Welcome to CasinoPilot’s guide to the best betting sites in UK. Find a list of top online bookmakers on the market and a bunch helpful tips to get you started. Placing a wager on sport events is now easy, but the sheer choice of top gambling sites, odds and sports betting systems can be a little overwhelming for beginners. That’s why we have created this definitive handbook on sports betting UK punters can use as reference. All the operators we recommend come with our seal of approval, so you’ll always be in safe hands when choosing from our UK bookmakers list!
UK Betting Sites List
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Expertly Reviewed| Casino | Pilot Rating | Pros | Bonus | |
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Choose the Best Betting Sites in UK
Like the top casino websites, the best betting and gambling sites are highly competitive – which is great news for the customer. When deciding on a site to sign up with, your first port of call should be our carefully curated UK betting sites list. This takes out a lot of the legwork, because the UK bookies you find here will tick all the following boxes:
- Fully licensed, regulated and secure
- Demonstrated fair
- Competitive odds
- Excellent bonuses
- Wide range of sports covered
- Range of secure banking options
- Solid customer support
What More Should You Look For?
Obviously, this still leaves a big range of betting websites to choose from, so making your own personal selection will depend on a few factors. Most importantly, you’ll need to think about the sport or sports that you are interested in betting on, and finding the best possible odds available. Then there are other considerations, such as the mobile site, online live casino betting and cash-out options – more of which later.
If you’re interested in multiple sports, you may decide to open accounts at more than one of the top gambling websites we recommend. Your ultimate choice will probably come down to the site that has the best bonuses and odds for your preferred sport. You can find more information about this in our individual reviews, or by consulting an online odds checker.
Features of Online Bookmakers
Going digital has created a lot of opportunities for UK bookmakers to diversify and improve their offerings. Online bookmakers, often referred to as sportsbooks, have a platform that allows greater freedom to come up with creative offers and features for the punters. Let’s take a look at some of the ways that gambling websites have revolutionised the way we bet online.
Bonuses and Promotions
All the best best betting sites in UK will offer an attractive incentive to grab new punters, as well as promotions for existing customers. The most common online betting offers are as follows:
- Deposit match bonus;
- Free bets;
- Cashback on losses.
For a full overview of what kind of bonuses are available at UK online bookmakers, we recommend that you check out our guide to the best betting offers that are taking the market by storm!
Live Betting
Arguably the best thing to come from the move online is how easy it now is to follow the action and make minute-by-minute bets.
- All sports betting UK sites provide live odds which change as the event goes on, allowing you more freedom than simply placing event before the action starts and then hoping for the best.
- It’s not always easy to watch all the events you’re interested in. The best online betting sites offer a solution with HD live streaming.
- You may be required to place a nominal bet on the event in order to watch it live via the betting site, but the chances are that you’d want to do that anyway.
- You can execute fast payment transactions with gambling websites and PayPal casino sites or other instant deposit service while the game is going on.
Cashing Out
This option is particularly advantageous for football bets and is widely available on UK football betting sites. We all know how it goes – we make a confident prediction before kick-off, but after the starting whistle blows the game looks a bit different to how you’d imagined. Perhaps the favourites look tired and the underdogs unusually energetic.
Maybe you’ve placed a rash bet on the weaker team, and they are actually performing well – but you’re getting more certain that they’ll concede at the last minute. There are many situations where you may wish that you could take back your bet, and the cash-out option allows you to do just that.
Based on the live odds, you’ll be allowed to settle your bet at any point during the match, either for the full or partial amount. Whether you’re quitting while you’re ahead or cutting your losses, the cash-out feature is extremely popular with football punters. If that’s your game, make sure you choose among the best football betting sites in UK with this feature.
Mobile Betting
The surge in mobile use and technology has been another boon for punters, opening up even more possibilities. The first obvious advantage is that you can take the game with you wherever you go. You never need to miss any of the action, and you can take full advantage of the live odds, streaming and cashing out, even if you’re at work – just make sure the boss doesn’t see you!
All the operators featured in our UK betting sites list offer a cutting-edge mobile betting experience.
Football Betting Sites – UK Guide
Football betting sites are of course the main protagonists among the best UK online bookmakers. And betting on football today is easier than ever, thanks to the many authorized sports betting websites which offer a plethora of options if you wanna bet on football.
With just a few clicks you can place bets and check the results in real time. On the best football betting sites you can choose from a wide variety of football competitions through different types of bets and markets.
Types of Football Bets
Football betting sites UK punters can enjoy today, following the great popularity of online football bets and predictions, offer ample possibilities in terms of types of bets to place. Especially for new players though, it is advisable to understand all the various types of bets and markets available and do some research before starting betting with real money. The main types of football betting you can win real money with on UK football betting sites are:
- Single bet
- Multiple bets
- System bet
Single Bets
The single bet includes a prediction on a single football event. It is therefore the easiest bet to place and offers more chances of winning than other types of bets. The potential for winning, however, will be inferior to that of, for example, a multiple bet.
Multiple Bets
The multiple bet allows you to make predictions on multiple matches at once. It is the type of bet most used by bettors because it has higher payout potential than single bets.
A multiple bet can include up to twenty single bets and does not allow multiple bets to be placed on the same match. To win this type of bet, you need to guess all the predictions in your ticket. Even one wrong prediction will result in the loss of the entire multiple bet.
Betting Systems
There is, then, another type of bet that allows you to win even if one or more predictions in the bet are not exact. This is the betting system. The system can be created by choosing the appropriate option and entering from three to twenty predictions. There are different types of systems that you can use on online betting portals. The main ones are the integral system, the error correction system and the patent system.
Integral System
The integral system allows you to create a multiple bet, in which you can indicate different outcomes on the same match. The error correction system allows you to choose multiple outcomes for the same event and gives you a chance to win even in the event of one or more negative outcomes.
Patent Bet
The patent system, finally, allows you to create three predictions in order to give rise to a total of seven bets: a single with all events, three multiple from two events each and a multiple from three events. To be successful, at least one of the bets played must be correct.
Betting Markets Offered in UK
To create your own football bets on UK bookmakers, you can use one of the above types of bets along with a wide choice of markets. Markets consist of the various bets you can make to create a bet. Let’s see which markets are best known and used by bettors:
- WDW
- Double Chance
- WDW with Handicap
- Under/Over
- Goals/No goal
W/D/W Bets
The W/D/W bet is the ultimate football bet. With this type of bet, you have to try to guess the final result of a game at the end of the 90 minutes of play plus recovery. You can bet on the home team as the winner by betting on 1 while, if you want to bet that the away team wins, you have to bet on 2. If, however, you believe that the match will end in a draw, you can bet on X.
Double Chance Betting
If with the WDW bet it is possible to indicate a single result, with the Double Chance option you can double your chances, indicating two possible outcomes of the match. For example, you can bet on W/D, which will win if the home team wins or in case of a draw. Or you can choose D/W, which will win in the event of a draw or victory by the away team. Finally, you have the option of betting on W/W, which will only be a losing bet if the match ends in a draw. With this type of bet you have a better chance of winning, but the odds will naturally be lower.
Handicap Betting
Handicap football betting allows you to bet on the final outcome, as in the case of the 1X2 market, but gives a virtual disadvantage to the favourite team. In this way, it will be possible to reduce the initial gap between teams, when one is clearly more favored than the other and have greater potential to win. A disadvantage is then assigned to a certain number of goals, which the team in question will have to recover.
Under/Over Betting
With the Under/Over bet you create predictions about the total number of goals scored during a match, with reference to a predetermined number. Betting on the Under indicates that the number of goals will be lower than the established number, while Over indicates a higher number of goals.
If, for example, you bet on Over 2.5, a total of 3 or more goals must be scored to win the bet. By betting on Under 2.5, you win if both teams score a maximum of 2 goals. This type of bet can also be used for other bets, not just to guess the total number of goals. It can be used, for example, to bet on the total number of corners or even cards.
Goals/No Goals Betting
The goal/no goal bet allows you to bet on the possibility that both teams on the field score at least one goal. If you bet on Goal, you must score at least one goal to win both teams. This means that in case of results like 1-0 or 0-1 the bet will not be considered a winner. If, on the other hand, you score No goals, the bet will only be winning if at least one of the two teams closes the match at 0.
UK Sports Betting Tips
If you want to know how to make money betting online, then we have some tips for you. Follow our advice and you’ll be well on your way to online sports betting success.
- Choose your site wisely
We’ve already looked at some of the things to consider when picking your online betting site, but it bears repeating. First, consult our UK betting sites list to ensure you pick an operator that is fair, reputable and licensed. Then, look for an online bookie that offers a good range of betting options on your favoured sport. If you like to bet on multiple sports, this might involve opening more than one account. Finally, shop around for the best odds.
- Do your homework
Apart from the occasional fun flutter on a big event like the Grand National, it’s not a good idea to place bets on a sport that you’re unfamiliar with. Know your sport inside out, and follow your team or player religiously. Then make an informed wager.
- Avoid accumulators
It might seem obvious but try not to give in to the temptation to place a bet on too many selections in one go. The potential returns might be all but irresistible, but once your bet depends on more than three results your chances of winning get vanishingly small. Stick to single or double outcome bets for the best chance.
- Consider a less popular sport
If you’re really looking to make money on sports betting, it can pay to get into a more niche market. The best online betting websites offer a huge number of markets, but they may be less clued-up when calculating odds on the smaller sports. This may be one occasion where you actually do know more than the online bookmakers themselves – and you could clean up.
- Bet with your head
No matter how much you want your team to win, hoping and wishing won’t make it so. Betting with your heart is likely to end in double disappointment. Keep it clinical.
Final Thoughts on Online Betting Sites
In this article, we’ve looked at some of the things to think about when choosing the best online bookmakers for your bets. Using CasinoPilot’s UK betting sites list, you can be sure that you will always choose among the best gambling sites that are verified and secure. Many of new UK casinos also offer betting so there is overall more choice for all punters. Then compare sites based on odds and range of markets.
We’ve also seen how UK betting sites can offer a superior experience over a brick-and-mortar bookie, including betting offers, live odds, mobile betting and cashing out. Finally, we ran through a few tips and hints on how to enhance your prospects of making some money.
We hope you’ve found this introductory guide useful. For a more in-depth analysis of the pros and cons of individual betting sites, please refer to our comprehensive reviews. Our reviews give an honest and thorough evaluation of betting sites, including information on bonuses, sports covered, odds, special features, banking and customer support. Remember, you’ll only find reviews for the very best online betting sites here.
Online UK Bookmakers: FAQ’s
Are the operators featured in your list of UK betting sites safe?
Yes. All the best gambling sites featured on our pages are licensed by either the Malta Gaming Authority or the UK Gambling Commission, which makes them trusted and reliable for UK players.
Are online bookmakers better than their brick and mortar counterparts?
It boils down to your personal preferences but if you ask, us, then the answer has to be yes. Especially when it comes to football betting sites, the advantages are infinite. Better odds, cash out feature, more markets and more events to bet on.
Where can I find the top websites in UK?
You are in luck! CasinoPilot has a comprehensive list of the best sports betting sites in UK – all the operators we feature are licensed, reputable and offer tons of betting options and bonuses.
How old do I have to be to open an account at a gambling website in UK?
As per BeGambleAware, ‘as a general rule, the minimum legal age for gambling in the UK is 18 years old. This applies to adult gaming centres, betting shops, bingo halls, casinos, racetracks and online gambling.‘
How long will I have to wait before my winnings are paid?
Usually, reputable UK online bookies like the ones we review pay out winnings rather quickly. It will usually take around 48 hours for you to get your well-deserved prize. Things are different when it comes to non-regulated bookmakers though, as some of them may just flat out refuse to pay you – which is a big reason why you should always bet at regulated gambling websites!
What sports will I be able to bet on?
The list is very long. Most gambling websites will offer you a chance to bet on literally any sport – and event – imaginable. From bigger sports like football and horse racing to darts, golf, motor sports, sailing events and much more.
01/12/2020