Betting on sports is practically a tradition in Britain. Millions of people all over the UK place wagers on sports events ranging from football and horse-racing up to basketball and American football. While Brits have been betting for centuries, the ways in which betting is conducted has changed. Nowadays most people bet online, via their computers or mobile phones and tablets. There are a lot of sports betting sites available and often it is difficult to decide where to wager your hard-earnt money. That’s where we step up. On our website you can read about UK’s top sports betting sites.
How to Know Which Betting Site is Reliable
First things first though, as first and foremost we need to establish relevant criteria that could help us decide which sports betting websites are the best. Different people may have different priorities and different expectations when it comes to sports betting websites, but there are few key points that must be taken into consideration.
- The first thing everyone should look for when judging whether a betting site is reliable or not is whether it is licensed. This is not very difficult but it is extremely important, if an operator doesn’t have a licence issued by the UK Gambling Commission you shouldn’t even consider betting there, by any means.
- Next is the betting offer of a website, or what types of bets can you place. Most sites usually offer more or less the same sports, but the types of bets and the available markets may vary. You should look for a site with a broader offer of course, but if you have specific demands then a site that provides just what you’re looking for would be sufficient.
- Bonuses and promotions are one of the main ways in which online betting sites attract new punters, which is quite understandable as we all love free stuff. Every betting site offers bonuses and promotions, some even more than few, but not all of them are equally good or worthwhile.
- It is quite self-evident why safety and security are very important. In order to register and make a wager at a betting site you would have to provide a lot of personal information, including your name, address, phone and even your payment details, such as your credit card number. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that these data are kept safely and in a way which would prevent third parties from accessing them.
- A lot of betting sites offer live betting. If you’re not familiar with this concept, live betting is when you place a bet on match that has already commenced and is currently taking place. This is a very thrilling, instant type of betting and it is very popular, so if a betting site wants to be considered good, it would have to feature live betting. Moreover, live betting often comes with free streaming of matches and you will be allowed to watch them for free.
- We’ve already mentioned that a lot of people place bets on their mobile phones. In order to do that, the betting site has to support mobile betting and to have a mobile-friendly version.
We well go through all these criteria and explain them thoroughly.
A License Is a Must!
As you probably already now, online betting in the UK is 100% ‘kosher’, provided that you’re at least 18 years of age. UK Gambling Commission is the authority in all things concerning betting and online betting in the country. In order to be able to organise and offer online betting to UK customers an organisation has to obtain an operating licence. Operators that are based abroad also have to have a UK operating licence, whereas this wasn’t a requirement until 2014. Checking whether a site is licensed in the UK is not difficult, but you won’t have to do it yourself as all operators featured on our website are UK licensed.
Sports, Markets, Types of Bets and Odds
When it comes to the selection of sports, bets and markets that are offered, online betting is no different than conventional betting. If you go on any high street in the UK and enter a bookie’s shop and then visit their website you will see that the options they offer are totally identical. However, you are more likely to see price boosts online, for the picky punter these can be great deals.
Available Sports
Whilst some people are happy to wager £20 or £50 on their favourite team on any given Sunday, or choose a horse which they might think is going to win, some punters want a bit of variety. But you needn’t worry, as there isn’t a sport which isn’t offered, especially at UK’s top betting sites, even if the sport in question is handball. There are over 25 available sports and you can even bet on non-sporting categories, such as politics.
Markets
If you have ever placed a bet on football you probably know that full-time is the most common betting market, where you simply try to guess whether a match is going to end with a home win, an away win or a draw. But there are so many different markets. For example, you could try to predict the correct score of a game, or whether or not both teams are going to score a goal. Moreover, you can also place wagers on individual players. At every sports betting site you will be able to see the number of available markets for each match, right next to it. The number of markets is a clear indicator and the more market a website offers the better.
Types of Bets
In addition, there are different types of bets that could be placed. Singles are the simplest bets and if you’re new to betting they’re the perfect bets for you. When you’re placing a single you are only betting on the outcome of a particular game, i.e. you only choose one market. Double and treble are similar bets, only here you need to get two, i.e. three matches right. An accumulator bet is a one where you place more than three matches on a ticket and you have to predict all of them correctly in order to win. A full cover bet is also consisted of multiple selections, but you don’t have to get all of them right in order to win.
Odds Are Very Important
What is probably most important when it comes to sports betting are the odds. How much will an online betting site give you if you predict one or more outcomes correctly? This is what separates a good from a top betting site. Let’s say that Liverpool are meeting Manchester on Anfield on Sunday and you want to bet that the Merseyside team will come on top. It is a difficult match and the Red Devils are considered to be favourites. So, at one site you get 2/1 chances that Liverpool are going to win and at a second the odds are 11/5. Naturally you will choose the second as a £100 bet will earn £220 there, compared to only £200 at the former. Similarly, if you want to place an accumulator bet, simply compare the expected win. When you bet on multiple selections the quotes are multiplied by the wagered amount and winning amount may differ significantly.
Bonuses Can Be Quite Handy
Bonuses and promotions are also important in terms of that amount of money that you could expect to win. Of course, your chances are better with higher bonuses. You should know that there are several types of bonuses that are offered and that they come with certain terms and conditions.
A Truly Warm Welcome to Online Sports Betting
Almost all betting sites offer a Welcome Bonus. This is a bonus that you receive upon making your first qualified deposits, or even the first two, three, or even four deposits. It is usually a percentage of your deposit (it may be over than 100%) and is limited to a certain amount of money. Sites that offer higher amounts of money and higher match percentages are better. These bonuses come with wagering requirements, which means that you would have to deposit a certain amount of money before you can cash out anything that you’ve won with the bonus amount. Make sure that you also compare wagering requirements as they are as important as the bonus amount. Also, bonuses have expiry dates and you need to deposit a certain amount of money in order to qualify. Always take these things in consideration as well.
Free Bets at Online Bookies
Free Bets is the most popular sports betting bonus in the UK. After making your first wager some sites will match your first wager or several wagers pound for pound up to a certain amount, whereas others will offer more than one free bet on your first wager. Again, not all bets will qualify you for a free bets bonus. Most sites would require that the bets be of certain type, such as Each-way or Win and will specify the minimum odds, for example 1/2. Free Bets also come with a time limit and have to be used within a certain period.
Other Bonus Offers
In addition to the above two which are probably the most popular bonuses, sites often offer other bonuses such as enhanced odds on certain matches, or bet refunds/ partial bet refunds. Some sites run VIP programmes where people who wager frequently get certain benefits. Also, you may receive a percentage bonus on accumulator bets. A £10 bonus on horse racing wouldn’t do you much good if you are not into horse racing and don’t bet on it, however, even slightly enhanced odds on a football match you were planning to bet on will be important to you.
Safety, Secure Payments and Customer Support
As we mentioned, a lot is at stake when you’re betting online, not just the amount that you’ve wagered. Most online betting sites nowadays, well the ones featured on our website surely, utilise encryption technology which protects your personal and banking data so that no third party could have access and obtain such information. Therefore, you shouldn’t put too much worry into this, as betting sites use the same technology which is used by top financial institutions in the world.
Security Is a Top Priority at the Top Betting Sites
Speaking of security and payments, we have to mention payment options. Top sports betting sites would only cooperate with secure and reliable payment service providers and which will guarantee that your money are processed and kept safely. Furthermore, the issue of fees and commission also arises. All things being equal, you should avoid betting sites which apply additional fees, or take too long to process your payments. Our general advice is, always go with payment methods which you have tried and are familiar with, such as credit/debit cards or trusted e-Wallets.
Customer Support
In order to trust a betting site, punters need to have good communication with the people who are behind it. This is why customer support is important, as good customer support also contributes to customer satisfaction and there can’t be a good operator with bad customer support. Not to mention that it is also important for security reasons, as any issue you may have concerning payments or your account in general you’ll need to address to customer support.
Betting on Your Mobile
When it comes to mobile betting, things are pretty simple and straightforward. You should be able to access your betting account on your mobile and be able to place bets and make deposits on your phone. A betting site that doesn’t offer mobile betting practically can’t be part of UK’s top sports betting sites, it is as simple as that. Some betting sites would offer a downloadable mobile app, whereas others would have a mobile-friendly website that you’d be able to open in your browser and some may offer both. Here it is all about preference. Check out for mobile bonuses, some sites would offer a nice bonus on your first mobile deposit or bet.
Live Betting and Streaming
Live betting, as we mentioned is when you bet on a match that’s already underway. The market options are more or less the same, with the difference being that that they reflect current result and time. You bet live on practically any match or race in any sport. Live betting is important for another reason. Namely, most betting sites offer live streaming for people who bet online. This means that you will be able to watch matches online for free, even if you’re not betting on that particular match.
Final Thought
There are quite a lot sports betting sites out there that offer online betting to UK players, but only few of them belong in the group of top betting sites. There are lots of factors that need to be considered and it can take a lot of time. Luckily, we did the job so you won’t have to and we’ve dedicated this website to UK’s top sports betting sites. All sites featured on this website scored highly in all important aspects.