UK bettors have the opportunity to choose from many bookmaker websites where to bet. This could be to their advantage or not depending on how familiar a player is with the bookmakers. The good news is that punters can choose from different betting websites, which however can be confusing. To help you with the choice, we have provided a table with some of the best online bookmaker websites for the United Kingdom:
Ladbrokes has been around since 1886 and has established itself as a strong brand. It’s known for a wide array of betting options, impressive odds, and high-quality customer support. The site has a solid in-play and live betting section. The best part is its proven authority and credibility in the field, especially in the online gaming space.
Paddy Power has a great mobile platform that’s attractive and interactive. Along with the mobile platform, it also has a cash-out option and a really lovely sports bonus. Unfortunately, there are several country restrictions for this website so not everyone can enjoy it.
Bet365 is a powerhouse in the sports betting market. With a great selection of sports markets, very high odds, an interactive website, and a wide array of bonuses, this website definitely goes somewhere at the top. The only disadvantage is that this UK bookmaker has strict wagering or betting limits.
As a punter in the UK sports market, you’ll love the football betting sites, horse racing betting sites, cricket betting sites, and greyhound betting sites. Let’s talk a bit more about them.
All of the gambling platforms from the UK have a football betting market in both the regular betting section and the live betting section. It’s one of the most popular sports markets in the UK and was able to net a total of £786,000,000 from 2016 to 2017. That’s how much gamblers are willing to bet on football games.
While horse racing isn’t as popular as football, they still come close as almost all UK sportsbooks have a horse racing section. In fact, horse racing betting netted a total of £569,000,000 from 2016 to 2017.
We wouldn’t say that cricket is a very popular game to bet on, but it still is a popular sport to play. That’s why it still has a market in the sports betting industry. Still, in the year 2016-2017, online cricket betting reached a total of £27,000,000.
Dog racing is second to horse racing in the racing market. Although it’s not as popular as horse racing by a long shot, a lot of punters still love to bet on their favourite greyhounds. Because of that, the Greyhound betting market netted a total of £53,000,000 from 2016 to 2017.
For British bookmakers, the standard sports would include football, horse racing, cricket, tennis, badminton, and dog racing. However, it’s not uncommon that other sports are included too like boxing, basketball, motocross, F1, snow sports, and many more. Even more unorthodox markets like politics and eSports may be included.
The odds format usually used in the UK is the fractional odds format. However, some bookmakers offer other types to cater to international clients. Some prefer decimal odds or different types.
Since a lot of the big boys come from the UK, the bookmakers there has a high-quality standard to follow. They all give priority to user experience above all else. That said, UK players will really get to enjoy good gambling platforms from their hometown.
Since bookmakers from the UK are rather aggressive in promoting their brands, it’s no surprise that a lot of bonuses are offered.
UK players will have the chance to enjoy a lot of cool welcome bonuses, accumulator bonuses, and other UK promotions for joining various bookmakers and being loyal to certain ones.
Live betting is a must for any UK bookmaker – especially if they have football markets. In fact, live betting can be considered one of the most exciting forms of betting since it allows you to participate in the game by putting money on what you think is the winning team.
As for live streaming, most top UK bookmakers offer it on their betting sites and exchanges. The great thing about live streaming is that it allows you to watch the game you want while monitoring your bets. It’s an excellent feature for hardcore sports fans.
For the cash-out feature, a lot of veteran bookmakers don’t offer it. However, the more modern ones already do. It’s a great feature that allows you to have more control over your risk. 22bet and Bet365 have this feature in their platform.
One thing you’ll notice about the UK bookmakers is that they’re very complete. Not only do they offer a sports section, but they also provide a casino (along with live casino) section. That’s because online casinos are so popular among the British punters. In fact, the online casino sector of the UK contributed up to £2.2 billion in 2017.
In the UK, both Visa and Mastercard are viable options for online betting. Aside from that, you may also try out other effective options like bank wire transfers and e-wallets like Skrill. However, it seems that credit cards/debit cards still remain to be the most widely used option.
Mobile betting is also very popular among the British. Out of the 97% of total active players that stay at home while gambling, about half of that range play on their mobile phones. With that in mind, you can really say that mobile betting has swept the UK gambling industry. So to cater to that, the UK bookmakers also offer either betting apps or mobile websites to cater to this enormous demand.
Even though gambling is totally legal in the UK, that doesn’t mean the regulatory bodies let the gambling companies do anything they want. The UKGC is very strict when it comes to regulations in order to protect the information and identity of the customers who join these websites. A license granted means that a bookmaker has passed scrutiny from the UKGC and also means that the bookmaker is safe.
Besides, bookmakers usually make use of a standard SSL encrypted security, allowing the back-end team to fully protect all data that goes in through the betting systems of UK bookmakers. This promotes further safety and peace of mind among users.
We can say that the customer support of most UK bookmakers is up to standard. However, this does depend on the individual bookmaker. There are some bookmakers with better assistance than others. Of course, the top tier UK betting sites (such as the ones that we’ve mentioned above), all have pretty good customer service. We can say that as a whole, the industry provides good customer support to its clientele.
We’d like to bet on Bet365 as the best betting website in the UK.
Being one of the top websites in the UK, Bet365 is known for its very high odds. 22bet does come in somewhere second.
Both Bet365 and 22bet are known to be very reliable sports betting sites. They offer high-quality experience and features. Other trustworthy sites include 888sport and William Hill.
Most of the UK bookmakers have a section for tips. A lot also provide tools that allow one to fully analyze the UK betting environment and create a good strategy.
Not all of them have a dedicated mobile app. Almost all have a mobile-friendly website, though.
This really depends on the bookmaker. A lot offer accumulator point bonuses, but some don’t.
Yes, matched betting is totally legal.
So far, there aren’t that many restrictions for players from the UK. However, there are a few UK bookmakers who impose some membership restrictions when people from other countries try to join the UK bookmakers.
As the UK highly encourages gambling since it’s a part of their cultural heritage, many big bookmakers can be found in the country. Of course, the heavy hand of UKGC is also a factor as to why the gambling market grew. The UKGC had concrete rules and regulations that allow the UK bookmakers to have enough free hand to operate profitably. At the same time, these regulations made sure that there are no dubious bookmakers that can enter the market.
We can say that the United Kingdom is a great place for punters who want to have a go at betting while enjoying a well-regulated and safe gambling atmosphere.
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