Best UK Betting Sites

This is consistently our top recommendation. Why is that? It's not by accident or because we put it first alphabetically. It's first because security is the most important aspect you need to consider when evaluating or selecting a bookmaker in the UK. You need to be 100% sure that your private information, your bets and your funds are protected from the many threats that are out there on the internet these days.

Site owners need to have teams working full-time on security, installing proper encryption systems and up-to-date software to counter new or evolving Web threats. What we are looking for here is proactivity. We want to bet on a site whose approach to security is more than reactionary, and whose approach is mostly reasonable.

One of the most regulated online betting markets in the world is the UK. This is a huge win for gamblers here, and it may sound like a bad thing, but it's actually a good thing, because being regulated means that the UK-based betting sites you use are held to a very high standard. They have to answer to all sorts of authorities and bodies if they don't play by the rules. They have all sorts of people and bodies to answer to if they're not on the up and up.

What all this means for you is that you're going to have a much better and safer experience when it comes to betting online. We can promise you this: punters in the rest of the world are envious of the quality and trustworthiness of the options available to you over there in the UK.

No one wants to play at a place that makes things more difficult. Winning at sports is hard enough without adding unnecessary stress and hassle. Unfortunately, that's what you get when you use a gambling site that doesn't understand the importance of a quality user experience and what a sports player actually wants. Not only do you get a terrible experience, but you get a site so bad that you might do something as foolish as not cashing in winning bets because you couldn't find the button.

We put a lot of emphasis on the usability of a site. We don't really care about all the bells and whistles. What really impresses us is how easy it is to navigate within the site to the specific bets you want to place, and how easy and reliable the betting process is once you're there. It shouldn't be that hard, but unfortunately a lot of online sportsbooks seem to struggle with it.

This is usually the result of one of two things. It could be because they never put the right resources or manpower into the job and always had a terrible interface from day one. Or it could be because they haven't built their systems properly for expansion. As more and more sports become popular, these sites have to find a way to accommodate that. If they didn't have a good scaling plan from the start, they're going to look like a jumbled mess with way too much information crammed into too small a package.

You are likely to come across this when doing your preliminary research on a UK online betting site. Check the site you are considering to determine what types of sports, leagues and betting types they actually offer. Here are a few examples to get you started. You are really into betting on the ICC World Cup, but you also like to bet on NFL player props when the league is in season. If the bookmaker does not offer either of these options, then what service are they really providing you?

The clear answer is that the site isn't worth much to you. Decide which sports you want to bet on and which leagues within those sports you like. Also think about the types of bets you want to make. Then see if the sportsbooks you're looking at offer those bets and those leagues. Their sportsbooks should fall within the realm of what you're looking for and also in accordance with the types of bets you want to make.

One of the coolest things about online sports betting is that you can start receiving bonuses and rewards from the very first bet you place. In fact, many UK-based betting sites have some pretty inviting welcome bonuses that can include free bets, deposit matches, and more. As if that weren't enough, many UK betting sites also have VIP loyalty programs that reward you for being their customer and continuing to bet with them. The more you wager, the more rewards you will receive.

When choosing the best UK betting site for you, it's worth your time and effort to check out the different promotions on offer. Keep in mind that different sites have quite different types of promotions. Occasionally the sites will have universal promotions available to all punters. More often, we've found that the promotions are tailored to specific types of sports or bets. And as you might guess, the sites also run promotions when major sporting events are taking place. Checking out the sites' offers is something you should do before making a final selection.

But don't let the massive promotions make you lose sight of what's really important. Unfortunately, some terrible online sportsbooks have popped up in the name of promoting a decent product, but all they do is throw around promotions to try and hook you. If you take a closer look at these sportsbooks, you'll find plenty of reasons not to trust them with your personal information and money. So stay away from these sportsbooks. A handful of reasons to avoid them can usually be summed up like this: 1. They offer huge, seemingly irresistible promotions that don't match what most trustworthy sportsbooks offer.

At this point we need to make it crystal clear that we are not recommending that you jump at the first betting promotion you see. Some of the "best" betting sites in the UK have excellent promotions because they know how to market, but just because a site has a good promo doesn't mean you should trust them with your money. When it comes to using bonuses as part of your decision making process, we recommend making them the last step. Find a site that is quality, trustworthy, and has a good reputation, and then see if they're giving out bonuses to sweeten the deal.

When it comes to the banking side of things, regulated sites are the only ones you should be dealing with. They should work properly, and that means you should have no trouble moving money in and out of your UK sports betting account. That's what we want, anyway. We look for ways to fund our account that are low or no fee, fast and reliable. And by "fast" I mean as close to instant as possible. And by "reliable," I mean hassle-free, with the assurance that we can also withdraw our funds quickly and effortlessly.

In the UK, some betting sites even have physical locations where you can go to make deposits and receive payouts. This isn't essential, of course; these sites can function perfectly well without any real-world infrastructure. However, if you happen to be near one of these offices, they could make an interesting backdrop for a photo opportunity.

When it comes to banking alternatives, we might be a little more lax in other markets. We usually have a little more patience with things like timeframes, fees, and the overall quality of the options we're presented with. In the UK, however, that patience goes out the window. The market is simply too well set up for there to be any real problems, unless a bookmaker is lazy or just doesn't want to put in the resources needed to make their banking operation work well. And we're not going to let that happen.

This may seem like an interesting and rather specific thing to include in our list of review criteria. Well, first of all, you are right. But there are two main reasons why we have esports betting on our list of review criteria. First, esports are exploding in popularity. Unlike traditional sports, where at least some athletic ability is required, you can make a ton of money betting on esports without having any ability at all. A second reason has to do with the betting markets. These are growing too, but it's mostly amateur bettors who are driving the growth. Bookmakers, for the most part, aren't getting any smarter.

The more general reason for including something so specific in our review is that it allows us to see which UK betting sites are innovating and keeping up with the times. If a sportsbook hasn't taken some step - any step, really - towards adding eSports to its lineup, it doesn't seem too much of a leap to suggest that they don't have a great pulse on the industry and the direction it's heading. So while that's not an immediate disqualifier, it's certainly not something we think looks great for a site.

Conversely, betting sites that have kept up with the times show a strong desire to grow with the industry in real time. This means that in the future they will be on top of any new sports or trends that you might be interested in.

Our UK betting site rankings are up to date for a very good reason: We update them frequently. If you're a betting person, you're probably not even aware of how annoying it is when online sportsbook reviews are from, say, five years ago. Yet this is a super common thing that sites do. They'll come up with a great list, like the top sites of 2018, and then never update their list for 2019, 2020, or on into perpetual infinity.

Do you think the same UK betting sites that were great five years ago are still great today? We can answer that question for you. It is not the case. That is why we are quite proud of the fact that we frequently update our list of recommended UK betting sites. We try our best to stay on top of industry changes, new players, and any complaints that come out of the forums and grow to a significant number. With all this information coupled with updated reviews, we try to provide you with the most accurate and up-to-date list of the best UK betting sites that you can find.