Best betting sites UK: Guide to choosing an online bookmaker

We have been busy collating all the information ready to guide you through the landscape of the online betting industry to bring you a carefully selected list of the best betting sites in the UK.

We’ll examine some of the best promotions and tools that the best online bookmakers provide, while also looking at a few lesser-known UK betting sites that offer strong welcome deals to players in an attempt to become part of their go-to selection of bookies.

As a leading national news site in the UK, it’s important to us to provide our readers with reliable, trustworthy and impartial insight. With The Independent’s journalistic expertise and background in mind, we’ve endeavoured to offer a comprehensive evaluation of the UK’s best betting sites. In-depth research went into creating this article, as did consultations with experts in the gambling industry, as well as first-hand tests of each platform – down to their security measures and bonus offers. You can count on The Independent to use trusted third-party data and rigorous reporting standards in creating an accurate and up-to-date guide to choosing a betting site.

We have delved into which betting sites are the best in class for particular sports – namely football, racing, golf, boxing and cricket.

Below, you’ll find our reasoning for every bookmaker we’ve chosen in each case.

To find out more about how we rate the best online bookmakers and about gambling responsibly please scroll a little further down the page.

Football is the most bet-on sport in the UK and betting sites are constantly vying to rank number one among football betting sites. In our opinion, bettors will struggle to find a better betting site for football than Betfred.

Betfred gets the basics right, offering competitive odds and unique football offers, including accumulator insurance, acca profit boosts and their popular Double Delight & Hat-trick Heaven offer.

Betfred also provides one of the best welcome offers to greet new users. You just need to enter the Betfred promo code ‘Betfred50’ when you register and deposit a minimum of £10 using a debit card to be eligible for the free bets.

Once you’ve done that and placed a bet of at least £10 on any sports market at odds of evens or greater, you’ll be rewarded with £50 in free bets. That bonus is split into three £10 free bets for any sports market and two £10 accumulator free bets, all of which must be used within seven days.

The betting site also covers a wide range of leagues and competitions, year-round, offering players plenty of choice and opportunities to get involved.

However, one drawback is that Acca Flex promos can only be achieved when multi-bets have five or more results included, which might be a bit too audacious for some bettors. Furthermore, for all of the pros of #PickYourPunt, users can’t cash out of this bet builder, meaning they may feel a little hard done by. It is also worth noting that some football promotions only apply to selected matches.

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When it comes to horse racing betting sites, Unibet is our recommended online bookmaker. Unibet provides a variety of daily racing betting offers, including money-back specials and extra races.

Not only that, Unibet give you three daily odds boosts to spend on racing and is guaranteed to have the best price in the industry on selected races each day. There’s even a Unibet sign up offer specifically for racing, giving new customers two £10 free bets, although it’s not as big as their general sports bet £10 get £40 welcome bonus.

Furthermore, Unibet highlights handy tips and naps ahead of races, collecting racing experts’ picks to help bettors make informed decisions.

Unibet is a betting site worth making use of throughout the racing calendar but especially when the big events roll around, such as Cheltenham Festival, the Grand National and Royal Ascot, when they ramp up their offers. Incidentally, Unibet is also one of the best online poker sites in our opinion.

That said, the app version of the site is not as slick as some of Unibet’s competitors, which could put off some users, and the site does not offer as many racing live streams as Bet365, for example, which is a drawback.

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In third place for the most popular sport to bet on in the UK after football and horse racing is golf and BoyleSports does a stellar job of meeting golf bettors’ needs.

They will regularly offer 12 places on PGA Tour and DP World Tour events, as well as all four majors, while they have introduced a unique offer among golf betting sites - an early payout scheme for selected tournaments.

If your selection is the sole leader after three rounds, BoyleSports will settle your bet as a winner, no matter the final result.

BoyleSports will also produce a range of golf price boosts for selected tournaments each week and those keen on accumulators can take advantage of the bookies’ various acca offers.

The BoyleSports sign up offer can also be used to bet on golf, meaning new customers can bag a £20 free bet upon joining to wager on their favourite sport.

However, BoyleSports’ sign up offer does not provide the value that some other major bookies’ do, and the site’s customer service live chat could be improved – the kind of drawback that has led the Android app to receive lower user ratings.

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A lot of casual bettors like to have a wager on boxing betting sites when a big bout rolls around and they might be best served going to William Hill to place their wagers.

William Hill offers great value odds and a vast range of boxing markets. They have a track record of pricing up fights well in advance, so those who back their knowledge of the sport can make their picks before the pre-fight narratives sway general predictions of the outcome.

William Hill is reliable for alternative markets and also stands out in the boxing space for its fight-night specials. Make sure to check out this UK bookmaker in the lead up to any huge bouts as they’ll regularly enhance the odds on several bets.

Bettors can also use their £30 free bets from the William Hill sign up offer to wager on boxing, should they choose.

On the other hand, William Hill’s live-streaming package is not quite up to scratch compared to some other major betting platforms’, and even if you’re a regular boxing bettor, you won’t be rewarded with that many free bets – which could frustrate dedicated users.

Betway is our favourite bookmaker to head to when it comes to cricket betting sites.

Not only does the bookmaker offer an extensive range of markets on cricket in all of its formats – men’s, women’s, T20, Test, ODI and The Hundred – but Betway’s cricket stats are especially helpful and are available for pre-match and in-play betting.

Betway makes the vast majority of cricket matches available to bet on in-play with live streaming available on select competitions.

Furthermore, Betway’s Free Bet Club offers a £10 free bet if you bet £25 or more on cricket trebles and accumulators, and the firm also features on our list of the safest betting sites.

That said, Betway users cannot use bet builders on cricket, costing bettors a key, useful feature here. Similarly, Betway’s sign up offer cannot be applied to cricket, unfortunately.

Given the relentless nature of the professional tennis schedule, it’s no wonder the sport has become one of the most popular to bet on as there’s so many options for punters.

Many tennis betting sites have latched on to this by improving their product over the last few years, but in our opinion 10Bet are ahead of their peers for tennis betting.

Tennis lends itself well to in-play betting, and on 10Bet you’ll find live statistics on the likes of break point conversions, double faults, aces and serve points won, all of which can be used to make a judgement before placing a bet.

There’s also head-to-head records and recent form for pre-match research, then point-by-point tracking to keep punters informed from the off.

Furthermore, 10Bet are unique in having ongoing tennis promotions, including free bets, for betting regularly on the sport and winnings boosts on successful accumulators.

But there is a relative lack of live-streaming options on 10Bet, and the site’s competitors sometimes upstage 10Bet with slightly better tennis odds.

Unlike many gambling sites, Mr Play caters for rugby with the majority of its promotions, features and welcome offers.

For example, winnings boosts on successful accumulators are commonplace on betting sites but even some of the best betting sites restrict this benefit to the most popular sports such as football and horse racing.

That is not the case on Mr Play, where rugby union and rugby league fans will find their sports qualify for the likes of acca boosts, bet builders and cash out services. It even extends its sign up offer to both codes too.

Beyond the rugby promotions and features, Mr Play stands out from other rugby betting sites thanks to its price boosts, a highlighted fixtures section for the biggest upcoming league and union matches and competitive odds on a wide range of international leagues and tournaments.

Where Mr Play does let down users slightly, though, is on its sign up and welcome offers, as we highlight below. Also, there is no live streaming on the site, while many other major betting sites provide such a service.

There aren’t many F1 betting sites that will run an exclusive Formula 1 offer, but Kwiff have never been among those betting sites that do things by the book.

They run a money-back special on each race, offering to refund your stake in surprise bets, up to the value of £25, if the driver you bet on fails to finish the grand prix.

Kwiff also have an excellent in-play betting service for F1 races. With betting sites unable to offer live streaming of races in the UK due to TV rights, the next best thing to watching the race is to follow it on Kwiff, who provide track graphics and customisable leaderboards during the grand prix.

Using Kwiff there’s always the chance your bet will be ‘supercharged’, which is when the online bookmaker boosts the odds of your wager at random.

When Midnite launched in 2022, it was predominantly focused on esports betting. It has since diversified, adding more elements you’d expect to find from a traditional online bookmaker, such as football and horse racing sign up offers and promotions.

But esports remains at the core of what Midnite does, with a great range of markets and competitive odds available on a wide variety of games.

Midnite provide stats and roster information on all the big esports, such as Counter-Striker, DOTA 2 and League of Legends, while you can watch and bet using the firm’s excellent in-play betting service.

The optimal way to make decisions on in-game bets is while watching the action, and Bet365 offer more opportunities to watch and bet than other live betting sites by streaming over 600,000 events each year.

Bet365 is the standout choice due to the bookmaker’s sheer volume of streams and its Video Wall. The new Bet365 live streaming feature allows you to watch a range of matches at the same time. It’s customisable and is available on mobile, desktop and app, meaning you can watch without missing a moment’s action.

Once you’ve completed the bet365 sign up offer, you’ll have the option to put certain events in full screen mode, giving you an even better view of the action on either the desktop site or app.

In order to make use of these streams, you’ll need to either have a funded account or have placed a bet in the last 24 hours.

Incidentally, Bet365 happens to rank top on our list of the best £5 deposit betting sites, so you don’t have to break the bank in order to have a funded account.

It’s important to be informed before placing your bets, to ensure you understand what you’re gambling on and whether you’ve picked the most sensible options suited to you. For example, make sure not to confuse accumulators and bet builders; they are similar but not the same.

A bet builder is generally focused on one particular match, while an accumulator spreads across numerous events.

For example, a bet builder might see you pick Manchester City to beat Chelsea in a Premier League game, as well as City picking up two yellow cards, Chelsea getting three yellow cards, and City scoring two goals.

Meanwhile, an accumulator might see you back Man City, Newcastle, Arsenal and Brighton all to win separate games on one Premier League weekend.

Another handy alternative feature with Premier League betting sites is ‘cash out’, but this should not be confused with a withdrawal.

The latter sees bettors withdrawing funds from their account balance, while cash out betting sites allows users to settle their bet before the end of an event, locking in a profit or minimising losses should the wager be in doubt.

For example, say you’ve bet on Chelsea to beat Man City 1-0 and Chelsea are leading 1-0 with 10 minutes to go, but City look like scoring. Cashing out in this situation is a handy option as you can settle the bet early.

However, keep in mind you won’t leave with the full amount that you’d have won if Chelsea went on to win 1-0.

For those bettors who enjoy a bet builder, look no further than BetUK, who provide a useful guide to bet building for beginners.

BetUK will reward bettors who wager £10 on a bet builder with a £5 free bet each week and highlight trending bet builders every day, making it a strong choice out of all the betting sites.

When using a bet builder like BetUK’s, it's important to consider how many selections you are permitted within your bet, and which sports the bookmaker features under its bet builders.

BetUK will let you combine up to 12 legs on most bet builders and offers the tool for use on mutiple sports, including tennis, rugby, American football and baseball. Meanwhile, the BetUK sign up offer allows new customers to claim £30 in free bets.

When it comes to accumulators – often referred to as ‘accas’ – we think BoyleSports are the best choice among UK betting sites due to their extensive options in terms of acca promos.

Their Acca Rewards and Acca Loyalty programmes help make them an excellent choice. With Acca Loyalty, customers are awarded a £5 free acca once they’ve placed five £5 accumulators (with at least five selections and total odds of greater than 3/1). Meanwhile, Acca Rewards gives you the choice to either boost your winnings or insure your accumulator.

Profit boosts on acca bets give customers the chance to increase their winnings by three per cent for trebles on BoyleSports, all the way up to 100 per cent for multiples with 14 selections or more

With acca insurance, BoyleSports will refund your stake in free bets, up to the value of £20, if only one leg of your accumulator doesn’t win.

Meanwhile, as well as standard debit card and bank transfers, Boyles also facilitates many alternative deposit and withdrawal options for accumulator bettors, including PayPal betting, Neteller, Skrill betting, Paysafecard, Apple Pay betting and Google Pay betting.

As mentioned above, cashing out is also a great tool to consider when using betting sites. In this area, Kwiff represents a strong choice, ranking among our top cash out betting sites, largely due to the bookmaker’s ‘supercharge cash-out’ feature.

Kwiff is a bit niche thanks to its surprise bets and supercharged features. In this instance, the online bookmaker may decide to boost, or supercharge, the winnings on any bet you decide to cash out.

As Kwiff explains: “It essentially means that if you decide to cash out your bet, you will be eligible to have that payout supercharged. If your cash-out bet has been supercharged, then your normal return will be greater than the normal odds originally taken.”

It's an interesting take on a popular feature, and Kwiff doesn’t only supercharge cash-outs, but also standard bets. Keep an eye out for ‘Supercharge Weekend’ offers, too. Always consider the ease of use, of course, and the value of the original cash-out offers.

While Kwiff do like to do things their own way, the Kwiff sign up offer did recently change from rewarding new customers with £30 in surprise bets to a more traditional, bet £10, get £30 in free bets scheme.

Although we have named Unibet as the best horse racing betting site, that accolade does not extend to the subject of Best Odds Guaranteed (BOG), with BoyleSports pipping Unibet for a number of reasons.

BOG means that if you take an early or fixed odds price on a horse or greyhound and the starting price (SP) is higher, the bookie will pay out at the higher odds. This ensures you always get the best possible return on your bet.

What makes BoyleSports stand out in this regard is that they extend their BOG offering to greyhound betting, whereas the likes of Unibet and other top betting sites reserve it just for horse racing.

For both horse racing and greyhound racing, BoyleSports make their BOG promotion available from 8am every morning, an industry-best time with some rivals waiting until 9am for BOG to trigger.

LiveScore Bet is another newcomer to the UK betting industry but it benefits from a strong reputation having become globally popular as a real-time sports digital scoreboard across football, cricket, tennis, basketball and hockey.

Their technology has served them well so far in their venture into sports betting and, somewhat unsurprisingly, they have centred their focus on in-play betting across several sports, not just the five mentioned above.

Punters can expect over 40 in-play markets when live betting on football, over 50 when betting in-play on tennis and even more on basketball. All of which is backed up with stats and in many cases high-definition live streams.

The LiveScore Bet sign up offer is not the strongest, but beyond the welcome period, there are plenty of promotions, including their free-to-play football game SQUADS, which gives players a chance to earn withdrawable cash.

There have never been so many different ways to complete financial transactions with betting sites in the UK. Here are a list of the accepted methods through which punters can conduct deposits and withdraws, and a couple which are currently unavailable.

The most widely accepted payment method across all betting sites. Whether you have a Mastercard or Visa debit card, you’ll be able to make deposits and withdrawals very easily. Deposits are usually processed instantly, but withdrawals can take a little longer.

The most secure payment method available will suit those high rollers looking to transfer large amounts of money to betting sites. Limits on deposits and withdrawals are usually much higher than other means, but both will take significantly longer to process.

Apple Pay has quickly developed into the world’s most popular e-wallet and is now widely accepted by betting sites. Apple Pay can be used to qualify for sign up offers in many instances, unlike most other e-wallets, while withdrawals are also possible with the best betting sites.

The Android equivalent to Apple Pay hasn’t been picked up by quite so many betting sites as yet, but is used by several online bookmakers for both deposits and withdrawals. Both Apple and Google Pay tend to have lower payment limits, but are perfect for betting on a mobile device.

Nearly every betting site in the UK now accepts payments made via PayPal and in some instances, they allow you to qualify for sign up offers via deposits made using this method. PayPal offer a convenient way to complete financial transactions and withdrawals are often processed in a matter of hours.

This e-wallet trails behind PayPal when it comes to how widely accepted it is, while most betting sites will not let you qualify for their sign up offer via a Skrill deposit. There tends to be a minimum deposit and withdrawal amount of £10 at Skrill betting sites.

Another e-wallet with capabilities to be used for deposits and withdrawals at UK betting sites. Again, it’s not as widely used as PayPal and first deposits made as part of sign up offers are unlikely to qualify for the welcome bonus.

This well-regarded online payment operator enables users to make transfers directly from their bank account without inputting their bank details into a website. It’s more secure than an e-wallet and doesn’t require users to have an account with Trustly to carry out transactions, but it’s not accepted by every UK bank and is more widely used by overseas bookmakers.

With more punters betting on their mobile devices, services like Boku have become more popular, allowing users to make payments that are added to their mobile phone bills. However, withdrawals aren’t possible using this service and the limits on deposits are low.

A Paysafecard is a great way to keep track of your spending and is an extremely secure method for making deposits with betting sites as it doesn’t involve any personal or financial details. Bettors are limited to having a maximum of £175 on their Paysafecard and withdrawals from online bookmakers aren’t possible using Paysafecards.

Payments by credit cards used to be accepted by UK betting sites, but a change to the law in April 2020 outlawed any kind of financial payment to bookmakers from credit cards.

UK betting sites are currently unable to accept any financial transactions using cryptocurrency under regulations set out by the UK Gambling Commission.

We take the rating and recommendation of betting sites very seriously and have stringent criteria we expect the best bookmakers to meet even to be considered for our list. Here are some of the factors that went into our thinking:

This is a non-negotiable before we recommend any UK bookmaker. They have to be regulated by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) for us to contemplate rating them, so you can be confident that every bookmaker above is safe to engage with. Every site mentioned on this page is UKGC-regulated and secure to use.

Our recommended online bookmakers are a mixture of household names and new betting sites. The reputation of a bookmaker is very important to us and while the well-known betting sites such as Betfred, BoyleSports and Bet365 have reputations that precede them, we also considered the burgeoning renown of the newer companies entering the UK industry and how well-regarded they are overseas.

Similarly to regulation, how committed a bookmaker is to responsible gambling is extremely important. Have they taken genuine steps to ensure their actions towards their customers are morally sound? We considered their approaches to vital responsible gambling tools such as deposit limits, loss limits, reality checks and self-exclusion. A 2024 study by the UKGC reported that 26 per cent of young people had seen family members they live with gamble, and of these, 8 per cent said it had resulted in arguments or tension at home – that is something that UKGC-licensed sites should be aware of.

How good an experience online bookies provide to their customers was also taken into account when choosing the best online betting sites – across desktop, mobile and app. If the site design is smart and well laid out, the useability is logical and straightforward, then that all makes for a better customer experience. Similarly, how easy it is to interact with support staff and solve any potential issues is also a factor.

Of course, betting sites can also be judged on promotions and offers. We considered if these betting sites were offering unique deals we hadn’t seen anywhere else. If punters feel like they’re getting more bang for your buck – be that in terms of free bets, odds boosts or one-off promotions – they’re more likely to have a good experience on the site.

Now that we’ve established our thoughts on which betting sites excel in the most popular fields, it may be beneficial to pull together our most notable findings in order to help you decide which betting site suits your own tastes.

Below, we’ve rounded up all of the best betting sites on this page in order to compare each operator’s overall sportsbook package, which may help those of you who are still undecided about which bookie to choose.

It is worth noting that BoyleSports is the only bookmaker that ticks all the boxes on the above features, which are some of the most popular attractions for sports bettors.

Kwiff only offer two of the five most popular features, but in their defence they focus most of their energy on their unique cash out offerings and they stand out for this as a result.

The Champions League dominates the midweek sporting landscape with some of Europe’s biggest sides facing key games as the new-look league table starts to take shape.

Manchester City and Arsenal are outside the top eight and the Gunners face a tough test on Tuesday when they visit Sporting, who beat City 4-1 last time out in the Champions League. Man City will seek to put that defeat behind them, part of a five-game losing run, when they host Feyenoord.

There’s a blockbuster tie to look forward to on Wednesday when Liverpool host defending champions Real Madrid at Anfield. On the same night, Aston Villa face Italian giants Juventus.

There’s another big Anglo-Italian clash on Thursday in the Europa League when Tottenham host Roma. Meanwhile, Manchester United boss Rubin Amorim takes charge of his first game at Old Trafford when the Red Devils face Bodo/Glimt.

Away from football, England begin their three-Test series with New Zealand on Wednesday night with Jacob Bethell in line for a first cap and Ollie Pope set to deputise as wicket-keeper for the series-opener in Christchurch.

In snooker, it’s the final week of the UK Championship at the Barbican in York, while the big golf event of the week is the Australian Open.

Finally, it’s Thanksgiving in the United States on Thursday and that means three NFL games to enjoy, including the Chicago Bears visiting Detroit to face a Lions team that are now favourites to win the Super Bowl on NFL betting sites.

Should you choose to use any of the best gambling sites we recommend, the most important thing to remember is to gamble responsibly.

Betting should only ever be considered a form of entertainment – it has not, and will never be, a surefire way to make money, no matter how much you think you know about sports.

When gambling on betting sites, always factor in the probability of a loss and therefore, only bet what you can afford to lose. Sports betting can also be addictive, so please take steps to remain in control of your time and budget.

Make sure you use the responsible gambling tools offered by betting sites such as deposit limits, reality checks, loss limits, time-outs and self-exclusion. These can stop your gambling from getting out of hand.

The same applies whether you’re using the best new betting sites, casino sites, slot sites, bingo sites or any other form of gambling.

It’s particularly important not to get carried away by free bet offers or casino offers, both of which are available in abundance on gambling sites, but must be approached with caution.

If you have gambling-related concerns, then seek independent help. There are several UK charities and institutions that offer support, advice and information, with a few listed below:

There you have our picks for the best betting sites in the UK, but always remember that the topic of the best online bookmakers is subjective.

We’ve given you our recommended picks based on our research, but you should only choose the betting sites that work for you and meet your personal requirements.

As highlighted above, all the betting sites recommended on this page are legitimate and licensed by the UKGC. This licence shows us that the site operates fairly. The UKGC exists to protect consumers and enforce independent testing agencies like eCogra (eCommerce Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance).

Which is the best betting site?

We’ve given our recommendations for the best betting sites in certain categories, but ultimately the choice of the best betting site comes down to personal preference. Punters are best off picking an online bookmaker that suits their particular betting needs. The information in this article can steer bettors in the right direction when it comes to finding their best betting site.

Are online betting sites safe?

All UK betting sites that are regulated and licensed by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) are safe to use. To receive a license from the UKGC, betting sites must prove they are secure, employing the highest levels of cyber security to keep a bettor’s personal information safe, and fair. Never use an unregulated bookmaker. You can check the UKGC’s register here if you’re not sure.

What betting sites take credit card?

UK betting sites and betting shops are no longer legally able to accept any financial transactions made by credit card. The law was changed in April 2020 to prohibit credit card use for gambling in an effort to protect vulnerable people from practising unsafe gambling habits.

Can I still claim welcome bonuses when depositing via e-wallets?

Some modern banking options, like Neteller and Skrill, are available to use on betting sites but may not qualify for certain welcome bonuses. Always check the bookmakers’ terms and conditions to see which payment methods are eligible for sign up offers.

What should I look for when choosing the best betting site for me?

When choosing a UK betting site, look for competitive odds, a variety of sports that you’re intereted in, user-friendly design, fast payouts and reasonable promotions. Always check for responsible gambling tools and customer support options too.

Are free bets the same as free spins?

No. Free bet betting offers are restricted to sportsbook activity and cannot be exchanged for casino bonus credit. Free bets often come with stipulations such as maximum win amounts, minimum odds and in some cases can only be used on certain bet types. Free spins, on the other hand, are typically tied to slot games on casino sites and tend to come with wagering requirements.

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