Best Betting Sites – The UK’s Best Online Bookies

Discover the best betting sites and the best online bookies at GamblingDeals.com now – home of the best gambling sites online. Find the latest Betting Sign Up Offers and Welcome Offers all in one place, ensuring you join the best betting sites from across the UK.

Simply browse through our list of the best betting sites to see who is offering the most appealing welcome offers. Once you’ve found the online bookies that are right for you, simply click through and create a new player account before making your first real money deposit. It’s that simple.

Compare The Best Betting Sites And The Best Online Bookies At Gambling Deals

Are you looking for the best betting sites at the best online bookies? Well look no further. At Gambling Deals we work with the latest and best sports betting sites to bring you the best betting offers and welcome offers online. We compare all of the best online bookies, new and old to bring you the betting offers at the best betting websites around. Whether you are looking for a free bet, no deposit sign up bonus or simply the best online bookies to enjoy. You’re in the right place.

So why is this all so complicated? In today’s fast-paced betting market, new betting sites release more and more betting deals. Staying on top of all of the different types of betting sign up offers and can be a challenge, even if you are used to playing with online bookmakers.

That’s why tonnes of players retreat to the same sports betting sites time and time again. But, there is another way. Once you learn what makes the best betting sites tick, you can easily search for them and access tonnes of betting sign up offers to maximise your real money returns.

Best Betting Sites And Online Bookies – Where To Get Started?

To get started, take a look at our sports betting sites table. Here we compare all of the best betting sign up offers, ensuring you get a full read on what’s hot in the world of online sports.

See any min deposit offers you like? Click through to the online bookmaker’s websites and make a min deposit with your real money funds. Once you’ve deposited and wagered on one of your favourite sports betting markets, the betting sites bet credits stake will hit your account. That’s how it’s done. Want to know more? Simply read on.

How to Find The Best Online Bookies

Finding the best online bookies is not an easy task. As we’ve outlined, they can be hard to discover and difficult to evaluate. That’s why our best-betting sites guide is so important when you’re looking for the best online bookies out there. Now you know how to sign up with an online bookie, the next step is working out their max bonus is.

The following guide tells you everything there is to know about finding the best online bookies. Including what betting sign up offers to accept, as well as what to look out for. It’s not just about the betting sign up offer though. The best online bookies look the part. They work with the best sporting talent and make amazing apps for you to enjoy. Why not check out some of our best online bookies like Bethard, who partner with football legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Or if they don’t appeal, there are other popular online bookies like Ladbrokes, Bet365, and Betfred all offering the best betting sign up offers. When you’re working with the best, time limits don’t apply.

Whatever sportsbook you choose, make sure you find the best betting sites that work for you. This means ensuring that the bookie offers the markets you want to play in, and the experience that you’re going to enjoy. That means everything from Acca Insurance to Cash Out Betting. You’re going to need it when you’re chasing those big wins.

Read on to find out how you can find the best online bookies and the betting sites that are right for you.

How to Place a Bet at a Top Betting Site

Ready to back your favourite team or athlete? Here’s a handy step-by-step guide to signing up for a top betting site and placing your first bet:

1. Compare

The first step is to compare sites. We make this simple by reviewing and listing the best bookies in the UK. Our expert and unbiased reviews lay out the important elements of each site, such as the sports and betting markets covered, along with details of their current bonus offers and any promo codes you’ll need to claim them. 

2. Sign Up

When you find a bookmaker that you’d like to try, click through to the registration page to sign up. You will need to enter some basic details to verify your name, address and age. If you’re interested in claiming a welcome bonus, don’t forget to copy in any available promo codes and opt-in to receive it. 

3. Deposit Funds

Unless you’re claiming a no deposit bonus deal, you’ll need to deposit money into your new account before you can place any bets. As we’ve discussed, UK bookmakers offer a range of safe and secure payment methods, most of which allow for instant deposits. 

4. Place Your Bet

With money in your account and, possibly, free bet credits too, it’s time to place your wagers! It’s a good idea to research markets, fixtures, and bet types first, and you may want to combine different selections through acca, or accumulator, bets. If you’ve unlocked a cashback bonus, you’ll be refunded some or all of your stake if your bet loses.

How We Review the Best Betting Sites

To ensure we recommend only the best betting sites, our experts review each site to make sure it has all the features you’d expect from the best UK betting sites. Only those bookies that tick the right boxes make the list, so you can compare sites knowing that we’ve done the hard work for you. Here’s what we look for:

Licensing

To feature on GamblingDeals.com, a bookmaker must be licensed by the UK Gambling Commission. We confirm bookmakers meet the necessary regulatory and licensing requirements before promoting sites to our visitors. 

Bonuses and Promotions

Does the bookmaker offer a good range of promotions for new and existing bettors? We look for welcome offers and regular bonuses like odds boost and cashback offers, while also confirming that any wagering requirements and withdrawal restrictions are reasonable. 

Sportsbook Size and Depth

Does the bookmaker allow you to wager on a wide selection of sports? What about the betting options – can customers build their own bet? We like to recommend sites that offer a diverse array of sports and bet types to their customers. 

Payment Methods

The best betting sites provide players with several secure payment options. We look out for bookmakers who accept deposits from multiple sources, including popular options like debit cards and PayPal, as well as lesser-known methods such as pay by phone bill.

Customer Support

We check that the bookmakers we recommend offer the best possible standards of customer service. We want to see different ways for bettors to get in touch – such as live chat and direct phone lines – as well as round-the-clock support and speedy responses to bet settlement queries or any other issues that might arise.

Design and Usability

We like to see online sports betting sites and mobile betting sites that are easy on the eye and a pleasure to use. After all, a big serving of sports markets counts for less if the site is a pain to navigate. We also don’t want to see sites and apps with slow loading times or bugs. 

Special Features

Along with a smart design and great functionality, we look for any special features available to bettors. Does a bookmaker offer the request a bet feature, for example? Does it have a betting club or other loyalty programme? Extras like these can make all the difference to your sports betting experience.

What Betting Sign Up Offers Are Available At The Best Betting Sites?

There are a number of different types of betting sign up offers to be aware of. The most common are welcome offers that are available to brand new players and punters at a host of the best betting sites. The important thing to note here is that you must be a new player to access these betting deals. If you are an existing customer then you will need to look out for existing bettor deals to take advantage of welcome bonus funds at the best online bookies.

Welcome Deals

Welcome deals are available to new customers only. They are structured qualifying bets that give you free funds to bet on a sports market and sporting events of your choice – like the Premier League. Once you have deposited and wagered some real money at the best online bookies. The most common new betting bonuses are free bets and matched bets. However, in some cases, you can also get no deposit bonus deals. Let’s check out exactly what each betting sign up offers terms mean.

Free Bet Deals

Free bet deals are one of the most popular types of welcome bonus betting promotions. They essentially give you the ability to wager a small amount of real money, in return for a free bet on a sports market of your choice. For example, you might see something like when checking out new football betting sites:

• Deposit £10 and Play with £40

What this means is that you need to make a min deposit and play £10 of your own money. And in return you will get £30 of bonus funds to play on top of the welcome bonus. Making your total betting balance a massive £40.

If you wager a £40 bet and win, then you will keep your original bettor’s stake and all of the profits. The bonus amount will then get returned to the online bookmaker. Not bad eh? We have an amazing free bets guide that runs through how to max your free bets. It’s definitely worth a read if you want more information on different bet types.

Matched Bonus Deals

Matched bonus deals are another brilliant new customer betting payout bonus that some of the best betting sites offer. The way they work is that the bookie will give you a percentage of your original deposit in the form of a free bet. For example:

• 100% Bonus Up To £100

What this means is that the sports betting sites will give you 100% of your original betting stake up to the value of £100 (the max bonus offers). If you deposit £50, then you will get £50 worth of bonus funds. If you deposit £100, then you will get £100 worth of bonus funds. However, this is the max amount. Anything above £100 and your bonus will max out.

Look out for big percentages here. Some bookies will give you 300% matched deposit bonuses to bet on popular sports, like horse racing at Cheltenham.

That means that you will get 3x whatever you deposit. We’d recommend going big here if you get the chance. High percentage matches bonuses are one of the best betting offers around.

No Deposit Deals

In certain cases, you can get a no deposit bonus when signing up with the best online bookies.

For example you might see something like this:

• £50 No Deposit Bonus

What that means is that the online bookies will give new UK players £50 worth of bonus funds just to sign up with a qualifying deposit. Once you sign up your new player betting account will be credited with the £50 bonus funds. You are not required to deposit. Pretty epic eh?

Remember to look out for terms and conditions and payment method exclusions here. In return for the no deposit bonus, the online bookies might make you turn profits over before you can make a withdrawal. This is called a wagering requirement. It means that you might have to bet the profits 3x or 4x before you can take the profits out of the bookie. This isn’t a big deal if you know what you’re doing.

Cashback

Cashback bonuses, also known as risk-free bets, are a common type of welcome bonus at many online bookmakers in the UK. To claim a cashback offer, you place your bet as normal. If it loses, the bookmaker will return your stake. Cashback betting bonuses generally look something like this:

• £20 Risk-Free Bet

Refunds for losing bets might be paid in cash which you can withdraw straight away or as free credits you can use on your next sports bet. Either way, it’s easy to see why you can think of a cashback deal as offering insurance against a bad bet.

Most online bookmakers will set a maximum refund amount for moneyback bonus offers. This will usually sit somewhere around £20, though some bookmakers are more generous. You may also be offered cashback as a percentage of your losing bet rather than the full amount. As with any betting bonus offer for new UK customers, it pays to check out the terms and conditions of any cashback bonus you hope to claim.

Bonus Codes

When claiming any form of bonus, be it a free sports bet, a cashback offer, or a matched deposit bonus, you should look out for bonus codes. While some bookmakers automatically add bonuses when you perform a given action, such as signing up for a new account or making your first deposit, others require you to manually opt-in. This might be as simple as ticking a box, but you might also need to type in a bonus code. If you don’t want to miss out on any freebies, it pays to keep an eye on any requirements at your end.

Things to Consider When Looking for the Best Betting Sites

The best betting sites will offer you a free bet without any wagering requirements. These are great betting offers because it means you can withdraw any profits right away. For example, let’s say you bet £40 of free bets on Swindon Town to beat Bristol City. Swindon do the business during the football match on your 3/1 odds and return you £120. You can take your £90 out of the sports betting site right away. That’s a whopping £90 profit off of a couple of hours. All from signing up with the best betting sites. Not bad.

With that said, there is actually an advantage of betting sign up offers that come with a wagering requirement. The key reason for this, is that the betting site will also allow you to keep the free bet stake if you manage to meet the wagering requirements. That means they don’t take the free bet amount off you. In the example above, the £120 you won would be all yours, once you turn over the balance enough times in the UK markets.

Like we said, if you can find a betting deal that offers 300% of your initial deposit. That can turn into some big real money pretty quickly.

How do I manage wagering requirements?

When you take up a betting offer with wagering requirements, the free bet will be added to your account right away. You won’t have to wait 24 hours to receive the free bet. That means if you take up a 100% welcome offer on an initial deposit of £100 then you have a huge £200 to play with. If the wagering requirements are 5x, then you need to bet at least £500 before you can withdraw the max funds. £500 is 5x the bonus funds given to you.

We won’t tell you how to bet your money, we’ll let great odds do the talking. However, there are strategies that you can use to max out your chance of pulling the funds out of the best betting sites. Check out our betting guide on new sports sites here. Always check the terms and conditions when deciding which betting offer to go for. This helps ensure you don’t lose out if things get a little complicated.

How Do Betting Sign Up Offers Compare to Each Other At The Best Betting Sites?

We’ve already run through the different types of betting deals out there. However, there are a couple of extra things to be aware of before you dive into the best betting sign up offers. Here’s a quick breakdown for you to digest.

What is on offer?

First check exactly how much is on offer from the best betting sites. We’d recommend taking up the biggest bonuses on offer. If you’re signing up to a no deposit bonus then go as much as you can get. If you are accessing a matched deposit, then try and get a percentage multiplier that will send your initial deposit souring. Just make sure that you are aware of minimum stakes, deposit method restrictions, and all-round betting experience before you dive in.

Wagering requirements

Wagering requirements require you to turn over your bet a certain number of times before you can withdraw your profit. It’s unlikely that you will see anything as high as the requirements that casino sites stipulate. However, you can see multiples of five or six. For example, let’s say you take up a £50 bonus with 5x wagering requirements to bet on horse racing. You will need to bet at least £250 (5x £50 bonus) before you can withdraw the profits via your real money balance.

Minimum odds

Minimum odds are set by the best online bookies to limit the markets you can place bets on. Some betting offers require you to bet on events with minimum odds. For example, you have to place a bet on a sporting event with over evens odds. This is another way that the bookie can stop bonus hunters simply betting on a horse racing dead cert to claim their welcome offer stake. This won’t worry you if you’re a serious player looking for serious profits.

Betting Offers for Existing Players

While it definitely pays to be a new customer, existing players can also grab some brilliant betting deals and betting sign up offers. It’s pretty simple for the best online bookies. If they don’t look after their best existing players, then those players will walk right out the door. There is way too much competition in the sports betting space now to neglect existing customers. But what does it mean to find an amazing existing customer betting deal?

Accumulator Insurance

Accumulator insurance policies (or acca insurance for short) are a great way to look out for as an existing customer. The way they work is to offer you a refund on your bet if your acca loses by one leg. How common is it that you pick five results out of four, making your bet a loser? When it comes to acca insurance, you get your money back.

Betting Refunds

Betting refunds give you your stake back if something happens during the sporting event that protects your welcome offer bet. For example, the original sports betting offer might have stated something like:

• Get your money back if Raheem Sterling scores first

In this example, no matter what happens with your sporting event bet. If Sterling gets the opener then your new player bet is protected. Let’s say Man City score first via Sterling. However, they lose to PSG 3-1. Well you will get your money back. This type of existing customer betting offer is a great way to help you protect yourself when placing your bet.

Price Boosts for Existing Customers

Price boosts for existing customers offer you enhanced odds on certain betting markets. This means you get better betting odds than you would have betting with another bookie or as a new customer. For example, a bookie might offer the following:

• Manchester United to beat Chelsea up from 1/2 to evens, up to a maximum of £50

What this means is that your £50 bet will return £50 profit instead of £25 if you win. This is a great way to get the best out of your bookie. If you spot this type of betting deal, take advantage.

Request a Bet

The ‘request a bet’ feature available at many top bookmakers allows you to create a personalised acca bet on outcomes within a single sporting event. Let’s say there’s a Premier League game at the weekend: the request a bet feature will allow you to come up with a set of predictions for that match – say, two yellow cards, Harry Kane to score the first goal, and a 2-0 scoreline at half time. By tweeting this scenario and tagging the bookmaker using their hashtag, you can see if they’ll accept the bet and what odds they’ll offer. Ladbrokes, for example, uses the hashtag #GetAPrice, while Betfred’s hashtag is #PickYourPunt. 

Build a Bet

There’s plenty to like about the request a bet option. It’s great fun to pack all your premonitions for the same sporting event into a single bet, and you have the freedom to come up with pretty much any scenario you can imagine. However, it can be time-consuming to arrange. To make things a little easier for bettors, some bookies have created automatic bet builders for their websites and mobile betting apps. Using a bookmaker’s build a bet form allows you to add and delete different selections for a single event, and see instant updates to the odds. This can save a lot of time, especially if you’re placing a last-minute bet. And remember, you still have the option to tweet the bookmaker if the bet you fancy isn’t an option in the bet builder.

Best Betting Sites Payment Methods

When you join a new bookmaker site, it’s wise to check that you can use your preferred payment method both to deposit money and to claim any welcome bonuses. Here are some of the payment options you’ll commonly find at the best betting sites in the UK. 

Debit Cards

Almost universally accepted by UK bookmakers, debit cards are among the most trusted payment options for bettors. Debit cards issued by payment networks such as Visa, Mastercard, and Maestro are readily available to most people and offer instant deposits and little to no transaction fees. Encryption technology deployed by both banks and bookmakers make debit cards a secure payment method, too.

e-Wallets

Many bookmakers are happy to accept deposits from e-wallets like PayPal and Skrill. These digital wallets are an ideal choice if you don’t feel comfortable entering your debit card number online or prefer to keep your betting activities separate from your main bank account. Other advantages of using e-wallets include top-notch security and typically faster withdrawals from sportsbook accounts compared to debit cards. Do check that making a first deposit through an e-wallet won’t make you ineligible for welcome bonuses, though.

Prepaid Cards

Prepaid cards are another good banking method for players who’d prefer not to share card or bank account details with sports betting sites. One of the most popular prepaid card systems in the UK is Paysafecard, which is available to buy both online and in brick-and-mortar retailers. Available in various denominations between £10 and £175, Paysafecard vouchers carry 16-digit codes which you simply type into your bookie site account to make your deposits. Although some betting sites may allow withdrawals to My Paysafecard accounts, this is generally a deposit-only option. 

Pay by Phone Bill

The pay by phone bill option is one of the newer payment methods available to UK players. Services like Boku allow bettors to make deposits by entering their mobile number rather than any sensitive bank or debit card details. The deposit amount is then added to the bettor’s monthly phone bill once the SMS confirmation code has been entered. Stringent deposit limits apply to pay by phone options, and withdrawals aren’t possible with this method.

Best Online Casino Sites

If you prefer to play at the best new casino sites then you’re in luck. Head over to our casino section now. Gambling Deals compares the best gambling sites across all types of betting markets. Check out our latest casino bonuses guide now.

New Slot Sites

Likewise, if finding best slot sites is more your thing. We have got your back. Flick through the latest slot games and casino providers to find the best casino offers at all of the latest slot sites. It pays to do your research.

Ready to Place Your Bets?

Now that you know what to look for when it comes to the best online bookmakers and the best free bets, why not delve a little deeper? Alongside our rankings, we’ve reviewed dozens of top bookies to make sure you’ve got access to everything you need to know. Once you’ve found one you like, click through to sign up and claim your optional welcome bonus, and place your bets!