UK Betting Sites
Introduction
It doesn’t have to be the peak of the football or horse racing season to visit your favourite bookmaker and fill a few holes in your house budget; online bookies nowadays will offer an array of betting opportunities on sporting events all year long, but only the top-notch ones will be the first to give preliminary (and the most favourable) odds. UK bookmakers are widely recognized for their versatile platform, great promotional terms, fast withdrawals, and best odds, especially when you know exactly where to look.
Characteristics of UK Bookies
Some of the highest ranked UK bookmakers offer restricted access to those outside the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Sports gambling aficionados who do not reside within these territories will not be able to register an account or, in some cases, even load the site.
Players eligible to use UK bookies’ services will (almost without an exception) be met with a welcome bonus, available to new members who complete the registration process and submit their first deposit. It would be very difficult to find an online bookmaker that does not offer some sort of incentive, especially among sports gambling sites with the UK domain. Bonuses on UK sites can range from no-deposit bonus cash to deposit matches, reloads, cashbacks, profit boosts, cash pots, free bets, penalty paybacks, etc…
In most cases – especially with recently launched sites – no downloads will be required, and the players will be able to access their bookmakers directly from the browsers. Sports mobile apps are fairly common (offered on the site, Apple or Google store), and your betting history, latest odds, results or customer support will be at your disposal at all times.
List of Established and New UK Betting Sites
*Unfortunately, ComeOn Sports is no longer accessible in the United Kingdom, but we recommend the list of bookmakers below instead or visit www.ukbookmakers.info.
Available to new customers only. Make a qualifying deposit of £5* or more and claim the offer within 30 days of registering your account to qualify for a 100% matched amount in Bet Credits, up to a maximum of £25*. Once claimed, your Bet Credits will be held in your account balance and are non-withdrawable.
New customers only. Min deposit £10 (UK Credit/Debit cards only). Max bonus amount £50. Deposit using bonus code “MB50”. Deposit and bonus amount must be wagered 6 times (min odds 4/5) prior to bonus funds and associated winnings becoming withdrawable. Winnings accumulated from real money bets may be withdrawn at any time. Bonus is valid for sports betting only.
New customers only. Offer is valid until 23:59 on 31/12/19. A qualifying bet is a losing first settled real money single bet of at least £/€10.00 (£10 E/W) or more at odds of Evens (2.0) or greater (or a multiple where each selection is at odds of 2/5 (1.4) or more). Only losing win single part of an E/W bet will qualify. Free bet credited within 24 hours of qualifying bet settling and must be used within 14 days. Free bet stake not included in returns. T&Cs apply.
This Bonus will expire 30 days after activating it, any winnings from the bonus money will be deducted when the bonus is removed. A minimum deposit of £10 or currency equivalent has to be deposited to activate the bonus. You must wager the bonus money 5 times before any withdrawal can be made.
New Customers; Min. deposit £20 (no Skrill/Neteller); Bonus = 50% of deposit up to €100; 6x deposit and bonus turnover (min. odds 1.60 on singles and 1.40 per selection on combo bets), in 30 days, for bonus release; Each bet contributes max. 50% of bonus for turnover; Some bet types don’t contribute to turnover; Withdrawal before turnover results in bonus cancellation; Terms apply, 18+;
Minimum deposit is £10. Opt-in to the bonus during registration and make a first-time deposit of at least £10 (£9.70 via the Paysafe payment method). Place a sportsbook bet (except Racing) of £20+ or more at odds 3/5 (1.60) and once your bet is settled you will receive £40 in free bets + a £20 Casino Bonus (Casino Bonus Wagering: x35) Further Terms and Conditions Apply. 18+. New Customers Only. BeGambleAware.org
18+ | General Promotions Terms Apply | New UK customers only | min bet £10 | match max £25 free bet | Min of 3 selections in accumulator | min odds per selection 7/10 (1.70) | Free bet stake not returned | Certain Markets/sports/payment methods restrictions apply | Qualifying bet must be made within 30 days | Free bet valid for 30 days.
SportNation First Deposit Offer - Deposit £200 Get £100 Extra in Bonus Funds - Promo Code: SNW100 | Register with SportNation and input the promo code SNW100 when prompted to do so. | Make your first deposit between £20 and £200. | Get 50% of your deposit up to £100 in extra bonus funds.
New customers will be given the sign-up bonus based on their first applicable bet/s. This would mean that new customers placing a bet in their first week on a Price Boost designed for new customers would forego any general sign-up bonus seen on our site or on advertisers such as a Bet 10 Get 10.
18+. Minimum deposit £10. Only real money wagering with minimum 1.8 odds qualifies for the promotion. Bonus bet stake is not included in any winnings and winnings are paid in cash. Bonus bets are valid for 7 days and cannot be split. This offer is valid only for the first 30 days after creation of your gaming account.
Make a deposit and enter bonus code TONY200. Available to new players who made the first deposit. All players must be 18+ years old. For players who registered on TonyBet on or after 12/10/2018. Deposit 10 times on betting markets with odds of at least 1.65 within 30 days. If the wagering requirements of activated bonus are not met within 5 days, this bonus will be automatically cancelled. This offer is valid until the 1st of March 2019, 11:59 pm GMT +2.
New customers only – Minimum deposit of £10 using deposit code 30fb - A qualifying bet is a ‘real money’ stake of at least £10 placed on any sports market - Minimum odds of 1/2 (1.5) - Free bets credited upon qualifying bet settlement and expire after 7 days - Free bet stakes not included in returns - Deposit method and withdrawal restrictions apply.
Licenses
The majority of UK bookmakers is regulated by the UK Gambling Commission although multiple licences are not uncommon, each covering a different area of gambling. Apart from UKGC, MGA (Malta Gaming Authority) and Gibraltar Gambling licences, the bookmakers available to the players outside the UK territory also hold Alderney Gambling Control Commission licence.
Betting Markets
Betting markets available on UK online bookmakers are not limited to sporting events within the country’s borders nor are they relevant solely to the national teams – bookies can host thousands of markets every day and the number of markets varies. Premier League, English Championship, European Champions Cup, Australian Open, and NFL Playoffs are among the busiest markets, followed by NBA, UFC, UK politics…
A single betting market consists of a specific type of bets, which means that a sports event can have multiple markets, each for a different betting category.
For example, selecting the English Premier League section will list all the matches according to the date and each of the matches will have separate markets, relating to the match result, number of goals, players with the highest number of scored goals, etc. High profile matches are likely to have more markets and vice versa.
Bonuses and Promotions
Welcome offers attached to the sports betting can either be unlocked on sign-up, after placing your first deposit or submitting the first wager. Some bookies awards bonus cash on specific sports only (regardless of the market), while others will match the deposit or the first bet by a certain percentage that can be used for new bets.
Another way to boost your cashier and earn some extra betting money is to refer the bookie to your friends or opt-in for one of many ongoing raffles with cash pools (usually launched at the start of an important tournament (Australian Open or Wimbledon).
Deposits and Withdrawals
UK bookmakers accept cards (debit/credit Visa, Maestro, MasterCard, prepaid Paysafecard…), e-wallets (PayPal, Skrill, Neteller…), Apple Pay, and bank transfers as payment methods, however, some bookies will also accept Pay by Phone or cash deposits that the user can make in one of their official shops. The minimum/maximum deposit or withdrawal amounts are predetermined by the operator and the payout speed will depend on the selected method – 0-24 hours for e-wallets or up to 7 business days for card withdrawals.
Recommended Payment Options
Great Britain Pound Sterling and Euros are the preferred currencies, however, there are bookmakers that will only accept deposits in GBP. The choice of currency will, of course, depend on your own preferences, whereas the choice of method can be dictated by multiple factors, such as speed, safety, or discretion. To avoid unnecessary complications or unprocessed transactions, using GBP as your standard deposit currency is recommended.
Fractional and Other Types of Odds
The odds can be displayed as decimals or fractions, as selected by the site visitor.
UK punters prefer to see the potential profit represented through fractional odds – placing the bet with 5/1 odds, means that you will win £5 on every £1 wagered.
However, most European players prefer decimals, as it is much easier to instantly calculate the expected winning amount on a specific bet. If the odds for a correct score bet between the two teams are 6.5 on team A to win 1:0, then the player can count on £65 winning on the £10 bet:
6.5 x 10 = £65
American odds are not typically found on UK online bookmakers but should be mentioned for the sake of comparison. Displayed as positive and negative numbers, American odds indicate a sum of money one should bet to win a certain amount.
+120 means that you will win £120 on a £100
-160 means that will £100 if you bet £160