Sports Betting in the UK

The choice of a sportsbook is not less important than the choice of a wager. The experience offered with different bookies varies a lot, so it is crucial to find a decent operator.

Bonus up to:
$1500
Welcome Package
* New customers only. 100% match bonus based
4.8 rating
4.8
1 Free Spin credited for every $1 deposit. Up to 50 Free Spins valued at $0.10 each on Book.
4.5 rating
4.5
Bonus up to:
$300
Welcome Package
* New customers only. 100% match bonus based on first deposit of £/$/€100+.
4.3 rating
4.3
Wellcome Offer:
£50
Bonus for New Players
4.3 rating
4.3
Wellcome Offer:
$20
Bonus for New Players
4.0 rating
4.0

A Beginner’s Guide on the UK’s Best Bookies

Sports betting sites offer comprehensive services, which is why we review and test them so scrupulously. In this guide, we will share with you our tips on how to find the best bookie for yourself.

What’s the Approach in General?

In general, our typical review process starts with creating an account. Then, we cash in some real funds and place some wagers. Alongside online sports betting, we also test and assess the additional features, such as banking, support and others. Once we are sure we have tested everything, we write our reviews to present you with the information in a comfortable form.

What About Reliability?

To ensure the newest sports betting sites are reliable and trustworthy, we perform the following steps:

  1. We check the license of the bookmaker and ensure it is issued legally.
  2. We visit players’ reviews platforms to check the opinions of existing players.
  3. We ensure the company has a positive reputation.
  4. We assess the security level of the bookie. This includes the protection level of both personal information storage and financial transactions processing.

The Detailed Review Method We Use to Assess Betting Sites UK

While choosing one of the sports betting UK sites, it is essential to ensure the place is legally licenced. In the United Kingdom, each bookmaker should be licensed by the UKGC (the United Kingdom Gambling Commission). Once this step is performed, you are ready to assess the quality of service. In this section, we will share with you our approach in detail.

We Assess

User experience

There are a lot of parameters you should take into account in order to make a perfect choice. In our reviews, our second criterion after the license is the user experience. It is quite a vague term, as it includes many small aspects starting from the interface and ending with the usability of the platform. All in all, sports betting and all the other features should be comfortable.

Bonuses & Promotions

The freebies also count for every bookie. Even though it should not be the main criterion, it may help you out when choosing between the last several bookies. Decent UK sports betting sites offer generous promotions, such as major deposit bonuses or large free bets. Another important side of bonuses is the requirements behind them. They should also be assessed attentively, as there might easily be pitfalls in the bonus terms.

Sports & Markets Variety

Of course, sports betting online would be uncomfortable with a limited choice. Thankfully, modern bookies usually offer a good range of sports and betting markets for them. We usually assess the markets in general, but as an individual player, you may just ensure that your favourite sports are represented properly.

Betting Options

Apart from the betting markets, there are also types of bets that sports betting websites may accept. The types may vary a lot among different bookies, but in general, there should just be enough options to place combined wagers. While working on our reviews, we always test all the available options and try to highlight their advantages and drawbacks in the final text.

Support Team

This aspect of the betting experience is usually overlooked by players. However, it is important to know everything about the support team beforehand. With such an approach, you will not panic or become nervous in case something goes wrong. Moreover, by analysing the support team beforehand, you will eliminate the chance to stumble upon a low-quality support service.

We review the performance of customer support teams by contacting them via different methods. We assess the response time, the manner in which the assistants communicate and whether or not they manage to resolve our issues or answer our questions.

Banking Options & Transaction Terms

The approach to banking is another crucial aspect of interacting with sports betting sites in the UK. The first thing we do here is looking at the list of available deposit and withdrawal methods. We ensure it is diverse and has many different types of payment options, such as credit or debit cards, e-wallets, vouchers and others. We also make sure the most popular methods in the country are represented well.

However, it is not the only point to take into account here. The terms for transactions are no less important than the banking methods. We always assess the minimum and maximum limits for cash-ins and cash-outs, check the withdrawal processing times and analyse the security of the cashier.

How to Find a Perfect Bookie?

In our today’s guide, we don’t just intend to present you with the list of best sports betting sites. The quality of a website is very subjective, as different players have different tastes and preferences. Some of them value promotions over everything else, while others focus on finding the best competitive odds. Today, we are sharing the tips to find the best site with online sports betting in the UK and bring up important aspects that should be taken into account.

General Parameters

Even though the research performed in the process of finding a bookmaker should be personalized, there are some general parameters that every player has to take into account. First of all, you should make sure you are comfortable with the website or app of your potential bookmaker. Even if the features of the site are outstanding, a bad interface can easily outweigh it.Another criterion that every player should apply is the reputation of the bookie. There are lots of independent platforms that let players publically write reviews of popular online bookmakers. You can try finding a site you like there. It is a great thing to do as you will both be able to project the experience of other users on yourself and see the highlights and drawbacks of the bookie.

Don’t Focus on Promotions

Promotions are mainly used by bookies to attract new players. The company decides to provide the coming users with some free value in order to make their offer look better than the one of their competitors. However, the more generous is the offer, the more attention you should put in reading the bonus terms behind it. In most cases, if the bonus sounds way too generous, it will have playthrough requirements that are hard to complete or other terms that will prevent a portion of players from actually getting the free value.

In case you still prioritize promotions over other features, you should at least do it smartly. Don’t get baited on the first large offer you see. With promotions, it is better to think long-term. When choosing a site, you should ask the following questions:

  1. Will I be able to complete the requirements here?
  2. Are the max limits of promotions comfortable for me?
  3. Are there any reload or recurring bonuses?
  4. Are new promotions introduced regularly?

Without such an approach, you are very likely to get stuck at a bookmaker that only had one large welcome offer and does not provide the players with new bonuses.

Betting on your Favorite Sports

We’re slowly moving on to the sports betting tips section of this review. There are two main reasons betting on your favourite sports is a good idea. First of all, you will be more familiar with the teams and conditions, and the information is key in the sports betting world. Making informed decisions will surely improve your performance in a sportsbook.

The second reason to bet on your favourite sports is that you will be able to enjoy watching the games you bet on. Spicing up the competition with a wager is almost a tradition among punters already, and most players state that it makes watching a lot more thrilling and interesting.

Try Playing Comprehensive

Did you know that the best odds and the highest winnings come from combined bets? If you’re a beginner, you are probably still sticking up with single wagers as they are easier to understand and track. However, trying different options of combined bets can multiply your winnings.

We suggest starting with doubles. These are the bets where you select outcomes of two different events and have a multiplied odd. If both your predictions were correct, you win. Otherwise, you lose. It is a good way to start combined betting as it is not too complicated for beginners and still can grant major winnings.

Check Banking and Support

We always recommend checking out the banking system and the support team before making your first deposit. With the banking system, it is quite obvious: the transactions have to be comfortable, smooth, fast and safe. With the support team, many players disregard the importance of this aspect. However, even an experienced punter needs help once in a while. Make sure that the support team will resolve your potential issue quickly. A decent bookmaker will offer several methods to contact the support team as well as a short response term, in order to ensure the players get qualified help as soon as possible.

Keep Yourself Cold-Minded

The most common way to fail your online betting in the UK is to make emotional decisions. Once you have selected a market to place a wager on, have opened your betting slip and entered the sum of your bet, hold on for a second to rethink it. It is especially true for players who are on a losing streak. Taking a break for a day is a good idea, in case you have lost several bets in a row and start being emotional.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the Best Online Betting Site UK?

The answer would be individual for each punter as all the sites have their advantages and drawbacks. Feel free to use the tips we gave in the article to find the best betting site for yourself.

How Do I Choose A Betting Site?

First of all, you have to find an aggregator of betting sites available in the UK. Then, you can apply the criteria we have mentioned in this article to find a bookmaker that would fit your needs perfectly. You should analyse the general criteria first and the personal ones later in order to optimise your research.

What’s the Best Betting App?

Here, we have the same issue we had with choosing the best online betting sites. Apps have different features, and the players have different preferences. Therefore, the choice should be individual. The general tip here would be to look for a popular and successful bookmaker as they are typically the ones with quality apps.

Is Football Betting Legal?

Yes, football betting is legally regulated in the UK. From the perspective of a player, you don’t have to worry about the legislation as most of the regulations are aimed at the providers of betting services. A good idea would be to check whether the site has an official license as it guarantees you the bookmaker is legally regulated and trustworthy.

Do all Betting Sites in The UK Offer Football Betting?

No, but most of them do. You can easily check out the list of available sports at the site of each bookmaker. Since football is one of the most popular sports in the UK, the bookies will surely do their best to provide it.

Is Sports Betting Online Illegal?

No, but each bookie has to comply with certain regulations to legally provide its service in the UK. From the perspective of a player, it would be enough to ensure the site is licensed by the UKGC.

How Old Do You Have to Be to Bet on Sports?

In the UK, gambling and sports betting are allowed for any person over the age of 18.

Are betting sites trustworthy?

Not all of them. The easiest way to analyse the trustworthiness of any betting site is to check its license and its reputation on players’ reviews platforms.

Can betting sites ban you?

Yes, if you violate their terms and conditions. We strongly suggest reading them carefully in order not to get your account banned and your winnings being frozen.