- Offers both fixed odds and spread betting
- Ideal venue for live betting
- Best value fixed odds bookie for Premier League
- Betting Exchanges
- Casino
- Live Stream
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- Betting App
- Odds Boosts
- Refer a Friend
- ACCA Insurance
- Trusted US brand now available in the UK
- Ideal for sports on both sides of the pond
- Numerous promotions and free bet deals
- Casino
- Cashout
- Bet Builder
- Betting App
- ACCA Insurance
- Cash Out
- Odds Boosts
- Traditional betting shop feel for online bettors
- Horse racing and greyhounds a speciality
- Speedy withdrawal times
- Casino
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- BOG
- Get Best Odds Guaranteed from 08:00
- Promotions galore from "the Bonus King"
- Home of the Lucky 15
- Casino
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- BOG
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- 2nd to Favourite
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- All feature races eligible
- Applies to win and each-way bets
- Available to new and existing customers
- Casino
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- Bet Builder
- Betting App
- BOG
- Loyalty Club
- ACCA Insurance
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- Extra Places
- 2nd to Favourite
- Odds Boosts
- Over 30 sports to bet on with impressive market depth
- Great offers for new and existing customers
- Best Odds Guaranteed from 08:30
- Casino
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- Brand new UK actor
- Wide variety of deposit options & fast cashouts
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- Casino
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- Bet Builder
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- Wide range of racing and football markets
- Boost your acca up to 75%
- Operating since 1992
- Betting Exchanges
- Casino
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- Cashback on net losses
- Comprehensive coverage of sports worldwide
- Multiple markets for almost every event
- Betting Exchange lets you bet like a bookie
- Betting Exchanges
- Casino
- Live Stream
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- Bet Builder
- Betting App
- BOG
- Loyalty Club
- ACCA Insurance
- Cash Out
- Extra Places
- 2nd to Favourite
- Odds Boosts
Best online bookmakers in 2024
Why Trust Safest Betting Sites?
- Bet safely and securely with UKGC-regulated sites
- Know what to expect before you sign up
- Take advantage of the latest bonuses and promotions
Our Picks for the Best Betting Sites By Category
BetUK: Best All-Round Online UK Bookmaker
We confidently place BetUK at the top of our list of the best betting websites in the UK. For years, we’ve recognized BetUK as one of the best bookies, and it should remain so unless significant changes occur. BetUK has been operational for over a decade and underwent a major redesign in 2021, enhancing its visual appeal and boosting its popularity.
Although BetUK isn’t physically based in the UK, its operations are heavily focused on the UK market. Owned by LeoVegas Gaming, a Malta-based company that also manages LeoVegas and BetMGM, BetUK is fully licensed and reputable. The UKGC licence number is 39198.
What You Need to Know:
Minimum Deposit | £10 |
Maximum Withdrawal | £35,000 (bank transfer) |
Bet Builder | 9.8/10 |
Cash Out | 9.8/10 |
Betting App | 9.9/10 (iOS & Android) |
Betting Markets | 9.8/10 |
Odds | 9.8/10 |
Bonuses & Promotions | 9.9/10 |
Support | FAQs, live chat, email |
Payment Methods | Debit cards, PayPal, ApplePay, bank transfer |
Full Review | BetUK Review |
BetUK’s Sign-up Bonus Offer
The BetUK deal will give you £30 in free bets. To nab this offer, complete the sign-up process at the site then make a minimum £10 deposit, followed by a minimum £10 bet (minimum odds 4/5 or 1.80) within seven days. Once that bet has settled, you will receive a £10 free Horse Racing bet (min. odds 4/5), a £10 free Bet Builder bet (min. odds 3/1) and a £10 free Football bet (min. odds 4/5). All bets must be used within seven days, and your stake is not returned should your bet(s) be a winning one. As with all the best betting site offers, full T&Cs apply, so check them out!
Reasons to Sign Up:
- The best online bookmaker in the UK today
- Clean and clear interface, excellent betting apps
- Daily ‘BetUK Specials’ with enhanced odds
Reasons to Avoid:
- Nothing that springs to mind!
bet365: Best for Betting on Football
It’s almost impossible for someone to have ever bet on football in the UK without being aware of the bet365 online betting platform. Bet365 is the biggest betting brand in the United Kingdom and the one most commonly used for football betting. Of course, just because lots of people use a site doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a good one. But we’re pleased to report that bet365 tops our football betting sites list.
So much of bet365 is geared towards football that you might think it is less relevant for betting on anything else. That is not the case at all. No matter what you want to bet on, you’ll be able to do so here. One key thing to note concerning any bet365 football bet on the match result: if the side you’ve backed goes two goals up, your bet is paid out no matter what happens afterwards! BetUK is completely and utterly a UK company, based in Stoke-on-Trent, with the UKGC licence number 55148.
What You Need to Know:
Minimum Deposit | £5 |
Maximum Withdrawal | £100,000 (Trustly, Wire Transfer) |
Bet Builder | 9.8/10 |
Cash Out | 9.7/10 |
Betting App | 9.8/10 (iOS & Android) |
Betting Markets | 9.9/10 |
Odds | 9.8/10 |
Bonuses & Promotions | 9.7/10 |
Support | FAQs, live chat, email, snail mail |
Payment Methods | Debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Wallet, PayPal, Trustly, PaybyBank, PaysafeCard. Click to pay, Wire Transfer |
Full Review | bet365 Review |
bet365’s Sign-up Bonus Offer
The bet365 welcome offer is well worth claiming because £30 in ‘free’ money should never be sniffed at! To get your £30 bonanza, sign up at bet365 and make a minimum £10 deposit using a debit card within 30 days. The next step is to place a bet at odds of 1/5 (1.20) or greater. (In the case of a multi, at least one section must have odds 1/5 or greater). Once that bet has settled, you will receive £30 in free bet credits. Bet credits do not seem to come with any limitation criteria, but it’s best to check the latest T&Cs at bet365, just in case.
Reasons to Sign Up:
- Ideal for football betting
- Win bets are paid immediately if your team goes 2 goals up
- The site is easy to use
- All markets covered beyond football
Reasons to Avoid:
- Insists on calling football ‘soccer’
BetGoodwin: Best for Betting on Horse Racing
People who indulge in horse racing betting online may be well aware of ‘Goodwin Racing’. In ye olde days before the internet, if you couldn’t visit a real-world bookie in the UK, you had the option of using a telephone betting bookmaker. You called them up, opened an account, made a deposit by debit or credit card and placed your bets. Your winnings would then be credited to your account if your horse racing bet won.
Goodwin Racing were one of the biggest, if not the biggest telephone betting bookmakers. They still are! But, Goodwin Racing recognised the power of the internet in 2022 and opened up the BetGoodwin online sports betting site. This site reflects Goodwin Racing’s horse racing pedigree because the main focus is still on backing the nags. All manner of betting options are available though, and there’s a huge quantity of them! BetGoodwin is registered with the UKGC, licence number 2927.
What You Need to Know:
Minimum Deposit | £10 |
Maximum Withdrawal | £100,000 |
Bet Builder | None available |
Cash Out | 9.7/10 |
Betting App | 9.7/10 (iOS and Android) |
Betting Markets | 9.7/10 |
Odds | 9.8/10 |
Bonuses & Promotions | 9/7/10 |
Support | Live chat |
Payment Methods | Debit cards |
Full Review | BetGoodwin Review |
BetGoodwin’s Sign-up Bonus Offer
Don’t worry if you aren’t a horse racing fan because you can also use the BetGoodwin welcome offer on other sports. It’s a simple offer to understand. When you sign up to BetGoodwin and make bets, you will get 50% back on any first-day losses, up to a maximum of £25. So, if you lose £40 you will get back £20, and if you lose £60 you will get back £25. And if you end up in the black on your first BetGoodwin day then you won’t need the cashback!
To qualify for this offer you must make a minimum of three bets of £10 or more each on your first day. Each bet must also be at odds of 1/1 (2.00) or higher. Once your first day is over, any free bets due to you will be credited to your account within 24 hours. Your free bet stakes won’t be returned if you succeed with them – only your winnings. We think that covers most of the important terms but check for updates at the BetGoodwin site.
Reasons to Sign Up:
- Site is ideal for horse racing betting fans
- Get back half of your first-day losses
- Plenty of other markets beyond horse racing
Reasons to Avoid:
- No bet builder
BetMGM: Best for Betting on Golf
BetMGM is one of the leading new betting sites in the UK, having been established here in 2023. It’s not new to online betting itself, though. BetMGM is one of the biggest betting websites in the US and has been since licensed sports betting was made legal over the pond in 2018 (a sector that has since generated $125 billion). BetMGM has taken the hop over the Atlantic and is now trying its luck in good old Blighty.
Americans love their golf, which is not surprising as three of the four global golf majors are played in the States. BetMGM is always on the list of betting sites recommended for golf betting, with full and extensive coverage of all major tournaments and tours, including the PGA, LPGA and European tours and the controversial LIV Golf. There’s a full A-Z of sports to bet on, though, and football fans will love the Golden Goals game which is free to enter and has a top prize of £2 million. BetMGM is run in the UK by LeoVegas Gaming with the UKGC licence number 39198.
What You Need to Know:
Minimum Deposit | £10 |
Maximum Withdrawal | £35,000 (bank transfer) |
Bet Builder | 9.8/10 |
Cash Out | 9.7/10 |
Betting App | 9.7/10 (iOS & Android) |
Betting Markets | 9.7/10 |
Odds | 9.7/10 |
Bonuses & Promotions | 9.8/10 |
Support | FAQs, live chat, email |
Payment Methods | Debit cards, PayPal, ApplePay, bank transfer |
Full Review | BetMGM Review |
BetMGM’s Sign-up Bonus Offer
Another great reason beyond golf betting to sign up with BetMGM is their welcome offer. Bet just £10 and you’ll get £40 in free bets. Once you have completed your BetMGM registration, you have seven days to place a minimum £10 qualifying bet at odds of 1/1 (2.0) or bigger. That will earn you a £10 Bet Builder bet, a £10 Football bet, a £10 Horse Racing Bet and a £10 Acca. Each bet comes with its own set of rules, so make sure you check them out at the BetMGM site, along with the full offer T&Cs. Of course, we ought to point out that free bet stakes are not returned with winnings, but that’s standard practice with such offers at all of the best sportsbooks.
Reasons to Sign Up:
- #1 in the best online bookmakers list for golf
- £40 in free bets when you bet £10
- Win £2 million with the free to enter Golden Goals game
Reasons to Avoid:
- Pictures of Chris Rock on every page
Fafabet: Best for Betting on Tennis
Tennis is an extremely popular pastime in the UK. There are tennis clubs in every city and town, and UK life is completely taken over by Wimbledon for two weeks every summer. You may be wondering then, why we have recommended a non-UK site as the best to bet on for tennis. Well, despite the name ‘Fafabet’ is a UK site, and it’s run by a UK (Reading) based company called… TaiChi Tech. Honestly, we give up.
Despite all this confusion, Fafabet is tops among UK betting sites for tennis. It particularly excels when Wimbledon swings around, but has fantastic coverage of all the four tennis majors and the main WTP and LTA tours, all year round. Look out for special deals such as enhanced odds, favourable cashout deals and free strawberries and cream (might not be true). Fafabet has been running in the UK since 2021 under licence number 57385 from the UKGC.
What You Need to Know:
Minimum Deposit | £10 |
Maximum Withdrawal | No maximum |
Bet Builder | 9.8/10 |
Cash Out | 9.7/10 |
Betting App | 9.6/10 (iOS & Android) |
Betting Markets | 9.6/10 |
Odds | 9.7/10 |
Bonuses & Promotions | 9.6/10 |
Support | Live chat, email |
Payment Methods | Debit cards |
Full Review | Fafabet Review |
Fafabet’s Sign-up Bonus Offer
The welcome offer available at Fafabet is very generous and could be worth up to £50. A £10 qualifying bet at minimum odds of 1/1 (2.00) will generate a £5 free bet and a £5 casino bonus. You can double both with a £20 or greater qualifying bet, or max it out with a £100 bet which will gain a £20 free bet and a £10 casino bonus. Alternatively, you can choose to have half of your first-day losses paid back, up to £50. plus a £20 casino bonus.
Naturally, plenty of T&Cs apply, including free bets expiring seven days after receipt and free bet stakes not being returned as part of a winning bet. We suggest you pop across to the Fafabet site to check out all the terms and conditions for yourself.
Reasons to Sign Up:
- Game, set and match for tennis betting
- A local (UK) site for local (UK) bettors
- ‘Create-A-Bet’ bet builder
Reasons to Avoid:
- Only accepts debit cards for deposits
SpreadEx: Best for Betting on Cricket
Spread betting rewards accuracy and penalizes inaccuracy. Among the spread betting sites in the UK, we consider SpreadEx the best. Spread betting suits sports with high scores, making cricket an ideal choice. We recommend SpreadEx as the top pick among cricket betting sites due to cricket’s numerous measurable statistics. You can bet on markets like total fours or sixes, players scoring 50+ runs, centuries, or individual player scores in an innings. However, be cautious, as spread betting can exceed your initial stake if your predictions are significantly off.
Please be aware that SpreadEx offers traditional fixed odds betting too. The site runs under UKGC licence 8835, active since 2009.
What You Need to Know:
Minimum Deposit | No minimum |
Maximum Withdrawal | No maximum |
Bet Builder | 9.8/10 |
Cash Out | 9.6/10 |
Betting App | 9.6/10 (iOS and Android) |
Betting Markets | 9.6/10 |
Odds | 9.6/10 |
Bonuses & Promotions | 9.5/10 |
Support | FAQs, Live chat, email, phone |
Payment Methods | Debit cards, credit cards (spread betting only), bank transfer, cheque |
Full Review | Spreadex Review |
Note: Spread betting is seen as a form of trading and is regulated by the Financial Services Authority, not the United Kingdom Gambling Association. This is why you can fund your spread betting account with a credit card. As with all good betting sites, you cannot use credit card funds at SpreadEx for fixed odds betting
SpreadEx’s Sign-up Bonus Offer
There is a welcome bonus at SpreadEx, but it can only be used for the fixed odds betting side. Create your account then deposit £10 at least. Then, place a fixed odds bet at minimum odds of 1/2 (1.50). Once that qualifying bet has settled you will receive two £10 fixed odds free bets, four £5 free spread bets and a £1 race index spread bet.
Free bets expire in 28 days if they are not used and as is usual with these types of betting promotions, your free bet stake is not returned in any winnings. There are other T&Cs to be aware of and we suggest you take a look at them at the SpreadEx site so that you know you are fully up to date.
Reasons to Sign Up:
- The UK’s leading spread betting site
- Spread betting is ideal for cricket betting experts
- Fixed odds betting available too
Reasons to Avoid:
- Spread betting is not for newbies
Sporting Index: Best for In-Play Betting
In-play or live betting allows you to bet on events already in progress. You can wager on the next goalscorer in football, the next player to hit a six in cricket, or the next server to make a double fault or ace in tennis. Live betting often includes a cash-out option, enabling you to secure a win before the event ends, though at reduced odds.
We rate Sporting Index as the best for in-play betting on our best online bookmakers list. Like SpreadEx, it’s a spread betting site and uses the same sports spread betting software. In addition to spread betting, you’ll find fixed odds prices. Simply click on the ‘In Play’ menu for all current sporting events. All major sports are covered, with a focus on football, and there’s even an in-play betting section for eSports! Sporting Index is run in the UK under UKGC licence 27343.
What You Need to Know:
Minimum Deposit | £10 |
Maximum Withdrawal | No maximum |
Bet Builder | 9.6/10 |
Cash Out | 9.8/10 |
Betting App | 9.6/10 (iOS & Android) |
Betting Markets | 9.6/10 |
Odds | 9.5/10 |
Bonuses & Promotions | 9.4/10 |
Support | FAQs, email, live chat, phone |
Payment Methods | Debit cards, credit cards (spread betting only), bank transfer, cheque |
Full Review | Coming Soon |
Credit cards can only be used for spread betting deposits at Sporting Index, as spread betting is regulated by the FSA and not the UKGC.
Sporting Index’s Sign-up Bonus Offer
It’s a case of £20 in free bets when you complete your sign up at Sporting Index. The next step is then to make a minimum £10 deposit, followed by a minimum £10 bet at odds of 1/2 (1.50) minimum. Once that bet has settled you’ll be in receipt of two £10 free fixed odds bets. Note that your qualifying bet cannot be placed on in-play bets, and if you cash-out your pre-event bet it will lose its qualifying status. That’s the case with all of the best UK bookmakers. You must claim your free fixed odds bets within 28 days of opening an account.
You can use your free bets on in-play events, but you cannot cash them out early if you do and, aside from that, that’s about it for T&Cs with this deal. This makes Sporting Index one of the most user-friendly betting websites with welcome bonus T&Cs!
Reasons to Sign Up:
- Absolutely brilliant for in-play betting
- Beneficial cash-out odds if you use them
- Welcome bonus has few T&Cs attached
Reasons to Avoid:
- Only £20 in free bets for the welcome bonus
Paddy Power: Best for Betting Offers
There’s little chance that any sports betting people in the UK have not heard of Paddy Power. This is one of the top bookmakers in the country, and while they have toned down their ‘controversial’ advertising efforts of late, who can forget the fake launch of Huddersfield Town’s Paddy Power-ed new home kit, or when they turned up at Calais with a huge truck with the slogan ‘Immigrants, Jump in the Back! (But Only If You’re Good at Sport)? Paddy Power have always been one of the best gambling sites as far as innovation is concerned, but they are especially inventive when it comes to betting offers, so they are tops among UK betting sites in our eyes for special deals.
As well as the welcome deal (details below) and bespoke offers for regular customers at the Paddy Power site, your Paddy Power online betting experience will be enhanced by ‘Power Prices’ which are enhanced odds for specific bets. These prices are so good they are often doubled! Also, unlike other price boost offers from other sites, any money won at the enhanced price is paid out as real cash, and not the ‘enhanced’ cash paid out as bonus money. Paddy Power has had a UKGC licence since 2015, number 38939.
What You Need to Know:
Minimum Deposit | £5 |
Maximum Withdrawal | £10,000 |
Bet Builder | 9.9/10 |
Cash Out | 9.4/10 |
Betting App | 9.6/10 (iOS and Android) |
Betting Markets | 9.6/10 |
Odds | 9.6/10 |
Bonuses & Promotions | 9.9/10 |
Support | FAQs, email, live chat |
Payment Methods | Debit cards, ApplePay, PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, Paysafecard, Rapid Transfer, Much Better, Bank Transfer |
Full Review | Paddy Power Review |
Paddy Power’s Sign-up Bonus Offer
Let’s get into the details of Paddy Power’s latest sign-up bonus offer. All you need to do to gain £20 in free bets at Paddy Power is to complete your sign up and you will gain £20 free bets if you use the betting sites promo code ‘YSKARZ’. Note, your qualifying deposit must be made using a debit card within 30 days of signing up, and a £5 minimum bet must be placed at odds of at least Evens (2.00). Once that bet has settled, you will receive a free £20 sports betting bonus.
Your free bet must be used in its entirety within 30 days of signing up and cannot be used on system bets such as Canadian, Trixie, and Yankee bets. That’s about it for the latest T&Cs for this deal, but check the Paddy Power site before claiming it so you are fully up to date.
Reasons to Sign Up:
- Plenty of worthy, inventive customer offers
- ‘Power Price’ enhanced odds can be doubled!
- Excellent coverage of horse race betting online
Reasons to Avoid:
- Site seems buggy at times
William Hill: Best Bet Builder
A bet builder is a tool that’s been phased in over the past couple of years at all the top UK betting sites. It allows you to combine several single bets on the same event to create a multiple bet. You can then watch the event and hope that all your singles come true to win you a decent amount of cash for a very small stake. Fans of William Hill betting online will know all about Bet Builders, as this bookie’s Bet Builder is one of the best in the betting business!
The Bet Builder at William Hill is called ‘#YourOdds’. Select any football match and then the ‘#YourOdds’ menu item to see what’s on offer. An extensive list of ‘#YourOdds’ offers will be available, but if none of them get you excited, you can easily create your own! Just click the ‘Build #YourOdds’ for a full list of options. You can then combine them in multiple ways to create your own bet.
William Hill itself really of course needs very little fanfare. This UK bookie has been around since 1934, and is licensed in the UK with UKGC licence number 39225 since 2014.
What You Need to Know:
Minimum Deposit | £5 |
Maximum Withdrawal | £99,000 |
Bet Builder | 9.9/10 |
Cash Out | 9.5/10 |
Betting App | 9.5/10 (iOS and Android) |
Betting Markets | 9.7/10 |
Odds | 9.6/10 |
Bonuses & Promotions | 9.6/10 |
Support | FAQs, email, live chat. |
Payment Methods | Debit cards, PaysafeCard, PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, Payz, ApplePay, Fast Bank Transfer. |
Full Review | William Hill Review |
William Hill’s Sign-up Bonus Offer
The William Hill welcome deal is not centred around their Bet Builder, which will please some but will no doubt displease others! It is actually a fairly standard sports betting site welcome offer – bet £10 and get £30. To gain this offer, you must make a minimum £10 deposit at the site using a debit card, then place a single £10 wager on any event with minimum odds of 1/2 (1.50). Once that bet has settled you will receive three £10 free bets.
The William Hill free bets will remain in your account for seven days. As far as we can make out, there are no other restrictions on your use of the William Hill free bets, other than the usual one that your free bet stake money is not returned should the stake be used for a winning bet. Check the site’s last details to make sure you are completely up to date.
Reasons to Sign Up:
- Build #YourOdds, the best Best Builder around
- Well established, trusted betting name
- Huge range of markets
Reasons to Avoid:
- Too much info on site you’re unlikely to be interested in
Betfair: Best for Exchange Betting
If you have ever wondered what betting exchange sites are, and how they differ from fixed odds betting sites, then here is an explanation. With a fixed odds betting site you are betting against the bookie. If your bet wins, the bookie pays out. With a betting exchange site, you are betting against your fellow site users. If your bet wins, then the site users who were betting against you pay out. The betting site makes their money by charging a small commission on every winning bet.
Betfair is by some considerable distance the biggest exchange betting site in the UK. The site will accept any bet you place and match it against a bettor or bettors who are betting on a different outcome. You can even, with Betfair, set your own price! Note though, if no one accepts your price, you won’t get paid even if your bet wins (although you will get your money back). Just in case exchange betting still flummoxes you, Betfair operated fixed odds betting too. Betfair is now merged with Paddy Power, and has a UKGC licence (39439) first issued in 2014.
What You Need to Know:
Minimum Deposit | £5 |
Maximum Withdrawal | No maximum |
Bet Builder | 9.6/10 |
Cash Out | 9.6/10 |
Betting App | 9.5/10 (iOS & Android) |
Betting Markets | 9.6/10 |
Odds | 9.8/10 |
Bonuses & Promotions | 9.6/10 |
Support | FAQs, email, live chat |
Payment Methods | Debit cards, ApplePay, Instant Transfer, cash, PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, PaysafeCard, bank transfer, Rapid Transfer, MuchBetter. |
Full Review | Betfair Review |
Betfair’s Sign-up Bonus Offer
The current sports betting welcome offer at Betfair is only for the fixed odds aspect of Betfair. Once you have created a new account at Betfair (exchange or fixed odds, they are the same) using the code ‘ZSKANH’ you then need to deposit a minimum of £10 using a debit card and place a minimum qualifying bet of £10 on a single market outcome at minimum odds of 1/2 (1.50). Once that bet has settled, you will receive £30 in free bets to use on the site’s Bet Builder.
All free bets are valid for 30 days, so if you have not used them by that expiry time, they will vanish from your account. There are a few other T&Cs you need to be aware of surrounding this offer, but you will not find them that troublesome. We suggest you check the Betfair site for the latest details.
Reasons to Sign Up:
- The UK’s number one betting exchange
- Fixed odds betting available too
- Betfair bet boosts are among the best
Reasons to Avoid
- Exchange betting can seem confusing to some
Spreadex: Best for Sports Spread Betting
Those of you who enjoy spread betting will find no better site in the UK than Spreadex. The brand has been around since 1999, and sports spread betting was introduced in 2006. More than two dozen sports are available for betting, and while we’ve already recommended this site for cricket, you can also bet on football, tennis, basketball and even horse racing. Spread bettors who appreciate getting maximum value will also enjoy having the chance to earn a spread-free bet in certain markets.
Spreadex Sign-Up Bonus Offer
Open a new account as a spread betting customer, and you can get two free £5 spread bets. You can also get up to £300 cashback on certain spread bets. To qualify for your free bets, make a fixed odds bet of £10 or more on an outcome priced at 1/2 or bigger. For the cashback offer, you’ll need to stake £300 or more on qualifying spread betting markets within 28 days of signing up. That will earn you £300 in your account or, if you prefer, you can request an iPad as an alternative. See the promotions page at Spreadex for more details.
Betfred: Best Cash-Out Betting Site
Betfred is a famous name on UK high streets, having been around since 1967. It has been operating online since 2004 and offers a fantastic range of betting markets on all of the most popular sports. Its cash-out feature is available in most markets, and it can accommodate partial cash-outs up to ten times for single best or up to five times for multiple bets. An automatic cash-out option is also available.
Betfred’s Sign-up Bonus Offer
Sign up as a new bettor with Betfred, and when you make a first bet of £10 or more, you’ll get £30 in free bets. Your first bet must be placed within seven days of registering, and the odds of your selection must be 1/1 or bigger. Your free bets will be credited to your account within ten hours of your first bet being settled.
BetVictor: Best for Best Odds Guaranteed
When you bet with a bookmaker that offers Best Odds Guaranteed (BOG), you can make your bets early in the day without worrying about missing out on a bigger SP. With this offer, if the SP is bigger than the price taken earlier in the day, your bet will be settled at the more generous price. Many bookmakers offer Best Odds Guaranteed, and BetVictor is one of our favourites. Here, the BOG offer is valid from 9 am on all UK and Irish horse and greyhound races.
BetVictor’s Sign-up Bonus Offer
If you decide to sign up for an account and start betting with BetVictor you’ll receive a great welcome offer. Simply opt-in to the promotion, make a deposit via Debit Card or Apple Pay, and place a qualifying bet. That means a horse racing bet of £10 or more at odds of 1/1 or bigger within seven days of registering. You’ll then get four free £5 bets to use on a variety of horse racing and virtual horse racing markets.
CopyBet: Best for Betting on Mobile
Most of our best betting sites offer mobile apps, but we’ve selected CopyBet as our featured mobile site because of its unique social features. The app is available for both Android and iOS devices and provides all the functionality of the regular desktop website. That includes the ability to follow and copy the bets recommended by your favourite tipsters and become a CopyBet tipster in your own right.
CopyBet’s Sign-up Bonus Offer
CopyBet is currently offering new customers a Bet £10 Get £50 deal. This is as straightforward as it sounds. Sign up for a new account, make a deposit and place a first bet (either a single or an acca of two or more selections) at odds of 1.90 or higher. The bet must be placed and settled within seven days of you signing up. You will then get five free bets worth £10 each for football, horse racing and accumulators.
Notable New Betting Sites in the UK
The UK online betting scene is a very competitive one, but that does not stop new sports betting sites from springing up all the time. Around half of these sites disappear just as quickly as they appear, but many successful sites have survived the initial difficult phase to become key members of our list of online bookmakers that we recommend.
We also recommend that you check out new online bookmakers as they appear. They just might have a new way of doing things that really suits your betting preferences, such as concentrating on a specific betting discipline that you bet with the most frequency upon. You might just like the design of their site or app. At the bare minimum, new bookmakers will have betting sites with welcome bonus offers you’ve so far not taken advantage of.
To get the betting ball rolling, here are five of the best new betting sites that have appeared on the betting scene over the last couple of years.
- BetMGM – One of the best bookmakers in the US now available in the UK
- CopyBet – Choose your own bets, following another punter’s, or become a tipster!
- Fitzdares – The online version of a private Mayfair betting club
- BetGoodwin – Famous telephone betting service now available online
- Luckster – The leading online betting site from Marketplay Limited
What’s On & Popular on Sports Betting Sites This Week (Oct 14 to 20)
This week’s sport starts with a bang on Monday with two monstrous clashes in the UEFA Nations League. Belgium vs France and Germany vs Netherlands are about as close as you can get to international derbies and will showcase some of the very best footballing talent on the continent today. Wales vs Montenegro should be exciting, too, but there’s ATP European Open tennis and a WBC title fight between Nakatani and Sor Chitapanna to add some variety to proceedings.
Scotland vs Portugal goes down on Tuesday, with European champions Spain entertaining Serbia at New El Arcangel Municipal Stadium in Cordoba. Pakistan vs England is the big cricket draw but Sri Lanka vs West Indies on Wednesday is not one cricket fans should miss.
The weekend brings us some horse racing action, with the QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot. There’s plenty of rugby action to savour, with Tottenham Hotspur vs West Ham United kicking the Premier League back in. Formula 1 fans can look forward to the American Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas, with Adam Azim vs Ohara Davies providing the weekend’s best boxing action.
Here’s the pick of sports you can bet on this week:
- Football: UEFA Nations League – Belgium vs France (Mon, 14 October)
- Football: UEFA Nations League – Germany vs Netherlands (Mon, 14 October)
- Football: UEFA Nations League – Wales vs Montenegro (Mon, 14 October)
- Tennis: ATP European Open (Mon, 14 October)
- Boxing: Junto Nakatani vs Petch Sor Chitpattana (Mon, 14 October)
- Football: UEFA Nations League – Scotland vs Portugal (Tues, 15 October)
- Football: UEFA Nations League – Spain vs Serbia (Tues, 15 October)
- Cricket: Men’s International Test Match Series – Pakistan vs England (Tues, 15 October)
- Cricket: Men’s International Twenty20 Match – Sri Lanka vs West Indies (Wed, 16 October)
- Darts: Players Championship 25 (Wed, 16 October)
- Golf: Andalucia Masters (Thurs, 17 October)
- Football: Leeds United vs Sheffield United (Fri, 18 October)
- Rugby: Gallagher English Premiership – Newcastle Falcons vs Exeter Chiefs (Fri, 18 October)
- Rugby: Gallagher English Premiership – Northampton Saints vs Sale (Fri, 18 October)
- Rugby: United Rugby Championship – Ulster vs Ospreys (Fri, 18 October)
- Football: Premier League – Tottenham Hotspur vs West Ham United (Sat, 19 October)
- Football: Premier League – Manchester United vs Brentford (Sat, 19 October)
- Football: Premier League – Newcastle United vs Brighton & Hove Albion (Sat, 19 October)
- Football: Premier League – AFC Bournemouth vs Arsenal (Sat, 19 October)
- Football: Scottish Premiership – Celtic vs Aberdeen (Sat, 19 October)
- Football: Championship – Luton Town vs Watford (Sat, 19 October)
- Horse Racing: QIPCO British Champions Day (Sat, 19 October)
- Rugby: United Rugby Championship – Connacht vs Leinster (Sat, 19 October)
- Rugby League: Betfred Championship Play-off – Wakefield Trinity vs Toulouse (Sat, 19 October)
- Boxing: Adam Azim vs Ohara Davies (Sat, 19 October)
- MMA: UFC Fight Night – Hernandez vs Pereira (Sat, 19 October)
- F1: United States Grand Prix (Sun, 20 October)
- Football: Premier League – Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Manchester City (Sun, 20 October)
- Football: Premier League – Liverpool vs Chelsea (Sun, 20 October)
- Football: Scottish Premiership – Kilmarnock vs Rangers (Sun, 20 October)
Award-Winning UK Bookmakers
At Safest Betting Sites, we do thorough reviews to ensure that we recommend the very best online betting sites. But it’s not just our bookmaker reviews that guide you to the best sports betting sites in the industry – some betting sites are recipients of prestigious awards for their exceptional products and services.
bet365 – Online Sports Betting Operator of the Year (2024 Global Gaming Awards)
Paddy Power – Retail Operator of the Year (2024 Global Gaming Awards)
William Hill – Football Betting Operator of the Year (EGR Operator Awards 2023)
How We Test UK Online Bookmakers
We’ve outlined our general approach to assessing betting sites in How We Rate Bookmakers. Our team of expert reviewers have decades of real-world experience in sports betting, and take pride in being as objective and unbiased as possible. That means we take an equal approach to all online bookmakers regardless of affiliation. In addition, all of the information provided by Safest Betting Sites is regularly fact-checked and updated to ensure it’s as reliable as possible. Here are just some of the areas we look at:
Market Coverage
Betting on football and horse racing is widely available, but if you’re into more ‘niche’ sports such as UFC/MMA, eSports, or Pesapallo (Finnish baseball, in case you are wondering), you’ll need to be a bit more picky. We look at how many sports a bookmaker covers, and also at the variety of markets that are available for those sports.
Competitive Odds
No single betting site always offers the best odds, but it’s important that the odds on offer are broadly competitive with those available elsewhere. We look at the general bet website odds being made available and also take into account odds-enhancing offers such as price boosts and Best Odds Guaranteed deals.
Payment Methods and Payout Speed
All UK online bookies accept debit cards, but what if you prefer to use an alternative? Not everyone wants to type their card info into the internet. If you want to use PayPal, for example, then you need to sign up with a site that accepts PayPal payments. Our reviewers look at all the options that are available, and also provide information on how long it takes for withdrawal requests to be processed.
Betting App
The only time most of us spend time sitting in front of a PC or laptop is at work. If you don’t want to bet via PC, then you’ll need to do it on a mobile device. We look at whether a betting site has dedicated apps available for Android and iOS, and how good they are. Where no app can be downloaded, we check to see how the regular betting company website performs in mobile browsers.
Live Play and Streaming
If you are a sports bettor who likes to bet on live events, you’ll want to bet with a bookmaker who has plenty of in-play betting options. We assess how much live betting is available, whether events can be watched via live streaming, and whether or not you can cash out bets before an event has reached its natural conclusion.
Customer Support
In an ideal world, no bettor would ever have the need to contact customer support. Unfortunately, we don’t live in an ideal world, and there may be times when you need help or assistance or even just an answer to a query that you might have. We check out the support options on your behalf so that you know exactly what to expect.
Signup Bonuses and Existing Customer Offers
Any online betting site worth its salt should go out of its way to give new customers a warm welcome and keep existing customers happy. That’s why we examine the promotions that are available. We like to see a generous sign-up bonus being offered to those who choose to open a new account, and also regular deals being made available to loyal bettors who stick around.
Licensing and Security
Online betting is only safe when you bet with a site that is properly licensed and sufficiently secure. We only recommend bookmakers that are licensed by the UK Gambling Commission, which is one of the strictest gambling regulators in the world. Our team also checks to make sure that your sensitive personal and financial data is transmitted and stored in a secure manner so that it can’t be accessed by unauthorised parties.
Industry Reputation
The gambling industry is a close-knit community, and word quickly gets around about any sites that let down the team in some way. For that reason, we also look at what kind of reputation a betting site has among its peers. A site that is well-regarded will receive a much better rating than one with a less than glowing reputation.
Betting Welcome Bonuses
Both established and new UK bookmakers make some kind of offer as an incentive to sign up with them. There are many different kinds though, and here we first outline the different types, and then the key terms and conditions associated with them.
UK Online Bookmakers Welcome Bonus Types
- Free Bet – A reward if you make a bet using your own money, i.e. ‘Bet £10, Get £30’.
- Deposit Bonus – Your initial deposit at a site is matched by the same (or half, or double) amount of bonus money.
- Cashback – A percentage of your losses over a set period of time is paid back as bonus money.
- Enhanced Odds – Hugely improved odds over the normal odds for a specified event. Sometimes, the money won in excess of the normal odds is paid as bonus money.
UK Online Bookmaker Welcome Bonus Key T&Cs
- Expiry Date – Set time periods by which you must claim then use any bonus, and then meet any playthrough requirements.
- Minimum Stakes, Maximum Returns – The minimum deposit and stake needed to claim a bonus, and the maximum return cap from any bonus.
- Payment Methods – Some payment methods such as eWallets cannot be used to make payments to claim bonuses.
- Minimum Odds – The lowest prices you can use when making qualifying bets, and when using free bets or bonus money.
- Markets – A small number of bonuses may restrict the markets they can be used on.
- Stake not Returned – Free bet and bonus money can never be cashed out, only any winnings generated.
- Playthrough – Rarely you may need to place bets using your own money based on a multiple of your free bet or bonus award before you can cash out.
- Restrictions – System bets and cashed-outs bets frequently do not count as qualifying bets.
Deposits and Withdrawals on Betting Sites
The key aspect of betting is that you find it entertaining. Once it stops being entertaining, you should stop betting. However, another key aspect of betting is winning money – it’s really more rewarding if you are betting on horse racing and have a stake on your chosen mount, or are betting money on any competitor to achieve the outcome you are betting on.
To this end, you will need to get money into your betting account. All the best UK online bookmakers offer multiple payment methods by which you can make deposits and withdrawals, but their hands are tied when it comes to certain financial functions. Here we take a look at which UK payment methods are legit, and which can’t be used at UK online bookmakers.
Can Be Used
- Debit cards – All online bookmakers in the UK accept debit card payments, Visa and MasterCard. Don’t be worried about typing your details into the deposit page – card details are encrypted when you send them. If your card details come ‘pre-filled’ when making a deposit it’s because they’ve been saved by your browser. The betting site does not save information about your cards.
- Ewallets – The three major eWallets for sports betting in the UK are PayPal (NOT PayPal credit), Skrill and Neteller. Just maintain a balance in your eWallet account then use that to make deposits, keeping your card and bank account details safe. Other ‘betting friendly’ eWallets in the UK include Payz (formerly ecoPayz), AstroPay and MuchBetter.
- PaysafeCard – This ‘virtual card’ allows you to load real world cash that you can then use online. You can also now maintain a PaysafeCard account online too. Note, PaysafeCards cannot usually be withdrawn to.
- ApplePay – Not strictly an eWallet as ApplePay connects a card or bank account to a merchant. Some sports betting sites accept ApplePay, but it’s a small number.
- Bank Transfer – Some of the top betting sites allow you to transfer funds into your betting account straight from your bank account. This is also a one-way process and bank transfers for withdrawals are not commonly available.
Can’t Be Used
- Credit cards – All credit cards were banned from online sports betting sites in the UK by the UKGC in April 2020. Credit ‘by stealth’ (i.e. PayPal Credit) is banned too. You can though use credit cards to fund spread betting accounts, as spread betting is regulated by the FSA.
- Cryptocurrencies – Although cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Doge and Ethereum are not officially banned by the UKGC, you will not find any UKGC-licensed online casinos in the UK that accept them. The common thought is that it is too easy to launder money using crypto at online gambling venue, and failing to prevent money laundering can see UK online bookmakers heavily fined. This is why Bitcoin and company are not accepted.
- Pay-by-Phone – Again, not outright banned by the UKGC, this once-popular payment method has largely been dropped by online bookies in the UK. Such payments are made via a phone bill and are a type of credit payment, as the bill is paid later on. Despite the £30 daily limit, a bill of around £900 per month can still be racked up easily.
- Google Wallet – It is easy to link a credit card as your main card to Google Wallet, which is a way of ‘gambling on credit’, so UK betting firms tend not to accept Google Wallet. ApplePay has tighter restrictions on identifying if a credit card is linked to its services. Some bet sites though do accept Google Pay payments, but there are very few.
- Revolut – this payment system allows you to link several debit cards, credit cards and bank accounts via a single application. Because of the ability to link credit cards, Revolut themselves announced Revolut accounts would not be available at online gambling sites following the UKGC ban in 2020.
How Bookmakers Calculate Odds
The odds that betting sites offer about a player or team in a betting market reflect their perceived chances of winning. We explain this in detail in our guide to betting odds, but for now, we can give you a simple example.
Imagine that there’s a tennis match between two players, and the bookmakers think they both have an equal chance of winning. The total of all probabilities in an event must be 100%, so in this case, each player has a 50% chance of success.
The bookmaker would then set odds that reflect that chance, which would be 1/1 for each player. He would then trim those odds a little to give himself a profit. The final odds being offered to his customers might therefore be 10/11 for Player 1 and 10/11 for Player 2.
How to Open an Online Bookmaker Account: Step-by-Step Guide
When you have chosen a betting site that you’d like to use, you will need to sign up for an account before you can start betting. This is a simple process that should only take you a couple of minutes. Here’s how to go about it:
1. Visit Your Chosen Betting Site
First, visit the betting site you want to sign up with. We have provided visit links for every site recommended on this page. Tap the relevant link, and the site will open in a separate browser tab. You can then refer back to these instructions as you proceed.
2. Tap the Join Button
Every betting site has a Join or Sign Up button for those who want to open a new account. This button is normally located at the top of the screen on the right-hand side. It is also usually brightly coloured so that you can spot it easily. Tap the button and a registration form will open.
3. Enter Your Details
The registration form that appears will ask for some basic details that are required by law for you to open an account. Those details will include your name, email address, date of birth, and so on. Enter your details accurately, using your full name rather than any nicknames, or you might have trouble providing ID verification if it is ever requested in the future. When you have completed the form, submit it, and your account will be opened on the spot.
4. Log In and Deposit
You should now be able to log in to your new account and make your first deposit. Remember to check the terms and conditions of any welcome offer you want to take advantage of so that you can make sure your first deposit and your first will qualify for it.
The Advantages of Online Betting Sites vs High Street Bookmakers
The popularity of online betting sites has exploded in recent decades, and that’s because they offer a number of advantages that you simply won’t get when betting with bookmakers on your local high street. Here are just a few of the main ones:
Broader Choice
When you restrict yourself to betting at land-based shops, the range of sports and markets that you can consider is limited by the bookmakers that happen to be available to you. This isn’t the case when you bet online. There are hundreds of legal online betting sites that you could join, and that allows you to pick one or two that perfectly suit your betting needs and preferences. In short, online betting gives you a much broader choice than you’ll get offline.
Better Odds
With access to a broader range of markets, you can shop around for the best possible odds on each of your bets. As you’ll know, the better the odds you can get when betting, the more chance you have of making a profit over the medium to long term, so this is an important advantage. It will also make it easier for you to practice value betting.
More Promotions
Online betting is a competitive industry, so you’ll find a lot more promotions running at online bookies than at high street betting shops. You can pick up a welcome bonus just for signing up with a site, and there will be plenty of special offers available to you as an ongoing customer. Those might include price boosts, Best Odds Guaranteed and more.
Greater Convenience
When you bet online, you can do so from anywhere with an internet connection and at any time. There’s no need to trudge to the local betting shop in miserable weather or to miss out on a betting opportunity just because you forgot that a certain event was scheduled to take place. Instead, you can use your computer or smartphone to log in to your favourite online betting site and place your wager from the comfort and convenience of your own home or workplace.
The Importance of Responsible Gambling
Gambling can be addictive. A winning bet causes the human brain to release endorphins – the body’s ‘feel good’ chemical. The levels of endorphins released vary from person to person, and for some, that release becomes intense, triggering a ‘want’ that becomes a ‘need’ which is how habits are formed. For some, the ‘need’ becomes something that cannot be lived without.
Naturally, gambling is linked with money, and for some people the winning or losing of money becomes much less important than the actual act of gambling itself. Before they know it, such people can find themselves significantly in debt, losing friends, family, their livelihood and even their homes along the way.
This is why responsible gambling is so important. The three key aspects of gambling that you must keep in mind at all times are as follows:
- Is gambling bringing genuine joy into your life? If not, then stop gambling.
- Do you think you might have a gambling problem? Then it’s very likely that you do.
- Do those close to you tell you that you have a gambling problem? Then you most definitely do.
Like all addictions, gambling is a very strong denial generator. The easy way to maintain any destructive behaviour is to deny that it is harmful, or that it is even happening. This is why the admission of a problem is the most important step in any addicted person’s road to recovery.
In terms of genuine solutions, there are plenty of helpful organisations available if you have identified that you may have a gambling problem:
- GAMSTOP
- Gamble Aware
- National Gambling Helpline – 0808 8020 133
- GamCare
- Citizen’s Advice
- Gamblers Anonymous
If you do feel you need to take a break from gambling, then GAMSTOP will really help. This is an independent organisation tasked with overseeing general access to gambling websites by individuals. If you become a member of GAMSTOP, then your access to all UKGC-registered gambling sites, including new UK sports betting sites, will be revoked. This is called self-exclusion.
Self Exclusion
Here is how to self-exclude:
Head to the Site
The GAMSTOP site can be found at gamstop.co.uk (see the link above). Once you are at the site look for the ‘Register’ item on the menu.Add Your Details
The more information you can supply GAMSTOP with the better. This information should include your current address and postcodes, previous addresses and postcodes, your date of birth, current and past email addresses and current and past mobile numbers.Choose for How Long
You can select how long you wish to self-exclude for. You can choose six months, one year or five years. GAMSTOP is unable to self-exclude you permanently.Wait for Confirmation
It can take up to 24 hours for your self-exclusion to be applied. You will receive an email confirmation from GAMSTOP once your period has begun. You should also receive emails from sites where you are registered telling you that access to your account(s) have been suspended.Once Your Period is Up
Your self-exclusion period will not be lifted automatically. If you wish to be able to use UK gambling sites again, you will need to apply to GAMSTOP for your self-exclusion to be lifted. If, at the end of your self-exclusion period you still feel you need to keep away from online gambling, then simply do not ask for your self-exclusion period to come to an end.
The Best UK Online Bookmakers – Facts in a Nutshell
Need to make a direct comparison between all the best UK betting sites? We are here to help. Below you will find a table outlining all the most important factors of all the best online bookmakers in the UK, as selected by us and our rating for each where applicable.
Brand | Min. Deposit | Max. Withdrawal | Bet Builder | Cash Out | Betting App | Betting Markets | Odds | Bonuses | Support | Payment Methods |
BetUK | £10 | £35,000 | 9.8 | 9.8 | 9.9 | 9.8 | 9.8 | 9.8 | FAQs, live chat, email | Debit cards, PayPal, ApplePay, bank transfer |
bet365 | £5 | £100,000 | 9.8 | 9.7 | 9.8 | 9.9 | 9.8 | 9.7 | FAQs, live chat, email, snail mail | Debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Wallet, PayPal, Trustly, PaybyBank, PaysafeCard. Click to pay, Wire Transfer |
BetGoodwin | £10 | £100,000 | N/A | 9.7 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 9.8 | 9.7 | Live chat | Debit cards |
BetMGM | £10 | £35,000 | 9.8 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 9.8 | FAQs, live chat, email | Debit cards, PayPal, ApplePay, bank transfer |
Fafabet | £10 | No max | 9.8 | 9.7 | 9.6 | 9.6 | 9.7 | 9.6 | Live chat, email | Debit cards |
Spreadex | No min | No max | 9.8 | 9.6 | 9.6 | 9.6 | 9.6 | 9.5 | FAQs, Live chat, email, phone | Debit cards, credit cards (spread betting only), bank transfer, cheque |
Sporting Index | £10 | No max | 9.6 | 9.8 | 9.6 | 9.6 | 9.5 | 9.4 | FAQs, email, live chat, phone | Debit cards, credit cards (spread betting only), bank transfer, cheque |
Paddy Power | £5 | £10,000 | 9.9 | 9.4 | 9.6 | 9.6 | 9.6 | 9.9 | FAQs, email, live chat | Debit cards, ApplePay, PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, Paysafecard, Rapid Transfer, Much Better, Bank Transfer |
William Hill | £5 | £99,000 | 9.9 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 9.7 | 9.6 | 9.6 | FAQs, email, live chat | Debit cards, PaysafeCard, PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, Payz, ApplePay, Fast Bank Transfer |
Betfair | £5 | No max | 9.6 | 9.6 | 9.6 | 9.5 | 9.8 | 9.6 | FAQs, email, live chat | Debit cards, ApplePay, Instant Transfer, cash, PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, PaysafeCard, bank transfer, Rapid Transfer, MuchBetter |
The Conclusion From Our UK Betting Experts
Our guide to the best betting sites UK is designed to help you find the safest online bookmakers that suit your preferences.
No matter your particular sphere of interest, you should now have a precise idea of the site or sites that are best-placed to meet your betting needs. Consider what you need from a bookie and explore our detailed bookmakers’ reviews for more information on each site.
Most importantly, keep your betting enjoyable by gambling responsibly. Be sure to regularly check our list of betting sites for the latest rankings, as we frequently update our list with new findings about new features and bonus offers.