Best Betting Websites in UK

Welcome to our review of the best betting sites in the UK. Recent advances in technology have helped to transform the online betting industry with more extensive sports coverage than ever before. There are now a far greater number of bookmakers to choose from with more competitive odds, live streaming and mobile apps.

We have taken a detailed look at the top sports betting sites to provide you with an extensive guide, covering everything from ease of use to special offers and customer support. We have highlighted those that provide the best service, giving horse racing enthusiasts an edge in their pursuit of profits.

Top Bookmakers in UK Reviewed

Betfair

The betting exchanges have become increasingly popular, although they remain unchartered territory for many punters. In simple terms, Betfair’s “Exchange” feature allows punters to trade with one another. For example,the Lay bet allows you to act as a bookmaker if you are convinced a particular horse cannot win. You must remember that you risk losing more than just your original stake so make sure you can meet your liabilities should the horse win.

The “cash out” option has become more widespread in recent years. This is where the punter stands to win a large amount, usually on an accumulator or ante-post bet. Perhaps they have the first four winners in a five-horse accumulator and it all rests on the last race. In this instance, the bookmaker can offer a “cash out” option, considerably less than the potential pay out but it guarantees the punter a win without the risk of losing it all.

In 2021 a punter was able to bank £250,000 for a £5 bet despite his final selection falling at Cheltenham after he decided to take a cash out offer from Betfair. The Betting Exchanges are more complex than traditional sites so you should familiarise yourself with it before choosing this method of betting.

Bet365

Bet365 arguably have the best Live Streaming service which covers over 600,000 sports events worldwide each year. It is available to customers who have a funded account or have placed a bet on the site within the previous 24 hours. As well as their extensive horse racing coverage, Bet365 also live streams soccer, tennis, cricket, and the NBA and NFL.

Bet365 are famous for their superb introductory offers and the site is one of the easiest to navigate among the leading bookmakers. The Bet365 Mobile App is available to both iOS and Android and includes all of the most popular features such as best odds guaranteed and their special Feature race 4-1 offer. Back the winner of any advertised feature race at 4-1 or more and you will receive a risk-free bet to the same stake on the next feature race. With their competitive odds and fast bet settlements, it’s easy to see why Bet365 is among the market leaders in online betting.

Unibet

Unibet boasts an impressive range of betting markets with global horse racing coverage including Japan, South Africa and Brazil. There is an easy drop-down menu for placing your win/each-way, forecast, tricast or head-to-head bets.

Unibet runs a regular blog for punters which is packed with the latest sports news and racing tips. They published special features and free racing tips for every day of Royal Ascot 2023 and highlighted several winners including Docklands (6-1) in the Britannia Stakes and Ahorsewithnoname (7-1) in the Ascot Stakes. Unibet also publish eyecatchers for the notebook and there is a regular column by leading Trainer Richard Hannon who discusses the prospects of his up-coming runners.

Paddy Power

Paddy Power are among the most popular bookmakers with a reputation for value and great offers for new customers. Once registered, you can take advantage of Paddy Power Rewards including Money Back Specials and Power Prices. Power Prices are regularly updated throughout the day and can apply to any sport. They typically apply to multiples on favourites, offering enhanced odds on selected accumulators.

Paddy Power’s Money Back Specials offer to refund your bet on selected events if your horse finishes second. To access this feature you must click the link above each race and the odds will change to reflect this built-in feature. This can be particularly useful if you have narrowed down a race to two possible winners.

888sport

888Sports have established themselves as one of the market leaders in competitive pricing over a broad range of markets. They also maintain a terrific offer of a free £5 bet when you back a winner at 4-1 on any sport, every day! The offer is available for your first settled bet each day when you have staked £10 or more.

As well as coverage of every race in the UK and Ireland, Bet365 also has live streaming of International races and a regular horse racing blog featuring all of the latest big race news. They are also a leader in advocating responsible gaming with an extensive section dedicated to preventing compulsive gambling including access to help and advice 24/7.

Betstorm

Betstorm is a newcomer on the scene having been launched in 2021 with a modern, user-friendly interface. Their impressive graphics encourage you to create your own live multi-view so you can focus on your chosen sports events. It has a rewards programme for customers where you can complete simple missions to earn rewards paid in free spins up to £20.

Betstorm does not yet cover UK horse racing but they already have a good reputation for providing good value football bets and specialise in eSports coverage. They also have a customer loyalty rewards scheme and strong customer service.

Betfred

Betfred founder Fred Done opened his first high street betting shop in 1967. His business has boomed since the turn of the century with turnover in excess of £10 billion in 2018-19. He has established a reputation as an innovator, creating the first betting shop millionaire in Salford in 2004 and being the first bookmaker to pay out early when Manchester United won the Premier League in 1998.

Betfred’s current promotions include the popular football bets “Double Delight” and “Hat-trick Heaven”. Double Delight will pay out twice if your selected player scores first in the match and then goes on to score a second. Similarly, if your chosen player scores first and then twice more, Betfred will pay three times your winnings!

Betway

Betway are well known for their wide range of sports betting opportunities including American football and basketball. They have a variety of sign-up offer so do please check the small print before joining. For example, if you place a £5 horse racing or football acca as your first bet and it loses, you can earn £30 in free bets and fifty bonus spins.

New customers wagering £10 on horse racing or esports will be matched with £10 free bets. Betway have a dedicated Esports section which they proudly refer to as “The Home of Esports Betting”. They provide an extensive range of Esports betting markets in one of the fastest growing online betting sectors.

BoyleSports

Boylesports have one of the most extensive horse racing services in the industry with free live streaming of all UK and Irish racing. They also cover France, USA, Australia and Mexico. The best odds guarantee applies to all UK and Irish Racing with frequent extra place races for each-way betting and money back if second to the favourite on selected races.

The Boylesports mobile app has long been hailed as one of the best in the business. The design and navigation provide a familiar transition for customers who regularly use other devices will all of the regular features. Boylesports still retains a top quality telephone betting system for those who are not yet ready for a more modern platform.

Kwiff

Kwiff are a relative newcomer having been created by Unibet founder Anders Strom in 2015 and are keen to be seen as innovative. New customers betting £10 will be given a £20 “Surprise Bet” where Kwiff will place a random £20 sports bet on your behalf.

Another feature of Kwiff is their “supercharged” odds promotion. As well as a guaranteed odds boost on their first acca bet each weekend, customers will randomly receive supercharged odds. They also have a highly rated mobile app with fast loading times in an easy-to-navigate format.

Ladbrokes

Ladbrokes was founded way back in 1886 and has been one of the leaders in the growth of UK online sports betting. In 2016 they completed a merger with rival Coral who continue to operate under that name with the company now known as Ladbrokes Coral. Ladbrokes offer Best Odds Guaranteed on all UK and Irish races and daily odds boosts.

The horse racing main page covers events across the world with a huge variety of betting markets. You can click on “Place Insurance” and see amended prices where your stake is returned if your win bet is placed. Each race displays the Racing Post verdict, star ratings and tips. You can even build your own racecard online by highlighting up to ten races with access to live streaming. New customers staking £5 can get £20 in free bets with Ladbrokes. The free bets are credited as 4 x £5 bets which must be staked within 7 days.

Skybet

Skybet always have good promotions and are currently offering new customers staking £5 an additional £30 in free bets. They also have a special “Request a Bet” feature for those obscure wagers that help to make betting such fun. You can access this feature on the site through the Sky Bet Sportsbook or you can do so by tagging #RequestABet to Sky Bet on Twitter.

Skybet also has odds boosts, some of the most generous extra place terms in the business and cash out options. The Sky Bet Club is also a must to join so that you can avail yourself of on-going bonuses and rewards.

William Hill

William Hill was founded in 1934 so is another elder statesman of the betting industry. They have long been established as one of the market leaders in horse racing betting and have held their position during the growth of online sports betting.

If you sign up as a new William Hill customer via your mobile or tablet device and bet £10 you can receive £40 in free bets using promo code N40. Existing customers benefit from enhanced place terms, bet boosts and guaranteed best odds. The William Hill website is easy to navigate and features betting tv for live coverage as well as free radio race commentaries. If “In-Play” betting is your speciality, there is a direct link on the drop-down menu to bring up all the live action.

BetGoodwin

BetGoodwin prides itself on strong customer service with an easy-to-navigate site featuring the traditional drop-down menu on the left-hand side. They currently offer free bets (up to £100) if your horse is beaten a nose on the flat or less than half a length over jumps, as well as last fence fallers who were in front at the time. Live betting options include win/each-way, Top 2 finish, Top3 finish and betting without the favourite. BetGoodwin accepts deposits using Visa, Visa Debit, MasterCard, Visa Electron and Maestro.

Factors to Consider When Choosing a Betting Site

User-friendly interface and experience

There are a large number of betting sites competing for your account with some very tempting new customer offers. Although this can be a nice welcome bonus, there are more important factors including ease of navigation and the overall experience.

You can visit each of our listed sites to see if you find it easy to use and that it meets your requirements. We suggest that you test them out as though placing a bet and familiarise yourself with the layout of the features that you are most likely to use on a regular basis.

Legalities and Licensing

It is essential that you make sure you only use licensed and regulated sites. Bookmakers may display proof of licence on their website but you should only sign up when you are 100% comfortable that the site is secure. Most of the established industry sites are featured on the racingpost and sportinglife websites and the olbg (Online Betting Guide) forums are an excellent source of customer feedback.

The UK Gambling Commission license, regulate, advise and provide guidance to all involved in the industry. Safeguards have been brought in to protect the most vulnerable. All reputable bookmaker sites display links to highly qualified support agencies.

Range of betting options

There are a wide range of betting options from the simple win or each-way bet up to multiple bets and accumulators. Most bookmakers bet at fixed odds while the more experienced punter may prefer to bet on the exchange markets.

Some bookmakers offer “cash out” options or money back as free bets for fallers or placed horses on selected races. Ante-post betting has become increasingly popular since bookmakers started offering “Non-runner – No Bet” weeks before the Cheltenham Festival but do make sure this is stated when placing your bet. All leading bookmaker sites have their own help buttons and FAQ sections.

Competitive odds

Many advertised special odds offers are restricted to new customers but existing customers can also get some great value. Most major bookmakers now offer a “Best odds guarantee” which means that you will be paid out at the higher price, should the SP return be better than the early price.

There are also extra places for your each-way bets in competitive handicaps, paying out down to fifth or even sixth place at the big Festival meetings. Daily price boosts are promoted on site and you can compare the best available odds on oddschecker.com. It can pay to have three or four accounts set up so that you have access to the best odds available.

Payment Options and Speed of Pay-outs

There are various deposit and withdrawal methods offered by bookmakers. All of the major cards are accepted by the vast majority of betting sites. Debit cards are the most popular method of deposit and withdrawal, although the speed of transactions can vary. If using a credit card, make sure you check for processing fees and transactions can take much longer than debit cards. Most bookmakers now require you to verify your account with documentation when you sign up to cover the necessary security measures.

Paypal is also widely accepted and both William Hill and Ladbrokes will process paypal payments on the same day. Bank Transfer can still take as long as 5-7 working days while cheque payments can take as long as 10 working days.

Customer Support

Customer support is a vital aspect when choosing your favourite online betting site. There is nothing more frustrating than needing a fast answer to a question only to find yourself going around in circles on the site. Support offered varies from each bookmaker but includes live chat, telephone, email and twitter. Most will initially try to divert you to a help or FAQ section (Frequently Asked Questions) but these do not always provide a clear answer.

Betfred have a good response time to their live chat service but others can be slow to respond. Some punters still prefer to speak directly via telephone where Boylesports have a good reputation. Twitter may not seem an obvious option but the fact that any issues may be displayed publicly can sometimes bring a swift response from bookmakers. William Hill, Bet365 and Paddy Power all have excellent response times to twitter messages. Email usually gets an automated response but there can be considerable delays in getting any resolution via this method of contact.

How to Get Started with Your Chosen Betting Site

Each site may vary slightly but this step-by-step guide should prepare you for setting up your new account successfully.

• Have the necessary verification documents scanned and ready to upload (typically a driving licence and/or recent utility bill)
• Go to your chosen site and click on the relevant option to join. This may sometimes be located in the promotions section. Make a note of or copy any free bet codes where stated.
• Begin the registration process, applying any promo code when prompted.
• Make your initial deposit of at least the minimum stated amount.
• Place your first qualifying bet. This is usually required to be at odds of 1-2 or greater to qualify for any free bets.
• Once your first bet has been settled, your free bets will be added as credits in your account.
• Read the terms and conditions carefully and remember to use your free bets before any stated expiry date.

Betting Tips and Strategy

The form book provides the key to understanding horse performance and there is a wealth of information free to access online. There are now 48-hour declarations, allowing plenty of time for detailed analysis. There are a number of factors involved in assessing a horse’s performance, from changes in the going to speed figures. In order to gain an edge, you have to believe that your horse has been under-rated or has ideal conditions to improve its performance.

With free video re-runs widely available online, many future winners can be spotted by reviewing races. Alternatively you can let specialist horse racing sites do this research for you. For example you might pick up some useful tips from Unibet’s betting insights or the Bet65 horse racing blog. Your betting account will record all of your activity which can help you to identify any particular area of expertise or pattern in your betting. This in turn could enable you to establish your own betting strategy and increase your profit potential.