If you take a look at our free bets page, you’ll notice that there’s no shortage of betting sites to choose from. And whilst all of the online bookmakers that we list are reputable and licensed in the UK, some are definitely better than others when it comes to things like odds, markets and customer service.
For this reason we’ve compiled a list of what we believe are the very best betting sites for people based in the UK, which you can find below. We’ve also identified where we think each website is particularly strong and highlighted exactly why we’re recommending them, as not everybody is going to want the same thing from their bookie.
We also have a similar list for casinos as well as some in depth guides to sites based on feature, payment method and sport on our sister site.
Best UK Online Betting Sites & Bookmakers
1. Coral
Coral have undergone a radical transformation over the past couple of years and they’re becoming a real contender for our number one spot. As well as a very user friendly site they offer highly competitive odds, a wide variety of offers and money back specials and excellent market coverage on most sports.
- High Street Locations – As one of the big UK high street bookies they’ve integrated their online and brick and mortar betting business together. Meaning you can bet online and get your winnings in cash from your local bookie or deposit into your account using cash. You don’t have to, of course, and there are plenty of other payment options you can choose from (including PayPal).
- Regular Offers – Coral run a number of ongoing promotions for football, golf, tennis and horse racing. Plus plenty of one off bonuses and specials around big events. Combine these with their decent odds and you’ve got yourself a great site.
2. BetVictor
BetVictor are the online arm of the Victor Chandler betting shops that you used to see up and down the high street. They’re now entirely online and based out of Gibraltar, but still licensed and regulated right here in Blighty. Their main selling point are their odds, particularly for Premier League football for which they incredibly hard to beat. Both the mobile and desktop sites are intuitively laid out and navigating the markets is a very simple affair.
- Wide Range Of Promotions – BetVictor run a wide range of money back specials and promotions. From acca insurance to in-play free bets or bonus spins in the casino there’s always something to peak your interest.
- Best Odds For Football – According to a number of data companies, BetVictor have had the best overall average odds for football betting for the past two seasons. So if you’re looking for somewhere to place your bets without shopping around for the best odds then BetVictor is a great place to do it.
- Great Casino Offers – As well as sports betting, BetVictor offer a wide range of casino games on desktop or mobile. They also like to tie in sports and casino and often run promotions that combine the two.
3. Betfred
Betfred are another of the big high street bookmakers who recently became even bigger after the acquisition of the previously goverment run Totesport in 2011.
The company was founded by Fred Done, a man whose nickname is ‘the bonus king’ and one who prides himself on the high value promotions that are offered both online and in his betting shops. So if you like good odds and massive offers, Fred may be your guy.
- Innovative Bookies – Once of the things that has impressed us about Betfred is their innovation, specifically when it comes to new markets. Though their goals galore coupon they introduced us to the world of both teams to score which is now one of the most popular bets for accumulators. The company are always trialing new bets and types of offer meaning you’ll find things here that you won’t find anywhere else!
4. Ladbrokes
Another of the high street bookies to make it into our top 10 are Ladbrokes who have been offering a solid online product for well over a decade. They were one of the first to offer banking via their shops and regularly offer various offers and promotions to their customers. All in all they offer a very solid product that’s good at pretty much everything.
5. 10bet
10bet are an international online bookie which serves over 90 countries world wide. Despite this global customer base, however, they focus heavily on local markets and serve the United Kingdom through their dedicated UK site, which is regulated by the UK Gambling Commission.
Of particular interest is their live betting tab which offers fantastic coverage of a seemingly endless array of markets and events, including both high profile matches and lesser known sports and leagues.
- Regular Offers – 10bet have a great promotions section that almost always has something to perk your interest. Offers normally ramp up around big events as well. Check the site for the latest deals.
- Feature Packed Site - As quite an innovative bookie, it feels like the site is always being updated both with tweaks to make it more user friendly and with new features and markets.
Online Betting Site or High Street Bookmaker?
Bookies have been around way longer than the internet, so it stands to reason that the oldest and most established betting brands on the internet are the high street bookmakers. Anybody who lives in the UK should already be familiar with the biggest names in the business – including Ladbrokes, Coral and Betfred – and many punters still choose to make the traditional saturday morning trip to the bookies to place their football bets for the weekend.
What the high street doesn’t offer, however, is the convenience that online betting sites can provide and people are increasingly turning to the bookies websites to place bets and check results rather than visit in person. Pretty much any bookie worth their salt will also have a mobile betting site or app, meaning you can manage your account and your bets from almost anywhere. Many will also let you deposit and withdraw from your online account through their high street shops – meaning you can place a bet online from the pub, and pick up your winnings in cash on your way home.
Recently there has also been a wave of new betting sites which don’t follow the traditional bookmaker model and more and more online-only gambling sites have started to appear. And whilst some look like they’re being run from their parents garage, there are some real contenders setting up shop in the UK – backed by hedge funds and venture capital firms who have the financial gusto to make a real go of it. And because they don’t have the brand recognition that the brick and mortar bookies do, they have to work a little harder to get your business – often resulting in bigger bonuses and offers.
Betting Sites That Have Closed Down
As with any business, bookies sometimes close down, merge, multiply and change name. So if you’re looking for a site that you used to bet on and are scratching you’re head as to what happened, see our handy guide below. Please note that we only track major brands and not white labels.
Total Site Closures
- MansionBet (2022) - Closed in March 2022 citing "the UK regulatory environment, non-propriety platform constraints and market conditions". This closure only affected the sports betting brand MansionBet, whilst the sister casinos sites will continue to operate as normal.
- 138Bet (2020) - Sudden and unexpected global closure of the brand. The exact reasons behind the closure are unknown, but some believe it related to illegal gambling activity in China.
- Moplay (2020) - Moplay had their operating license suspended in early 2020 which quickly lead to their insolvency. The customer base was later acquired by Betfred.
- Everymatrix – Jetbull (2019) - Jetbull left the UK market after their parent company (EveryMatrix) received a license suspension by the UKGC. They chose to leave the market rather than jump through the necessary hoops that would have been required to have the suspension removed. The suspension and subsequent exit from the market also affected all white labels brands that ran through the EveryMatrix license. In the years that followed, Jetbull decided to close up shop completely.
- 21Bet (2019) - 21Bet closed, changed hands, reopened and then closed again all in the space of a couple of years. After the first closure it was purchased by Incentive Group who also operated Premier Punt and BetSid, but the costs mounted and the company eventually went under, closing all three brands in the process.
- BetBright (2019) - BetBright shuttered it's doors in March 2019, right before the Cheltenham Festival. The platform was acquired by 888 who made the purchase purely for the technology and chose not to continue operating the BetBright brand. Ante Post bets on the Cheltenham Festival were, however, honoured.
- Vernons (2019) - Despite being a very known brand for people in the older generations, Vernons was shuttered in 2019 after changing hands several times. In its heyday it was owned by Littlewoods but was sold to Sportech in 2007. Sportech sold it to Netplay in 2013 and Netplay was finally acquired by betsson in 2017. The Vernons brand lingered in the background for a while but silently vanished a few years later.
- Super Lenny (2018) - GiG owned SuperLenny was a casualty of a strategic review of the companies brands that resulted in a major shake up. The site closed in late 2018.
- Sun Bets (2018) - The Sun's partnership with Australian operator Tabcorp lasted just under two years and closed in 2018 after reports that the company was hemorrhaging cash. The early termination of the partnership reportedly cost Tabcorp a whopping $71 Million.
- RealDealBet (2018) - This sister site to 10bet closed in April of 2018 with existing accounts migrated to 10bet. Real Deal Bet was essentially a skin of 10bet with the only difference being the fact that it had Evander Holyfield as brand ambassador.
- Stan James (2018) - The online portion of Stan James was acquired by Unibet in 2015 whilst the betting shops were rebranded as Mega Bet. In 2018 Stan James Online was closed and existing accounts were migrated into Unibet. If you had a Stan James account then simply head on over to the Unibet website.
Sites That Left the UK Market
- Royal Panda (2020) - LeoVegas owned Royal Panda chose to leave the UK market in 2020 citing poor performance in the country. The decision only affected the Royal Panda brand and at time of writing LeoVegas are still operating in the UK.
- ComeOn & Mobile Bet (2019) - ComeOn and their sister site, MobileBet, exited the UK market in 2019 after growing concerns over the heavy handed fines that were being dished out by the UKGC.
- Winner & Titan Bet (2018) - These two stablemates closed their doors to the UK market in 2018, most likely in response to increasing taxes and the additional leg work required by the UKGC to be able to legally accept bets from UK punters.
Major Rebrands & Name Changes
- Totesport to Tote (2020) - The Tote has been through a fair few changes over it's pretty long life, and until relatively recently was owned by Betfred. The brand was sold to a newly formed company called 'The Tote Group UK' and the site was overhauled to focus on it's namesake Tote betting product.
- Bet on Brazil to Sport Nation (2017) - Despite what you may be thinking Bet on Brazil had nothing to do with the country. In fact, this betting site’s name came from their Ambasador and business partner Alan Brazil. Alan and the site parted ways in 2017 which led to a name change and are now known as Sport Nation.