Best Online Bookmakers on the Market

Best betting sites by category

Almost every online bookmaker use odd compiling teams whose job is to set the betting odds punters use to place their bets. These compilers have the betting experience which helps them predict the likely betting activity of the public.

They are also extremely knowledgeable in math and other analytical sciences. The odd compilers make sure the online bookmakers make a profit regardless of the outcome of the bet by incorporating the profit margin into the odds price.

Apart from setting the betting odds, online bookmakers carry out other functions incidental to sports betting such as:

• Processing payments
• Marketing and advertising
• Customer service
• Site maintenance
• Innovation

Finally, no matter how enticing the betting offers of an online bookmaker are, the online bookies are not a friend of the punter. Their aim is to make it hard for the punter to win same way the punter’s aim.

Not all bookmakers will suit you when it comes to sports betting. You might be a punter who likes to bet on football, you might prefer horse racing or you might like to bet on other sports like Tennis, Golf, Cricket, Motor Racing or even US sports like American Football (NFL) Basketball (NBA), Hockey (NHL) or Baseball (MLB). Everybody has their own favorite and at BookmakerAdvisor we like to cover all sports and will be choosing and researching the best bookmakers for each sport.

You can check out full in depth information for the best bookmakers for football and  you can check out the best bookmakers for horse racing, darts, snooker, tennis and other sports. Here we are looking at an overview of how you can find the best online sportsbooks and bookmakers and we go through our top 10 tips to choosing the best bookmaker for you.

The aim of BookmakerAdvisor is to source the very best UK bookmakers. We do this by looking for a variety of measurements, including where they are licensed, how long they have been in business, what types of betting they offer, and one very important factor that many other sites miss…..What UK bookmaker offers the best user experience in terms of site use and customer service?

When punters look at betting online with a UK bookmaker, they automatically think about the big high street names like Coral, Ladbrokes, William Hill and Paddy Power etc, etc. Just because they are well known does not make them the best in terms of free bet offers, user experience and customer service. This is where we at BookmakerAdvisor can help. We do this through our own betting experts who have tested all online and UK bookmakers.

We also use a special algorithm that has been developed by our team. This algorithm gives a rating to different aspects of a review. However, more importantly we have the reviews from people just like you, real punters who give feedback on all bookmakers across the UK or who have an online sportsbook covering the UK market. It does not matter if you are new to sports betting online or if you are a veteran, finding the right UK bookmaker for you, takes some time in researching which one has the best offer.

Criteria we use to choose the best bookmakers

• Odds quality
• Market coverage and selection of bets
• Betting limits on that sport
• Live streaming
• Sport specific bonuses and promotions

Information we look at for all bookmakers

• Website quality and usability
• How easy is to deposit and withdraw funds?
• How good the customer service is
• Can you trust this bookmaker?

There are many advantages to using a licensed bookmaker. First, the word “licensed” means the online bookmaker is legally permitted to run a sports betting site. This means a punter is assured there is a regulatory body watching their activities. Licensing also means the standards are going to be up to the least of what is expected of in a reputable online betting site.

BookmakerAdvisor uses its own algorithm and weighting system to rate bookmakers and provide our site users with clear and unbiased opinions. The reason our system works so well is that every element of a review left by you or another punter, is analyzed using our algorithm.

We measure eight different elements that go into the scoring for a particular bookmaker. These elements include:

• Website
• Trust
• Odds quality
• Market coverage & selection of bets
• In play betting
• Bonuses and promotions
• Deposits and withdrawals
• Customer Service

There are many things to take into consideration before choosing which sportsbook/s you will register with.

• Is your favorite sport well covered or not? If you like to bet on a certain sport like football or horse racing then you want to look at companies that focus on these sports with their customer bonuses and promotions.
• Does new sign up offer good enough? You will want to look at the new sign up offers from each bookmaker. Some offers look tempting but the wagering and play through requirements can be very restrictive. This is why we have a separate part of our site that has a bonus review for each bookmaker we list with the main terms and conditions for each sign up bonus. This is a great part of the site for you to explore.
• What payment options are available? Does the bookmaker only offer card payments or can you deposit and withdraw using an e-wallet like Paypal, Skrill or Neteller?
• Is customer service important to you? If so you might want to test out the customer service via the live chat and see how quick the response time is and also check if the support staff knowledgeable. At Bookmaker Advisor we do this and we would advise you to do the same. Here is a list of questions that you can ask to measure how good the customer support is:

1. Does your company provide live streaming? (Having a bet without watching the event is not as exciting as watching the match, race or event)
2. Can you explain to me what a yankee bet is? (A yankee is four selections with 6 doubles, 4 trebles and 1 fourfold accumulator) If the customer service agent cannot answer that type of question then the staff are maybe not trained well.
3. What is the maximum amount that can be won in a single day? (We found a lot of agents could not answer this, it is also important if you are doing accumulator combination and multiple bets to know this information)
4. If I have a problem or complaint can I complain to IBAS? (IBAS is the Independent Betting Arbitration Service that looks into complaints lodged by punters) any legitimate sportsbook or bookmaker will be using IBAS as their adjudicator in conversations between both parties.

These are just a few questions you can use, feel free to copy and use these and we are sure you will come up with some of your own.

As we said, the reviews on our site are based on our own research and also taking into accounts the reviews from our site visitors. A high rating for a bookmaker is achieved when it performs well in the disciplines we mentioned above. They could also rate high because a punter had a good customer service experience. They could also rate high because their bonus offer does not have stringent play through rules or they could rate high because they have consistently better odds on a particular sport compared to other bookmakers.

There are a whole host of reasons why a bookmaker may be rated poorly on BookmakerAdvisor, some of the common reasons we see are that customer service response times are slow, we also see bad ratings and reviews because the margins bookmakers make on a particular sport are too high.

One of the more common reasons a bookmaker may have a lower rating is that some players have their accounts blocked if they are winning. Anyone who get’s an account blocked is going to give a totally negative review. We understand this happens, but we also understand that many other facets of the site could be great.

Closing or blocking of accounts is something we are looking into and researching at BookmakerAdvisor.

At BookmakerAdvisor we have so far analyzed sixty four online sportsbooks and we have reviewed each site thoroughly, as well as looked at their offer in relation to sign up bonus.

Each site we have visited has its own full review page as well as a specific page reviewing the sign up offer, existing customer offers and special promotions. Think of it this way. One bookmaker may have a 100% sign up bonus up to GBP 100 whilst another bookmaker might have an offer, which is Bet 10 Get 10. Which one is the best? Of course the GBP 100 offer looks really tempting, however the GBP 10 offer has no stringent rules in terms of play through and wagering, it is this that we bring to you so you can decide which sportsbook is for you.

On the site you won’t find us saying “Hey…..Bet365 has a GBP200 offer and its great”. No…..the idea behind BookmakerAdvisor is to give you the information to make an informed decision for yourself.

There are lots of online sportsbooks and bookmakers in the UK, so who do you trust and how do you find the best one this year?

There are so many parameters involved in choosing a bookmaker, it is personal as everybody has things that are more important for themselves. A few things that you might judge the best bookmaker by could be:

• A bookmaker who has a minimum deposit of GBP 5. Not everybody bets big so a bookmaker with a low minimum deposit is attractive
• A bookmaker who offers deposits via an e-wallet like Paypal, Neteller or Skrill. Many people now get paid into an e-wallet and not straight to a bank account, so this could be attractive.
• A bookmaker who offers, “best odds guaranteed” may be right up your street, especially those that bet on horse racing.
• A bookmaker who provides “live streaming”, so you can enjoy your bet by watching the action live.
• A bookmaker that has a weekly bonus or free bet as a loyalty program.
• A bookmaker that is fully licensed by the UK Gambling Commission and has had no sanctions or issues.
• A bookmaker who provides sports statistics on their site so you make analysis and predictions before placing a bet.
• A bookmaker that specializes in a sport like football or horse racing or tennis, etc, etc

There are so many variables we could go on forever. Finding the best bookmaker in the UK is really down to personal preference and what you want out of it. Some of the things above may be important to “you” but others may not. This is why we advise you to read through all the reviews about the UK bookmakers and sportsbooks listed on BookmakerAdvisor.

You should take some time to read the reviews from other punters, this is often a great way to find out which bookmaker is best in each area.

If you are not from the UK, here you can find topsits based on your country:

• Best Russian bookmakers;
• Best Kazakh bookmakers;
• Best Ukrainian bookmakers;
• Best Belarussian bookmakers.

Best odds

Looking at the odds of a selection of bookmakers for a specific match or event will give you an idea of the best bookmaker. For example, if you are betting on a horse race and looking at the odds from 5 bookmakers you may find that four of them are 3/1 but the other is 7/2 about your selection.

Best in-play

In-play betting is all about speed (how quickly odds are updated) usability (how easy is it to use the interface) markets (are there numerous markets on each event) data (Is there updated live data to help your decision making)

Best by customer review

With our new algorithm taking every element of a customer review, you will be able to see in a snap who are the best bookmakers by “real” customer reviews.

Best mobile apps

With more people betting on the go then a mobile friendly and mobile responsive website is important. For mobile apps you want a tool that lets you do one thing very easily……place a bet with just a few clicks.

Best website quality

There are so many things that go into website quality. When you reach a site you want it to be easy to find the sport and the market of your choice. You want the colour scheme and font to be set so the whole site is easy to read (sites with a dark background and bright text colours like yellow and lime green work really well). Having a support chat option that can be found easily creates a good user experience, as does an uncomplicated bet slip.

Top 5 for football 

Our top 5 football betting sites have been chosen for their odds, in play usability and specific football related bonuses.

Top 5 for horse racing

The top 5 horse racing betting sites have been chosen for their commitment to providing specific racing related bonuses such as best odds guaranteed, enhanced place terms, NRNB (Non Runner No Bet concessions) as well as money back for fallers and non starters.

Top 5 for cricket

Our top 5 for cricket have been chosen for in-play odds, best range of fast markets and cricket statistics

Top 5 for rugby

Our top 10 for rugby have been chosen for sponsorship involvement in the sport, range of markets for player performance as well as handicap betting.

Top 5 for snooker

Our top 5 for snooker have been chosen for their maximum payout limits on the sport, onsite snooker statistics and fast market frame options.

Top 5 for darts

Our top 5 for darts have been chose for their odds on 9 dart checkouts, match and set handicap betting and specialist 180 markets.

Top 5 for golf

Our top 5 for golf have been selected on number of places paid for EW punters, range of two ball and three ball markets plus 1st round leader market.

Top 5 for tennis

Our top 5 for tennis have been selected on one major parameter, which is range of fast market betting opportunities.

Top 5 for greyhounds

Our top 5 for greyhounds have been chosen on maximum payouts and bets accepted on forecast doubles and trebles.

Top 5 for basketball

Our top 5 for basketball have been selected on few important parameters.

Top 5 for e-sports

We chose best 5 bookies to bet on E-Sports.

Bookmakers with VISA

Bookmakers with MasterCard

Bookmakers with Skrill

Bookmakers with Neteller

Bookmakers with Apple Pay

Bookmakers with PaysafeCard

Bookmakers with PayPal

Bookmakers with Entropay

Bookmakers with Trustly

For a punter to be taken seriously, he has to have more than two online bookies where he places his bets. There are many reasons to use multiple betting sites. Some of these reasons are:

Higher Odds

This is the main reason professional punters use multiple betting sites. While the betting odds may vary minutely, a closer inspection shows they are not always the same. Selecting an online bookmaker with higher odds can be the difference between winning peanuts and hitting that jackpot.

Promotional activities

The next best reason for punters to use multiple betting sites is the promotion and other bonus offers they have in store. The fact remains some online bookmakers have more benefits than others.

No Limit Issues

Bookmakers online have been known to severely limit a punter when he wants to place his bets. Once this happens, he can easily jump ship to the next online bookmaker.

Finally, it is vital to be security conscious using multiple betting sites. Log in information can be stolen which comprises all the punter’s accounts. Employ good password management to bet safely.

Placing bets has never been easier than today. There are many payment methods offered by online bookmakers for punters to withdraw their funds and refund their betting accounts. Some of these payment methods include:

Paypal

PayPal is one of the most recognized and secure electronic payment transaction portal in the world. Online betting sites encourage their customers to patronize PayPal by offering them bonus offers.

Skrill

Skrill is a digital payment portal that works like an electronic wallet. It is fast, secure, and does not expose the punter’s financial information to the online bookmaker.

Neteller

Neteller is another digital payment method offered by online bookmakers that is similar to Skrill. It is an e-wallet that provides a secure network for punters to fund their betting accounts. Neteller is easy to use and well-known in the betting and gambling industry.

Credit and Debit Cards

All online bookies accept payment through the Master or Visa card variant. It is easy to use and the payment is credited within 24 hours.

Bank Transfer

This is another simple payment method albeit slow. The bank credits the online betting site and debits the money from the punter’s account.

Online betting sites have a variety of marketing tools for attracting new customers and retaining loyal patronage. Some of these bonus offers are discussed below:

Sign-up bonus

The sign-up bonus is the punter’s reward for creating an account with the betting site. It is a percentage of the first deposit.

Money back

The money back is an offer that gives the punter a second bite at the cherry where they lose their first bet. It is a popular bonus with football betting and used at the betting exchange to lock in profits.

Enhanced odds/Price Boosts

Enhanced odds and price boosts give the punter higher odds than the value is worth. It is a limited time offer for new and old customers.

Other Bonuses include acca insurance, and live streaming services for special events as well as best odds guaranteed for horse and greyhound racing.

All the major betting sites give live streaming and live betting services to their customers on different sporting markets. Nonetheless live streaming is not possible for all punters because of TV rights.

For instance, horse and greyhound racing are only available to customers in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Aside the football league, other live streaming events offered by online betting sites include tennis, Basketball, and Cricket.

Although the live streaming may buffer due to network issues, it is faster than normal TV coverage. Live streaming makes it easy for an online bookmaker to increase the subscriber base of its live betting customers. There is a live betting section where punters can quickly place their bets as the action is going on. Live streaming games has definitely improved the betting experience for punters and sports lovers.

Most of the top betting sites understand the value of creating a mobile app for their customers. A significant chunk of betting activity is carried out via mobile devices like smartphones and tablets.

Mobile devices make it convenient for punters to engage in live betting and the live streaming of their favourite events on the go. Some of the online bookmakers who have mobile versions of their web services include:

• Bet365
• William Hill
• Ladbrokes
• Paddy Power
• Betfair
• Grosvenor Sport

These online bookmakers often give incentive in the form of bonus offers to punters who download the app. Some of the betting offers include free bets, bet credits, and high odds. Betting anywhere and at any time is only made possible through mobile betting applications.

BookmakerAdvisor is an independent review site for unbiased opinions on UK bookmakers. We set up the site to offer punters the information they need to find the very best UK bookmakers. We are always encouraging our visitors to leave reviews of the UK bookmakers that they have used themselves. This helps all punters to make the right decision as to who they should join.

At BookmakerAdvisor, we know it is not just about which site offers the best bonus, but also which site offers the best in customer service and security. BookmakerAdvisor’s team of betting experts have analyzed more than 60 online sports betting sites that hold UK Gambling Commission licenses. This is very important as you are safe in the knowledge that you are dealing with a reputable UK licensed betting operator that has to work to a certain set of rules, both in terms of ring-fencing funds and providing top notch SSL security.

We aim to be the go to independent sports betting site for providing unbiased information and awareness of the best bets available from every UK bookmaker.

So who are the best in the United Kingdom?

If you are searching for reviews and information about the best bookmakers in the UK then we can help you. At BookmakerAdvisor it is our mission to provide a resource for punters where they can read about all bookmakers registered in the UK and learn how they work, what they offer to punters in terms of bonuses and different types of bets.

There are numerous bookmakers and betting companies online, but how do you find the best ones and how do you decide which are the best UK bookmakers for odds, or product offer, or customer service? We hope we have made it easy for you here at BookmakerAdvisor.

In all the research we have done, we have tested out various bookmakers and on the site you will even find some great reviews from people like you who have used our site to find the information about all online bookmakers in the UK.

Our site covers company reviews and individual bonus reviews for nearly 50 bookmakers. It is a lot of information. We have set up the site so it is easy to find information and reviews of the very best bookmakers. Punters have very different needs when it comes to finding a bookmaker to bet with, we understand this.

So lets take a look at some of the best we have found and why we believe you should consider betting with these companies, some you will know but some are what we think are little hidden gems.

1. Excellent customer support and live chat available 24 hours per day
2. The Biggest Bonus online –up to £100 in the bets credits. The bonus is simple and easy to claim.
3. Bet Settlement – One of the quickest in the market with 95% of bets settled and in your account within five minutes after your bet has finished.

Bet365 is one of the most trusted sites operating in the bookmaking industry today. As well as the above benefits, they are one of the most generous sites when it comes to odds and competitive prices. They should be your first stop when searching for the best prices for your football accas and horse racing combo bets.

Hotshot Jackpot – Select 6 first goalscorers and have the opportunity to win a cool £250,000 each week

1. Extra Place – Paddy Power pays extra places on Irish and English horse races every day.
2. NEW: Cash Card PPLUS – You can apply for a Paddy Power PPLUS card allowing you to withdraw your winnings immediately from any ATM.

Paddy Power are known for some really whacky offers to their members as you may have seen in their TV advertising campaigns. We like the fact they keep it fun whilst giving excellent EW betting opportunities across multiple sports. They should be one to look at when The Cheltenham Festival comes around in March.

1. Join the Sky Bet Club – Bet £25 every week and get a free £5 bet.
2. Request a bet Bonus – You can request your own bet on any number of events and if you place a bet on “a request a bet market” you get a free £5 bet on the same event.
3. 4 Places Not 3 – Every day Sky Bet give enhanced place terms on a selected UK or Irish horse race, giving each way punters great value every day.

We have recently seen SkyBet be very aggressive in promoting great place terms in the big field horse racing events paying up to 8 places. This is unprecedented in the racing sector and we advise you to check their offers every Saturday. Real value being offered here.

1. Great Bonus Offer – Just deposit €100 and MrWin will match that 100% with another €100 to wager on your favourite sports.
2. Great Multiples Offer – For every 5 Multiples (min 2 legs/selections in each multiple), you get €10 as a Free Bet on Mr Win! Great for punters who place short price doubles on football or horse racing.

One of the less known bookmakers but their multiples offer of a minimum 2 selections is music to the ears of backers of short price favourites. One to watch.

1. Special Best Odds Guaranteed+ – RaceBets are the only bookmaker to offer Best Odds Guaranteed on all UK, Irish, UAE & South African horse racing.
2. The Bet & Jet Club – Bet £25 on Racebets selected daily meeting and you will be rewarded with a free £5 bet on the next days racing.
3. Raiders Bonus – If you place a bet on a UK or Irish trained runner abroad and it goes on to win, then Racebets will give you a win bonus of 10%. Superb offer for horse racing punters.

Part of the Bettson group, Racebets is a new concept of a bookmaker only focusing on one sport. It will be interesting to see how they develop, but some of the offers available are fantastic and we could see some very unique horse racing betting opportunities coming in as they try to corner the horse racing betting markets.

1. High Liquidity – The SMARKETS exchange has a very high level of liquidity, great for traders and pro punters who are looking for an alternative to Betfair or Betdaq or who want to do exchange arbitrage.
2. 2% Commission – you can pay 2% with SMARKETS instead of the standard 5% with other betting exchanges.
3. No Restrictions – Win as much as you like. Matched bettors and arbers are encouraged to join an exchange with a large powerful network of backers and layers at both small and large stakes.

They have been around a while and based in London and founded by a mix of trading and mathematicians, this is a welcome addition to the exchange betting ranks. Highly recommended for punters who are serious traders & arbitragers.

The above is just a small selection of the UK bookmakers being covered on the site. We think these are 5 of the best in terms of new sign up bonus and offers for existing customers. Bet365 is a definite leader in the sports betting market. Racebets is a total horse racing service, which goes above and beyond normal horse racing offers on other sites, while SMARKETS is pushing exchange betting to another level and will be one to watch closely for exchange punters.