Best Sports Betting Sites UK

Are you new to sports betting and looking for the perfect platform to use? You have come to the right place! The UK iGaming market is currently filled with hundreds of online bookies offering a wide range of features. As a newbie, it can be difficult to find reliable bookies out of all the options available.

Thankfully, our expert team has done all the heavy lifting for you. Right here on this page, we have created a list of top online bookies for UK players. These sites offer attractive bonuses, competitive odds and a vast selection of betting markets.

Read along to learn more!

How to Choose a Sports Betting Site

Considering the UK iGaming market is already flooded with a vast amount of betting sites, you will need a guide when searching for the best option. To help you choose the best gambling site out of a host of many, here are several factors to consider when selecting a UK betting site.

Bonuses and Promotions

Betting sites are always competing with each other for a larger market share, so they throw enticing offers to attract new customers.

Welcome bonuses for new customers could come in the form of free bets or deposit match bonuses. However, the “free” tag on these bonuses shouldn’t sway you. These bonuses come with a fine print that you should take note of before claiming them. These include wagering requirements, which could make a seemingly profitable bonus look less inviting. Also, check the bet restrictions, validity periods, and every other rule associated with the bet.

Sports Coverage

When betting on a sports site, you probably have your eyes only on popular sports. If you're a true UK sports fan, then soccer is most likely your favourite sport. The top UK betting sites not only pay attention to the biggest soccer leagues in the world but also supply them with numerous betting markets. You should confirm the likes of the EPL, La Liga, Ligue 1, Serie A, and Bundesliga are available for both pre-game wager and live betting. In addition, competitions like the UEFA, Europa League, World Cup and sports should also be offered. Some bookies go pretty far including leagues from South America, North America, and Africa.

While soccer might be your main focus, American football, hockey, basketball, and baseball are some top leagues where you will find great luck. You should also consider niche sports like darts, snooker, futsal, and even the likes of tennis and table tennis. The more, the merrier.

Payment Methods

When it comes to payment methods, the available options depend on the bookmaker. This is a very important criterion especially if you want to avoid any fees that could raise your deposit limit and cut into your winning potential.

When it comes to payment methods, your option falls within traditional debit/credit cards, e-wallets, and bank transfers. After checking the available payment methods, the payment limits come next. Check the deposit and withdrawal limits on every payment method and ensure they're as low as possible. Next, the processing fees should be zero. If you're charged for processing your deposits or withdrawals, then you're dealing with a fishy site. The processing times on deposits should be instant in all cases, however, withdrawals are usually slow even on the best betting sites.

Mobile Betting

Most punters take to their mobile devices to place their bets, which makes it important for any UK betting site that wants to remain relevant to offer a mobile betting platform. The quality of the mobile platform on your smartphone or tablet is also important. A mobile app is the best in our opinion. This offers a more personalized experience and separates betting from your other activities. It is also easier for bookies to incorporate features like live streaming and live betting into their mobile apps.

Legal Status and Security

When playing at a legitimate betting site, there is nothing to worry about. You can provide your personal information and banking details and trust the bookie to keep it safe. However, for some punters, spotting scam sites can be pretty hard. To save yourself, you can always select a betting site from our list of recommendations. We only go for gambling hubs licensed and regulated by the UK Gambling Commission.

We also ensure that they have the right security features in place. This includes high-end encryption that secures your data.

Customer Support

No matter how perfect a betting site looks, it is not without a problem. Punters will definitely have questions that need answering. This could be a deposit that fails to show up in your account or a withdrawal that gets stuck along the way.

Customer support is necessary to handle such issues. When we say customer support, we're not referring to a help page with some text. We're talking about dedicated 24/7 live chat, email support, and we also want to see a FAQ section. A telephone line is a plus.

Features

Sports betting is all about the excitement and so bookies go the extra mile to ensure bettors want to stay for the fun. They do this by providing additional features like live streaming and cashout that give you more ways to win and enjoy betting. The cashout feature is usually the best of all. This feature allows you to claim part or all of your stake before the game is settled. It could save you from losses on failed bets. We always go for top betting sites that have as many extra features as possible to boost your chances of winning.

How to Get Started With Sports Betting

• Step 1 - Find an Online Betting Site - Scroll through our recommendations to choose the best betting site that meets all your needs. You should check through as many as possible to ensure you're playing at the right bookie. Comparing the features, odds, sports coverage, betting markets, and payment methods will help you make a better choice.
• Step 2 - Register An Account - Once you've picked a site, sign up for an account. The top betting sites UK have a simple sign up process that will only take a few minutes. You will be required to provide your personal information like name, address, and contact details. In addition, you will have to verify your account with a valid ID. This confirms your age and identity.
• Step 3 - Make Your First Deposit - With your account fully set up, the next step is to fund your account. You should find more than enough payment methods offering instant deposits to choose from. Traditional methods like Visa or MasterCard are usually the best options to start with. If you prefer e-wallets like PayPal and Neteller, you might want to check the terms and conditions of the welcome bonus. Making your first deposit via such methods might make you ineligible for the bonus.
• Step 4 - Place Your Bets - Once you've funded your accounts, it’s time to place your bets. Navigate to the sports section and choose your preferred sports. Then choose the league and check the available games. Once you find a game and betting market you want to bet on, click on the odds on that market and it will be added to your slip (you can do the same for as many games as you want to add to your slip). Enter your stake amount in the slip, and place your bet.

Popular Sports You Can Bet On

The top UK betting sites offer a wide variety of sports events to bet on. Not only can you bet on the main offers, but you will also find them in virtual options giving you more fun ways to bet. Here are the top sports you will find on most bookies in the UK.

Football

Soccer or football is the most popular sport in the world. Each continent hosts tens of leagues which means there is always something there for football lovers to bet on. At betting sites, football is the biggest sport. You will find tons of leagues from Africa, Europe, North America, America, and Asia to bet on. There are also numerous betting markets to choose from both in pre-game wagers and live bets.

Horse Racing

Horse racing is a traditional sport and one of the favourites of UK bettors. With races featuring 10 or more horses, the odds of winning might seem against you, but if you get a lucky hit, you're likely to walk home with huge pockets.

Basketball

Basketball is one of the most popular sports in North America but it does attract some attention in the UK. If you've watched some NBA games and you think you know how to predict the sport, then you could hit some wins with basketball bets. There are tons of betting markets on this sport plus a good number of leagues on other continents.

American Football

The prime sport in North America might barely draw attention anywhere else, but it remains one of the best betting options for bettors that know their onions. The NFL is the premier league to bet on, but you can also go for college football to hit more wins.

Hockey

While Hockey is more of a Canadian sport, it also has a huge presence in the US. However, it barely receives any attention in the UK. Still, this sport has some good betting options that could make you a winner. When placing bets on golf, there are tons of betting markets to go for. You could increase your payout with accumulator bets or try out single bets if you're not feeling so lucky.

Tennis

Tennis is a global sport with lots of action at betting sites. There are tons of tournaments to be won and a wide variety of markets to choose from. You can bet on the winner of the next point, or go all the way to bet on the winner of the game. You could also bet on the total number of games and sets plus numerous other betting options. Tennis is one of the top sports that appear in live betting sections with access to live streaming so you can watch your bets as the game plays.

• Money line: A money line bet is a simple bet on which team will win the game. You get to choose whether a team wins or if the game will end in a draw.
• Spread Betting: Spread betting is more common in American football and basketball games. Here, the odds maker will favour one team. However, betting on the favourite won't yield as much returns as you would expect. The pros come with betting on the underdog. Unfortunately, you're less likely to win if you bet on the underdog, but the returns are always huge.
• Totals: Totals refer to betting on the total number of points/runs/goals in a game. The exact number is set by the bookie and bettors predict if it will be over (there will be more than the set number) or under (there will be less than the set number). An example of this is a 2.5 total in a game between Manchester United and Chelsea. This means there will be at least 3 goals in the game. If you choose "over", it means there will be more than 3 goals in the game. Going for "under" means there will be 2 or fewer goals in the game.
• Game Props: Game props are bets on specific aspects of the game that can be determined before the end of the game. Game props in football could be which team to score the first goal, and whether either team will score 2 times (usually answered Yes/No). In basketball, you could bet the number of points a team will get per quarter, half, or full time.
• Player Props: Player props are bets based on the individual performance of players. It could be a bet on whether Cristiano Ronaldo will score a hat trick. Or for example if LeBron James will hit a certain number of assists by halftime.
• Outrights - Outrights or future bets are long term bets on a given outcome. You will find options like how many games a team will win in a season, if a team will qualify for UEFA or if they will become the league winners. These bets are usually settled at the end of the competition

Types of Betting Offers & Promotions

Online bookies are always competing for new customers while trying to keep existing bettors loyal. As a result, they offer a wide selection of bonuses and promotions. These offers come in many forms, and we have listed some of them below.

Deposit Bonus

Most bookmakers will offer a deposit bonus to new customers. This bonus offers an extra amount of money when you register an account and make your first deposit. Your first deposit could be matched 100% up to a maximum amount. Keep in mind that using the extra funds means you will have to meet certain requirements. It is important to read through the terms and conditions before claiming the bonus.

Free Bets

You could find free bets rather than a deposit matched bonus. The value of the free bet is usually smaller than what you would get with a deposit bonus, however, the terms and conditions are usually friendlier. This means you're more likely to make a profit from this bonus. Free bets could come in the form of matched bets, where your first bet will be the value of the free bet offered. You could also receive a risk-free bet instead. With this bonus, your first bet will be refunded 100% if it results in a loss. Free bets are also offered to existing members. They could be on specific sports or generally available on all sports offered by the bookie.

Price Boosts

Boosted odds or price boosts are promotions offered by the big names in the world of sports betting. In these, the bookmaker offers highly inflated odds on a game. The extra winnings could be paid in the form of free bets or awarded as real cash to your player account. These boosted odds are not without restrictions, but they are usually the most favourable.