Bookmakers in UK

Bookmakers in UK

Great Britain is the pioneer of modern online bookmakers as we know them today.

In what other country could we find leading bookies, founded as far back as the 19th century?

Only in Great Britain!

Time-tested, reputable 21st-century UK bookmakers have made their own betting sites and continue to lead the sports betting market with confidence.

In order to objectively evaluate British online bookies, we need to take a closer look at their strengths and weaknesses.

Important criteria for evaluating UK betting sites:
  • Traffic to UK betting sites by visitor count;
  • Size of the betting companies in the United Kingdom;
  • World rankings and professional betting indicators;
  • Offers of free bets and bonuses to new customers;
  • Bet lines and odds on popular British sports: football and horse racing;
  • Support for payment methods popular in the Great Britain;
  • Possession of a UKGC license.

We'll look at each of these categories below.

Best UK Bookmakers in 2023

There are many different criteria for determining the best qualities of online bookmakers. In our analysis we have excluded subjective preferences and offer only those criteria that are based on objective data.

Thus, the best online bookmakers in United Kingdom are presented in 2 main lists:

  • Global ratings of online bookies;
  • Most visited UK betting sites.

⚡ Top 10 UK Bookmakers


(Global Ranking of UK Bookies)
Top 10 UK Bookies

The top 10 UK bookmakers are based on their ranking and points in the Global Bookmaker Rankings. The best positions are taken by companies that are ranked higher in the main ratings.

Updated in September 2023 September 2023
Global Ranking of UK Bookies: Detailed Information

⚡ Top 20 UK Betting Sites


(Monthly UK Visitors)
Top 20 Online Bookmakers UK

The best UK bookmakers can also be determined based on their popularity among British bettors. This is most clearly seen in the visitor statistics of betting websites by local gamblers.

We can call this the "popularity rating" of online bookmakers in Great Britain.

This rating will always be the most independent, unbiased and completely honest, as you cannot force gamblers to visit sites that they do not like.

Here are the best Great Britain betting sites in the Website Traffic category:

Updated in September 2023 September 2023
Monthly UK Visitors: Detailed Information

These websites are visited by tens of thousands of UK visitors daily.

Of course these numbers can not be the main criteria when choosing a bookmaker for betting but the facts by themselves clearly speak as to where local players most prefer to bet on sports.

UK Bookmaker Offers

List of UK online bookmakers with the best bonus and free bet offers for new clients.

It is important to remember that bonuses are awarded only in pounds sterling and only for new players from Great Britain.

Best Free Bet Offers in UK

Free Bet Offers in Great Britain

Below you can see a list of the best free bet offers that UK online bookies have at the moment.

It would not be superfluous to remind you that free bets are one of the types of bonuses that are most popular among the English professional gamblers.

It's important to know! Free bets do not need to be wagered. The winnings, minus the amount of the bet itself, are available immediately after the bet has been played.
Updated in September 2023 September 2023
Best UK Free Bet Offers:

Betting Bonuses in UK

Best Deposit Bonuses in United Kihgdom

Traditional first deposit welcome bonuses are fairly common offerings on betting sites in the United Kingdom.

Most often, there are 50% and 100% bonuses based on the amount of the player's deposit.

However, those who receive them need to read the terms of wagering on the promo pages of the online bookmakers very carefully. Only then will it be possible to avoid annoying misunderstandings and misconceptions regarding the withdrawal of bonus amounts.

Updated in September 2023 September 2023
Best Betting Bonuses in UK: Detailed Information
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Best Football Betting Sites in UK

Football  Betting Sites in Great Britain

The English Premier League is one of the most prominent representatives of world-class European football. Being such it's not hard to guess that British football fans spend a significant amount of their time on betting websites, of course to bet on the matches of the teams they root for.

The main criteria when choosing an online bookmaker for betting on football are:

Below we have compiled a list of the best football betting sites in the United Kingdom.

William Hill Website

1. William Hill

www.williamhill.com

High Odds:

Boosted Odds:

Pre-Match Action Line: 6,199

In-Play Action Line: 659

Review

 Vbet Website

2. Vbet (UK)

www.vbet.co.uk

High Odds:

Boosted Odds:

Pre-Match Action Line: 1,705

In-Play Action Line: 205

Review

 Betway  Website

3. Betway

www.betway.com

High Odds:

Boosted Odds:

Pre-Match Action Line: 2,867

In-Play Action Line: 189

Review

 Betfair Website

4. Betfair

www.betfair.com

High Odds:

Boosted Odds:

Pre-Match Action Line: 1,165

In-Play Action Line: 387

Review

Paddy Power Website

5. Paddy Power

www.paddypower.com

High Odds:

Boosted Odds:

Pre-Match Action Line: 4,314

In-Play Action Line: 634

Review

 Bet365 Website

6. Bet365

www.bet365.com

High Odds:

Boosted Odds:

Pre-Match Action Line: 3,788

In-Play Action Line: 312

Review

 Boylesports Website

7. BoyleSports

www.boylesports.com

High Odds:

Boosted Odds:

Pre-Match Action Line: 2,567

In-Play Action Line: 205

Review

Betfred Website

8. Betfred

www.betfred.com

High Odds:

Boosted Odds:

Pre-Match Action Line: 2,759

In-Play Action Line: 112

Review

888Sport Website

9. 888Sport

www.888sport.com

High Odds:

Boosted Odds:

Pre-Match Action Line: 1,863

In-Play Action Line: 116

Review

Best Horse Racing Bookmakers in UK

Horse Racing Betting

The wildly popular sports of horse racing in England are driving the increased interest among local players in betting websites that have the most extended betting lines on these sports.

You can get more for you money with Best Odds Guaranteed on UK horse racing and greyhound racing.
Here's a complete list of UK horse racing online bookmakers.

William Hill Website

1. William Hill

www.williamhill.com

Racing Odds Boost:

Best Odds Guaranteed:

Review

 Bet365 Website

2. Bet365

www.bet365.com

Racing Odds Boost:

Best Odds Guaranteed:

Review

 Betway Website

3. Betway

www.betway.com

Racing Odds Boost:

Best Odds Guaranteed:

Review

Paddy Power Website

4. Paddy Power

www.paddypower.com

Racing Odds Boost:

Best Odds Guaranteed:

Review

Skybet Website

5. Skybet

www.skybet.com

Racing Odds Boost:

Best Odds Guaranteed:

Review

 Vbet Website

6. Vbet (UK)

www.vbet.co.uk

Racing Odds Boost:

Best Odds Guaranteed:

Review

 Boylesports Website

7. BoyleSports

www.boylesports.com

Racing Odds Boost:

Best Odds Guaranteed:

Review

Betfred Website

8. Betfred

www.betfred.com

Racing Odds Boost:

Best Odds Guaranteed:

Review

888Sport Website

9. 888Sport

www.888sport.com

Racing Odds Boost:

Best Odds Guaranteed:

Review

New UK Bookmakers

This is a complete list of new UK bookmakers that have recently gone online.

Here you will find a collection of websites created in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 (later than 2018), as well as online bookies who received a UKGC license during the same time period1.

New betting companies often offer good bonuses, and sometimes they can surprise you with creative and unconventional approaches to traditional online betting schemes and mechanisms. Everything new always attracts attention and bookmakers are no exception.

 Rhino Website

1. Rhino

www.rhino.bet

UKGC License: 2022

Monthly UK Visitors: 65,135

Percent of Visitors: 73.62%

 Jeffbet Website

2. Jeffbet

www.jeffbet.com

UKGC License: 2022

Monthly UK Visitors: 17,378

Percent of Visitors: 57.38%

 Fafabet Website

3. Fafabet

www.fafabet.co.uk

UKGC License: 2021

Monthly UK Visitors: 141,671

Percent of Visitors: 91.43%

 Betgoodwin Website

4. Betgoodwin

www.betgoodwin.co.uk

UKGC License: 2021

Monthly UK Visitors: 12,563

Percent of Visitors: 85.14%

 QuinnBet Website

5. QuinnBet

www.quinnbet.com

UKGC License: 2020

Monthly UK Visitors: 125,748

Percent of Visitors: 60.25%

 Vbet Website

6. Vbet (UK)

www.vbet.co.uk

UKGC License: 2019

Monthly UK Visitors: 16,206

Percent of Visitors: 95.82%

Review

Biggest UK Betting Companies

In the traditional sense, a big bookmaker should have a wide network of betting shops and an impressive number of staff.

However, in the modern world, as in Great Britain in particular, the online indicators of companies are taken into account more and more often.

Important Indicators:
  • Betting Shops
  • UK Website Trafic
  • Number of Customers

If we use the indicators above as a basis for classification and compare the available open source statistics on betting companies, we will then get the following list of the biggest bookmakers in the United Kingdom:

William Hill  Website

1. William Hill

www.williamhill.com

Betting Shops: 2,270

Customers: 11,000,000

Monthly UK Visitors: 5,735,538

Review

 Betfred  Website

2. Betfred

www.betfred.com

Betting Shops: 1,630

Customers: 6,500,000

Monthly UK Visitors: 13,891,935

Review

 Bet365  Website

3. Bet365

www.bet365.com

Betting Shops: 0

Customers: 90,000,000

Monthly UK Visitors: 14,713,740

Review

Paddy Power  Website

4. Paddy Power

www.paddypower.com

Betting Shops: 590

Customers: 5,000,000

Monthly UK Visitors: 4,484,256

Review

Payment Methods

To make deposits and receive payments at licensed bookmakers in the UK, players mainly used their usual Visa, MasterCard or popular e-wallets.

Although it is true and should be noted that starting in 2020 credit cards are no longer being accepted for these purposes. This was done as part of the fight against gambling addiction and other abuses in online gambling.

In addition to bank debit cards, popular payment methods are:

  • PayPal
  • Paysafecard
  • Skrill
  • Neteller
  • UKash
  • Trustly
  • Apple Pay
  • Currency: £ (Great Britain Pound / GBP)

PayPal Betting Sites in UK

British PayPal Betting Sites

PayPal is one of the most popular and the favorite electronic payment systems among British gamblers and for some bettors, the availability of this payment method on a betting website has become a decisive factor when choosing a bookmaker.

PayPal is very responsible for its clients' finances and allows them to hide and reliably protect their confidential personal data. This is why PayPal betting sites are so popular in the United Kingdom.

Updated in September 2023 September 2023
Top 10 PayPal Bookies in UK:
Online Betting in UK
Sports Betting and Bookmakers in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom Betting Sites are online bookmakers that are required to be licensed by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC).

The presence of this license is the most important and main confirmation that you can legally and as safely as possible make online bets in the UK.

As a regulator in the field of gambling, UKGC exercises control and supervision over the activities of both real-world and online bookies, preventing all violations and maintaining the transparency of this sphere of business.

The requirements for obtaining a license are quite strict, and not obtainable by all betting companies which only increases the credibility of the companies that manage to obtain a license.

Checking if a Bookmaker has a UKGC License
UKGC License

You can always independently check the availability of a license on the bookmaker's website. If the bookmaker possesses it, then at the very bottom of the site you will find a logo with the words "GAMBLING COMMISSION".

By clicking on the logo and going to the UKGC website, you can search by name and find the betting company you need.

Taxes on Winnings
Taxes on Winnings on UK Bookmakers

Sports betting in the UK has been tax-free since 2002. That is, you do not need to pay any taxes either on bets or on winnings.

This is a significant plus, since tax levies strongly affect the final average profit from each wager and complicate the opportunity for players to obtain acceptable profits over the long term.

However, the lack of taxes is sometimes offset by odds that are too low and that a number of major UK bookies traditionally offer their clients.

Fortunately, there are also companies with higher odds.

What documents do bookmakers in the UK request for identity verification?
Taxes on Winnings on UK Betting Sites

UK betting sites adhere to strict guidelines regarding the identification of their customers and place great emphasis on the security of their gaming accounts.

After opening a gaming account, you will have to go through an identity verification process but generally this procedure does not take much time.

Most often the package of documents requested for verification consists of the following:

  • Foreign passport or driving license (for identity confirmation);
  • Utility bill or bank statement (for address confirmation).
How many locals participate in Sports Betting?
UK Gamblers

Sports betting is a long tradition that has been upheld through the generations.
So, it's no surprise that nearly a third of the country's citizens engage in sports betting. High-profile football, which they show in the clubs in the Premier League, also acts as a nice incentive to remember to place bets on your team.

Which kinds of sports betting are popular in Great Britain?
Popular Bets in Great Britain

The traditional types of bets are sports betting on Football, Tennis, Cricket, Golf, as well as Horse and Greyhound Racing.
However, Football receives the most bets and for good reason, as England is considered the birthplace of this sport.

Most Popular Betting Markets
  • Football
  • Tennis
  • Horse Racing
  • Greyhound Racing
  • Cricket
  • Golf
  • Boxing
Top 10 Bookmakers
Updated in September 2023

Top 5 Low margin