At Best Betting Sites our reviewers have sought out the very best online betting sites for the UK market. We felt that rather than bombard you with a large number of sites (some of which are utter tosh), why not narrow down the options and just bring you the best of the best. So we totted up the pro’s, marked down the con’s and came up with this list of top notch bookies.
In the table below you will find our current top ten betting sites. For more recommended sites along with details of the introductory betting promotions that they offer, visit our free bets page.
Top 10 UK Betting Sites & Bookmakers
| Site | Bonus (T&Cs Apply) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bet £10 & Get £30 in Free Bets | ||
| Bet365 Terms – Bet £10 & Get £30 in Free Bets for new customers at bet365.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. #ad | |||
|
Bet £10 Get £30 | ||
| BetVictor Terms – 18+ New customers only. Opt in, bet £10 at odds 2.00+ within 7 days, no cashout. Get 6x £5 Free Bets, set events at odds 2.00+. 7 day bonus expiry. Debit Card / Apple Pay payments only. Click for T&Cs. Please Gamble Responsibly. #ad | |||
|
Bet £5 Get £20 | ||
| Ladbrokes Terms – 18+ New UK+IRE customers. Paypal and certain deposit types and bet types excluded. Min £5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 = 4 x £5 free bets. Free bets valid for 4 days on sports, stake not returned, restrictions apply. T&Cs apply. #ad | |||
|
Bet £10 Get £40 in Bonuses | ||
| Betfred Terms – New UK 18+ only. Register with promo code WELCOME40, Bet £10+ on Sports in one transaction. Get £30 Free Bets & £10 free spins within 10hrs of bet settlement. Bonuses expire 7 days after issue. Min odds, eligibility & payment exclusions apply. Full T&Cs apply. #ad | |||
|
£30 Matched Bet If Your First Acca Loses | ||
| Betway Terms – New UK customers only. Min Stake: £5. Maximum Free Bet: £30. First bet on a Football or Horse Racing multiple with 3+ selections. Overall odds: 3.00 (2/1) or higher. Free Bets available upon settlement of the qualifying bet. 50 Free Spins on Big Bass Bonanza (£0.10 per spin) credited on settlement of qualifying Acca bet. No wagering requirements on free spin winnings. Debit Card deposit only (exclusions apply). This offer is valid 7 days from the new account being registered. 18+ BeGambleAware.org. Bet the Responsible Way. Full terms apply. #ad | |||
|
£40 Money Back + £10 Casino | ||
| Unibet Terms – 18+ begambleaware.org. New customers only. Min deposit £10. Money back as bonus if first bet loses. Wagering requirements: all sportsbook 3x at min. odds of 1.40 (2/5), casino 50x. Unless forfeited the sportsbook bonus must be wagered before using the casino bonus. Bonus expires 7 days after opt-in. Full T&C's apply. #ad | |||
|
£50 Deposit Bonus | ||
| 10Bet Terms – New bettors get 50% of deposit up to £50; Code: PLAY10; 1x per household; Min deposit £15 (no Skrill/Neteller); Wager deposit & bonus 8x; Max qualifying bet stake=initial bonus; valid 60 days; Min odds 4/5 singles, 2/5 per acca leg; Some bet types excluded; See full terms; 18+ #ad | |||
|
Bet £5 Get £20 | ||
| Coral Terms – 18+. UK+IRE only. Min first bet £5 at odds 1/2 or more. Tote and Pool excluded. Must be placed within 14 days of account reg. £20 credited as 4 x £5 free bets. Not valid with Cash Out. Free bet valid for 4 days. Free bet stake not returned. T&Cs apply. #ad | |||
Please note: Terms & Conditions apply to the offers listed above. All offers for new customers only. For more details see the relevant offer landing page. See also our disclaimer.
It probably doesn’t come as a huge shock to find that the top 10 list found above is dominated by the big UK high street brands. These guys have been around for many many years and have spent that time battling with each other to become the ‘top dog’, resulting in better odds, websites and features for us.
But that doesn’t mean that you have to stick the the old school bookies in order to find yourself a quality site to bet on – new websites spring up all the time, and because they’re competing with the big boys they often have to pull out all of the stops to get noticed.
In the next section you’ll find our top 3 new betting sites (or rather, new compared to the ones listed above). All of them have gone above and beyond to provide a truly competitive product and are well worth checking out – so if you’re looking for somewhere new to bet, try one of the following.
New Betting Sites For 2023
| Site | Bonus (T&Cs Apply) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bet £10 Get £20 in Free Bets | ||
| BoyleSports Terms – New UK customers (Excluding NI) only. Mobile exclusive. Min Deposit £10. Min stake £10. Min odds Evs. Free bet applied on 1st settlement of any qualifying bet. 30 days to qualify. Free bets expire in 7 days. Cashed out/Free Bets won’t apply. Account & Payment method restrictions apply. 1 Free Bet offer per customer, household & IP Address only. 18+. T&Cs apply. #ad | |||
We’re classifying the websites listed in the table above as new bookmakers. Now this doesn’t necessarily mean they only launched last week, rather that they’re not as established as the bookies in our top 10. It could also include gambling sites who have recently added a sportsbook to their portfolio of products, despite their other products having been around for much longer.
Some of the new sites we’re seeing at the moment are excellent and it’s clear that they’re well funded with a good product and an appetite for quality. That’s not to say that you should sign up to any old new site you find though, there are plenty of low quality white labels that offer poor odds and even worse customer service. We’d suggest you stick to the ones we’ve tested and are happy to recommend.
Key Football Dates For 2023/24
By Forces77, Wikimedia Commons
Football is played across the globe continually throughout the year but in Britain and most of the rest of Europe, the season runs from the end of the summer through to the spring.
Traditionally, the Premier League and the English Football League (EFL) play their first games in early to mid-August and conclude in May. The major domestic and European cup finals take place at the end of the season in late May or June with the exception of the League Cup final which plays in February.
Qualification for the major International tournaments, the World Cup and European Championship, have a qualification process which plays at during the domestic season with the finals played in the off-season, in June and July. The exception to this was the 2022 World Cup Finals which were played in Winter for the first time.
The key dates for the current football season are shown below.
Leagues
| League | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|
| Premier League | 11th Aug 2023 | 19th May 2024 |
| EFL Championship | 4th Aug 2023 | 26th May 2024 |
| League One | 5th Aug 2023 | 18th May 2024 |
| League Two | 5th Aug 2023 | 19th May 2024 |
Cups
| Cup | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|
| Champions League | 19th Sep 2023 | 1st Jun 2024 |
| FA Cup | 4th Nov 2023 | 25th May 2024 |
| League Cup | 8th Aug 2023 | 25th Feb 2024 |
International Tournaments
| Cup | Qualifying | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| European Championship | Mar 2023 – Mar 2024 | 14th Jun 2024 | 14th Jul 2024 |
| Nations League Qualification | Sep 2024 – Mar 2025 | Jun 2025 | Jun 2025 |
| World Cup | TBC | Jun 2026 | 19th Jul 2026 |
Upcoming Events
When it comes to sports betting, you need something to bet on. Aside from the (almost) ever present football, there are some cracking high profile events spanning a range of different sports. Here's our top picks of what's coming up.
Horse Racing
Kempton Christmas Festival – 26th & 27th December 2023
Racing returns on Boxing Day following the festive break, with Kempton's hugely popular Christmas Festival the highlight. Day one is headlined by the Grade 1 King George VI Chase which is one of the biggest races of the National Hunt season. There are two further Grade 1 contests on the six-race card that day in the Kauto Star Novices' Chase and the Christmas Hurdle. The second and final day features a further six races including the Wayward Lad Novices' Chase and the Desert Orchid Chase.
Golf
Sentry Tournament of Champions – 4th to 7th January 2024
The PGA Tour season reverts back to taking place over a calendar year in 2024, beginning in early January with this tournament, The Sentry, at the Plantation Course in Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii. This is one of the tour's Signature Events, limited to players who won on the tour, or finished in the top 50 of the FedEx Cup points list, last season. Spain's Jon Rahm picked up $2.7million dollars for winning here last year, finishing two strokes ahead of the USA's Collin Morikawa.
Tennis
Australian Open – 15th to 28th January 2024
The first Grand Slam of the tennis year gets underway in January as the world's top players head to Melbourne for the Australian Open. Serbian Novak Djokovic won his tenth men's singles title in 2023, defeating Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets in the final. In the women's singles, Aryna Sabalenka won her first major when she overcame the 2022 Wimbledon champion, Elena Rybakina, in a three-set final.
Formula 1
Bahrain Grand Prix - 2nd March 2024
The new Formula One season in 2024 will kick-off at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir for the 20th edition of the Bahrain Grand Prix. In 2024, Ramadan will begin on Sunday 10th of March, with the Saudi Grand Prix in round 2 shifted a day earlier to the Saturday to avoid a clash. The Bahrain Grand Prix will also run on a Saturday in 2024 to allow for the usual full week between these two Grands Prix. Red Bull's Max Verstappen won his first Bahrain Grand Prix in 2023 ahead of his teammate Sergio Perez and the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso.
Snooker
UK Championship Snooker – 25th November to 3rd December 2023
The first Triple Crown tournament of the snooker season gets underway in late November when the UK Championship takes place at the Barbican in York. This was first held in 1977 and now holds a prize fund of over £1.2 million. The main draw is made up of 32 players with the top 16 in the world rankings each playing one of 16 qualifiers in the first round. Mark Allen was the 2022 champion after beating Ding Junhui 10-7 in the final.
Darts
PDC World Darts Championship – 15th December 2023 to 3rd January 2024
The biggest tournament in darts takes at the Alexandra Palace in London over the festive period as it plays host to the 31st World Darts Championship. There is a prize fund of £2.5 million for the 2023/24 event with the winner taking home £500,000. Last year, England's Michael Smith lifted the Sid Waddell trophy after beating three-time champion, Michael van Gerwen, 7-4 in the final.
Sports Betting Guides
Each betting site listed on this site may have an area or sport in which they particularly excel (or are weak in). For this reason we also make specific recommendations based on sport, cutting down the field even more so that you can find the right bookie for what you want to bet on.
- Football Betting – All UK bookies will have a strong football focus, but that doesn’t make them equal. We guide you through the top 3 football betting sites and show you where to find the best football odds, footie promotions and even free live streaming football.
- Horse Racing – Want to know the best places for betting on the horses? Check out our guide to the creme de la creme of racing focused bookies. Including who has the best odds and racing promotions, and where to find the best live horse racing streaming service.
- Other Sports – Footie and Racing are the biggest sports in the UK when it comes to betting turnover, but we’ve also compiled similar guides other topics, including Tennis, American Football and Snooker. See the relevant page for a full run down, including the best bookmakers for each sport, the types of bets you want to be considering and what rules you should be aware of when placing your wagers.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you have a question that you need answering about betting, then head over to our FAQ section where we cover some of the more common things that people ask us – including topics such as odds, void bets and even how to bet online without a bank account. We also get into the nitty gritty with questions relating to gambling law, taxes and identification requirements.
We add new articles to this section all the time, but if there’s something you need answering that we haven’t already covered then feel free to drop us a line and our experts will do their best to fill you in.
Recently Added & Updated Questions: December 2023
- What is the Betfair Premium Charge & Who Has to Pay It?
- Does Northern Ireland Have Different Gambling Rules to the Rest of the UK?
- Are Bitcoin Betting Sites Legal in the UK?
- Can You Lose Money On a Winning Bet?
- What is a Settled Bet?
- What Are Affordability Checks in Betting & When Do They Kick In?
- Do Betting Exchanges Ban Winners?
- How Do Winning Margin Bets Work in Rugby?
- How Does Rugby Handicap Betting Work?
- Does Extra Time Count in Rugby Betting
- How Does Handicapping Work in Dog Racing?
- What is the Minimum and Maximum Number of Horses in a Race?
- What Happens to Your Bet if Your Horse is Disqualified?
- How Does Correct Score Betting Work in Snooker?
- Which Racecourses Have Summer Jumps Racing?
- What is a Premier Handicap in Horse Racing?
- Can You Have More Than One Betting Account?
- What Does Over 0.5 Goals / Under 0.5 Goals Mean in Football?
- What Happens if the Jockey Rides to the Wrong Winning Post in Horse Racing?
- What Happens if There is a Non-Runner in a Forecast or Tricast?
What Makes A Good Betting Site
So how do we pick the bookmakers that make it into this site? We take a variety of factors into account (listed below in no particular order) which we look at in combination with each other. In the majority of cases they betting sites should tick all of the boxes to some degree, however we may lists sites which lack in certain aspects if they excel in others – see each bookmakers review for full details.
- Odds – First and foremost we look at the odds as any betting site worth its salt will be competitive in its prices. Some of the betting sites will offer better odds than others on particular markets – in particular, BetVictor have often been awarded the title of ‘best overall football odds’ in multiple seasons. Peer-to-peer betting exchanges often have better odds than traditional bookmakers, but this comes at the cost of some features (namely multiple and accumulator bets) and the frequency of promotions.
- Markets – Having great odds doesn’t mean squat if they’re not on the events you want to bet on. So we look at the number and availability of markets that the site offers – in diversity, variety and number.
- Useability – Any decent betting site should be easy to use. The best betting sites feature intuitive layouts that enable you to place your bets quickly and easily.
- Features – Various features are more important to some punters than others, and we try to take this into account accordingly. Features we particularly look for include mobile betting capabilities, banking methods, in-play betting and live streaming feeds.
- Promotions & Offers – We look at the frequency and value of promotions, but not just for new customers – we also look at the ongoing promotions and specials that the site offers its existing customers. Most of the sites we list offer promotions such as cash back specials, enhanced odds, free bets, betting bonuses, accumulator bonuses and so on… A small number of betting sites even offer loyalty points or bonuses to reward you for every bet you make.