Sports Betting United Kingdom

Best Betting Sites for UK Players Rated by Industry Experts

We know sports betting inside out, know what to look for and, just as importantly, know why we’re looking for it. That comes from being true experts in this sports betting business, playing at the sites ourselves and knowing the best-kept secrets of the industry.

Part of this is understanding that customers from a particular country have different wants and needs from those of another country and, to take it a step further, that different customers within that country have their own unique preferences. These are all things we consider when reviewing the top UK betting sites.

How We Rate UK Betting Sites

We focus on the areas that we consider the most crucial when looking at every UK online betting site and evaluating the quality of each sportsbook.

• Sportsbook’s licence: For a sportsbook to operate legally in the UK, it can’t just be in possession of any licence; it has to be that of the UK Gambling Commission. This is notoriously the hardest to obtain and keep, but you know you’re well protected when the site has it. In summary, we only review and eventually endorse sports betting sites in the UK that hold the proper UK Gambling Commission licence.
• Reputation: Our evaluation of a site's reputation hinges on two key factors: whether there are registered complaints about it and how they were handled. A trustworthy site should have a clean record.
• Security: From swift withdrawal processing to proper Know Your Customer (KYC) checks, every aspect is infused with security measures, creating a platform that's not just reliable but one that users can trust. In essence, if it lacks security, it forfeits its merit as a safe and enjoyable betting space.
• Betting bonuses and promotions: Bonuses play a significant role in online sportsbooks and we commend bookies that not only offer genuinely valuable bonuses but do so consistently and without egregious wagering requirements.
• Number of sports/markets: The general rule is that the more sports on offer at a UK betting site, the better. What the site must do is make sure they offer all the sports that UK customers want to bet on. Football, horse racing, cricket, and tennis, for a start.
• Payment options: The more payment options that online betting sites in the UK have, the better. But similar to the sports offered, they need to be popular ones in that particular market that those customers want to use and ideally already possess, or else there’s no point.
• Betting odds: While a UK sports betting site may satisfy all other criteria in our evaluation, the prospect of long-term profitability for you is dubious unless it consistently provides competitive odds. 
• Customer support: Another key aspect of top UK betting sites is the efficacy of Customer Support. Accessibility is paramount; they should be reachable through various channels such as phone, email, or Live Chat. Equally important is their availability—operating not within confined hours but almost round the clock.

How to Choose a Top UK Betting Site Based on Your Betting Preferences  

We started by saying that there are few places in the world, if any, where you’ll have a greater choice of sportsbooks to play at than in the UK.

That’s great news for you, but it's not the full picture.

No two betting sites are the same, so the key is finding one or two that are just right for you. Is it a big welcome offer you’re most interested in? Are higher odds your main priority? Maybe you only enjoy betting on snooker. Or maybe Bet Builders are your thing when it comes to putting your money down, and it’s the quality of those that most matter to you.

In other words, no two sports betting customers are the same, either. It’s obviously not practical to have 10 or 15 different betting accounts, so we recommend having two or three that meet all your needs across them, though ideally, you’ll find one that meets all of them by itself.

Our reviews should tell you all you need to know about the top UK betting sites, so you have all the information at your fingertips when it comes to choosing the sportsbook that’s tailor-made for you.

How Is Sports Betting Regulated in the UK   

Sports betting in the UK is comprehensively regulated, perhaps more so than in any other European country, ensuring a secure and fair environment for both operators and consumers, which is in everyone’s best interests.

The regulatory framework is overseen by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), a government body established under the Gambling Act 2005. Operators offering sports betting services must obtain a license from the UKGC, adhering to stringent regulations focused on player protection, responsible gambling, and the prevention of criminal activities such as money laundering.

The UKGC monitors and enforces compliance, conducting regular audits to ensure that operators maintain high standards of transparency and fairness.

Additionally, advertising and marketing practices are scrutinised to prevent misleading promotions.

There’s also been a recent change introduced that limits the time of day in which betting companies can advertise on television, as well as banning active footballers, managers and reality TV stars from endorsing the sites. No one under the age of 25 is allowed to feature in adverts at all.

The last few years have also seen a massive increase in the number of adverts that promote responsible gambling while promoting the actual site.

The UKGC also makes a big effort to ensure that players who wish to take a break from gambling or self-exclude permanently can do so without the site trying to lure them back; there are huge penalties for sports betting sites UK found guilty of doing so.

UK-based customers who feel they haven’t been treated fairly by a UK-licensed betting site can take their grievances to the Independent Betting Adjudication Service (IBAS). They will evaluate the operator’s compliance with the Gambling Commission’s rules and IBAS’ terms and conditions with rulings by IBAS being legally binding on registered operators.

How Often Do We Add New UK Betting Sites?

You’ll already find a healthy number of recommended top UK betting sites to choose from here at AskGamblers.

But we don’t like to stand still and are always looking to add new ones, so you know about them and have even more choice.

We’ll keep on monitoring any new sites that obtain a UK Gambling Commission License. We’ll then review them in our usual meticulous way, rate them, and if we find they meet all of our standards, we’ll add them to our list of recommended sites.

So, it’s by no means set in stone as to how often we add new sports betting sites UK as it is a case of waiting for new ones to appear and acting accordingly.

Most Popular Payment Options for Sports Betting in the UK  

The best UK betting sites look to offer as many payment options as they can to give customers as much choice as possible when it comes to getting their money in and out of the site. Some of the best and biggest sites can often have as many as 10-15 different options, but these are the most popular ones.

• MasterCard: Alongside VISA, the most popular payment option of all in the UK. It’s appreciated for its rapid transaction processing, and Mastercard enables users to swiftly capitalise on real-time financing for their betting accounts, ensuring they seize time-sensitive opportunities without unwarranted delays.
• Visa: Much like Mastercard, Visa stands as a globally acknowledged provider of credit and debit cards and is one of the most widely used in the world not just for betting purposes but in general. It’s relatively fast when it comes to processing payments and very secure.
• Skrill: Revered for its user-friendly interface, stringent security protocols, and extensive acceptance among numerous online sportsbooks, Skrill positions itself as an assurance for fast, uncomplicated and secure transactions.
• Neteller: Beyond its widespread use, this e-wallet has become a trusted option for those seeking not just convenience but also a heightened level of security and privacy in their online betting transactions.
• PayPal: PayPal has cemented its status as a premier betting payment option, providing users with an easy-to-use and secure financial gateway for online betting, to the extent that almost every sports betting site in the UK accepts it nowadays.

Since April 2020, betting sites in the UK have not been allowed to accept deposits (or withdrawals, for that matter) using credit cards. The reason for that has to do with responsible gambling and, more precisely, the fact that customers should be able to bet with money they have but not with money they might not have, which is what credit cards are all about. It's highly unlikely that they will be allowed at betting sites again in the future, so you need an alternative.

Most Popular Sports Betting Competitions and Sports in the UK

Punters in the UK love betting on numerous different sports, a good reflection of the fact that there are lots of sports that are popular to watch and play in the UK, rather than just two or three, as can happen in a few other countries. There are probably 10-15 different sports that see a lot of money wagered on them across the best UK betting sites but for the purposes of this list, we’ll just mention the top five.

Football

Football is the number 1 betting sport in the UK. The UK is football-mad and, in addition to that, is home to the top domestic football league in the world: the Premier League. Increased TV coverage, huge attention on social media and content about it in traditional media have just added to its popularity.

Unlike in other countries, there’s a lot of interest in the English divisions below the Premier League as well, in some cases down to the seventh or eighth division. But UK punters by no means limit themselves to UK football, with the Champions League, Europa League, La Liga, and Serie A being other favourites, as are any matches involving their vastly improved national side.

Horse Racing

On many days, there are four or five different race meetings going on, meaning that fans of racing can watch and bet on a new race every 10 minutes or so during the afternoon. Then there are the festivals, like Aintree, Cheltenham and Ascot, where the interest in the biggest races just goes through the roof. But UK punters also bet on racing from outside the UK, such as the US, Australia, France and South Africa.

Tennis

Good TV coverage and the availability of matches live-streamed at the best UK betting sites have made it all the easier for fans of tennis betting to enjoy watching their bets unfold, which just adds to the experience. As is the case with most countries, interest in betting on tennis increases at the time of the four Grand Slams, with Wimbledon the most popular tennis event on the calendar of all.

Golf

A bit like tennis, there’s always a minimum of two tournaments going on every week, so fans of golf betting are rarely left without an event to bet on. The Ryder Cup, pitting Europe against the USA every two years, is a huge betting event, as are the year’s four Majors. The only one staged in Britain, The Open, is by far the most popular for wagers and one of the biggest betting events in the UK every year. 

Greyhound Racing

Like horse racing, there’s plenty of it every day, with dedicated TV channels and live streaming of events on sports betting sites UK punters play at, which just adds to the appeal. There’s generally more greyhound racing on in the evenings than horse racing, so fans of it can bet on it pretty much throughout the whole day.

Future of Online Sports Betting Sites in the UK

The UK has a rich history of gambling that goes back centuries, and it was also one of the first markets to fully embrace sports betting when it went online in the late 1990s. One of the key changes in the near future will be the introduction of the ‘place of consumption’ (POC) tax, though as yet, there doesn’t appear to be a definitive date for it.

It will essentially make it more expensive for betting companies to operate legally in the UK, so the biggest operators with the greater financial muscle will not only survive but continue to do well. Smaller operations, with less of a legacy and more dependent on monthly financial results for their survival, may struggle and may need to leave the market.

What may well happen instead is that betting companies decide they have no option but to cut back on marketing costs or bonuses and other promos in a bid to cut their costs, so UK customers may have to settle for less of those in the future. Companies may look to make up for that by focusing on greater use of (free) social media instead to promote their products.

But we may see a lot of the smaller operators take their business elsewhere (markets outside the UK), and that in the UK, we’re left with fewer operations.

Away from the money side of things at the macro level, there’s likely to be a continued emphasis on responsible gambling, which could mean anything from more stringent KYC checks, including the controversial ‘proof of earnings’, to even more checks regarding underage gambling or sites allowing self-excluded players to carry on playing.

The other thing that might change is online advertising. Whereas many have welcomed the ban on TV adverts before certain times of the day and other restrictions on how you can advertise on TV, many point out that this is pointless unless the same happens online as well.