There is a lot of competition when it comes to online betting in the UK. That shouldn’t surprise anyone, knowing how popular betting is in the country. It has a long standing tradition and when bookies went online, it only meant more competition as there are more players on the market now. Punters can really benefit from this situation as bookies offer higher odds, more sports and events, as well as lucrative promotions and bonuses in order to attract more players. However, a lot of competition also means that every punter would have to choose from a pretty large number of available betting sites and that’s where we step in. This website is dedicated to providing you useful and detailed information on the top betting sites in the UK. Deciding which betting site is good and which isn’t as good may not be as easy as it seems, especially because all betting sites claim that their offer is the best. There are several things which matter most when you’re deciding what truly separates a good or an average betting site from one that is top-notch.
Betting Offer
First and probably most important aspect is what a betting site offers in terms of sports (and/or other categories), events, bet types and markets and of course, odds. Some sites may offer more markets, yet feature less sports, other sites may offer a wide range of combination bets which aren’t offered by their competitors and you may find that a particular betting site generally offers better odds than their competitors.
These things can be relative, especially depending on what you need, want, and expect from a top online betting site. For example, if you only, or mainly bet on football, you will not care much whether a betting site offers betting on e-Sports or beach volleyball. Furthermore, if like staking bets on stuff like who is going to be next manager of a certain team, or whether a player will make a transfer during next summer transfer window or not, you will be looking for a betting site that has a broader offer of so called Football Specialty Bets. Still, there are few general principles that you can follow when it comes to betting offer and related aspects.
Featured Sports and Non-Sporting Categories
Most of UK’s best betting sites will surely features all sports that you may possibly want to bet on, as all of them include a vast range of over 25, often over 30 sports. In addition, they cover at least all major international events and major domestic competitions. When it comes to UK sports, in particular football, all domestic leagues and competitions are included, even the lowest tiers. As for non-sports related bets, some bookies offer an extensive range of TV, music, film and politics related bets and markets, whereas other sites would only cover the basics. If betting on London Mayoral Elections or on who is going to be the next winner of X-Factor is your cup of tea, then you should be looking for a bookie who offers these bets.
Offered Markets
But it’s not only what you can bet on, but also what sorts of bets can you place. A winner selection may satisfy punters who are into simpler bets online, but most would want to place a bet on what is going to be the total number of goals or points scored, whether that number will be under or over a certain limit, are both teams going to score or not and even whether a player is going to be on the scoresheet or not. And there are even more intriguing and unusual bets, such as what will be the number of corners or whether there will be a penalty or not. Again, renowned betting sites will cover most usual markets, but some may include a few more interesting selections that you can bet on.
Single and Multiple Bets
Surely, staking £20 on your favourite team winning a match against their fierce rivals on a given Saturday may seem a straightforward bet, but there are so many other options. Choosing just one selection is the simplest form of betting, you need your selection to win and you win. However, you can’t earn a lot of money like that, unless you risk a massive amount, or predict that your team will win after losing at half time. Bets that include more than one selection are called multiple bets. Straight line multiple bets, i.e. bets where all selections need to win in order the bet to be successful are called doubles, trebles and accumulators. Double is a bet that includes two selections, treble three, whereas an accumulator includes 4 or more selections. But you can also place system bets where only a certain number of selections have to win in order for the whole bet to be a win. The number of combinations here are truly countless and if you’re into that kind of betting you should look for a betting site that offers more system combination.
Higher Odds = More Money
Essentially, we all bet in order to win money and there isn’t a punter who wouldn’t want to win more. Therefore, odds are crucial. Higher odds equals more money to be won. Say that you’re staking a single bet on a Win market and the odds offered by two rivaling bookies are 4/5 and 9/10 respectively. If you place £10, it is only a one quid difference, but if you place £100 it is £10. Furthermore, when you place multiple bets, especially accumulators, higher odds on more selections can mean significantly larger amount of money.
In-Play Betting and Live Streaming
So far we’ve discussed betting, assuming that a bet will be placed before an event has started, or in footballing terms before kick-off. However, it is also possible to place bets in the course of an event. For example, a match is towards the end of the first half and the away team is leading 1-0, but you will that the home team will be able not just to score an equaliser, but also come on top after 90 minutes. That bet will be a live bet, alternatively called in-play. Not only you can place bets on live events, but most bookies will even allow you to watch live events for free, directly on their website via stream. In most cases you will simply need to have a positive real money account balance, or to have placed a bet within the last 24 hours. A betting site which offers live betting and streaming has an obvious advantage over a one that doesn’t.
Bonuses Can Boost Your Bankroll
When it comes to winning money and boosting your bankroll, bonuses are of the best ways to do earn a bit more money. Online bookies realise how important bonus offers are and that’s why they keep introducing new bonuses and promotions in order to attract as many new punters as possible, as well as keep their active members hooked. There are quite a few different bonuses offered by betting sites. Let us have a look at some of these available;
Free Bets
Most betting bonuses are given as Free Bets, i.e. amounts of money which you can use to place bets, but not cash out, at least until you’ve won anything. A lot of betting sites will offer you a Free Bet bonus as soon as you make your first deposit and place your first bet. This bonus is a sort of a welcoming bonus and it can be very helpful, since you have an immediate chance of boosting your bankroll. This bonus can be either a percentage of your first bet, usually 100% and up to a certain amount of money, or a fixed sum which is given either as a whole or as two or more tokens of Free Bets. Take the amount into consideration, because it is not the same whether you get £10 or £50. In order to qualify for the bonus your bet has to be not only of a certain amount of money, but also at certain odds or higher. Most bookies require that your bet is at odds of at least 1/2. Free Bets come with certain time limits and make sure that you do make your qualifying deposit and place your Free Bets within the specified amount of time, otherwise the offer won’t be valid.
Accumulator Insurance Bonus
Free Bonuses may be offered on other occasions as well. Most bookies offer a so called Acca Insurance Bonus, where you get your stake if only one selection fails you on at least 6-fold accumulator bet. This bonus offer also has terms and conditions that may vary depending on the bookie in question. The amount will be usually limited, either up to £25 or another amount of money. Also each selection would have to be at certain odds or higher, perhaps 1/4 or 1/5.
Accumulator Percentage Bonus
Speaking of accumulator bets, a lot of bookies offer a special percentage bonus on acca bets of at least 6 selections of money. The bonus percentage usually depends on the number of selections. Some bookies would go as far as offering a 100% if you include more than 25 selections or so. This bonus is paid out only if the whole bet is a win and it can be withdrawn.
Other Bonuses
Some bookies would offer Free Bets if you bet on specific events or competitions. If you bet on First Goalscorer you may get a Free Bet bonus if your players scores the second goal, but not the first. Moreover, quite a few bookies employ a Best Odds Policy on greyhounds and horse racing, where regardless of any changes in the odds your winnings will be calculated according to the odds that were most favourable for you.
Available Payment Methods
In order to bet, you will need to fund your account. Most bookies offer various methods and credit/debit cards, as well as popular e-Wallet platforms like Neteller and Skrill are the most popular methods. Deposits via these methods are usually instant and withdrawals don’t take that long either. Most renowned bookies won’t charge any fees on deposits and withdrawals. You will also need to check what the deposit and withdrawal limits are. Most bookies have a £10 minimum deposit limit. Speaking of depositing you should also check what the maximum amount that can be won is. These amounts usually vary depending on sport, competition and bet type.
Security and Licensing
Transferring money to and from your betting account is a very serious matter, as often the amount in question can be pretty high. Reliable bookies employ only the finest encryption technology which guarantees that your banking details will be kept safe and third parties won’t have access to any of the vital information used to make a transaction. Furthermore, when registering account you also provide personal information. This information is also kept safe and third parties will have no access to information regarding your name, address, or ID documents.
In order to be able to operate in the UK and allow British citizens to open accounts, bookies have to have a betting licence issued by the UK Gambling Commission. A bookie may be located elsewhere, but if they have obtain a relevant licence then they are eligible to offer online betting to Brits. Online bookies featured on our site possess such licences. You should never, under any circumstances open an account with a betting site which has not been licensed.
Conclusion
We have covered all the necessary elements which constitute a good betting site. Simply by comparing bookies and what they offer in terms of betting options, bonuses and security you will be able to determine which site is better. In addition, there are few other elements that have haven’t discussed her in detail, such as mobile betting and customer support. Most major sites offer mobile betting, either in browser, or via an app and they do have helpful customer support staff. Comparing online betting sites in order to choose which ones are the best takes a lot of time and effort. But don’t worry, we did a thorough research of UK betting sites and only the best ones are featured on our website.