Best Football Betting Sites – Top 10 Licensed and Regulated Sportsbooks
What are the best football betting sites in the UK? Well, from our industry knowledge and hours of research, we believe the following bookies are among the top names not just in the UK but the world.
Bet365
Based in the UK and a one of the biggest brands in betting, Bet365 stands out for two reasons: coverage and reliability. Bet365 is such a big a name that it can’t afford to rest on its laurels. This means you always get world-class service, regardless of whether you’re betting via your desktop or mobile.
Like all the best football betting sites online, Bet365 focuses on a variety of sports. What’s more, it has a solid welcome bonus worth up to £100 and plenty of weekly promos. In fact, when you bet on football at this site, you’ll get more value than almost any other bookmaker. Promotions such as acca bonuses will boost your payouts by up to 70%. Add to this early payouts when your team goes two goals ahead and it’s easy to see why football fans love Bet365.
To claim the Bet365 welcome bonus, click here to create an account. Enter our Bet365 bonus code PLVIP and deposit £5+ using Visa, MasterCard, eWallets such as PayPal, bank wire or Apple Pay. From there, make a bet equal to or greater than the value of your deposit and Bet365 will match it. This free bet is valid up to maximum of £100.
William Hill
Willian Hill has been in the betting business since 1934. The company started out as a horse racing bookmaker but, today, it’s among the best football betting sites in the world. The are many reasons why this is true. Firstly, new customers get £40 worth of free bets when they use our sign-up link on mobile and bet £10. That’s £10 more than the standard offer and only available when you use our William Hill promo code N40.
Secondly, this football betting site gives you one free acca boost every day, guaranteed best odds on selected matches and daily bonuses. Finally, Will Hill has a host of added extras, including William Hill Radio, a daily sports schedule and a create your own football bets feature known as #YourOdds.
BetVictor
BetVictor was founded by William Chandler in 1946 and is one of the few UK betting sites that’s still independent. While other football betting sites in the UK have been taken over or merged with larger entities, BetVictor is out there on its own.
Don’t be fooled by its solo status. BetVictor has more than 500,000 customers in 160 different countries. It rakes in more than £1 billion every year and that means it has the resources to provide some excellent football betting opportunities.
For example, football fans can get something other than the standard BetVictor welcome bonus by making their first bet on the beautiful game. After making a deposit via debit card, eWallet or bank transfer, you’ll need to opt in a bet on any football market. If you win, great. If you lose, BetVictor will refund any losing bet on football up to £30.
If that’s not enough to tempt you, BetVictor’s status as a lone ranger means it has total control over the odds and features it offers. The slick mobile-first software makes it easy to search through hundreds of daily football bets with a single click. The lobby itself is filled with specials, enhanced odds markets, in-play football bets and more.
The standout feature for us is the bet builder tab. This allows you to build your own bet in a way that other bookmakers can’t match. First off, there’s the standard build a bet option. Beyond that, you can make your own Premier League bets, use premade templates and even make your own multiples!
Also, if you like to bet on the Sport of Kings too. BetVictor is one of the best online horse betting sites.
How We Rate Football Betting Sites
Quality, quantity and excellent service. Those are the common traits among the top online bookies. Indeed, we’ve told you what the best established and new football betting sites are, but that’s not enough. We want to tell you why they are the best.
Also, we want to show you how we review betting sites and, in turn, show you how to find your ideal bookmaker. With that being said, here are the things you need consider when you’re searching for a new football betting site.
Promotions & Sign-up Bonuses
Every newbie needs a bonus. If an online bookmaker doesn’t give you something as a new customer, don’t join it. That might sound harsh but there are so many football betting bonuses out there, it’s not worth wasting your time on sites that don’t give you something extra.
New customer football betting bonuses come in many different shapes and sizes. We’ll provide some real-life examples in a moment. Before we do that, here are the main types of footie bonus you can get as a newbie:
- Free Bets – These promotions give you free bets for making a deposit and/or opening wager.
- No Lose Bets – Otherwise known as risk-free bets, these deals give you a rebate (as a free bet) if your opening wager loses.
- Enhanced Odds – Football betting sites will often give you better odds on selected events. This means you’ll get more money back when you win.
What are the best football promotions?
The best football betting bonuses are available when you use our promo codes. We’re always adding offers to the mix, but here’s a small selection of what you can get with our sports betting bonus codes:
- Bet365 – Use our Bet365 bonus code PLVIP to get up to £100 in free bets.
- William Hill – Use our William Hill bonus code N40 to get four free bets worth £10 each.
- Betfred – Use our Betfred promo code SPORTS60 to get £30 in betting credit, plus 30 free slot spins.
Great Betting Odds
There are thousands of football betting odds out there. From long odds to short odds, every bookmaker has its own take on a game. In fact, there are more odds than you can feasibly consider. Our top picks offers some of the best football betting odds in the world.
To make things even easier, we keep tabs on everything that’s going on in the industry via our best odds guaranteed (BOG) page. There, you’ll find the most lucrative betting lines for football matches and many other sports.
Range of Football Betting Markets
There are football betting odds and there are football betting odds. Any bookmaker can offer win and scoreline bets. However, the best UK sportsbooks go one or two steps further. We can’t outline every single football betting market, but here are some popular options:
- Correct score bet
- First goal scorer
- Scorecast (first goal scorer + correct score)
- Both teams to score
- Over/under goal markets
- Handicap betting
- Halftime/Fulltime
- Double chance
- Draw no bet
- Number of fouls/corners
Cash Out Options
Another feature the top UK football betting sites offer is cash outs. This feature allows you to end a bet before its natural conclusion and receive some prize money. The amount you receive will depend on the status of your bet, the potential returns and your stake.
For example, if you stand to win £1,000 and there’s five minutes left, you’ll probably receive an offer that’s very close to your potential payout. If, however, the game is only five minutes old, you’ll be offered a lot less.
Cash outs should be seen as a standard when you bet on football. Any site that doesn’t offer this feature probably isn’t worth using. There are exceptions, of course. However, when you’re sizing up which UK betting sites to use, the ability to cash out early should be available.
Some of the best bookies offering cash outs are:
- Bet365
- William Hill
- BetVictor
In-Play Betting
Like cashouts, in-play betting is a standard feature in today’s world. If you can’t make live football bets, you should find another bookmaker. Of course, that doesn’t mean you have to make in-play wagers. You might not like them. However, you should always have the choice.
For those that don’t know what live betting is, the premise is simple. You get to make predictions while an event is underway. For example, you can bet on the next player to score a goal or what the score will be within a certain period of the game.
The beauty of live football bets is that the odds change in line with the dynamics of a match. If one team is getting the upper hand, the odds are going to shift in their favour. Therefore, this type of betting is not only exciting but great if you can read a game and predict patterns of play. Exchange betting sites, such as Bet365 are great platforms for in-play betting, because you bet against other bettors.
Request A Bet
We’ve already highlighted things such as build a bet. However, as a reminder of what “request a bet” means, it’s basically a way of creating your own wager. If a possible outcome isn’t listed, you can contact the oddsmakers and suggest your own bet. If they approve, you’ll see it appear in the lobby.
Some of the sites that offer request a bet are:
- William Hill
- Bet365
- 888Sport
Live Streaming
Online sportsbooks aren’t what they used to be. Back in the day (circa 2000), all you could do was log in and bet on a few sports. Today, online sportsbooks are much more sophisticated. As well as odds, they contain statistics, calendars, previews, reviews, betting tips and, most impressively, live streams.
Live broadcasts are available for certain sports and certain events. To unlock a live stream, you need to bet on the event in question. Once you’ve done that, you’ll be able to watch a match in HD quality via your desktop or mobile device.
Where can I watch live streams?
Some of the best UK betting sites with live streams are:
Banking Options
You can’t bet on football without some money in your account. All of our recommended bookmakers are licensed by the UK Gambling Commission. As part of the regulatory process, every operator has to offer secure payment options.
The top sites also strive to offer something for everyone. If you want to use debit cards, you can. If you want to use eWallets, such as PayPal, you can check out our PayPal betting sites guide. If you want to try the latest payment innovations such as Boku, it will be available at best football betting sites.
Customer Service
The final quality every top-rated bookie must have is excellent customer service. There’s no use offering a wealth of features and not responding when someone needs help. As a bare minimum, betting sites should have an FAQ and email support.
We also like to see a phone number and a live chat service. Then, just for complete peace of mind, a bookmaker should be active on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Bet365, RedZone, STSBet and all of our top picks have great customer service, so you’ll always get the bet experience possible.
So, there you have it, that’s the world of football betting and how to find the best deals. All that’s left for you to do is join our recommended bookies and enjoy the beautiful game.
