Updated: 8 September 2020

Best Betting Sites

Updated: 8 September 2020
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18+, Welcome Bonus: New Players only, 1st Deposit, Min Deposit: £10, max £15 bonus, valid for 14 days, bets must be placed at a min. odds of 1/1 (2.00) or greater and be settled within 14 days of placement. System bets no eligible. Click to see full T&Cs

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T&C's Apply, 18+, Please Gamble Responsibly.

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18+. Min deposit £/€/ • A qualifying bet is a ‘real money’ stake of at least £/€/ • Min odds 1/2 (1.50) • Free Bets credited upon qualifying bet settlement and expire after 7 days • Free Bet stakes not included in returns • Casino Bonus must be claimed within 7 days • To withdraw bonus/related wins, wager the bonus amount 40 times within 14 days • Casino Bonus expires after 60 days • https://www.begambleaware.org • Withdrawal restrictions, payment methods, country & T&C's Apply

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New UK customers only. Register using the promo code BETFRED60, deposit and place first bet of £10+ on Sports (cumulative Evens+) within 7 days of registration. First bet must be on Sports. £20 in Free Bets to be used on Sports, £10 in Free Bets to be used on Lotto and 50 Extra Spins (20p per spin) credited within 48 hours of bet settlement. Further £20 in Free Bets credited 5 days after settlement. Bonuses have a 7-day expiry. Payment restrictions apply. SMS verification and/or Proof of I.D and address may be required. Full T&Cs apply.

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New Customers only; Min. deposit £15; Bonus amount 50% of deposit up to £50; Wager deposit and bonus 8x within 60 days; 4/5 Min. single odds or 2/5 min. acca selection odds; Max. stake contribution equal to the initial bonus; Certain bet types and payment methods excluded; See full terms; Terms apply; 18+

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T&Cs apply. New customers on mobile only. 7 days to claim and stake £10 minimum bet at odds of 1.5 or greater to qualify. Free, void, cashed out or partially cashed out bets do not qualify. Max 3x £10 free bets credited on bet settlement. Free bets must be used on 4 or more selections with selection odds of 1.3 or greater. Free bets are non-withdrawable and stake not returned with winnings. 7 day expiry. 18+ BeGambleAware.org

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18+ New customers only. Opt in, bet £5 at odds 2.00+ within 7 days of registering, no cashout. Get 2x £10 Free Bets, set events at odds 2.00+. Plus a £10 Slot Bonus, selected games, wager 20x to withdraw max £250. 7 day bonus expiry. Card payments only. T&Cs apply, see below. begambleaware.org | Please gamble responsibly

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Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of bets to value of qualifying deposit. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply.

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New customers online only. Place your first bet on racing pools for a minimum of £5 and win or lose you will receive £20 Tote Credit. £20 Tote Credit rewarded as £10 redeemable against racing bets only and £10 redeemable against UK and Irish placepot bets only. Tote Credit cannot be withdrawn, exchanged, or substituted and expires after 7 days. Qualifying bet is the first racing pool bet added to the bet-slip. Ten to Follow, virtual and football bets do not qualify. Totewin will be the qualifying bet when a Totewin and a Toteplace bet are struck at the same time. New UK & ROI customers only. 18+. Full T&Cs apply.

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18+. New customers only. The Promotion operates as a £/€20 Surprise Bet when you place a bet of at least £/€10 on any market with odds greater than or equal to 1.50 as your first bet. The Promotion runs from 09/08/2021 / 12:00 (BST) until 31/12/2021 / 12:00 (BST) (the “Promotional Period”). T&Cs apply.

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New customers. Max £10. 200% Odds Boost Token. Keep it fun - set your deposit limit. T&Cs apply. 18+. BeGambleAware.org

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18+, Welcome Bonus: New Players only, 1st Deposit, Min Deposit,: £10, max £10 free bet valid for 14 days, bets must be placed at odds of 1/1 or greater and be settled within 14 days of placement. System bets not eligible. Neteller,Skrill and Paypal not eligible. T&Cs apply

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Max. Free Bet Token amount: £10. Minimum Deposit: £10. Minimum wagering on Sport to activate the Free Bet Token: £15.

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New Players Only. Free bet - one-time stake of £10, min odds 1.5, stake not returned. 1X wager the winnings. Wager from real balance first. Wager calculated on bonus bets only. Max conversion: £200. Valid for 7 Days from issue. Withdrawal requests voids all active/pending bonuses. Excluded Skrill deposits. Full Terms apply.

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Not Valid from 10pm 8th April 2024 until 6pm 9th April 2024

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18+ Eligible UK+IRE players. Paypal & some deposit & bet types excl. Min first €5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 = 4x €5 free bets. Free bets valid for 7 days, stake not returned. No cash-out, restrictions & T&Cs apply. Begambleaware.org.

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New UK customers (Excluding NI) only. Mobile exclusive. Min stake £10. Min odds Evs. Free bet applied on 1st settlement of any qualifying bet. 30 days to qualify. Free bets expire in 7 days. Cashed out/Free Bets won’t apply. Payment method restrictions. 1 Free Bet offer per customer, household & IP Address only. 18+.T&C's Apply. **18+. UK/IRE customers only. Max refund £/€20. Win or win part of e/w outright singles only. 5 or more runners. 1st bet on each race. Free bet expires after 7 days. Free/void/antepost bets don't qualify. Unnamed 2nd Favs don’t qualify. T&Cs apply

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T&C's Apply, 18+, Please Gamble Responsibly.

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Join and place a £25 fixed odds bet at minimum odds of 1/2. Once the bet is settled. Get 5 x £5 free fixed odds bets + 2 x £5 free Total Goals spread bets + 50 extra spins on Starburst. T&C's apply. Free bets expire in 28 days if unused. Promotions available to 18+ aged individuals who are registered customers of Spreadex. Spreadex Ltd reserves the right to exercise its sole discretion as to whether or not to open account facilities for any prospective client. Spreadex Ltd reserves the right to amend, withdraw or restrict this offer at any time without notice. Spreadex Ltd reserves the right to withhold this offer when it has reasonable belief there has been co-operation, collusion or organisation of bets from the same source, or if it has reasonable belief that the offer is being abused in any way. Spreadex Ltd is the sole arbiter of these rules and any other issue arising under the promotion. No staff member (or any relation or partner thereof) of any spread betting or fixed odds bookmaking firm is eligible to take advantage of these offers. Offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other Spreadex offer. Unless otherwise stated, clients reopening Spreadex accounts do not qualify for the offer. Customers who are ineligible for any promotional free bets will also be ineligible for these promotions. T&C's Apply.

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New customer offer. Place a min £10 bet on the Sportsbook on odds of min 1/2 (1.5), get £30 in Free Bets. Rewards valid for 30 days. SMS verification required. Only deposits via cards or Apple Pay will qualify. T&Cs apply. Please Gamble Responsibly.

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18+. UK only. Whilst this promotion has no end date, it is available for new players who have registered at EnergyBet after 31.08.2020 and valid only for their first qualifying Sportsbook bet. Cash stakes only. Min. £10 deposit required. Min. total odds of 3/4. Min. odds for each selection 1/4. Bonus amount £10. Bonus funds to be wagered 1x on odds of 4/5 or higher. Bets placed for both sides, with the same outcome and for the same event, will be disqualified. Virtual Sports bets do not qualify. Cashed out bets do not qualify. Other T&Cs apply. Be gamble aware. Please bet responsibly

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Offer for new customers who register via Mobile; Place first £10 bet on sports with 3 legs at odds of 1.3 or greater per leg; Free Bet credited after the qualifying bet has settled; Free Multiple Bet must contain 3 legs at odds of 1.3 or greater per leg; Free Bet stakes not returned; No wagering requirements on winnings; £100 max win; T&C’s apply; 18+

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18+ Welcome Bonus: New depositing sport players only. T&Cs Apply.

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New customers only. Place your FIRST bet on any Football market and if it loses we will refund your stake in CASH. Max refund for this offer is €/£20. Only deposits made using cards will qualify for this promotion. T&Cs apply.

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Customers must place a acca of at least £10 on any football with 4 selections or more minimum odds 1/2 (1.50) per selection. First bet placed will qualify. £5 Free Bet will be given on settlement. Valid once a week until 30th September 2024.

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18+ New UK+IRE Customers only. Certain deposit methods & bet types excl. Min first £/€5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 to get 4x £/€5 free bets. Free bets available to use on selected sportsbook markets only. Free bets valid for 7 days, stake not returned. Restrictions + T&Cs apply.

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T&C's Apply, 18+, Please Gamble Responsibly.

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Over 18s only please gamble responsibly

When it comes to which online betting site is best, there's no right or wrong answer. In this guide, we’ve given you a formula for finding what we think are the top few. Covering everything from bonuses to the comparisons you should be making, this guide will help you spot a hot tip at 50 paces.

Which Online Betting Site is the Best?

Anyone can search for “best betting sites UK” or “best online bookmakers” and a search engine will throw up hundreds of results. If you’re not versed in the nuances of the betting world, the natural inclination is to assume the top-ranked results are the best.

In reality it’s on you to figure out which betting sites are actually worth it and which ones aren’t. How? Some good, old-fashioned research and comparison of the results can go along way.

Comparing The Best Betting Sites

Your research and comparison of the best betting sites can go in a couple of directions. You can use third-party reviews of the various bookamkers online, like those you find on our website. This is a solid starting point but you should probably complement it with your own assessments.

Once you’ve created a shortlist of potential sites, the best thing to do is create an account and test things out for yourself. When you’re confident you’ve found a hit (even or more than one) make a deposit and get a proper feel for the betting experience of the website in question away.

Things to Consider when Comparing Betting Sites

Safety, Security and Licensing

Regardless of whether a site is ranked among the top online bookmakers in the UK or not, it needs to have a licence. If it hasn't been given the green light by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), it’s not legal. Off the back of this, look for other trust markers such as certificates of fairness, SSL encryption and secure payment processors.

What The Experts Say

Once you know a site is safe, it’s worth looking at what industry insiders say about it. By reading high-quality reviews from experts, you can get an insight into subtle things you may not have thought about. For example, an unbiased reviewer will know an operator’s background, whether they have any sister sites or noted parent companies. In other words, they have insights that can tell you whether a platform is legitimate or not.

Betting Markets Diversity

At the heart of any online betting site are the betting events and markets it offers. If you can’t bet on the sports you like, it’s not worth your time. Covering major sports like, horse racing and tennis is easy. If you spot odds on darts, futsal and table tennis, you can be confident the site has a strong team of bookmakers behind it. On top of that, the leading betting sites will also offer a variety of ways to wager on a sport or event aka betting markets such as outright win bets, each-way options, multiples, scorecasts, time-related wagers and more.

Betting Odds Value

Covering wide range of events and betting markets is esential but from a punter perspective odds also need to be valuable, i.e. provide the largest margin on the amount the punter decides to wager. Ver simply put, top betting sites are those that offer the best odds for the sporting events and markets you wish to wager on.

Betting Tips

A major selling point for the best betting sites is information. The better the brand, the better its betting tips will be. Look for sites with plenty blog posts and, importantly, tips from recognised and respected experts.

Sports Live Streams

To make your experience more entertaining, top-rated bookmakers allow you to watch certain events in real time. Additionally, you should also be able to find live simulations that feature a host of stats. Using these features should make your time online more interesting and, potentially, more lucrative.

Free Bets & Other Bonuses

Last but not least are the bonuses offered by online bookmakers, which represent the cornerstone of the betting world. Naturally, the more there are, the better but it's imperative that you fully understand the wagering conditions necessary to claim your free bets, which can vary a lot from site to site.

As a rule of thumb, betting site bonuses fall within the following groups:

  • No Deposit Bonus: Some of the very best online bookmakers will give you free credits when you create an account. Although it may only be a small amount, it’s yours just for registering your details.
  • Deposit Bonus: Type “sports betting sites UK” into Google and all the sites that appear will have a deposit bonus. Often known as a welcome reward, these deals are for new customers and typically consist of free bets/credits and are based your first deposit.
  • Reload Bonuses: These are like first deposit bonuses but slightly smaller and given to existing customers.
  • Bet Insurance/Cashback: UK punters like to have some sort of insurance when they bet. Deals such as accumulator insurance and cashback are designed to address this need. Basically, if you lose under certain conditions, you get some money back.

Contributor

Colm Phelan
Colm Phelan

A lifelong sports fan, Colm Phelan began writing at a young age which eventually led him to a career in journalism. Now an accomplished sportswriter and editor Colm has covered football, golf, NFL and boxing for numerous leading and national publications. He is a lifelong Arsenal supporter and also shouts for the Chicago Bears.

Interests: Football, NFL, Golf, Odds Comparison

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