. Full T&Cs available at https://mcbookie.com/. www.begambleaware.org
William Hill
Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets
#ad / 18+. When registering, enter the promo code “R30”, make a deposit and place a qualifying bet of £10 or more and min odds of 1/2. Once this bet is settled, you will receive 3 x £10 in Free bets. Each Free bet is valid for 30 days. Full T&Cs available at https://www.williamhill.com/. www.begambleaware.org
Coral
Bet £5 Get £20 in Free Bets
#ad / 18+. Create an account and place your first qualifying bet of £5 or more at odds of 1/2 or greater. If the qualification is successful, a £20 Free bet will be awarded instantly. Full T&Cs available at https://sports.coral.co.uk/. www.begambleaware.org
888 Sport
Bet £10 Get £30 In Free Bets
#ad / 18+. Combination sportsbook for new customers. After registering, place your first bet of £10 or more at odds of 1/2 or greater. Free bets must be used within 7 days. Full T&Cs available at https://www.888sport.com/. www.begambleaware.org
Sporting Index
Bet £10 Get £20 in Free Bets
#ad / 18+. For new customers. Within 14 days of signing up, place your first bet of £10 or more at odds of 1/1 or greater. You’ll receive your first £10 Free bet, followed 24 hours later by another £10 Free bet. You have 7 days to use the bonuses. Full T&Cs available at https://www.sportingindex.com/. www.begambleaware.org
Geoff Banks
Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bet Credits
#ad / 18+. During registration, enter the promo code “30BACK” to activate the offer. Place your first bet of at least £10 at odds of 1/2 or greater. You will receive 2 x £15 Free bets. One Free bet can be used on any sport, and the other can only be used on virtual sports. The bonuses are valid for 7 days after receipt. Full T&Cs available at https://www.geoffbanks.bet/. www.begambleaware.org
Tote
Bet £10 Get £30
#ad / 18+. For new customers. Place your first bet on racing pools of at least £10. Once the qualifying bet has been settled, you will receive bet credits up to the value of your first bet, but no more than £30. Bonuses must be used within 7 days, otherwise they will be cancelled. Full T&Cs available at https://tote.co.uk/. www.begambleaware.org
Explore More Betting Sites Options
Best Betting Apps Betting Offers Football Betting Sites
Horse Racing Betting Sites Tennis Betting Sites Cash Out Betting Sites
Best UK Online Bookmakers by Category
| Best Cash Out Betting Site | Bet365 |
| Best Bet Builder Betting Site | Parimatch |
| Best Horse Racing Betting Site | William Hill |
| Best Football Betting Site | Sky Bet |
| Best Esports Betting Site | Betway |
| Best Exchange | Betfair |
| Best Offers & Promos | Quinnbet |
| Best New Betting Site | Virgin Bet |
| Best Spread Betting Site | Spreadex |
| Best Odds | VBET |
| Best Mobile App | Ladbrokes |
| Best Payment Methods Variety | William Hill |
| Best Support | Parimatch |
14 Best Betting Sites Review
Bet365
A leader in streaming among online bookmakers, Bet365, offers bets on more than 30 sports, political and cultural events and has a strong fantasy platform. There are around 120 football tournaments, and the range of sports betting markets for the most popular games is up to 1700.
As for horse racing, Bet365 offers bets on races on all inhabited continents, as well as bonuses. Also, this online betting site has the widest range of Esports markets of any legal betting site in the UK.
William Hill
William Hill is the UK benchmark in football, horse racing, cricket, golf and other favourite British pastimes. The range of sports betting markets for some top football matches is astonishing, with around 700-850 markets giving a total of more than 2000 betting options. With Bet Builder, you can make any combination you like, so the lack of the Request a Bet function is unnoticeable. For Bet Builder combinations, there is one bonus per day to choose from: a risk-free bet or odds boosts. A great addition to the regular price boosts truly “EPIC odds”.
There are horse racing events from the UK to South Africa and from Japan to Chile. For most of them, there is live streaming: many streams are available for free, and some even without registration. Bonuses (BOG and Enhanced odds) are available mainly for UK and Irish races, although Extra Places can be for any event.
Sky Bet
As Sky Bet has not yet entered the global market, it focuses primarily on customers in the UK and Ireland. Sky Bet is mainly devoted to football and horse racing. There are price boosts for the English leagues and the top divisions. Of the other sports, regular bonuses are also awarded for darts and cricket. Currently, the NBA is the only non-British sport with a great betting offer at Sky Bet, and there are free streams and niche bonuses available there as well.
There are around 1200 options to choose from for top matches, so Bet Builder fans have plenty to get excited about. You can also request your own combination on the site or via Twitter.
Ladbrokes
The bookmaker has a great betting app and a large selection of disciplines: more than 40 traditional sports (including exotics like wrestling and fishing), several Esports, and political and cultural events.
The number of markets for top football can reach 1500. There are Bet Builder and Request a Bet functions, but check the prepared combinations first.
For football, darts, cricket and some other sports, there are price boosts.
Paddy Power
Paddy Power’s football showcase competes with the best betting sites in the world. There are more than 2000 options for the top matches. Use the Bet Builder to collect combinations of events from a single match, and if the range of sports betting markets isn’t enough, request your own bet using the #WhatOddsPaddy Twitter tag. There are regular early payout and enhanced odds promotions. Sometimes there are bonuses for Bet Builder bets.
There’s a wide range of sports betting markets with power prices and live streaming in the convenient horse racing and greyhounds sections. Money back promos are also available, which can give you a refund in the form of a Free bet if your choice comes second, third or fourth. Participate in the Free bet club with weekly rewards – Paddy’s Rewards Club.
Paddy Power regularly streams the NBA, often top tennis, and less frequently top football.
The best online betting site has fantasy leagues in four sports: football (soccer), NFL (American football), NBA (basketball) and golf.
Coral
Part of the same holding as Ladbrokes. Coral uses the same line, technical features, but offers its own bonus programme. New UK customers can get a £20 welcome bonus in Free bets for a £5 deposit. There are weekly prediction competitions with Free bets and cash prizes that do not require payment for opt-in (Football Super Series and Racing Super Series). There’s also a Free bet token store — Bet Bundles: for £2 you can buy 5 x £1 Free bet tokens on different sports.
There are more than 40 disciplines. The range of sports betting markets for top football matches can exceed 2000 options. Bet Builder and Request a Bet functions are also available. Note the Any 3 Special offer: it includes three outcomes, but only one win is enough for a successful bet. There are enhanced odds for football, horse racing, darts and other sports, as well as casino bonuses for losing bets on horse racing.
Betway
A fairly decent Esports bookmaker. Betway regularly offers 5-7 Esports disciplines, which isn’t much, but the range of markets on the top sporting events is good. For CS:GO and LoL, there are plenty of bets on game events (Kill by Molotov, Baron’s first kill, etc.) and player statistics – the number of markets per map for a top match is 100-150. In addition, Betway offers the best markets on Overwatch among all legal bookmakers in the UK. Note the Esports Free bet club with weekly rewards.
Traditional sports are also fine. There are around 1100 single markets and 500-600 single combinations available for a top football match, and whoever doesn’t find enough can use the Bet Builder. Horse racing competitions are all over the world from Canada to Japan, with live streaming available for most. There’s also live streaming of the NBA, tennis, second-rate football and more.
Virgin Bet
The bookmaker offers more than 30 disciplines, including football, horse racing and tennis as a priority.
There are over 1500 betting options for top football matches. Not only single markets, but also prepared combinations (for the whole match, the first half and players’ performances), and there is a Bet Builder to create your own bets. For English Premier League matches, they have 2-3 price boosts available.
For tennis, there are plenty of niche sports events all the way up to the ITF doubles.
In horse racing, you will find competitions from the UK and Ireland (live streaming is available), the USA, Canada, France, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Chile and a few others. There are extra places bonuses, but no boosts.
We recommend playing Virgin Bet Fives. It’s a kind of fantasy game where you assemble a team of football players and get cash prizes for their goals. Entry is free.
QuinnBet
There are so many offers in the Sportsbook Promotions section that they are divided into tabs for convenience: welcome, horses, football, golf, tennis, greyhounds, US sports, daily and weekly. Money back offers, acca boosts, in-play bonuses and more are available. Another noteworthy feature is daily and weekly Free bet clubs, where the reward is based on money turnover and not on losses. There are more than a dozen promotions for existing customers! Of course, Quinnbet also has a welcome bonus and it’s quite generous.
These promos show which sports Quinnbet sees as a priority. There are around 800 markets for the top football matches – far from a record-breaking figure, but quite decent. You can use the Bet Builder to create combinations of the different markets of the same match or you can bet on pre-made combinations. The horse racing section is one of the strongest among UK bookmakers. The bookmaker covers competitions on all inhabited continents, and for most of them there is live streaming.
Unibet
A bookmaker with a benchmark arrangement of the racing section. As much information as possible is displayed on the screen: there is a card view of upcoming races, underneath there is a table of all races and runs, and on the left there is a list of upcoming races with buttons to switch between horse racing, greyhounds and harness competitions.
The number of markets for a top match may reach 1000. Several Bet Builder combinations are available, but only one price boost at most.
There is a Streaming tab on the home page and in the live betting section, where all the matches are streamed live with live video and graphics. The Bet Builder tab is available on the match page, although the number of options for combining seems small. You can also view detailed match stats from SportRadar.
The layout of the Racing section on the desktop version of the site is noteworthy — we’d call it a benchmark.
Unibet is one of the few UK betting sites that have a £5 minimum deposit.
888 Sport
Several betting features make the bookmaker attractive. Have you ever wondered what other people are betting on right now? 888sport offers BetFeed, where you can see your peers’ bets. In the Made for you section, the bookmaker picks up bets on popular matches. Also check out the 888 Special Odds section to see what price boost offers are available.
There’s a Bet Finder feature for horse racing fans. You define a few parameters, for example, a horse that has won its last three races, and the Bet Finder will show you the candidates to bet on.
In total there are bets on 21 traditional sports, Esports, cultural events and politics. The maximum number of markets per match is in the English Premier League – 370.
We recommend playing the free Up for 8 game, where you must guess the results of matches and compete for cash prizes.
Betfair
The exchange doesn’t need any introduction, but many people aren’t aware that it is also a bookmaker. One of the biggest advantages of Betfair is the ability to trade and bet on markets with fixed odds.
The bookmaker accepts bets on more than 30 sports, slightly less on the betting exchange. The number of markets for a top football match is more than 2700. For example, you can bet on which player will score two goals in the first half or make 50 passes. More than 1700 options are available on the betting exchange, but the crucial factor is that someone must bet against you.
Most of the live streams are for horse and greyhound racing, which are very well organised. For football, basketball and some other sports, there is a Bet Builder and prepared combinations.
Parimatch
The bookmaker runs on the BetVictor software with the same events and markets: 25+ traditional sports, several Esports disciplines, and betting on politics and culture.
The biggest range of sports betting markets is offered on English Premier League matches, with more than 2500 options. There’s plenty to have fun within the Bet Builder. Each popular football match has 5-7 bet boosts. The horse racing section is quite well organised: there’s a timeline card view, although there’s no schedule table. Live streams are available not only for races in the United Kingdom and Ireland but also for nearly all races in the United States. However, there are few Australian tournaments and no races from South America.
Spreadex
The bookmaker has 13 traditional sports and a few Esports disciplines. However, Spreadex cannot be passed over. The site offers a rare spread betting mechanic: the winnings are settled according to the result. For example, you bet £10 on Over 3, and 5 goals are scored in the match. You will receive a payout at betting odds of 2 (5 – 3), which is £20. Some bets require you to set larger amounts. Sometimes you must risk dozens to win £10, so be careful. There’s also a section for financial spread betting.
For those who don’t want to bother with the mechanics of spread betting, there’s traditional fixed odds betting. There are over 500 markets available for popular football matches. The horse racing section covers races in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, the USA, Mexico and Chile.
How We Evaluate Betting Sites
We have developed a rating system where we evaluate all legal online sports betting sites in the UK according to nine criteria and provide an overall score. Please read more on the How We Evaluate page.
How do we process the information, and what do we look for?
Licence and Security
Only UK online betting sites officially licensed by the UK Gambling Commission can be a part of our rating. We check if a licence is valid on the UKGC website. We also pay attention to the availability of licensing information.
We do not work with illegal enterprises and frauds. Personal data processing rules, responsible gambling policies, and other official documents of a bookmaker are evaluated for your safety before rating.
Variety of Sports, Markets & Bets
Betting sites also get a rate for the markets they offer. There are 3 criteria that help evaluate this:
- Number of sports available. The more options a bookmaker has to offer, the easier it is for a customer to pick a necessary bet. There are around 20-25 types of sports offered on average. If there are obviously fewer sports than the number above, a betting site loses points. Otherwise, it gets more. The best betting sites in the UK offer up to 40 sports to bet on.
- Number of markets offered for top football events. This sport is very popular in the UK, so every bookmaker accepts football bets. Companies may show their advantages through the number and variety of markets offered for this sport.
- Margin. This is the thing that determines a bookmaker’s guaranteed income. This is some kind of customer fee. The margin was assessed based on two big markets – Over/Under and handicaps. The companies were further divided into three categories: low margin (up to 2.99%), medium margin (up to 4.99%), and high margin. The best rating goes to companies with a low margin.
The next step after the margin evaluation is assessing the UK sports betting sites based on what odds they offer.
Odds
We take margin into account when we evaluate betting odds. The margin determines a bookmaker’s fee. If the margin is low, the odds are more attractive for the customers.
Every UK online betting site has markets with low, medium, or high odds. This depends on the level of a tournament, the popularity of a market, and the possibility of finding enough information to make the right prediction.
Usually, sporting events with high margins are not good for customers. But at the same time, it may mean that the bookmaker has very little information about this niche sports event. In other words, punters can dig deep to find useful information, which could help them make better predictions. You need to choose what level of risk fits you more.
Betting Offers
We rate online bookmakers’ special offers separately for welcome bonuses and rewards that are aimed at existing customers. Among the Welcome bonuses we highly appreciate rare non-deposit offers. Offers for current users are rated with a focus on loyalty programs, reload bonuses, active contests and other promotions.
Payment & Withdrawal Options
The main criterion in this case is the number of available deposit and withdrawal methods. Good online sports betting sites in the UK have many options, so their customers can pick the one they like most.
Of course, most UK customers use just a couple of payment methods. So, the fact that a bookmaker integrates many payment methods shows that the company cares about its clients. So, UK betting sites with a wide range of payment methods have an advantage.
Customer Service
Every client may face issues with a bookmaker someday. In this case, the way the customer support service works is very important.
Our experts examined how this service operates at each company listed in our rating. They asked a few questions and rated the UK’s online betting sites based on how fast and well-qualified the managers responded.
Extra points were granted to UK betting sites that provide many methods of contacting the customer support service. Email, a phone number, and a live chat are available on the website and in the app.
Mobile Apps
A Betting.co.uk report says that over 50% of UK customers gamble using mobile devices. To make our rating, we analysed the apps that betting sites in the UK provide for smartphones and tablets.
For a better rating, an online bookmaker should provide apps for both Android and iOS devices. Any other software is not counted, as it’s not really widespread. StatCounter reports that Android has 48.9% of the British mobile market and iOS has 50.55%. A bookmaker gets equal points for offering both apps.
Site Functionality
A decent bookmaker should have an attractive and convenient website. We list betting sites in our rating based on the following criteria:
- The way betting markets are sorted
- User-friendly search bar
- Easy access to the deposit/withdrawal section
A separate mobile version is counted, too. If a bookmaker doesn’t provide good service to smartphone and tablet users, the company gets a lower rating.
Live Betting & Streaming
Live betting is attractive because it allows you to see what exactly is happening on the field before betting on a team or a player. Today, almost every UK betting site offers a live betting service. We rate online betting sites based on the variety of betting markets they offer.
Streaming demands quite a large financial investment as good technological platforms and broadcasting rights are needed. If all the features for live betting are available, that means that the UK betting site cares about its customers’ betting experience.
Extra points are given to online sports betting sites that offer a schedule of upcoming sporting events, a feature to add your favourite sports events to a special list, and other interesting options.
New Betting Sites: How to Make a Choice
To be honest, bookmakers like Bet365 and William Hill are extremely hard to beat. The betting giants put huge resources into their products. Quality coverage with hundreds of leagues, live streaming, and bonuses for new and registered customers all require a lot of resources that new online betting sites don’t have.
New betting sites that haven’t started until 2019 can’t compete on par with the best online bookmakers in every aspect of the betting product, but they can offer something:
- High odds. Most new bookmakers set the same margins as the old-timers in the market. But some dare to sacrifice their commissions to attract regular sports bettors. For example, FanTeam (the betting platform launched in 2019) offers the best odds for matches in top leagues like the English Premier League — around 3% against Bet365’s 5%.
- Beneficial promotions. Any bonuses from a new betting site are a reason to pay attention. We’ll tell you why next. Some newcomers surprised us with generous betting offers. We at Match.Center always say that betting is entertainment, and you can’t earn money from it. However, with bonuses, the choice may be obvious. There are 50 sterling reasons not to stay loyal to an old bookmaker, right?
No one is forcing you to leave Betfair if that platform suits you, but you can get a welcome bonus from new bookmakers like STSBet or Parimatch.
Sometimes you can only get one bonus from a company that maintains a network of ‘white label’ betting sites. For example, ProgressPlay Limited runs over 160 betting and casino sites, but you can only get one welcome bonus across the whole network.
Another reason to sign up with new betting sites is the restriction on limits for sports bettors with a positive balance. Online bookmakers limit the maximum amount for those who win to cut their own losses. You (and we) may not like it, but business is business. Even the best online bookmakers do this. In such cases, you must look for a new betting site, which is highly likely to restrict account usage after a while too.
Whatever your reasons for paying attention to new betting sites, in 2024 we suggest you start with the following top ten:
Football Betting Sites
Football is a field for betting innovation. No one is surprised by the wide range of betting markets these days. Even mediocre online bookmakers offer football bets on hundreds of tournaments in dozens of countries. The competition is in the technical field. Until recently, Bet Builder (the ability to create a combination of the markets of a single match) was advertised as “know-how”, but now it has become commonplace.
In 2024, advanced online bookmakers will allow you to create combinations from Bet Builder bets and even offer to request your own bet via support and social media. We’d like to see more football betting sites with deep statistics and wide streaming coverage.
Here are our picks of the best UK betting sites for football and why we chose them.
Top Football Betting Site Pick — Sky Bet
The online betting site has implemented all the advances of modern betting.
You can combine up to 10 markets of one match into a combination using the Bet Builder (BuildABet), which you can activate on the event page. You can also create your own combination, including markets that are not listed. Click on “Create A RequestABet” on the match page, collect your multi-bet and request a price, or tweet @RequestABet with the hashtag #RequestABet and the details of your bet.
There is also a large selection of prepared combinations on the RequestABet tab on the match page. Cash out is available for Bet Builder and some RAB combinations, as well as for most single bets (you can see the full list on the “Cash out” tab).
For some events, there are Price Boosts and Early Payout bonuses (a bet on the winner is settled when your choice leads by two goals).
We present our top online bookmakers:
- William Hill – Epic Odds bonus
- Bet365 – Extensive streaming coverage
- Ladbrokes – Request a Bet
- Coral – Cheap Free bet bundles
Horse Racing Betting Sites
Betting on horse racing is a truly popular pastime for Brits. More than five million people attend the event each year, with even more betting online. It is difficult for a bookmaker to survive in the UK if they do not offer a great horse racing product.
Horse racing betting is attractive because it is available almost 24 hours a day. During the day, you can bet all day long on plenty of races in the UK, Ireland and France. If you can’t sleep at night, you can bet on races in Australia, New Zealand, the USA, and other countries. But you can only do that on the best betting sites with great coverage.
We have picked the best UK horse racing betting sites for you where you can place bets almost anytime with regular bonuses and watch live streams of races.
Top Horse Racing Betting Site Pick — William Hill
WillHill has the most event coverage of any UK bookmaker. There are events from all inhabited continents: all the most popular races from the Commonwealth, France, South Africa, Chile, the USA, Japan, and others.
Extra Places, Best odds guaranteed and Enhanced Odds bonuses are often offered and marked by special icons. Many of the races come with live streaming, and some can be listened to in audio format via WH Radio.
For most races, you can get a quick preview from the Racing Post and tips on the participants. In the Naps Table section, you can find expert predictions and statistics.
- Quinnbet – Plenty of horse racing bonuses
- Sky Bet – Regular Price Boosts and Extra Places
- 888sport – Bet Finder feature
- Boylesports – Money Back and other promos
Tennis Betting Sites
Tennis tournaments are held all year round with a short break at the end of December. This makes it a great sport to bet on, and it’s almost impossible to find a bookmaker who doesn’t offer tennis betting. The best betting sites offer a large number of tournaments up to UTR, with a range of sports betting markets for top matches up to 1000 markets. The variety of tennis bets is there almost every day, but where is the best one?
Top Tennis Betting Site Pick — 10bet
We mentioned above that it is extremely difficult for a new online betting site to offer a better product. Surprisingly, 10bet, which was launched in 2015, has succeeded.
The site has a simple and easy-to-navigate main page for tennis betting, which lists all the individual matches in chronological order along with the current score if there are In-Play bets on the game. You just have to click on the match to open all the betting markets.
In addition, 10bet provides a graphic display of what is happening on the tennis court. There is a useful selection of match statistics for niche bets: breakpoint converted, % points won on 1st and 2nd serves, number of aces and double faults.
If you are interested in how the game developed in the first set, but entered the match in the second set, you can track who made breaks, aces, or double faults and when.
We have highlighted the top best betting sites for tennis:
- William Hill – Lots of low tier tournaments
- Virgin Bet – Lots of in-play markets
- 888sport – Wide coverage of ITF and UTR tournaments
Golf Betting Sites
Golf is so popular that some football players even favour it over their main sport (yes, yes, Gareth Bale, that’s you). Bookmakers are aware of this too, and are looking to expand their golf betting coverage: trying Extra Places, like in horse racing, and even Free bet bonuses specifically for golf betting.
Top Golf Betting Site Pick — Betway
Betway has many golf tournaments represented, from the women’s Solheim Cup to the prestigious US Masters. You can bet before the season even starts, as Betway presents a wide range of outright markets.
Extra places bonus is available for some events. With each way bet in golf, half of your stake is on the player to win the event and the other half on him or her finishing in the top number of places Betway has indicated.
Accumulator bets on golf count towards the Free bet club bonus programme, where you can receive a £10 Free bet each week for placing £25 on an accumulator with three selections. You can mix golf markets with other events, wager the required amount and get the bonus.
Here are our best UK betting sites for golf betting:
- Betfair – Major winners’ special outrights
- Ladbrokes – Request a bet with #GetAPrice
- Coral – Request a bet or choose from prepared options
- Paddy Power – Players’ Duels (2/3 Ball coupons)
Cricket Betting Sites
Cricket is the second most watched sport in the world after football, and UK bookmakers offer a variety of betting options. In this sport, a single match can stretch over five days and betting is a great way to whet your interest. The best betting sites give you a chance to bet on cricket in the pre-match and live on games of different levels.
Top Cricket Betting Site Pick — Bet365
Cricket is one of the most popular sports in the UK, and of course, a giant like Bet365 couldn’t leave it without attention.
The bookmaker offers over a hundred cricket betting markets: Match winner, Toss winner, Total wickets taken, Mode of dismissal for the 1st wicket, etc.
Just like in football, the most prestigious tournament is the World Cup, which takes place every 4 years.
Here are our best betting sites for cricket betting:
- Betfair – Fixed odds and exchange for cricket
- Betway – Coverage of all popular events
- Ladbrokes – Special Offers
- Paddy Power – Plenty of outrights
F1 Betting Sites
Formula 1 betting is gaining traction among bookmakers. We will tell you about the features of the best online betting sites for Formula 1 betting. Traditionally the Formula 1 season starts at the end of March and ends at the end of November. During this period more than 20 races take place in different parts of the world.
Top F1 Betting Site Pick — William Hill
William Hill provides a standard set of betting markets on Formula 1, but on this site you can not only bet before the Grand Prix, but also during the live event.
William Hill offers bets with enhanced odds. To find them, select a race and they will be displayed above the main betting markets.
Bets on the winner of the race are sorted by the chances of each driver in descending order. On the underdogs, you can bet with very high odds: sometimes the odds are over 2000.
Here are the best UK bookmakers for Formula 1 betting:
- NetBet – Match-up team betting
- Sky Bet – Price boosted markets
- VBET – Many match-up duel bets
Esports Betting Sites
Esports has been around for almost as long as online betting, but the bookmakers have only recently started to develop this fascinating trend. The best betting sites now offer more markets for League of Legends, Dota 2 and CS:GO than for basketball and tennis. On top matches, there is a choice of Over/Under and handicaps. You can also bet on different game events (Baron’s kill, whether a rapier will be collected, whether there will be a knife frag and more) or players’ stats. The range of events and markets for Overwatch, Valorant, Rainbow Six, Rocket League, FIFA and many other disciplines is expanded. Your favourite game can become your main betting option, but only if you’re dealing with decent betting sites.
Top Esports Betting Site Pick — Betway
We believe Betway is the best Esports bookmaker in the UK as it has many surprises. There are plenty of different betting markets for top CS:GO matches – kills of selected players and the method of winning in pistol rounds, O/U on defused and exploded bombs, unusual frags (by Molotov, Knife, Zeus x27), whether an Ace will be on the map and much more. Over/Under and handicaps per map and half a map are two opposite outcomes, but there is an alternative in the form of a winning margin market.
For popular LoL and Dota 2 matches, there are also bets on game events like the first Baron/Roshan kill, first barracks destruction and Divine Rapier collection, with a wide range of O/U and handicaps by kills.
Betway is also the best UK betting site for Overwatch betting online. The number of bets on top matches goes up to 70, while competitors often only offer winner markets on different maps. Betway also accepts bets on Valorant and Starcraft II.
Betway Bonus: Get £10 in Free Bets
- Bet365 – A record number of sports covered
- Virgin Bet – Lots of live events
- William Hill – Wide range of markets on LoL
Live Betting Sites
In-Play betting gives bettors the widest possible range of options to choose from, as well as more excitement and, many believe, chances to beat the bookmaker. Of special interest are, for example, quick bets on what happens in the next 5 minutes: a free kick is given, a goal kick, a goal scored or no goal will be scored in the game, and a booking. This format is accompanied by streaming right on the bookmaker’s website.
The leaders in the field of In Play betting have not only a wide selection of events, but also provide a quick change of odds without freezing, as well as numerous live streams for registered users.
Top Live Betting Site Pick — Bet365
The bookmaker provides graphical broadcasts for most matches, and there is live streaming for some. Those who just want to find out information about the match and do other things can listen to audio streams — these are available for English football, horse racing and greyhounds. All streams are collected in a separate tab, and there’s also a schedule to see in advance if there will be video for the match you’re interested in.
Live matches include almost everything available in the pre-match — from table tennis to eFootball. The range of betting markets for popular matches is very impressive: there can be hundreds of options, and you can even make combinations with Bet Builder. You can add matches to the favourites tab for easier following.
Here are the best betting sites for live betting:
- Virgin Bet – Live betting on ATP, WTA, ITF and UTR tennis events
- Livescore Bet – Lots of live Esports
- Betfair – Cash out option for live betting on the exchange
Cash out Betting Sites
Cash out is an opportunity to buy your bet back before the end of the event. Thus, you can insure yourself if you change your mind and no longer believe in the team’s victory, or if you are in a hurry to get at least some winnings.
It is important to remember that the bookmaker significantly reduces the settlement odds for a cash out option. Immediately after the start of the match, you will only be able to Cash out a part of your bet. You can also Cash out with a profit. For example, if a team is leading 3-1 in the 85th minute of a football match, there is a good chance of them winning. You can Cash out the bet with a profit, but it will always be less than the payout from the bet settlement.
The bet settlement with cash out requested is tied to in-play bets: in fact, it is based on the current odds with a certain penalty. As a rule, if a bookmaker has a good Live service, Cash out opportunities are wider.
More than 70 legal online bookmakers (excluding white labels) support cash out, but not all have several types of this feature and offer a wide range of betting markets with Cash out available.
Top cash out Betting Site Pick — Bet365
Bet365 supports 4 types of cash out, and that’s pretty much all the UK online betting sites have come up with by the start of 2024.
Full cash out. Cashing out the full amount that the bookmaker allows.
Partial cash out. You only cash out part of the bet, the rest of the amount is left until settlement. Just in case you have bet too much, or want to bet on another event.
Auto full cash out. You set an amount at which the bet is automatically cashed out. This method can be considered an alternative way of betting. For example, you can set a certain amount of winnings on a tennis match: the tennis player you bet on wins the first set, and leads with a break in the second set. With an automatic Cash out, you can take the specified winnings, even though your bet might end up losing. You can also lock in potential losses, i.e. enter the amount of money you want to get back if the match does not go according to your prediction.
Auto partial cash out. Frankly, a strange feature, but there is one. You can automatically cash out part of the amount. For example, if your pick loses, part of your bet is cashed out and the other part is left until the settlement in the hope that the player will make a comeback.
Unsurprisingly, our top betting sites include only older bookmakers.
- Ladbrokes – Fixed odds and exchange for cricket
- Paddy Power – Coverage of all popular events
- William Hill – Special Offers
- BoyleSports – Plenty of outrights
Best Betting Apps
Most online bookmakers provide Android and iPhone apps along with the mobile version of the website. As a rule, a betting app has the same functions and looks the same as a desktop version. So choosing an app is first and foremost choosing a bookmaker with good service. To find out which online bookies are worth your attention, check out our selection with pros and cons, reviews, and tops by sport.
However, you can get access to everything you need faster and easier. Additional security options are provided.
The main advantages of a good app are convenient navigation, simple and fast betting features, a statistics section and live streaming. Some online betting sites UK provide the bettors that are registered in an app with additional bonuses.
Quite a few people choose a sports betting site based on the company’s app. However, betting experiences aren’t solely determined by the app.
Here are our top 3 betting sites UK with the best mobile apps and features.
Bet365 - 500% on First Deposit Up to £50 in Free Bets
#ad / 18+. With this app, you’ll have the best streaming platform in the world on your phone, and of course, there’s plenty to bet on. You can download the mobile software for Android (OS version 8.0 or higher) and iOS from the official app stores.
Free bets of up to £50 for deposits between £5 and £10. Place qualifying bets to the value of your qualifying deposit (capped at £50) and allow these bets to settle. Bet Credits will be available shortly after your qualifying bets have been settled. Wager the bonus amount 3 times at min odds of 1/2. Full T&Cs available at https://www.bet365.com/. www.begambleaware.org
Ladbrokes - Bet £5 Get £20 in Free Bets
#ad / 18+. In some ways, the Ladbrokes betting app is even more convenient than the desktop sports betting service: the arrangement of elements on the small screen looks natural, and there is no empty unused space. In any case, the functionality of this top bookmaker is worth trying out, so you can download mobile apps from Google Play or App Store and enjoy comfortable betting.
Place a bet of £5 or more at odds of 1/2 or greater. You will get 4 x £5 Free bets to bet on any sport within 7 days. There are no minimum odds requirements for the Free bets. Full T&Cs available at https://sports.ladbrokes.com/. www.begambleaware.org
Virgin Bet - Bet £10 Get £20 in Free Bets
#ad / 18+. Even with advertising banners, the Virgin Bet betting app looks much more simple than mobile software from other bookmakers. The laconic design, contrasting text and convenient navigation all make for an attractive mobile app that you want to bet on.
Within 14 days of registering, place a qualifying bet of £10 or more at odds of 1/2 or greater. You will get 2 x £10 Free bets. You have 7 days to use them at odds of 1/100 or greater. Full T&Cs available at https://www.virginbet.com/. www.begambleaware.org
UK Based Bookmakers
For the current generation of bettors, it is not so important where the bookmaker is from. In the online era, most punters prefer to bet online. The most important thing is that the sports betting site is licensed.
All the betting giants settled on the Internet a long time ago, some of them almost immediately. Bet365 was founded in 2000 by Denise Coates, daughter of Peter Coates who owned a network of online sports betting sites in the UK. The company moved into the online sector the very next year and is setting trends for all competitors. New online bookies like ThePools start online right away.
But some online sports betting sites UK continue to accept bets offline as well. Founded in 1934, William Hill is one of the oldest players in the betting market. The bookmaker has a large network of betting shops all over the UK. However, William Hill launched its website back in 1998. Tradition is tradition.
More than half of online bookmakers with licences from the UK Gambling Commission are based in the United Kingdom, so here we will highlight the best.
William Hill
Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets
#ad / 18+. Sign up using “R30” in the Promo Code section. Place a £10 bet at odds of 1/2 (1.50) or greater. After the qualifying bet settlement, 2 x £15 Free bets will be available in the Rewards section. Free bets expire 30 days after the qualifying bet is placed. You cannot take the value of Free bets as cash, and returns exclude bet credits. Free bonus bets are not available to new accounts paid by PayPal, Neosurf, Paysafe, NETELLER, Skrill, ecoPayz, Kalibra or Postepay. The validity period of each Free bet is 30 days. Full T&Cs available at https://www.williamhill.com/. www.begambleaware.org
Bet365
Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets
#ad / 18+. Sign up using “R30” in the Promo Code section. Place a £10 bet at odds of 1/2 (1.50) or greater. After the qualifying bet settlement, 2 x £15 Free bets will be available in the Rewards section. Free bets expire 30 days after the qualifying bet is placed. You cannot take the value of Free bets as cash, and returns exclude bet credits. Free bonus bets are not available to new accounts paid by PayPal, Neosurf, Paysafe, NETELLER, Skrill, ecoPayz, Kalibra or Postepay. The validity period of each Free bet is 30 days. Full T&Cs available at https://www.bet365.com/. www.begambleaware.org
Coral
Bet £5 Get £20 in Free Bets
#ad / 18+. Register on the site or in the app, make a deposit and place a qualifying bet of £5 or more at min odds of 1/2. After the settlement, the bookmaker will instantly credit a £20 Free bet to the client’s account. Full T&Cs available at https://sports.coral.co.uk/. www.begambleaware.org
BoyleSports
Bet £10 Get £20 in Free Bets
#ad / 18+. Download the BoyleSports mobile app, register and make a deposit. Place a qualifying bet of at least £10 at odds of 1/1 or greater. You’ll get £20 in Free bets. Full T&Cs available at https://www.boylesports.com/. www.begambleaware.org
Betting Offers Available at UK Bookies
Due to the fierce competition in the betting segment, bookmakers offer a variety of bonuses to entice customers. Here are the main types of bonuses offered by UK bookmakers.
Bet and Get
The most common type of bonus is the bonus for activity. These can be Free bets for a certain bet amount or for betting on a certain sport. Such bonuses are usually small and have simple wagering conditions. This is often referred to as a welcome bonus.
Deposit Bonus
Most betting sites UK offer a deposit bonus as a welcome offer for new customers, but sometimes there are also reload bonuses for existing users. Depending on the bookmaker, the % of the bonus to your deposit varies from 50% to 100%. The deposit bonus traditionally needs to be wagered before it can be withdrawn
Risk-free bets
Some online bookmakers UK offer insurance for your bet. If it loses, you will get a Free bet. However, you should understand that you will not be able to withdraw the Free bet right away – you need to place a bet and win. The refund of the losing bet in cash is a rarity, but it happens. Of course, it is better than Free bet. The amount of Free bets as insurance usually does not exceed £20.
No deposit bonus
An extremely rare type of promotion. The bookmaker rewards the bettor for registering on the site or in the app, without requiring a deposit. For some promotions, you have to subscribe to the newsletter and social networks. Others require you to download the app and register for it.
Free-to-Play Games
To earn bonuses, active users can participate in special contests with free entrees. Under the Ladbrokes “1-2-Free” promotion, you need to guess the correct score of three selected matches listed on the promo page. The reward is a Free bet of up to £100. Coral has a similar promotion, the “Football Super Series”, with £50 cash and £1 and £2 Free bets. You have to guess the stats of the four matches listed on the promotion page.
Free bet clubs
Free bet clubs are regular promotions, usually weekly or daily, when the bookmaker provides Free bets depending on the bets turnover. The size of one bonus for such offers is small – from £1 to £10. However, the reward can be obtained many times – every day, week or month.
Cashback
Cashback can be confused with Free Bet Club: the conditions and prizes are similar. But there is an important difference. The basis for calculating the cashback is your losses. The more you lose during a week or month, the more the cashback will be. Depending on the terms of the loyalty program, it may be a Free bet or a refund to your account. But it will always be a refund of a part of the money you have already lost to the bookmaker.
UK betting sites “thank” the participants of the Free Bet Club not for the losses, but for the activity: it only matters how much money you have bet. This is the advantageous feature of Free bet clubs compared to cashback: you can get both winnings from bets and a bonus.
Odds Boost, Acca Boost and System Boost
For loyal customers, there are bonuses to increase the odds in single bets and accumulators. For example, if you add at least five selections in an accumulator, an extra multiplier of 1.10 will be applied to the bet, which means that the odds of the entire accumulator will increase. Sometimes the enhanced odds are also available for systems.
Payment Methods Available At Best Betting Sites
Online bookmakers offer a large selection of deposit methods: via debit cards, e-wallets, transfers from a bank account, as well as cash at land-based payment outlets. Here are the most common payment methods on UK betting sites.
Debit Card
The most popular deposit method is bank cards. UK betting sites accept Mastercard and Visa debit cards. Support for the cards issued by other payment systems is rare. Some betting sites do not accept cards issued outside the UK.
All online bookmakers accept card deposits. The only difference is the minimum deposit amount. At Bet365, William Hill, Unibet and some others, the minimum deposit amount is £5, but 32red, Copybet and some other online bookies allow you to deposit at least £10 by card.
Apple Pay
A payment system from Apple Corporation. Supported by most iPhones and other Apple devices. It increases the security of offline transactions and allows you to quickly make payments into online betting accounts from your Mastercard, American Express or Visa debit card online without entering your card details.
Bet365, William Hill, Coral and other best online betting sites UK accept deposits of at least £5 through Apple Pay. But UK online betting websites are free to set other deposit limits.
Google Pay
An electronic payment system created by Google and aimed at Android mobile device owners. It supports payments in conventional and online retail outlets. Two-factor authorisation is used to secure transactions.
Only some betting sites UK accept deposits via Google Pay. In particular, Bet365, Sky Bet and Ladbrokes support this payment system. In all three betting companies, the minimum deposit is just £5.
PayPal
PayPal is a giant in online payments. It operates in more than 200 countries and is among the most popular payment methods for UK betting sites, along with Mastercard and Visa debit cards. It is in demand among UK betting enthusiasts, and there are plenty of legal betting sites that support deposits via PayPal.
The betting companies accepting deposits via PayPal:
- William Hill – deposit limit from £10;
- Paddy Power – deposit limit from £10;
- Coral – deposit limit from £10;
Other betting sites may have different minimum PayPal deposit amounts.
Skrill
An e-wallet with a high degree of protection and security. Supported by many UK betting sites. Before making a deposit from your Skrill wallet, its balance must be topped up with another payment system.
Please note: at most betting sites, users who deposit via Skrill are not allowed to participate in promotions. Be sure to clarify this point if you intend to use a bonus.
Deposits via Skrill are accepted by 32red, Boylesports, Leovegas and other betting sites UK. The minimum deposit amount is usually £5, but at 32red and a few other online bookmakers, it’s from £10.
Neteller
The payment system is supported by almost all UK betting sites. You must first top up your Neteller wallet by any convenient means, and only then use it to make a deposit into your betting account. You actually do double work: you deposit Neteller first and then the bookmaker’s account. However, if there is already money in the Neteller wallet or you do not want to make the card details public, this method can be used.
You can deposit via Neteller at William Hill (from £10), Paddy Power (from £5), 32red (from £10) and many other best sports betting sites.
paysafecard
The largest issuer of prepaid cards. They are available in supermarkets and shops everywhere in the UK. On the betting site, all you have to do is enter a 16-digit top-up code. Paysafecard has one serious disadvantage – it is not suitable for withdrawals.
Usually, you can make a deposit of at least £5 through paysafecard. Ladbrokes, Paddy Power and the most popular betting sites UK have such terms and conditions. But 32red and some other companies have a slightly higher minimum deposit through paysafecard, starting at £10.
Trustly
Trustly is a system that allows you to pay for purchases from your bank account without using cards or apps. It was established in 2008 and now provides services to TransferWise, PayPal and other companies. In order to make a deposit through Trustly, the system needs to be supported by both the betting site and the customer’s online bank.
LeoVegas, William Hill and some other betting sites have the logo on their sites, but only people from certain countries are allowed to deposit via Trustly. The UK is not one of them.
Boku
A fast payment service from a mobile phone account. Eliminates the need for a card or e-wallet to make a deposit. In the UK, Boku is available to EE, Vodafone and O2 customers.
Boke’s service is not very popular. We found this method only at NetBet and Boylesports.
Bank Transfer
A bank transfer is the classic method of payment. The money is transferred between the bettor’s and the bookmaker’s accounts via online banking or a branch of a financial institution. The money is credited within 3-5 days.
With William Hill, a bank transfer can be made from £25 and with Paddy Power from £5. It is important to highlight two points. Firstly, not all betting sites support this method. For example, PokerStars Sports pays winnings by bank transfer, but does not accept deposits by bank transfer.
Best Betting Sites Features Comparison
Most betting sites will have adapted Cash Out and Bet Builder functions by 2024. This is no longer news. But there are features that are still unique or at least unusual, and we will observe if the market will welcome them.
| Bookmaker | Fixed odds betting | Exchange | Fantasy Sports | Spread Betting | Request a bet | Bet Builder | Cash out | Selling tips platform |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bet365 | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Betfair | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| BETDAQ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Ladbrokes | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Sky Bet | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| FanTeam | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Paddy Power | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Spreadex | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Sporting Index | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
| CopyBet | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
Let us briefly describe the possibilities of betting sites:
- Exchange. A popular alternative to fixed odds betting. In the betting exchange, you bet against other bettors: their losses are your winnings and vice versa. On the betting exchange, you can back and lay (bet against) outcomes, create your own offers within the types of markets offered by the exchange, and cash out bets with winnings.
- Fantasy Sports. A virtual game, the result of which depends on the actions of real athletes. You assemble a team of football players from different teams and take part in a tournament with a certain prize pool. Your team scores points for the players’ actions in real matches. The points are awarded for goals, interceptions, saves, etc. The points are deducted for cards and conceded goals. The virtual team with the most points wins. Fantasy is a very flexible format: the tournament can be played in a single day or spread over an entire English Premier League season.
- Spread Betting. It requires a very high investment, but also offers big payouts. In spread betting, not only does it matter that your bet wins, but also the difference. For example, a spread betting site provides the market “Goals Over 2.5” on a football match. This is the boundary at which the bet wins. But beyond that, things are a lot more interesting than fixed betting. You place a bet, estimating each goal at £10. If 7 goals are scored in the match, you get: (7 – 3) x = £40. But if there are no goals, you will lose £30.
- Request a bet. Some complex bets you won’t be able to make even with a Bet Builder. Then you can request your own smart bet and force the bookmaker’s analysts to practise setting the odds. For example: “Over 15 corners + home team to win + home team’s forward to score 2 goals”. You can request a bet on the site or on social networks, mostly on Twitter.
- Copying and selling tips. Many sites offer predictions and tips, but CopyBet has gone one step further and made it unique. On this site you can view tipsters’ predictions (free and paid), and you can bet on a prediction in a couple of clicks (including on the biggest Betfair exchange, if you have an account tied up). There are statistics on tipsters and they can sell their predictions.
Safe Betting Sites — What to Look Out for?
Security is key for websites that process users’ personal and financial data, including betting sites. Three aspects are important for a good experience from registration to withdrawal of winnings:
- Privacy of personal data
- Following their own rules
- Support of secured deposit/withdrawal methods
How do you evaluate how much effort a bookmaker puts into this? It is difficult to do that in advance. Circumstantial signs are important and this is what we are looking at.
Licence
Match.Center only provides information about legal UK bookmakers. The UKGC has proven to be a strict regulator, who does not shy away from issuing multi-million dollar fines to big companies, and that’s a good thing because the price of negligence for a bookmaker is very high.
The licence is a sign to us that the betting company has paid millions just with the intention of entering the UK market. Presumably, the bookmaker has no plans to lose it. With that in mind, we can expect the company to behave gentlemanly when dealing with a user who withdraws their £300 winnings.
In the footer of a legal betting site, there is always information about the company’s licence and clickable links to the regulator’s website.
Detailed rules
In the Match.Center ratings, we separately assess the presentation of legal info on the betting site. This is boring, but very important. If the rules are detailed, this shows that the legal and security teams are very experienced. If they are explained in a clear way, it is also an indication that they are attentive to users – because the rules are written for us.
The best betting sites will have many different documents in the public domain: general terms of operation, privacy policy, rules for settling bets by sport, general rules for promotions and rules for crediting each specific bonus, responsible gaming policy, etc. And that’s the minimum list.
If something is not stated properly, it means that the bookmaker either doesn’t have enough experience, doesn’t have the money to pay lawyers, or doesn’t declare publicly how they solve certain issues. These are all red flags. That’s why we like reading the rules so much.
Payment methods
The legal website will certainly ask for your details as part of the KYC process. But whether or not to hand over your debit card information is something you can decide for yourself. So the choice of payment method is one of the few procedures where you can influence the security of the betting site. (Also, never write down passwords on a piece of paper!)
Above we have described safe ways to deposit your betting accounts, such as Paypal or paysafecard. If the bookmaker accepts them, it is good for security.
Furthermore, merchants who accept these payment methods are verified by, for example, PayPal when they connect.
What we ignore
And there are two things we do NOT look at. Many other sites will assure you that they give it top priority. It would be curious to see how they rate it – because we at Match.Center find it almost impossible to do so objectively.
Reputation. Firstly, the bookmaker’s marketing efforts are hard to separate from the facts here. Secondly, the bookmaker’s reputation won’t help if it is you who will be subject to a lengthy security check. But the meticulously written rules, which exhaustively describe the process and requirements, are very helpful.
Reviews. As with other online services, reviews of bookmakers are most often written by unsatisfied users. If everything works as you expect, you’re just taking advantage of it. After seeing only negative reviews (which is understandable), some betting websites start praising themselves, publishing hundreds of purchased reviews. Then the objective picture is completely distorted. This is why we don’t rate reviews. Perhaps the situation will change if we at Match.Center start collecting, verifying and publishing reviews ourselves.
How To Sign Up At Betting Sites
According to UK law, only people over 18 can register with a bookmaker. If you are an adult citizen, you should have no problems with registration. When creating an account with a UK bookmaker, the customer must provide the following details:
- Gender (Male/Female);
- First and Last Name;
- Phone number;
- Country of Residence;
- Address;
- Town/City;
- Postcode;
- Email Address;
- Password;
- Security Question/Answer;
- Promo code (if applicable);
- Deposit Limit (Time Period, Limit Amount)
Here are the step-by-step instructions on how to create a betting account:
- Open the bookmaker’s official website or app.
- Click on the “Join Now” button.
- Enter all the details about yourself.
- Come up with a password and a secret question/answer.
- Set a deposit limit.
- Complete the registration by clicking on “Join Now”.
How To Place A Bet At Online Bookmakers
After registering on the website, you can start betting straight away. Log in, make a deposit and then go ahead:
- Select the sport you are interested in.
- Find the match you want to bet on.
- Choose the most probable result of the match.
- Click on the window with the specified odds.
- Enter the bet amount.
- Click on the “Place Bet” button.
How To Get the Most Out Of Sports Betting
Sports betting is a gambling hobby, but as with other intellectual activities, it is much more enjoyable to bet knowing that you fully understand the subject and are doing everything (or almost everything) right. Let’s dispel the most popular myths among beginners: how to choose a bookmaker, whether to pay attention to bonuses and what really matters, whether to get carried away with accumulator bets and how to control your bankroll.
Choosing a bookmaker
We evaluated more than 70 original bookmakers for our rating. Among those who received the highest scores are:
- Bet365 — 8.4;
- Sky Bet — 8.3;
- Ladbrokes — 7.9;
- William Hill — 7.8;
- Parimatch — 7.6;
These are all giant companies and pillars of the UK sports betting market. And from this list, you can see that most people choose a UK sports betting site based on brand strength and popularity.
But there are a number of other criteria that are good to consider:
- Variety of promotions and bonuses
- Availability of apps
- Plenty of available deposit and withdrawal methods
- Quick support service
- Best odds on sports events
Bookmaker’s promotions
For many people, the key factor in choosing a sports betting site is the availability of a good welcome bonus. For example, a Free bet for the first real money bet.
And yes, bonuses are nice. It’s pleasant to bet with the bookmaker’s money, and win, too.
But be careful: it’s always important to understand what’s “under the bonnet” of the promotion before you sign up. To illustrate, consider the following two promotions that appear to be identical at first glance. In fact, they are very, very different.
Does everybody like accumulator bets? No
At first glance, an Acca (or Parlay) seems to be a good deal for the bettor. You can put a number of events together in one bet and increase your bankroll by several times. However, at a distance, Acca bets are more profitable for the betting site than for the punter. The main reason for this is the bookmaker’s margin.
Margin is the commission that is put into each betting market. The betting site takes this 2-10% from every bet won, at a distance of 90-98% instead of 100% of the fees collected. It doesn’t matter to the company whether the client wins or loses now. Every odds already has a profit in it.
And if you place an Acca, you pay that margin multiple times – from every selection you include in the accumulator.
How to manage your bankroll
You will read on every betting website how important it is to manage your budget properly. But what does it mean?
We’ll dispense with nerdy terms like “Kelly Criterion” or “Martingale System”, especially as these approaches don’t work for most people.
Our approach works. The rule is very simple: allocate a specific amount of money within your entertainment budget for sports betting. If you win, great. But if you lose everything you’ve allocated, that’s the end of the story. Wait for next week or month – depending on what period you’re planning for. By the way, many betting sites offer a weekly/monthly deposit limit.
Even though betting is an intellectual hobby, it is still a gambling hobby. And in order to control your bankroll, it is important to know how to:
- Manage your emotions;
- Choose the best betting sites;
- Stick to a system when placing bets;
- Understand the sports you are betting on.
Odds and markets comparison
A good way to find favourable odds is to register on several online betting websites. Very often there are situations where betting sites estimate the probability of the outcome of the same event differently. This means that someone may have higher odds on the same betting markets. It’s worth fighting for every 0.01. It may look petty now, but even at the distance of the month you’ll feel it if you bet at odds of 1.87 instead of 1.86.
Summary Of UK Betting Sites
We’ve done everything we can to make sure you choose the betting site that suits your needs best. In the selection, we have presented the best 35 online bookmakers according to our comprehensive rating.
We have prepared 15 reviews of betting sites so that you can get to know more about their functionality and strengths. We have also chosen the best platforms for betting on different sports: Football, Tennis, Horse Racing, Cricket, Esports and Formula 1. We have picked the best betting sites with mobile apps, Cash Out and live betting.
To sum it up, we would like to show you the betting sites that got the highest score in our rating in 6 out of 9 criteria, where high scores are the most difficult to achieve. Here are our top scorers:
- Line — VBET
- Streaming — Bet365
- Payment methods — William Hill
- New customer bonuses — Sky Bet
- Existing customer bonuses — Sky Bet and Quinnbet
- Sign-up and support — Parimatch
Betting Sites FAQs
Which Is The Best Betting Site?
According to the Match.Center rating, it is Bet365. This bookmaker received the highest score based on 9 criteria. However, it did not get the highest score in every metric, which is one of the reasons to check out other betting sites. Explore our reviews and tops for the bigger picture.
Which Is The Most Trusted Betting Site?
Among the most trusted betting sites are Bet365, Sky Bet, Ladbrokes, Coral and other betting giants trusted by hundreds of thousands of UK customers. To be honest, it’s hardly possible to objectively measure the reliability score, so we don’t take that into account. Firstly, such a recommendation would be useless if the security team decides to check you specifically, freezing your withdrawal for a couple of weeks. Secondly, let’s be honest, it happens on every betting site from time to time.
Which Is The Safest Betting Site?
All licensed UK betting sites are safe, and these are the only sites we write about on Match.Center. Legislation imposes clear requirements on all legal betting sites, and the UKGC strictly enforces them. Legal betting sites support modern encryption protocols to protect data and operate with secure payment methods.
Which New Betting Sites Are The Best?
We would call Bar One Racing the best new bookmaker. In our opinion, the best new betting site is more likely to be the one that offers the best welcome bonus. Right now it’s Bar One Racing that has the best welcome offer with reasonable conditions — for a £10 qualifying bet you can get £50 Free bets.
How Many Online UK Bookies Are There?
More than 70 original betting sites operate online in the UK, as well as numerous white labels — copy sites operating under different names. The number of legal bookmakers is changing, with some coming to the UK and others leaving. We regularly update our list on this page and evaluate newcomers.
Which Of Online Bookmakers Have The Best Odds?
According to our estimation, VBet has the best odds. The average margin on football is around 3% there. That’s a really awesome figure. The giants like Bet365, William Hill and others offer average conditions.
Which Betting Sites Should I Avoid?
You should avoid betting sites without a licence where no one protects your rights. We remind you that Match.Center only evaluates services and bonuses of online bookmakers regulated by the UK Gambling Commission. We are for fair business and fair bet settlement.
What Betting Sites Offer Free bets?
Most legal betting sites offer Free bets. On this page, we have listed the most attractive bonuses and described the conditions for receiving them. Make sure you read the rules before accepting the offers.
