The Best Betting Sites in the UK - 2023

With so many online sportsbooks out there, picking out one that best suits you is easier said than done. Fortunately, the Compare.bet team has made things simple. We’ve scoured the market for the best sports betting sites, considering bonuses, betting markets and mobile compatibility as part of our shortlisting process. All you need to do is read our expert reviews, compare the UK’s top bookies and pick out a favourite — it’s as simple as that!

How We Review the Best Online Bookies

Here at Compare.bet, we only want to recommend the best betting sites in the UK. That’s why we always review bookmakers carefully before introducing them to our readers. Below, we’ve listed some of the top features that help determine if new UK betting sites make the cut.

Licence and Safety

Some betting site features are ‘nice-to-haves’, but a licence from the UK Gambling Commission is non-negotiable. A current licence from the UKGC tells us that a site is legal, regulated, and undergoes regular audits by independent testing agencies like eCOGRA. Most importantly, it also tells us that a betting site is safe for customers like you.

Welcome Bonuses

We love to see bookies rolling out the red carpet for customers old and new, but a generous welcome bonus always catches our eye. We’re not that easy to impress, though. Even a £500 matched deposit bonus can be ruined by details in the small print, so we always give the terms and conditions a once-over to ensure that things like excessive wagering requirements and short-lived expiry dates don’t spoil the fun. The best betting sites keep T&Cs realistic for customers.

Sports and Markets

Most bookies take bets on major UK sports like football, rugby and cricket, but the very best betting sites rise to the top with loads of different international sports, as well as deeper market coverage. The top bookies often feature around 30+ different categories, including popular sports in the US, and less popular sports around the world, such as table-tennis or volleyball, and plenty of betting markets in each. On this last point, football offers the perfect example, with the best football betting sites laying out many hundreds of ways to bet on the match.

Competitive Odds

The best sites try to offer the most competitive odds, while also adding features like odds boosts, enhanced price offers, and bet builders. Sometimes, you can also request custom odds over social media. Ladbrokes, for example, invites customers to request a price via Twitter by tweeting @Ladbrokes with #GetAPrice.

Payment Options

We can’t promise that every bookie we recommend will offer your payment method of choice, but we do like to see a diverse range of options. The best sites often accept debit cards and Trustly, along with at least one e-wallet and a prepaid option like Paysafecard. Some go the extra mile and let you make deposits through your mobile phone bill, or with a cryptocurrency. It goes without saying that instant, fee-free deposits come as standard at the best betting sites.

Mobile App or Site

These days, bettors are increasingly looking to their mobile phone to place bets online. To cater to this trend, all online bookies offer an on-the-go version of their main site. While mobile sports betting sites are readily available through phone and tablet browsers, the best betting sites stand out by releasing native mobile apps you can download. These provide greater convenience, enhanced security, and push notifications for betting offers, so we’ll always give brownie points if an app is available.

Design and Usability

It’s all well and good for a bookmaker to offer a wide range of sports and betting markets, generous promotions, and mobile betting options, but these things need to be presented to customers in a clean, intuitive way. The best bookies put real effort into ensuring that their sites and mobile apps are well-designed, fast-loading, and simple to navigate, making it easy for customers to enjoy all the perks on offer.

Customer Support

Friendly and efficient customer support is a hallmark of the best online sports betting sites. The leading bookies back up the good stuff on their sites and apps with robust customer support options. It’s not uncommon for brands to offer 24/7 live chat alongside telephone and email support, with some sites also happy for customers to hit them up over social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

The Biggest UK Bookies

We at Compare.bet aim to bring our readers an accurate representation of current sports betting providers, which means we don’t discriminate between established household names and new kids on the block. In fact, there are a few reasons why those looking for a new sports betting site should consider lesser-known names over the big players in the industry. 

New sites might attempt to draw as many bettors as possible by offering outstanding welcome bonuses, providing a long list of modern payment methods, committing to faster withdrawal times, or showering existing customers with ongoing promotions. For these reasons and more, you shouldn’t disregard a sportsbook just because it’s not as well known as others. 

Nevertheless, operators with 20+ years of experience have established their positions by understanding their customers and the market. These sites set the bar for smaller, newer brands, providing a framework on how to build an outstanding overall sportsbook experience. Here’s a brief list of some of the major online bookmakers in the UK, all of which cover extensive sports betting markets and are well worth checking out:

Top Sites

Compare the best betting sites around. Read up on our top-rated bookies, compare mobile sites and find the best place to wager in-play.

Sports Betting

Get the lowdown on how to wager on the UK’s favourite sports, from football, to rugby, to the NFL and beyond.

Wager on a Wide Variety of Different Sports

You can bet on football, horse racing and rugby, as well as US sports like the NFL and the NBA, at pretty much all the UK’s best bookmakers. However, not every bookie offers markets on more obscure sports. For example, if you want to bet on sports like handball, badminton or even WWE, you’ll have to find a bookie that offers those sports. Also, keep in mind that the leagues and events available for each sport will differ between bookies.

Football

Football is one of the most popular sports to bet on at online bookies, with the best sites covering all the top football leagues and competitions. Whether you want to bet on Premier League games or follow the action overseas, there are often hundreds of football betting markets available. You could keep things simple and predict the match winner or use your intuition to profit on live football bets, like whether there’ll be a goal in the next five minutes. 

Horse Racing 

Horse racing is another crowd-pleaser at betting sites. The top bookies cover every UK and Irish race, and often races from around the world too. From the Cheltenham Festival to the Kentucky Derby, there are plenty of ways to bet on the action. For example, you can select a horse to win a race outright or place an each-way bet, which will pay out if the horse finishes within a certain number of places. For experienced bettors, there’s lots of fun to be had with multiple bets.

Rugby 

Rugby tournaments play out throughout the year, with the best online sports betting sites offering rugby betting odds on every match. Like football, you can keep things straightforward and bet on the match winner or the match result, though there’s no shortage of ways to make proceedings more thrilling. Live rugby betting can be particularly exciting and serves up additional betting markets like which player or team will score next.

Boxing

From flyweight to heavyweight, boxing greats face off against each other all year round. Top online bookies invite punters to get stuck in, offering boxing betting odds for the WBC, IBF, WBO and more besides. You can bet on boxing matches in a medley of different ways, including backing the winner and predicting if a fight will end in a TKO or go the distance. Live boxing odds mean you stand a chance of making a profit from every punch.

Golf

Golf betting is available all year round at top online betting sites, though some of the most exciting events include the Masters, the PGA Championship and the Open. As with many sports, you can keep it simple with a bet on the tournament winner or make things interesting by betting on markets like the top 5 finishers or who will make the cut. Live golf betting adds the option to drill down into the details and bet on the result of the next hole or round. 

American Football

The best UK bookies don’t stick to taking bets on UK sporting events, with many of the best sites also accepting wagers on American sports. American football and the NFL is top of the pile, with 32 teams, 272 regular season games, the playoffs and the legendary Super Bowl all serving up lots of ways to bet. You can predict the winning team in each conference, the outright NFL champions or dive into every game and enjoy a host of live NFL betting options.

Other Betting Options

Betting isn’t only limited to traditional events these days, as an increasing number of online bookmakers now offer punters the chance to bet on esports. There are also virtual betting options such as virtual horse and greyhound racing that you can wager on at any time of day. Some of the best online bookmakers even let you wager on non-sports markets such as politics and Eurovision!

Choose from a Range of Sports Betting Markets

The best online betting sites deliver a stellar choice of betting markets for punters. We aren’t just talking about the number of different sports available to bet on, but the choice of betting markets within each sport, such as the match result, handicap and winning margin markets. You’ll often find a fair amount of variation in market coverage from bookie to bookie when looking to bet on more obscure sports and competitions. Let’s dive into some of the key markets available to punters. 

Match Result

The match result market is the simplest betting market available at online bookmakers and it’s reflected across pretty much every sport in the world. All you need to do is pick who you think will win a match, race, fight etc. You can place a bet on the overall winner before the event has started, but you can also bet on the action in-play. 

Handicap

The handicap market is another great betting option if you’re looking for better value odds. Two unevenly matched opponents may throw up some pretty unattractive betting opportunities, but if you wager on the favourite win with a handicap, then the price can suddenly improve. In football, for example, if you wager on PSG to beat Krasnodar in the Champions League with a handicap of -2, then you would need the Parisians to win by a margin of two or more goals.

Each Way

Each-way betting is a market that you only see on a select few sports, but it’s nonetheless one of the most important betting options available to punters. You are most likely to come across an each-way bet when you’re wagering on horse racing and it’s essentially a way for you to increase your chances of making a profit, even if you’re chosen bet doesn’t win. You effectively place two wagers on a horse to either win, or come second or third, and if you’re horse places on the podium, you win!

Bets on Individual Players 

When you’re betting on team sports at online bookmakers, you can also wager on individuals within that team. For example, you can place a bet on a goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet in football, or a rugby player to score a try. These markets provide some real variety to the betting experience and can be really enhanced by digging into some statistics. 

Outright Bets 

Your betting opportunities at UK bookmakers are not just limited to individual games or fights, but can also be placed on the overall winners of entire competitions or tournaments. These can be wagered at the start of the competition, but you can also place them while it is ongoing. If you’re playing it safe, you may want to let the tournament or competition play out for a bit before you place a wager. Some tournaments run on for over nine months and a lot can happen in that time. 

Bet Builders

Some online bookmakers also provide bet builders, which let you create accumulator bets for the same event. Say there’s a football match you have your eye on. By firing up the bet builder tool, you can pick out a whole array of selections, such as which team will win, how many corners will be awarded, which players will score, and so on. The bet builder will automatically combine your selections and give you the price for the whole lot. Bet builders only apply to one game, however, so you can’t combine wagers from a range of games or sports like you can with a standard accumulator.

Betting Bonuses

Enhance your betting experience with a first-class bonus. Compare top betting promotions to boost your bankroll.

Claim Generous Welcome Bonus Rewards

Pretty much every sports betting site offers a welcome bonus to help you get started. From matched deposits and free bets to cashback offers, these bonuses are a great way of boosting your bankroll.

Keep in mind that it’s not all about which bonus is biggest — the terms and conditions are what determine the true value of a bonus.

Reading up on full terms like win limits, free bet stake limits, minimum odds, expiry dates, deposit method exclusions, withdrawal restrictions, market restrictions and wagering requirements will help you find the bonus that best matches your needs, so make sure you check the small print. Let’s take a look at the types of bonuses that new customers can claim at the top online bookies.

Free Bets

As the name suggests, this bonus rewards you with real money or a betting token, for free. You may simply need to deposit a set amount to qualify for the free bet bonus, or you might have to place a qualifying bet before your bonus is activated. In some cases, however, you can be rewarded with a free bet without needing to deposit anything. Always keep an eye on the terms and conditions, however, as wagering requirements, expiry dates, payout limits and more will apply. 

Matched Deposit 

The matched deposit bonus gives you bonus funds worth a percentage of your first deposit, up to a certain amount. For example, a 100% up to £100 bonus would reward you with £50 in bonus funds when you make a £50 deposit. Anything you deposit over £100 won’t get you any extra funds, however, so it’s important you bear that in mind. Some matched deposits will come with a bonus code that will need to be entered in order to activate it, so make sure you look out for that when you sign up. What’s more, wagering requirements and other terms and conditions will usually apply so ensure you’ve read the fine print before you sign up.

Money Back Bonuses

A money back welcome offer works rather like a risk-free bet. If your first bet at an online betting site loses, these bonus offers return your stake, occasionally as cash but more often as a free bet credit. Various terms and conditions can apply to these money back specials at online betting sites. For example, your qualifying bet may need to be for a minimum amount or placed at minimum odds. Plus, if you do receive a free bet token from a money back deal, it’s likely that it will come with an expiry time. You’ll need to use it or lose it.

Boost Your Bankroll with a Sports Betting Promotion

As well as offering generous welcome bonuses, the best online bookies offer plenty of exciting betting offers to existing customers. On top of plentiful welcome bonuses, existing-player promos like enhanced odds give you the chance to win more without having to bet anything extra. Some top UK bookmakers also offer acca boosts or price boosts, which increase the size of your winnings if your selection comes in. 

At most top betting sites, you’ll also find promos for big dates on the sporting calendar, such as the Grand National or the World Cup. It’s not always about boosting your bankroll, either — some online bookies even offer promos that give you the chance to win tickets to big sports matches and events!

Of course, just like with welcome bonuses, the promos on offer vary between sportsbooks. While the promos available change at a pretty quick rate, looking at the deals on offer before you sign up can give you a good idea of what to expect in the long run.

Looking through the best UK betting sites list, you will find a great range of sports betting promotions, such as best odds guaranteed, free spins, and even cashback on your wagers. Naturally, some betting websites are more generous, and creative, than others, so it’s recommended that you do your research and ensure the site you have your eye on has the best promotions available. 

Let’s take a look at some of the most commonly found sports betting promotions at the best online bookies.

Cashback

Cashback is a very popular promotion and simply means that if your bet isn’t a winner, then you get a portion of your money back. It’s not always in withdrawable cash, with many bookies returning it in other forms, such as account credit. 

As with many promotion types, there are different forms of cashback available. One of the most common is offered in the event of a bore draw, usually associated with football. With a bore draw, if the match ends 0-0 then you may get a return on your initial stake — provided you didn’t bet on a 0-0 draw, of course.

Guaranteed Best Odds

Best odds guaranteed is a promo offered by some of the best online bookies. This simply means that the bookie strives to offer the best odds on the market. 

There are obviously a few more complexities relating to deciding final odds, however at a basic level it’s recognised that pre-match odds will fluctuate throughout the day, and if you made an early bet with slightly worse odds, you will be paid back on the best odds available on the day from that particular site. 

Acca Insurance

Acca insurance is a promotion available across many sporting markets. Typically with an acca, you have to correctly predict all accumulative bets or you lose your stake. Acca insurance allows you to falter on one leg and still get your money back in the form of account credit or free bets, or occasionally as withdrawable cash depending on the T&Cs of the betting website you’re using. As with the differing requirements and rules of each betting site, make sure the sport you want to wager on is available for acca insurance before checking out odds and deciding on the bets you want to place. 

Free Spins

Free spins are given away as a promotion by many online casinos, as well as many of the best online bookies that offer casino options alongside their sporting markets. As an example, 

Free spins are generally given out pretty frequently by the best online bookies that offer casino games, however you should always keep in mind that they will come with wagering requirements and  limits on the games they can be used on.

Enhanced Odds

Many online bookies offer enhanced odds deals to existing customers. These offers work by boosting the odds on a bet to give you more money back if you win. Bookies may offer enhanced prices on select markets, though some sites hand out odds boost tokens instead. These tokens effectively let you boost the odds on a bet of your choosing, so are worth watching out for if you think you’re on to a sure bet. 

Reload Bonuses

Reload bonuses work a lot like matched deposits for new customers in that they credit you with an amount of bonus funds correlating to your deposit amount. For example, you might find a bookie offering a 20% boost to your deposit up to £20. Here, you’d need to deposit £100 to benefit from the max bonus amount, but, if you planned to do so anyway, a reload bonus can be an easy way to boost your bankroll. Remember that T&Cs will often apply to the bonus funds.

Request a Bet

Request a Bet is a great feature available to customers at top betting sites like Betfred, Coral and Paddy Power. Request a Bet allows you to request custom betting odds for just about any prediction you fancy. To get the odds, you’ll usually need to hit up the bookie’s customer support team using a certain hashtag on Twitter. For Paddy Power, it’s #WhatOddsPaddy. Request a Bet is a fantastic way to create the wager you want, even if it’s not listed at the bookies.

Betting Features 

Stay on top of your betslip with these extra features. Boost your odds with an accumulator, claim your winnings early via cash out or edit your bet after you’ve placed it.

These days, some of the UK’s best betting sites offer unique features in a bid to stand out from the crowd. For example, some online bookies offer helpful statistics and betting guides to help you make an educated bet, while others have bet calculators so that you better understand your potential returns.

Some sportsbooks will also offer punters some pretty exciting promotions. The Bet365 accumulator bonus, for example, will boost the size of your winnings from any correct selections with cash. Other bookies, such as Paddy Power, will offer you an early pay out on a football bet if your team goes two goals ahead. This means you’ll still take home your winnings even if your side does on to lose. 

Certain online bookmakers, such Betfair, even have community platforms where you can discuss your bets and share tips with other punters, while other sites have innovative bonuses or flexible cash out policies. Our online sportsbook reviews highlight all these helpful little extra features to help you find the best betting site for you.

Bet In-Play as the Action Happens

On top of a wide range of markets, the best online bookmakers put punters into the heart of the action with in-play betting markets. These allow you to bet on events as they take place, giving you the chance to take advantage of changes in momentum. Not only does live betting provide a particularly exciting betting experience, but it also gives you the chance to benefit from some enticing odds.

A number of the UK’s best betting sites even let you watch events such as football matches and horse races through high definition live streams. The sports and leagues available for live streaming vary from bookie to bookie, so check what events are on offer to help find the right betting site for you. Keep in mind that you may need to wager on an event or have a funded account in order to access the live stream.

Boost Your Potential Winnings with an Accumulator

Accumulators have taken off in popularity in recent years, with punters from across the world attracted by the boost in potential winnings they provide. By combining a variety of sports bets into one acca, the odds are all multiplied together which boosts the size of the customer’s potential payout. 

Accumulators can be placed across one sport, such as the best football action, or they can be placed on a selection of markets from multiple sports. You can even lay an accumulator across multiple days!

As with all higher-reward bets, however, the risks are indeed greater. The more extensive your selections, the less chance you have of your accumulator winning. That’s why we would always recommend doing some solid research before you bet and never bet with more than you can afford to lose.

Betting Tools 

Use our odds convertor and bet calculated to make the most informed wager possible and play with confidence each and every time.

Newly-Launched Bookmakers Offer Something a Bit Different

New bookmakers are appealing for a number of reasons. Not only do the newest bookies offer customers some great value welcome offers, but loyal customers can claim a variety of innovative promotions. In order to stand out from the competition, new bookies will also offer customers a well-designed website that is both enjoyable to spend time at as well as easy to use. 

It’s worth being aware that there are some trade-offs with using a new betting site. You may also find that a lot of new betting sites won’t provide players with a native mobile betting app right away, for example.

Pros and Cons of New Betting Sites

Choose a Sportsbook that Offers Smooth Mobile Betting

Mobile sports betting is how the majority of punters lay their wagers these days and as such all of our recommended sportsbooks offer mobile compatibility. However, that doesn’t mean the mobile experience is the same at every sportsbook. As well as mobile-friendly websites, some of the best mobile bookies have also developed native betting apps to create the best possible handheld user experience.

Mobile betting apps make it faster and easier to navigate to your favourite markets, and as they’re developed specifically for your device, they provide a smoother betting experience. Mobile betting apps for Android and iOS devices also allow you to enable push notifications to alert you to the latest bonuses and markets, so you’ll never have to worry about missing out on the next great deal. Perhaps the only real negative to a native app is that by downloading the app you will be taking up memory on your device. But for a seamless handheld betting experience, we think the price is worth it.

Find Your Perfect Banking Method

The best betting sites offer a range of deposit and withdrawal options, but the banking methods available at each site will vary. For example, while most sites accept debit cards, you may have to be more selective if you’re looking for a bookmaker that accepts Neteller deposits.

Benefit from a helpful customer support service

You may never need to get in contact with your betting site’s customer service team, but in the off chance you need a hand, you’ll want access to friendly and helpful customer support round the clock. This is why it’s a good idea to check the customer support options before signing up. While some of the UK’s best online bookmakers offer support via phone, email and live chat, others only offer one or two options, so you should make sure a bookie offers your preferred contact method. It’s also important to note that customer support opening times vary between bookmakers. While some offer 24/7 customer service, others have select opening times.

Odds Trackers

Follow the odds of the world’s most high-profile betting markets using our odds trackers. Find out what’s causing the changes in price and track the implied probability of the favourite.

Responsible Gambling

We understand that as an affiliate to the gambling industry, we have a serious responsibility to only promote gambling in its healthiest light — that is, as a casual and enjoyable pastime. Gambling can be incredibly addictive, so it’s essential that you take measures to insulate yourself from its potential harms. Here are some of the warning signs of problem gambling:

• An increased preoccupation with gambling — either thinking or talking about gambling more than usual
• Spending more time gambling
• Lying about your gambling habits
• Gambling more than you can afford to lose
• Viewing gambling as a means to make money
• Borrowing or even stealing money to gamble
• Neglecting familial, social, or professional responsibilities in favour of gambling
• Chasing your losses

Due to gambling’s potential to cause addiction, these behaviours can creep up on punters before they’ve had a chance to realise and take action. With this in mind, here are some measures you can take to ensure you’re gambling responsibly:

• Make use of on-site limiters – Gambling sites allow members to set limits in terms of both time and money. You should make use of these, and stick to the limits you set yourself;
• Make use of exclusion tools – If on-site limiters aren’t going far enough, you can make use of exclusion tools to lock yourself out of your gambling account for a specified period of time;
• Never chase losses – Bookmakers and casinos are businesses designed to make money in the long-term. This means that the more you gamble, the less likely you are to win — for this reason, you should never chase your losses;
• Only bet what you can afford to lose – You should be content to lose anything you bet, because there’s a good chance that you will;
• Never gamble under the influence of drugs or alcohol – Drugs and alcohol inhibit our ability to make sound judgements. This rule also extends to heightened mental states, such as anger, sadness, or depression;
• Research – Before you wager on a new sport or on a new game, make sure you do plenty of research first.

Responsible Gambling Organisations

If you think that you need help with a gambling problem, you should never suffer in silence. There are many professional organisations set up to provide confidential, friendly, and non-judgemental support. Remember that you’re not alone, and there are people who can help. With this in mind, here are a few organisations you can contact:

• GamCare – A national charity that has successfully lobbied for the inclusion of its exclusion tool on the homepage of all UKGC-licensed operators. It runs a 24-hour helpline and links problem gamblers to professional support;
• Gamblers Anonymous – Like Alcoholics Anonymous, Gamblers Anonymous runs free-to-use support groups for those affected by problem gambling;
• National Problem Gambling Clinic – A wing of the NHS, the clinic is another service that provides treatment to problem gamblers and aims to broaden services in this area to cultivate more effective treatments. Speaking to your GP is a good place to start here;
• The Responsible Gambling Trust – The charity behind the GambleAware website, which provides treatment, education and support channels for problem gamblers and those affected by problem gambling.

Sign up to Start Betting on Sports

Now that you know all about what makes a top betting site, you have everything you need to find the perfect site for you. All you need to do is compare the online bookmakers on our list. Want to learn more about the UK’s best betting sites? Our expert sportsbook reviews have got all you need to know. Whether you’re searching for the best live football betting or the biggest selection of boxing markets, we’ve got you covered. Simply compare, sign up and bet!

Top 10 Best Licensed Betting Sites for UK Customers

See our references & visit related external links

Please note that Compare.bet is not responsible for the content of third party websites.

1. www.begambleaware.org  – for help and support for those concerned about their own, or someone else’s gambling habits
2. The UK Gambling Commission – for regulatory information on UK gambling sites