In this article you will learn what separates the top UK bookmakers from the rest, what criteria to consider before signing up, and discover key features available at each of the best betting sites in the UK.
Best UK sports betting sites: Our expert picks
| Betting Site 📱 | Best For 🏆 | Why? 🤔 |
| bet365 | Overall experience | Highest user rating of all bookmakers |
| William Hill | Additional promotions | Daily price boosts, 25% winnings boosts, and “bet and get” free bet offers |
| 888 | Betting features | Innovative bet builder and best value cashout |
| Betfair | Welcome bonus value | £50 in free sports bets with £10 deposit (compared to £30 average) |
| BetVictor | Betting options | Over 40 sports to bet on with hundreds of markets across the board |
| Betway | Welcome bonus choice | Seven welcome offers to choose from based on your preferences |
| Parimatch | Odds value | Lower than 4% margin on most popular sports and markets |
A comprehensive review of the best UK betting sites
In addition to ranking the best online betting sites in the UK, I have compiled an overview of the findings from my research, and summarised my betting experiences with each of the top brands.
This article will not only reveal why I have rated them high enough to be featured in this list of the best UK bookmakers, but also highlight unbiased opinions from other real customers who regularly place bets.
You’ll learn what novice and expert bettors have to say about each of the top UK betting sites.
bet365
Bet $10 & Get $30 in Free BetsClaim bonusNew customers only. Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of bets to value of qualifying deposit. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply. Registration required.
William Hill
- Bet $10, Get $30 in Free BetsClaim bonus
18+ T&Cs apply.
888
- Bet $10, Get $30 in Free BetsClaim bonus
Incl. $10 Casino Bonus to wager x40 times within 14 days.. 18+ T&Cs apply. BeGambleAware.org
Betfair
- Get $20 in Free BetsClaim bonus
18+ T&Cs apply.
BetVictor
- Get up to $100 Matched BetNo code required Claim bonus
Matched Bonus paid in Free Bets. Geo Restrictions apply. New 18+ customers only. T&Cs apply.
Betway
- Up to $30 in Free Bets + Free SpinsNo code required Claim bonus
Customers are required to deposit a minimum of $10 to qualify for Free Spins, that expire 48 hours after crediting and the Free Spins will be credited as Cash.18+ T&Cs apply.
Parimatch
- 100% Welcome Bonus up to $25No code required Claim bonus
18+ T&Cs apply.
Best UK bookmakers: A comparison of key features
As you can see from the comparison table below, all of the betting sites featured in this analysis tick almost every box of the main features that bettors are looking for. However, there are some important details beyond simply a yes or no on these.
| Betting site | App (Yes/No) | Live betting | Livestreaming | Bet builder | Cash out | Live chat |
| bet365 | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| William Hill | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| 888 | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Betfair | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| BetVictor | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Betway | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Parimatch | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
📱 While all the bookmakers have apps available for download on Apple and Android, the bet365 and William Hill apps are certainly superior to BetVictor and Parimatch in terms of speed, reliability, and available features.
💬 Betfair stands out for having a much faster response rate on live chat (less than five minutes) compared to the likes of 888, where I have waited over an hour before receiving a response.
🏦 The bet365 cashout is available for much longer on your bets than every other bookmaker, and I have found that it also offers better value (the partial return on your total payout) than its competitors.
🛠️ Similarly, bet365 has many more options and flexibility with its bet builder tool. The same can be said for 888. These bookmakers give more freedom to combine markets across different sports than others available in the UK.
📺 I regularly use the livestreaming feature while I'm betting. Again, Betway and bet365 come out on top for this feature. Betway TV offers hundreds of events across various sports, including football, tennis, horse racing, table tennis, and cricket. bet365 appears to offer streaming for virtually everything, including US sports.
Availability of markets and promos
| Betting site | No. of sports | Odds Fairness* | Welcome bonus | No. of active promotions |
| bet365 | 40+ | 94.16% | Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets with code ODDSPEDIA | 20 |
| William Hill | 35+ | 93.29% | Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets | 15 |
| 888 | 30+ | 92.29% | Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets with code 30FXS | 12 |
| Betfair | 30+ | 94.00% | Bet £10 Get £50 in Free Bets with code ZSKAOG | 7 |
| BetVictor | 40+ | 92.44% | Bet £10 Get £30 in Football Rewards | 8 |
| Betway | 30+ | 93.50% | Up to £30 Matched Free Bet + £30 Uber Eats Voucher | 2 |
| Parimatch | 40+ | 92.36% | Bet £10 Get £20 in Free Bets | 4 |
*The closer to 100%, the better for the odds fairness rating. Read more at Oddspedia on Odds Fairness.
Best new UK betting sites: What are the top-rated options?
If you don’t already have an account with the betting sites listed in this article, I would definitely recommend starting there. That said, there are likely many people who already have accounts with these and are looking for more opportunities to earn a new welcome bonus.
The list of best new betting sites in the UK isn’t quite as long as other countries. It’s harder and more expensive for bookmakers to operate in the UK, so you don’t see as many new brands compared to places like India or Brazil.
Betano tops the list of the best new betting sites for many bettors out there. This bookmaker has been live in the UK for just over 12 months, after launching on 10 May, 2024. Although new to UK customers, Betano is a well-established brand in the world of sports betting, having been online since 2017 with a presence across Europe, South America, and Canada.
It’s clear that Betano has leveraged experience from other markets as it has come to the UK and immediately competes with the best in the industry. Sports like tennis, cricket, and horse racing align perfectly with my high expectations. It was the football offering where I was quite surprised about the level of offering.
In addition to the great value odds and a huge selection of markets, even for second and third-tier European leagues, I have found myself using Betano’s bet builder a lot. You can combine multiple bet builders — across different leagues and sports — into one bet, and I appreciate this feature.
While these are difficult to win, especially when betting at high odds, I enjoy placing them when I’m watching a couple of games over the weekend.
New customers can receive a Bet £10, Get £30 welcome bonus without needing a Betano promo code. This gets you two £10 Free Bets, a £5 Free Bet on selected markets, and a £5 Slots Bonus on Big Bass Splash.
Top UK betting apps in focus: June ’s featured bookmaker
While there are plenty of great options for UK sports bettors featured within this article, Oddspedia picks a different betting site every month to help provide even more analysis and an in-depth review of a popular option. This month’s chosen UK betting site is 10Bet.
I already had a 10Bet account before carrying out this research (there aren’t many bookmakers in the UK that I haven’t signed up with to date). That meant I couldn’t claim the current 100% matched bonus of up to £50 for new customers. This is disappointing as I think it’s a great offer, especially when most other bookmakers offer £30.
In addition to the sign-up bonus, 10Bet offers a comprehensive selection of promotions. They include 100% boosts on accumulators with 3+ legs on any sport, a 100% boost on horse racing bets, a Bet £75, get £10 offer on all major sports, and a football special where you can get a £1 free bet on every shot target if you bet £75 on big games like cup finals.
The quality and quantity of promotions at 10Bet is certainly a positive, and the bookmaker is on par with all the best online betting sites in the UK in many other areas. You can choose from over 35 sports to bet on, with hundreds of markets. The odds are competitive, although rarely number one in terms of value, and there are plenty of options (eight) in terms of payment methods.
I must say, however, that one thing that has put me off 10Bet is the design and experience. I personally find the design difficult to work with, as it is predominantly grey. As someone who uses fractional odds, I also find the direct conversion from decimal odds confusing, as the odds displayed are very unusual. This could simply be a matter of my personal preference, though.
There are some great features, like the stats and insights available within the listed markets, but there also seem to be some struggles with performance across the 10Bet website and app. Particularly when adding selections to the bet slip and creating a bet builder.
In summary, if you don’t already have an account, it’s worth claiming the 10Bet welcome bonus to start with. You can then use your bonus funds to find out if the betting site is for you. You might struggle with the user experience, like myself, but you may also find it easier to use than others.
This week’s action for UK bettors at online sports betting sites
June is packed with top-tier sporting events for UK bettors. Wimbledon looms on the horizon for tennis lovers, the ICC T20 World Cup delivers daily cricket excitement, and Formula 1 continues with key races in Canada and Spain.
Below is a list of upcoming sporting events and predictions powered by Oddspedia to help shape your betting strategy.
| Event | Date | Start Time | Prediction | Odds | Source |
| England vs. India Test Series | 20/06/2025 | 11:00 | Top Home Bowler - Brydon Carse | 3/1 | Dustin Saracini (Senior Betting Analyst) |
| F1 British Grand Prix | 06/07/2025 | 15:00 | Lando Norris | 5/2 | Ben Cronin (Head of Content) |
| Women’s Wimbledon final | 12/07/2025 | 16:00 | Aryna Sabalenka | 5/2 | Tennis Channels (Betting Analyst) |
| Men’s Wimbledon final | 13/07/2025 | 16:00 | Novak Djokovic | 6/1 | Tennis Channels (Betting Analyst) |
Best football betting sites in UK
All of the UK bookmaker featured in this list invest heavily in their football betting offering. It is by far the most popular sport to bet on in the country, and no bookmaker would last if they didn’t have coverage from the Premier League to the National League, across to third-tier European and South American leagues, as well as any official international fixtures.
My personal favourite for betting on football is a close call between bet365 and William Hill. I’d give the edge to bet365 based on the quality of its live betting product. The match data instantly updates and helps inform my bets, and the betting only seems to suspend for a few seconds when there’s an actual goal (others will constantly take odds down for 30+ seconds even if nothing happens).
Both bet365 and William deliver consistently competitive odds across all competitions. They’ve got a huge selection of markets, even across lower leagues, and while William Hill has more to offer in terms of promotions, bet365 makes it easier to navigate the markets and find what you’re looking for.
Best horse racing betting sites in UK
Horse racing is probably next on the list in terms of popularity for betting behind football. It’s been part of UK betting culture from the very beginning. It’s struggled to keep pace with the modern betting audience, but betting sites still work hard to deliver quality horse racing betting options.
William Hill is in the mix here again for the title of the best horse racing betting site, along with Betfair. I like how quickly Betfair gets markets up, and the live streaming and tips offering really enhances the experience. However, the price boosts, bet-and-get deals, and special bets that you can get from William Hill on any given race day put it at the top of my list.
Best esports betting sites in UK
All of the best UK betting sites will offer some level of esports betting. That might not have been the case 10 years ago, but a surge in popularity means providing odds on the likes of EA FC, Dota 2, CS:GO, League of Legends, Overwatch, and Valorant is pretty standard practice for bookmakers.
One betting site that is more immersed in esports than any other is Betway. The company has invested heavily in the industry by sponsoring some of the biggest teams and events, and its passion for esports is displayed in the quality of what it delivers to customers.
The best value odds on average, more esports titles and markets than anyone else, a live betting product that is in a class of its own, and esports-specific betting offers for its customers. Betway really has gone all in on esports betting, and it shows.
Best UK sports betting sites with cash out features
Cash out is a pretty divisive feature amongst the sports betting community. Many of my friends will demand you “never cash!” a bet, while social media is laden with both sides of the coin: the magnificent cash out that netted a huge profit from a bet that lost, and the cash out that recovered a fraction of the stake from a bet that would have gone onto to win.
If you’re a fan of cashing out, then I think you’ll do well to find a better option than Sky Bet. This is mostly because of the AccaFreeze feature, which allows you to freeze one of the games in your accumulator to save it as a winning selection. It’s easy to game the system by adding huge odds selections into a safe accumulator in the hope that the team takes a surprise lead, and you can then freeze the selection. But Sky Bet is aware of this and will block you from using it if you employ this strategy.
If you’re looking for pure value, 888 gets an honourable mention here. Just by comparing the cash out figures offered against a hedge of a bet (covering other outcomes to guarantee profit), you can see if you’re getting a good deal on a cash out. Based on my research, 888 is the closest built-in cash out you can get to a “true hedge” (doing it yourself with more bets).
How we rate and verify UK bookmakers
Oddspedia relies on a combination of qualitative and quantitative data, including hundreds of data points across various criteria, expert research and analysis, and feedback from real customers, to determine the ratings assigned to bookmakers.
Below is a breakdown of the criteria covered in Oddspedia’s comprehensive rating system, along with what qualifies for the lowest and highest scores for each.
My favourite features from the best UK bookmakers
There are many reasons to love each of the highest-rated bookmakers in the United Kingdom. From competitive odds to big welcome bonuses and user-friendly rewards programs, there’s something for everyone.
Here is a breakdown of the key features I enjoy most at each betting site.
bet365 - Player markets
I’m a big fan of player-specific bets, and I haven’t found any bookmaker that offers the depth of markets and quality of odds like bet365. There are up to 40 available bets for key players in most football across Europe’s big leagues and the Championship, with the option to request others from the trading team. I also think the design of the betting options is fantastic.
William Hill - Price Boosts
William Hill really excels when it comes to the number of price boosts it makes available to customers, the amount the odds are boosted, and how early you’re able to bet on price boosts before an event. You can get at least three price boosts on a football match a week before it kicks off, and up to 10 on the day of a Premier League game.
I also appreciate the fact that you regularly receive price boosts of 50-100% above the original odds. This is significantly higher than those offered by other bookmakers, and you also receive decent price boosts on pre-selected accas. William Hill even offers price boosts on games across League One and League Two.
888 - Bet builder
I’d be surprised to see a bookmaker operating in the UK without a bet builder nowadays, but the quality of these features can differ greatly depending on who you use. I think 888 is one of the best I’ve used in terms of both the overall design and the number of options.
The process of creating a bet builder with 888 is very intuitive, and you can choose from more than 250 betting options, including all main markets and individual team stats, such as the number of passes expected to be made in the game.
Betfair - #OddsOnThat
I recall when Sky Bet first introduced Request A Bet, and the betting community was amazed by the innovation. It then became the norm and got pretty stale. Betfair has revived the concept with its #OddsOnThat market.
The things I like most about this are the sheer value of the market options and the fact that you can bet on all major sports, including horse racing meetings such as York, Chester, and Cheltenham. The rate at which Betfair responds to requests is much higher than that of other bookmakers I’ve requested markets from as well.
Another useful feature is that you can filter the choices for #OddsOnThat markets by the odds. So, if you’re looking for some crazy prices and a bit of fun, you can jump straight to the 80/1+ option in the navigation.
BetVictor - Featured markets
Personalisation wasn’t really a thing when I started betting over 20 years ago, but now it’s prominent in every aspect of life, including sports betting. This can sometimes feel intrusive and over the top, but BetVictor has found a really nice balance with it.
I think the quality of its curated bets, in terms of value, and the fact that it always seems to align with the events that I’m looking to bet on, is what helps BetVictor stand out. It doesn’t just pick the biggest Premier League games, for example, but the football matches that seem to be the most interesting from a betting perspective.
Betway - Free Bet Club
There are a few areas where I prefer other UK betting sites over Betway. But one thing that keeps me going back and betting regularly is the Free Bet Club. If you spend £25 on an accumulator bet (three selections or more) each week, you will be rewarded with two £5 free bets the following week.
I regularly bet £25 on a weekend accumulator across Premier League matches, so I tend to do this at Betway to make sure I earn £10 back in free bets.
Parimatch - Lucky Dip
Let me be clear on this; this is not a feature for someone looking at pure value betting. If you’re betting for a bit of fun and the chance to win big, I think the Lucky Dip option at Parimatch is great. It’s innovative, engaging, and it takes away the stress of placing the right bet, while giving you the chance to boost your potential profit.
An overview of payment methods on UK betting apps
Getting money in and out of your betting account is much easier than it has been in the past, especially with the best UK betting sites. They all tend to offer the most popular payment methods, including debit cards (online banking), Apple Pay, PayPal, and other e-wallets. There are some exceptions, like Betfair and 888, which don’t offer Google Pay.
I think it’s important to know that whichever method you choose to deposit with UK betting sites, you will usually have to use that same method to withdraw funds. This doesn’t apply to the wire transfer option. Wire transfer is listed as a deposit method at all of the top bookmakers, but it cannot be used to withdraw funds.
Some people may also like to know that you can’t use cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin in the UK, even with the best online bookmakers.
I have provided a brief breakdown of the payment options available below, but Oddspedia also offers some useful information on betting payment methods if you’re looking for more details.
Deposits
| Betting site | No. of methods | Processing time | Minimum deposit | Maximum deposit in 24 hours | Fees |
| bet365 | 7 | Instant | £5 | £100,000 | None |
| William Hill | 10 | Instant | £5 | £99,000 | None |
| 888 | 7 | Instant | £10 | £100,000 | None |
| Betfair | 9 | Instant | £5 | £99,999 | None |
| BetVictor | 7 | Instant | £5 | £50,000 | None |
| Betway | 7 | Instant | £5 | £100,000 | None |
| Parimatch | 7 | Instant | £5 | £50,000 | None |
Withdrawals
| Betting site | No. of methods | Processing time | Minimum withdrawal | Maximum withdrawal in 24 hours | Fees |
| bet365 | 6 | 1-4 hours | £5 | £100,000 | None |
| William Hill | 9 | 1-4 hours | £5 | £300,000 | None |
| 888 | 6 | 1-24 hours | £10 | £50,000 | None |
| Betfair | 8 | 4-24 hours | £5 | £500,000 | None |
| BetVictor | 6 | 1-24 hours | £5 | £50,000 | None |
| Betway | 6 | 4-24 hours | £1 | £50,000 | £1 for withdrawals under £5 |
| Parimatch | 6 | 1-24 hours | £5 | £50,000 | None |
It is important to note that I have taken a mix of data here to provide an overview.
So, if you want to withdraw £300,000 from William Hill, for example, you will need to use ecoPayz, which takes up to 24 hours to process, compared to the typical 1-4 hours with other options.
Similarly, if you want to deposit £100,000 at bet365, it must be done via bank transfer and takes 2-5 banking days.
More information about the top UK bookmakers
| Betting site | Founded | Licence | No. of Employees | HQ location |
| bet365 | 2000 | 55149 | 4,000+ | Stoke-on-Trent, England |
| William Hill | 1934 | 2752 | 12,000+ | London, England |
| 888 | 1997 | 39028 | 11,000+ | Gibraltar |
| Betfair | 2000 | 2062 | 1,800+ | London, England |
| BetVictor | 1946 | 39576 | 700 | Gibraltar |
| Betway | 2006 | 39372 | 800 | Gżira, Malta |
| Parimatch | 1994 | 39576 (under BetVictor) | 500 | Limassol, Cyprus |
Responsible online gambling in the UK
As part of Oddspedia’s commitment to the community, a significant amount of time is spent educating users on responsible gambling and ensuring they know how to stay in control of their betting activity. Bookmakers must adhere to strict regulations to protect their customers and implement the following procedures.
- ID verification - When opening an account or betting large amounts, you may need to provide documentation to prove your identity.
- Affordability checks - Bookmakers may ask to verify that you can afford to bet certain amounts of money by requesting pay slips or proof of funds.
- Deposit limits - Bookmakers in the UK are legally obliged to provide you with the option to limit the amount you can deposit on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.
- Loss limits - You can also set a limit on how much you lose on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.
- Session reminders - Bookmakers will often send you a message or display a pop-up on your screen to remind you how long you have been actively on their site or app.
- Time out - Another requirement of holding a UKGC licence is that bookmakers give you the option to take a break from using their product for a defined period.
- Self-exclusion - You can also completely block yourself from using the bookmaker’s services altogether by self-excluding.
- GamStop - Most bookmakers are also signed up to GamStop, which is a tool that allows you to block yourself from multiple gambling sites or apps at once.
Additional support with responsible gambling
Oddspedia fully endorses the UKGC slogan, “when the fun stops, stop.” If you aren’t enjoying gambling, you should stop. Oddspedia offers comprehensive information on responsible gambling and how to assess your betting activity.
You can also use some of the following resources for support.
- GamStop - Free online self-exclusion
- GamCare - Understanding your gambling
- GambleAware - Tools and advice
How is our list of the best UK betting sites created?
Oddspedia follows a stringent process to ensure that all information provided to the community is as accurate and honest as possible. Below is a breakdown of the steps taken to produce this article.
Research and writing
Our Senior Sports Betting Expert, Stuart Brown, was paid a fee to carry out research and use their industry expertise to write this article. They were provided with specific guidance on areas to analyse based on Oddspedia’s rating system. Feedback from the betting community on what information they wanted to be included in this article was also considered.
Editing and fact-checking
After Stuart Brown makes their submission, our Senior Commercial Editor, Carson Mundy, then spends time reviewing the article. Initially, this will be to fact-check the information provided to ensure 100% accuracy. He may have also made minor edits to the article to enhance its structure and readability.
Review and publication
Once Carson confirmed satisfaction with the article, it was reviewed by our Head of Content, Ben Cronin. He carried out the final checks to ensure everything is in line with Oddspedia’s Editorial Policy. He then approved the article for publication on Oddspedia.
Betting shops in the UK: Offline betting options
Online betting in the UK has been around for almost 30 years, launching in 1996 with a company called Intertops. William Hill launched its online betting service two years later and the popularity of online betting has soared ever since.
As of 2022, over 78% of betting activity in the UK is carried out online according to the TGM Gambling and Sports Betting Report. That figure has probably only risen in the last few years, but I’m still surprised that almost 20% of people are betting in physical betting shops (either on high streets or at live events like horse racing).
I do place the odd bet in a betting shop, but this is a rare occasion nowadays for a few reasons:
- The odds in betting shops are often worse than online
- You don’t have the benefit of being able to compare odds and choose the best option
- You don’t get much in the way of free bets and promos for betting in a shop
- Betting shops are less accessible, requiring travel and betting at certain times
- You get an actual ticket that you could lose when you bet at a physical bookmaker (rather than a bet logged on your account)
- You have to return to the betting shop to cash in your ticket, and then get the funds back into your bank
- Transactions in a betting shop, either cash or card, can be less secure than those online
If you did want to bet at a physical location, you have around 5,931 betting shops to choose from in the UK (according to 2024 data from the UKGC Industry Statistics Report). However, the market is dominated by a few of the established brands, so there is certainly less choice than betting online.
| Bookmaker | Estimated No. of UK betting shops |
| William Hill | 1,500+ |
| Ladbrokes | 1,250+ |
| Coral | 1,000+ |
| Betfred | 1,000+ |
