When it comes to having fun in your free time, sports betting is perhaps one of the best things to do. However, you need to choose to do it only on verified online betting sites to avoid any legal issues. Luckily, UK residents can be thankful to have tons of quality bookmakers, and we’re lucky, too, as we can freely enjoy what we love the most. Without further ado, let’s see what is the best betting site in the United Kingdom. This is going to be an interesting read, so hang tight!
Top 10 Online Bookmakers in the United Kingdom: Reliable Choices in 2021
Are you ready to engage in the world of gambling and sports betting? If so, you’ll need a quality take-off on a proper UK online bookmaker. Below is our comparison of 10 best, reliable, and most trustworthy online bookies in this country:
1. 888 Sport
The best betting site in the United Kingdom is 888 Sport. If you know a thing or two about gambling, you’ve probably heard about this giant that made it to the top of our ranking. This company exists for more than 20 years and as such, it has all the necessary experience in this field.
Welcome Bonuses
Why did we choose 888 Sport as the best bookmaker and our preferred choice? Well, it has LOTS of quality offerings and conditions. Starting with the welcome bonuses, the bookie is pretty serious. Depositing a minimum of £10 will give you the chance to earn £30 more.
Simply place a bet at the odds greater than 1/2, click the button below, and we’ll automatically apply the code “30f” that will allow you to get a welcome bonus! To withdraw your bonus-related winnings, you don’t need to fulfill ANY wagering requirements, making it easy to make the best out of your welcome bonus.
Sports Variety
Whereas we were interested in game variety for casinos, here, we’re looking at the variety of sports. 888 Sport boasts a full roster of almost every sport under the sun.
Its selling point is definitely football, but also horse racing, which is very popular on the website. Needless to say, sports like golf, basketball, tennis, and rugby are all here, and you can even bet on boxing!
Odds
888 Sport gives you the chance to win a welcome bonus if you bet on an odd of 1/2 or greater. But, as always, odds change literally every minute and you can expect some higher and some lower odds here and there.
We found that 888 Sport is pretty advantageous, if not the best when it comes to it. Usually, it offers a bit higher odds than the competition, by 0.1 to 0.5, which can be a game-changing difference.
Other Features
888 Sports wouldn’t be number #1 without some meaningful features and betting options. This is an ideal choice for a reason, offering a multitude of premium features. One of them is the ability to watch live streams for horse racing, which millions of users enjoy.
Moreover, you can enjoy in-play betting, where you can place bets as a certain match or a game progresses. One of the highlights of 888 Sport is the possibility to place customized bets. Be creative, switch between permutations, single, and multiples, and win more and more cash!
888 Sports is definitely ahead of time and will satisfy even the most demanding betting lovers out there.
2. Bet365
Bet365 might be the best betting site around for some of you. Sure, it’s not a new betting site, which is why it managed to carve its name into the gambling world long ago. With some impressive odds, a plethora of sports, and a unique interface, Bet365 will remain almost at the top of the ranking for the time to come.
Welcome Bonuses
To entice new players to start placing bets or enjoy live betting, online bookmakers in the UK use generous welcome bonuses. Bet365 is no stranger to these things, giving you pretty generous offerings. A new account here can claim up to £100 (in Bet Credits) if it deposits £5 or more.
Wondering what are the rules? Well, they’re very simple. Simply place a qualifying bet worth £100+ at odds of 1/5 or greater. Then, any money you get from bet credits can be withdrawn without ANY wagering limits or requirements! We promised that it would be generous, didn’t we?
Sports Variety
Quality betting means being able to place bets on almost every sport that exists. If you’re a perfectionist, you’ll love Bet365’s sports variety. Apart from soccer, basketball, rugby, horse racing, and cycling, you also get to bet on volleyball, table tennis, tennis, speedway, lotto, motorsports, greyhounds, and so forth.
Live betting is also here, and so is live streaming, so you can enjoy your favorite sports in a click of a mouse.
Odds
Bet365 has lots of high odds – higher than we expected, honestly. On the front page, you’ll see odds that are pretty advantageous when compared to other bookies in the same rank, except if we’re talking about an absolute favorite in a particular match or game. While it’s, more or less, the same as 888 Sports, in comparison with the others, it’s still a bit above the competition.
Other Features
While Bet365 is by no means a streaming site, it surely behaves like one. You can not only stream horse racing, but also football matches, and place in-play bets if you like. That way, you increase your chances of winning and add more variety to your bets.
The bet slip feature is also here and it starts having an effect once you go into the “in-play” mode. If you’re a betting junkie, you’ll be glad to know that you can see what’s happening in a particular match just from this bet slip.
Bet365 also hosts the Racing Post for horse racing. It allows you to inform yourself more about horse racing and races that took place previously. We like that it even lets you read info about all the horses individually, letting you pinpoint the potential winner more easily.
3. Betway
Gamblers from the United Kingdom will immediately know what Betway is. Yes, it’s a reliable online casino, but also one of the best online UK bookmakers with millions of players from this country. The good thing is that it offers tons of promotions and great betting conditions for Englishmen, so you’ll enjoy its rich offerings daily.
Welcome Bonuses
Betway surely knows how to get you rolling. Unlike many scam online bookmakers, this one offers you a welcome bonus that you can successfully wager and get something from it. The minimum deposit is £10 and you can get a bonus of £30 in free bets on that if you place a bet on an odd of 8/11+.
There are no wagering requirements (1x), so everything you win will be yours, minus the stake. For example, if you bet £10 on an odd of 5/1 (6.00), you’ll get £50. £30 will be your free bet part, while £20 will be your cash.
Sports Variety
While not as generous as Bet365, Betway isn’t all that bad. Sure, it’s not the best betting site in the world, but even for demanding users, it will suffice. In terms of sports variety, you can expect football, table tennis, tennis, ice hockey, basketball, horse racing, golf, rugby, and so forth.
We also like the addition of Esports where you can place bets on matches in CSGO, LoL, Rainbow Six Siege, and so forth.
Odds
When it comes to odds, Betway gives a lot to look forward to. The odds are pretty competitive, and some times, among the best at the moment, which is great for this bookmaker in the UK. Users will not play with subpar odds that will result in smaller wins. Instead, they can enjoy some of the most competitive odds on the market.
Other Features
Betway definitely has its own share of features. We already mentioned a well-known bet slip feature. It makes your betting much easier, as it lets you see what’s going on as the bet slip goes. The Cash Out feature is also here and is very useful for uncertain matches.
With Cash Out, you can always get the money back on your bet before the match is finished. Another very useful feature is the ability to change the odds, or better said, to convert them – Fractional, Decimal, and American options are there.
This way, Betway adapts to a wider amount of audience, letting even players from Europe enjoy and understand betting better.
4. Mansion Bet
Mansion Bet hit the betting world in 2018 and as a newcomer, it offers some enticing offers for its players. This reliable UK bookmaker promises excellent welcome bonuses, lots of sports to bet on, and a positive experience for both demanding and non-demanding gambling lovers.
Welcome Bonuses
This sportsbook is pretty generous when it comes to welcome bonuses. We always love it when that is the case and we can’t hide our excitement. Your first deposit should be at least £10, using debit or credit card, and you’ll be eligible for a welcome bonus, up to £100 on your deposit.
Wagering requirements are 10 times, which isn’t very high, considering that you need to wager only the bonus amount. However, you’ll need to bet at an odd of at least 1/1 to be able to withdraw your bonus-associated winnings.
Sports Variety
Being available from 2018, Mansion Bet isn’t as experienced as 888 Sports or Bet365. Nevertheless, this trusted bookie is legit and can go head-to-head with these giants, thanks to its solid sports variety. While it’s mostly focused on football and horse racing, the sportsbook offers quite a lot of choices.
We have baseball, basketball, table tennis, cycling, Esports, ice hockey, MMA, and many others here. Betting surely won’t be a problem, as you’ll get almost unlimited options.
Odds
Odds are very important if you want to win some good money. Here, odds are not abnormally high, but also not the lowest we’ve seen. We also like how they work on Mansion Bet. If you place a bet when the odd is 3/1 and later, it changes, the odd you’ve bet on remains the same.
Other Features
Mansion Bet doesn’t have any unique features under its sleeve. However, it’s not always about unique features but HOW you realize the features that we know of. Mansion Bet has a lot to offer. From Cash Outs and Partial Cash Outs to bet slips and other betting-oriented features.
Horse Racing lobby, for example, is one of our favorite features. Here, you can see the results of previous races and easier predict the outcome of the next ones. The Graphic Visualizer is also here. It allows you to follow the match or a game live, where you can see the statistics, corners, possession, and so forth.
While there’s no live streaming, Mansion Bet makes up for it with tons of betting variations. You can place simple 1X2 bets or go for more complex bets and win more money through a little bit of risk.
5. Betfair
Watching a lot of Premier League, we got used to seeing Betfair’s logo on pretty much every UK-based stadium. This online bookmaker exists for 20+ years and constantly pleases its players with an intuitive interface and generous welcome bonuses.
Welcome Bonuses
The UK bookmakers all have pretty much the same bonus schemes. However, Betfair is unique in that regard. For the start, the minimum deposit is £10. To be eligible for a welcome bonus, you have to be either from the UK or from ROI and place at least 5 x £10 single bets, at minimum odds of 1/2.
After the bets are settled, you’ll get a £20 free bet. Since the process can be repeated up to 5 times, you’re looking at a total bonus of £100.
Sports Variety
Being mostly a UK and ROI online bookie, Betfair offers more sports catered to this country. As an example, the most popular sports here are football, tennis, and horse racing. However, that’s not all. Betfair still offers sports like rugby, basketball, motorsports, cricket, Esports, chess, volleyball, and many more.
It’s definitely not the best in this regard, but far from being worthless.
Odds
What are the betting odds here at Betfair? Well, they’re not the best either. But, we need to mention that they’re slightly higher than some of the competitors. Football usually yields the highest odds, with 1 to 3 percent of positive difference.
888 Sports beats this bookmaker by a tiny margin when it comes to betting odds, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad by any means.
Other Features
Nowadays, the best and the most reliable UK online bookmakers all offer a live streaming feature. Betfair was among the first ones. We like that it allows you to stream a multitude of sports events, covering even horse racing, F1, football, and basketball.
The good thing is that you don’t need to watch strictly the games integrated into the site. Instead, you can use the Betfair Player, a standalone app, and just enjoy live streaming without betting. Betfair even allows you to read its sports blog.
As the bookmaker works with many athletes, both current and former, its blog is jam-packed with sports-related topics that you might want to read. Not only do you get to place bets, but also learn something new while earning cash – amazing!
6. William Hill
For many people in the UK, William Hill is the best betting site and bookie out there. We understand them – this trustworthy brand exists for almost 100 years, that’s right! Apart from its lackluster online casino, it has a sportsbook section that contains dozens of sports for enjoying limitless betting online.
Welcome Bonuses
Welcome bonuses on most online betting sites are pretty good. Since this is a verified sportsbook, you can expect the same. Upon signing up, you’ll be able to get a welcome bonus of up to £30 if you enter the code “P30” and place a single bet of £10.
Actually, just click on the button below and we’ll automatically apply your welcome bonus code – it’s very easy!
Once you place it, you’ll immediately get 3 x £10 in free bets, but only if you placed a bet on the odds of 1/2 or higher. Also, this welcome bonus is only applicable to players from the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Sports Variety
William Hill does an amazing job of sorting out its sports. Unlike many other sportsbooks, it sorts them out from A to Z. Moreover, the sports variety is pretty good. Apart from football, basketball, tennis, golf, poker, and pool, we also get to bet on snooker, UFC, darts, Esports, lotteries, and even politics!
The Virtual World is also here, for those who would love to enjoy some virtual horse racing.
Odds
One thing that William Hill does right is the odds. For example, the commission on the bets is pretty low, about 3% for football games. With the industry-standard being slightly less than 5%, this is pretty good but also makes the odds look a bit inflated at first.
You’ll need to count in this 3% commission right away, but even when you do so, the odds are impressive.
Other Features
Being one of the best bookmakers out there, William Hill knows how to entice its players with bonus features. A unique feature we found here was podcasts. Oh yeah, sports-themed podcasts oriented towards betting – take our money!
Even the best gamblers need some advice from time to time and this is an excellent way to give it to them. William Hill focuses mainly on horse racing, too, and it links with the Racing Post. The Racing Post lets you get literally every bit of information related to horse racing, making predicting the next winner much easier.
In-play betting is also here and it’s nothing new. With it, you can place bets on live matches and predict the winner or any other outcome you’re betting on.
7. Betfred
Betfred is an excellent UK online bookmaker established since 1967. It’s been a land-based object for quite some time, only to become a well-known online gambling site that offers sports betting, poker, bingo, and even casino games.
Welcome Bonuses
Fred and Peter, Done brothers that govern this bookmaker, know how to entice new players at their online bookmaker site. Betfred offers an industry-standard bonus that applies only to freshly signed-up players.
This bookmaker gives you a deposit bonus of up to £30 free bets if you deposit at least £10. You need to place a bet of £10 on an odd of 1/1 or higher and as soon as you do that, you’ll get your welcome bonus.
Sports Variety
As is the case with UK-based online betting sites, the highlights are usually football and horse racing. Really, though – users who love these sports are in for a treat and will get the highest odds here. But, it wouldn’t be a complete bookmaker without the addition of other sports.
Betfred isn’t a heavy hitter but it offers tennis, rugby, basketball, cricket, motorsport, and many other options. Live betting is here, and the addition of Esports and political outcomes is definitely a welcome one.
Odds
While not the highest, the odds are pretty reasonable here. Depending on your bet, you can earn quite a lot of money, compared to some competitor bookmakers. Playing fixes will yield the smallest odds, while over/under and handicap bets will dramatically increase them.
Other Features
Betfred is yet another old-school betting site. But, as it’s not the most popular option, it isn’t packed with features like 888 Sport is. Still, we found its live streaming feature quite useful. It allows you to stream horse racing and football if you place a bet of £1 that day.
The Cash Out feature is here, and as we said, it applies to in-play betting. Mobile users will love its intuitive apps that will let them place bets on the fly while walking, or jogging next to the river.
8. 10Bet
10Bet is on the UK soil for more than 15 years and with its UKGC license, it’s a very strong betting brand. While not the most popular option when compared to our top UK bookmakers, it’s still a strong competitor for our top-ten list.
Welcome Bonuses
A good welcoming party is always important for a headstart. 10Bet wastes no time getting you into the game with its enticing bonuses and promotions. The minimum deposit eligible for a welcome bonus is £15, but not if you use Skrill or Neteller – all other methods are eligible.
Upon depositing your cash, you’ll get a 100% bonus, up to £50, with the wagering requirements of 5 times. These requirements apply to a single bet with the odds of at least 4/5. 10Bet explains it well, making it easier to understand how it works.
Sports Variety
Here, you get to choose from 27 different sports, which is quite a lot, even if you’re a demanding user. Whether you’re thrilled by football or tennis, both of these sports are here, offering different leagues and tiers.
Apart from football and tennis, 10Bet offers politics, MMA, boxing, basketball, baseball, golf, horse racing, rugby, and so forth.
Odds
One thing we immediately noticed is that the odds are a bit lower than we got used to. Sure, they can’t always be the same, but when comparing the two same matches side by side, this one had lower odds by 0.1 to 0.3 on average.
The odds are not bad by any means, but we expected a bit more from the bookmaker with Didier Drogba on the registration screen.
Other Features
10Bet isn’t exactly the best bookmaker when it comes to features. Sure, it offers a solid gambling experience, but don’t expect much. We must admit that we loved its in-play betting feature, as well as freebet, though. It covers literally every major sport, allowing you to bet not only on football, but also on horse racing, basketball, and Esports.
The Event View feature is useful for those who like some variety in betting. With it, you get a breakdown of the live matches, allowing you to quickly place bets. 10Bet doesn’t support live streaming, but those interested strictly in betting probably won’t mind as much.
9. Unibet
Risk-free sportsbooks in the United Kingdom are quite abundant, especially the older ones. Unibet was founded in 1997 and it quickly gained popularity among the ambitious gamblers. With the license from the UKGC and Malta, it’s a verified, high-quality online place for betting.
Welcome Bonuses
Unibet makes things easy with its clean and sports-oriented interface. The same applies to welcome bonuses. You can get a welcome bonus of up to £40 in free bets in a simple fashion. Deposit at least £20, place a single bet on a match with the odds of at least 2/5, and if you lose, the bookmaker refunds you up to £40.
Sports Variety
Unibet is a UK bookie website, but we quickly forgot about it. The reason being is because it offers an extensive roster of US sports, such as NBA, American football, ice hockey, with tons of leagues and matches at your disposal.
Furthermore, you get to bet on the most popular sports worldwide. These include football, tennis, volleyball, basketball, motorsports, and even non-sports events, such as political outcomes.
Odds
What are the odds of you actually winning some money? Well, that always depends on numerous factors. While Unibet isn’t the best in this regard, we found its odds pretty competitive. Sometimes, they were higher for football matches, lower for some basketball matches, etc.
Other Features
If you’re a meticulous gambler, placing bets everywhere won’t be your go-to option. Unibet cooperates with Sports Radar, boasting hundreds of in-depth stats that you can look at and study. In return, you can place bets more efficiently on a team or individual who is going to win in your opinion.
Like Betfair, Unibet also has its betting blog. Despite being one of the best UK-based bookmakers, this blog doesn’t always contain info about football and horse racing. It effectively covers every sport, giving a little bit for everyone.
Other features include in-play betting and Racing Post for those who chose to focus on horse racing.
10. BetVictor
BetVictor is a great UK-based online bookmaker available even outside the country. That’s great news because you can enjoy betting on different sports almost worldwide, making it an ideal choice for a vast majority of people. With its inception in 1931, the bookmaker amassed millions of people on its land-based, and now online incantation of the service.
Welcome Bonuses
While BetVictor’s welcome bonus isn’t particularly generous, it’s about the way you can get it. Unlike many bookmakers that require you to place a £10 or £20 bet, this one lets you get a bonus with only a £5 qualifying bet.
Simply place a bet at odds of at least 1/1 and get a 2x £10 free bets bonus. On top of that, BetVictor gives you a £10 Casino bonus, should you decide to test out your luck on that field.
Sports Variety
We all love some variety from time to time and BetVictor knows that. You get to choose from more than 25 sports to place a bet on, including the most popular ones – football, American football, basketball, baseball, MMA, rugby, darts, and so forth.
BetVictor also lets you bet risk-free on politics and some virtual sports if you want to break the monotony.
Odds
What about odds? Are they high enough, given the bookmaker’s placing? Sure. They’re on the competitive side, especially for football. Some promotions even let you use enhanced odds on certain games, where the difference can be as high as 0.5, which is pretty good.
Other Features
One thing, or better said, a person that attracted us to BetVictor is legendary Micahel Owen. This football legend often posts on BetVictor’s blog page, which is one of the special features of this website.
Those who don’t like football as much can also enjoy horse racing. The live betting is here, as well as Cash Out option, giving you more variety in your betting. Speaking of variety, BetVictor lets you make your own bets.
Just pick the game you want, apply the bet you want, and hope for the best. An example of this would be to bet on a certain player to score the goal first or a certain horse to be a particular place at the end of the race.
With BetVictor, possibilities are truly endless!
What Do Other People Online Think About These Bookmakers?
If you take a look at the bookmaker reviews online, you’ll see one nasty trend called “writing bad reviews because I can’t win a single penny.” Never heard of it? Well, your mistake. Trustpilot is a place where people from all around the world can write reviews, but unfortunately, sometimes these people aren’t authoritative enough.
We’ve seen hundreds of bad reviews that scream anger and disappointment. Sure, some users really complain about stuff like customer supports, fees, and withdrawal times, but in most cases, that’s not what happens.
To prove that our UK bookmakers from above are not fake or fraud, we decided to screenshot some of the reviews. We’ll start with 888 Sport that has only 1.7 on Trustpilot and seems very bad.
When you look at the bad reviews, they’re mostly filled with anger and desperation, while the positive ones clearly explain what is good and what isn’t.
888 Sport
Just look at this wonderful feedback. This user spent only one week at the time of writing and is already happy with it. He mentions competitive odds and something else – disappointment with many bad reviews online, that’s what we’re talking about!
Furthermore, he proceeds by praising live chat, simple verification, and mentioning his winnings. He ends the review by pointing out that the negative reviews for 888 Sport are unfair, justifying its trustworthiness, to which we agree.
Bet 365
What about Bet365? Well, you can clearly see what the user thinks about it. He’s happy with the app, live streaming, quick deposits, and many other features. In his words, withdrawals are very fast and support does an excellent job.
One interesting thing is that he compares it with three betting giants – Betfair, William Hill, and Betregal. On our list, Bet365 is at the second spot, so we can definitely see where he’s coming from.
Betway
We’ll do one more – Betway. This is perhaps the number 1 betting site in the UK if we judge by the Trustpilot reviews. With more than 4.4 stars, users definitely enjoy Betway a lot.
You can notice that positive reviews really praise different things and aren’t based on emotions evoked by losing money. This one is no different. Although the user earned quite a lot of money, he mentions that withdrawals are very fast – less than 24 hours.
Later in the review, the user says that he didn’t have any problems with withdrawals and praises Betway’s roulette, giving a 10/10 rating overall. In his words, it’s the “best bookie.”
What we wanted to show you there is that you shouldn’t trust all reviews online, as some of them are fake. People write bad reviews out of frustration, usually because they can’t win any money. Once again, we understand that some of you have a bad experience with certain bookmakers and that’s always a good reason for bad reviews.
But, if you visit Trustpilot, you’ll see that a majority of fraud reviews for these bookmakers are anger-induced and all but helpful.
What is a Bookmaker and How Does It Work?
We’ve talked a lot about different bookmakers on the list. While all of them are quite different, they’re also quite the same. “How?” – you’ll ask. Do you know what is a bookmaker, then?
They all work exactly the same.
You place a bet on a certain match or game and if you got it right, you win a certain sum of money. A definition of a bookmaker would sound like this:
A business entity (individual or group) that promotes, facilitates and encourages gambling.
You can be a bookmaker, too! Let the two dogs grab a towel and pull it apart. Then, you can tell your friends to bet on the dog they think will win and if they get it – you pay them. This is just a basic example of how bookmakers functioned a long time ago.
Nowadays, it’s much more complex. You have odds, different sports events such as football and horse racing, and so forth. Basically, you can bet on everything you want, including political elections, which makes betting and gambling in general very addictive and thrilling.
How does it function?
Every bookmaker has its pre-determined odds on different matches and outcomes. You bet on these matches and if you win, the bookmaker pays you a certain sum of money, depending on the odds. We’ll talk more about odds in just a minute, but for now, it’s important that you grasp the concept of bookmakers.
How Do Online Bookmakers Function?
Let’s say you place a bet on a single match with a certain odd. You win and the bookmaker pays you the sum of money equivalent to the money you’ve invested * the odd. What if you bet on multiple matches with different odds?
In that case, you need to win EVERY match in a single ticket, otherwise, you get no money. The good thing about online bookmakers is that this rule won’t always apply. You’re free to bet on multiple sports simultaneously and whatever you win is yours to take.
Bookmakers are really simple to grasp and even if your IQ isn’t higher than the room temperature, you’ll get it pretty easily. Sure, there are different outcomes to play and that can be confusing, but once you start betting, within a few months, you’ll be more than knowledgeable to bet efficiently.
What is Sportsbook?
If you visit the land-based bookmaker in the UK or anywhere else, you’ll get sort of a book with some matches and odds in it. Every match has its code. You grab a piece of paper, write down the code, and next to it, you type 1 if you want the home team to win, X if it’s going to be a draw, and 2 if the guest team is going to win.
Then, you go to the cashier, give some money, and hope for the best. This book you got is a sportsbook. Basically, it’s a book that displays all the matches, sports, odds, and games that you can play in that land-based bookmaker.
In the online world, things are a lot different. Here, bookmakers and sportsbooks are THE SAME. Whether we call it a sportsbook or bookmaker, we’re thinking about the same when it comes to online betting sites.
Explaining these basic terms is quite important, especially since lots of beginners read sites like this. For that reason, we implore you to read the rest of the article carefully, as betting isn’t something you should take for granted.
It’s fun, but it can also be detrimental to you if not done right.
How to Start on Betting Sites?
Let’s say you’ve read our article all the way to here. You picked 888 Sport or Betway and you’re ready to roll the dice. How can you start? Well, it’s quite simple – the best thing to do is to register on a website you’re going to play on.
Before you do that, though, make sure that you’re over 18 years old. NEVER gamble if you’re under 18 (or 16 in some countries). We don’t promote gambling for underage persons and if you’re one of them, keep reading freely, but don’t gamble.
If you’re over 18 years old, you’ll simply need to make your account and after that, verify your information, deposit some cash, and you’re ready to start betting. Being more experienced players, we know that you’ll probably have a hard time finding the bookmaker that fits you the most.
We have accounts on more than 100 betting sites and believe us – only these 10 managed to impress us. That means that not every betting site in the UK is verified. Some of them are fraudulent and have shady business tactics that you need to be aware of and avoid.
The first step towards starting on betting sites is actually finding the right betting site. After that, everything is as we mentioned – registration, verification, deposit, and gambling. Once again, if you don’t know where to start, simply scroll back up to our top-ten list and choose the bookmaker you like.
How do Odds Work?
We mentioned odds a few minutes ago and promised to talk more about them. Well, here we are. Whether you’re a VIP member of a certain sportsbook or a newcomer, they work the SAME for everyone.
Our suggestion is to read this section carefully, to avoid misunderstandings with online bookmakers and complaining about being cheated on. For the start, betting odds are here to tell you how likely a certain outcome is to happen, but they’re also a sign of how much money you’re going to win.
Decimal Odds
Let’s use decimal numbers first and then, we’ll use fraction odds.
When it comes to decimal numbers, the lower the odd is, the higher the chance of a certain event happening – and vice versa. As an example, we’ll use a football match. You’re betting on a match between Barcelona and Betis.
Barcelona is most likely to win, so the odd for it to win would around 1.10. For Betis, it would be like 6. Now, if you bet £100 on Barcelona to win, you’ll get £100*1.10 = £110 if the team wins. On the other side, if you bet on Betis to win, it’ll be £100*6 = £600 if this team wins.
As you can see, the higher the risk, the higher the sum of money you can win is. Logically. What about fraction odds? Well, these odds are commonly used in the online UK bookmakers and for European gamblers, they can be a bit of a bummer.
Fraction Odds
UK bookmakers use something like this – 9/1, 1/1, 1/4, and so forth. As an example, we’ll use the 1/1 odd. This means that for every £1 you bet, you’ll win an additional £1. If you bet £1,000, you’ll win £1,000.
What about higher odds? An odd of 9/1 gives you £9 for every £1 you bet. Betting £1,000 results in winning £9,000, and so forth. The next big question is – what if I bet on more than one game or outcome in a single ticket?
In that case, all these odds multiply with your stake. For example, you play 3 matches with odds of 9/1, 2/7, and 2.9. It would be like (9/1) * (2/7) * (2/9) * [your stake]. The same applies to decimal odds.
Let’s say these are the odds – 1.28, 1.80, and 2.53. You place a £100 bet and that multiplies with 5.82912 (we got it by multiplying the odds), resulting in a potential win of £582.912.
How are the Odds Determined?
Bookmakers have their own ways of determining the odds and that’s out of our reach. What we can do, however, is to observe and study them to make our betting more efficient. Beware that odds in online bookmakers often change, especially when we talk about live betting.
As a certain match progresses and one team loses, it’s more unlikely that the losing team will claim victory. Also, if you’re planning on playing it safe, we recommend going for lower odds and bet on favorites in a certain match.
You’ll stay safer this way but you’ll also win less money. If you’re a VIP member, some bookmakers will let you get certain boosters and rewards that will slightly inflate the odds. In return, you can win more money by playing on matches that would otherwise have very low odds.
How to Choose the Right Bookmaker for You?
Choosing the right bookmaker seems like an easy task. You just choose the best betting site in your opinion and stick to it all the way. In theory, it sounds okay, as betting sites work pretty much the same. But, if we dig deeper, we can see that they’re actually quite different in what they offer.
Not every UK bookie is intuitive, not every bookie offers good welcome bonuses, and so forth. Despite giving you our Top 10 list, we also want to educate you on how to choose the right bookmaker for your needs.
Lots of factors play a role here, so we’ll try to be as in-depth as possible. Here’s what to consider before signing up:
Welcome Bonuses/Promotions
Before signing up for an online bookmaker, you need to check its welcome bonuses and promotions. Why is that important? Well, how else are you going to kickstart your betting journey? While the best online UK bookmakers don’t give big bonuses like online casinos, you still want to get these £30 or whatever the sum is.
Apart from welcome bonuses themselves, you need to look for wagering requirements and bonus conditions. A bonus should be easy to wager and withdraw bonus-related winnings. For beginners, welcome bonuses are very encouraging and sound quite enticing, making them want to play more and more.
In terms of promotions, there are lots of varieties that depend on the bookmaker itself. Some bookmakers will offer special promotions on certain days, higher odds if you fulfill some requirements, and so forth. Generally speaking, a bookmaker should have at least two promotions – one is a welcome bonus and the other one can be a VIP program or something similar.
You won’t believe how important welcome bonuses are until you start betting. Then, you’ll see that even £10 are somewhat meaningful and can bring you more money.
Betting Variety
Most of the UK gamblers prefer gambling and betting on football and horse racing. Just to make sure we’re not misunderstood, we’re talking about what Americans call soccer. If you’re from the United Kingdom, you know how popular football is, especially the Premier League.
The same applies to horse racing, which saw a massive increase in popularity over the past few decades. In 99.9999% of online UK bookmakers, these two sports are available. However, not all of you want to bet exclusively on these sports.
Some of you want basketball, hockey, cricket, handball, volleyball, boxing, MMA, and so forth. Or perhaps, you want some non-sports events, such as Esports and political outcomes. A quality sportsbook should have all of these, to make sure that you can always switch things up if you’re bored.
Moreover, you should be able to place different bets, more advanced ones. For example, which horse is going to be 5th or which team is going to score a goal in a particular minute. The more betting variety you have, the more you can experiment and win more cash – simple as that!
Odds
We talked about odds and we’ll mention them again because they’re VERY important. Understanding how odds work will make your betting more efficient and make you win bigger. Not every bookie has the same odds. In fact, odds aren’t even the same on the global level!
An odd for the same match and outcome in the UK is different than the one in France, Germany, and India. Since we’re talking about UK-based online bookies, you’ll be concerned only with the odds in your country.
Finding the bookmaker with high odds is quite difficult. Most of them are practically the same, but some of them lead the pack, so to say. One of them is 888 Sport. Our research showed that it has the highest odds that will allow you to win bigger money for the same stake.
Sure, the difference is very small, but on a larger scale, it actually isn’t. Try betting and you’ll see what we’re talking about.
Desktop/Mobile User Experience
Betting is, for some people, way of living. They want to be able to bet on a smartphone, on a PC, tablet, and even a potato probably. But, not every bookmaker will let you do that properly. While most online betting sites are optimized for larger screens, some of them will also give you an exceptional mobile experience.
Furthermore, some of them even have dedicated apps for smartphones, so you don’t have to type in the address in your web browser. In our opinion, the best mobile experience is the one that lets you take full advantage of what the bookmaker offers.
You should be able to use online banking, play live, watch live streams, and so forth. The app shouldn’t be cluttered, which applies to both screen sizes, and of course, more to the screen of the phone.
Our experience showed that many bookies do a better job of optimizing the experience on the PC, while the mobile platforms are a bit neglected. Thankfully, that doesn’t happen very often these days, which you’ll see in some of our reviews.
Banking and Payment Options
Given that you’re playing online, you can’t just bring a couple of pounds and give them to a cashier, as you would to in a land-based bookmaker in the UK. Instead, you’ll have to use payment methods such as PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, VISA, Master Card, and so forth.
The methods that involve the use of PayPal, Neteller, Skrill, and other electronic methods, are called E-Wallets. It’s basically your electronic wallet connected to your credit/debit card, used for paying online or buying stuff from online shops.
A bookmaker should support all of these methods, both E-Wallets and credit/debit cards, and on top of that, be VERY transparent about payments. Also, be aware that some bookies won’t let you claim a welcome bonus if you’re using a particular payment method.
As an example, some of them won’t give you a deposit bonus if you deposited your cash via Neteller or Skrill. Before giving away your money, consult the bookmaker’s support team and ask them to talk to you more about transaction fees, and so forth.
Licensing and Reputation
To avoid having bad experiences and ruining your thoughts about online gambling, it’s always the best to use licensed UK bookies with proven fairness. Heck, even some of the licensed bookies aren’t very good and that’s a fact! When we talk about reputation, you can easily check it out in online reviews.
Delve deeper into gambling forums, test customer support, and ask them more “complex” questions. You can also contact other gamblers and ask them about the bookmaker you want to play on. A bad reputation isn’t gained by being good. On the contrary – you gain bad rep for being a douchebag or providing subpar service.
Licensing… well, if the bookmaker is licensed by the UKGC (United Kingdom Gambling Commission), you have a green light. Some online bookies also have other licenses from Malta or Gibraltar, which is even better, as multiple countries affirmed its quality.
Loyalty Programs
Imagine being the best worker in a company for 20 years and working for a minimum wage. You feel like a fool and you simply don’t have enough motivation to continue working. That’s how you don’t treat people loyal to you.
If you’re loyal, you ought to get some rewards, right? Best betting sites in the UK aren’t like that. They reward your loyalty with promotions that motivate you to keep playing games or betting. The pinnacle of the loyalty program is usually a place in the VIP lounge.
When you’re a VIP member, you enjoy higher odds, better promotions, and usually, shorter withdraw times. Every bookmaker is different in this regard, so the conditions of getting there may vary. The important thing is that some sort of loyalty program exists.
Bonus Features (Live Betting & Live Streaming)
What exactly are bonus features? Well, for the start, it’s live betting or in-play betting, as some call it. Its name is pretty self-explanatory. You watch a certain match and you bet on it while it lasts. For example, a football match. Here, you can bet on the outcome or which team will score the goal first, etc.
Speaking of live streaming, people often use sites such as Bet365 for watching matches for free. That’s why Bet365 is almost the best UK online bookmaker. Not only does it offer a fantastic betting experience, but it also has live betting and live streaming.
Some of the new players won’t necessarily care about bonus features. But, as you progress, you’ll surely want to enjoy some of them. Luckily for you, every bookmaker on our list has at least one of these features.
New Betting Sites – Are They Any Good?
Betting sites appear like mushrooms after the rain. They’re abundant online and finding them is easy, even with a blindfold. However, people are often afraid of these newcomers and would rather stick to the old ones. That’s absolutely okay!
Doing and enjoying what works for you is one thing, but if something’s better, it’s natural to gain interest in it. Some say it’s hypergamy and it is – once the better deal comes, you kick the old one to the curb.
While these new bookmakers aren’t exactly better than our top 10 picks, we still found some of them that are worth playing on.
Mr. Play
Mr. Play is an online bookmaker founded in 2017. This sportsbook is famous for its Play Bot, a bot that will give you the best betting tips that you can utilize or not utilize, depending on how experienced you are.
Gamblers who love football will enjoy Mr. Play to the maximum. It covers more than 180 leagues of this sport, ranging from Premier League to Bahrain Premier League. Needless to say, football isn’t the only thing you’ll enjoy here.
The bookmaker has fast withdrawal times, intuitive interface, and impressive promotions.
Karamba
Experienced betting lovers have probably heard about the new UK betting site, Karamba. If you’re wondering how they’ve come up with that name, it’s basically the bookmaker’s parrot which serves as a mascot. We guess you aren’t interested in parrots, but gambling.
Karamba offers sophisticated software for betting recommendations, called Karambot. You can use it for general tips or when placing in-play bets, for maximum wins. Furthermore, the bookmaker is known for its intuitive interface, excellent odds, and a rich palette of different sports.
Rest assured, it also has a UKGC license.
Quinnbet
Does the name Sean Quinn ring any bells? Once a man who could buy whole Ireland now is bankrupt, but he left one company behind himself – Quinnbet. While the bookmaker is from Ireland, it also allows the UK players to partake and place bets on different games and matches.
Quinnbet specializes in horse racing, but you can also bet on some Gaelic sports, basketball, volleyball, baseball, and so forth. Its interface isn’t the prettiest one you’re going to see, but on the brighter side, it’s crammed with matches, promotions, specials, bonuses, and whatever’s needed to make your stay more welcome.
These are some of the sportsbooks that we found interesting apart from the ones we mentioned already. Although they’re more than decent, you’ll get the best experience gambling on some of the top-ten members.
Betting Strategies – How to Place Bets Efficiently?
Betting risk-free is impossible and that’s something you’ve got to come to terms with. However, we’d lie if we said that there aren’t certain methods that can help you achieve better results. We’ll talk a bit about them in this article and if you’re interested in finding out more, we suggest reading our dedicated guide for betting strategies.
Strategy 1 – Martingale
The Martingale strategy is pretty simple and is the most famous in the world. After you fail a bet, double your stake to make up for your losses in case you win. Apply this to each bet and always double your stake, and if you win, you’ll quickly cover up the losses in the previous bet. This strategy usually works very well but requires a good amount of money on your account to make it last long enough.
Strategy 2 – Fixed Wager
The Fixed Wager method is for those who want to increase their winnings steadily, without big risks. You take one stake, which can be £50, for example. Every time you bet, you place £50, no matter the odds or match. As a result, you get slow but more stable progress, albeit, your winnings are pretty limited.
Strategy 3 – Fibonacci
Mathematicians will know who Fibonacci is. And if you know a thing or two about the Fibonacci sequence, you can apply this method. Basically, you need to increase your stake in this sequence with the next bet’s winnings to your losses. It’s very similar to Martingale, though. Here, on the other hand, if you’re on a losing streak, your stake won’t increase quickly.
Strategy 4 – Bet Everything
For us, the best betting strategy is to bet everything. This is actually the one most people choose. You can earn very good money this way, as this is a high-risk-high-reward technique. Take every pound you have when placing a bet and hope for the best.
If you win, you’re in for some good money. If not… well, you can always fund in more cash and try again! As we mentioned, don’t expect safety here. This method is by no means safe, but it brings a LOT of cash.
FAQ
To wrap up the article, we’ll answer some of the most commonly asked questions related to the best UK online bookmakers in general:
⚽️ How do betting odds work?
In short, odds represent the probability of something to happen and they indicate how much money you can potentially win. When you place a bet with a certain odd, that odd multiplies with your stake and that’s how much money you’ll get if the bet wins.
The same applies to multiple odds. If you place a bet on multiple matches, all these odds multiply with your stake. The odds are smaller for favorites and much higher for the team or player who is unlikely to win the match or a game.
We suggest reading more about the odds above, as this is a very important factor for betting.
? Which betting site offers the best odds?
For a newbie, the odds will seem all the same because the difference is very small. However, this difference is sometimes very meaningful, especially if you pair multiple bets simultaneously. Our research and ranking showed that 888 Sport has the best odds, closely followed by Bet365.
? Are online bookmakers and betting sites legal?
We don’t promote anything illegal on our website. Since we live in the United Kingdom, our best online betting sites are indeed legal and reliable, but only if you’re 18 or above, depending on your country’s legislation. The legality of these websites is not to be questioned!
? What is matched betting?
Matched betting is considered by many to be a risk-free betting method. It’s essentially a method for turning your free bets bonus into real cash. To do that, you need to place a bet on both outcomes, which will guarantee your win. This method is not fraud and works in most cases.
? Is matched betting legal?
Yes, it is, there is no reason for it not to be illegal. It’s 100% legitimate.