Sports betting is a multi-billion GBP business. In 2020, the gross gambling yield of the best betting sites in the UK was an impressive £14.2 billion.
With so many gambling sites popping up though you might be asking yourself if betting is safe in the UK – the answer is yes, as long as you wager with reputable sites.
We’ve gone through dozens of online casinos to showcase only regulated, encrypted, and renowned United Kingdom betting sites with fair odds and top-notch bonuses.
888 Sport won out this time for all of these reasons and more, but let’s take a deeper look.
Best Betting Sites in the UK
– 888 Sport: Best betting variety
– Bet-at-Home: Best for virtual sports
– Grosvenor Sport: Best reputation with punters
– VBet: Best online betting site UK overall
– Fansbet: Best for beginners
– Luckland: Best for football betting
– Mr Play Sport: Best platform design
– LV Bet: Best live betting interface
– Leo Vegas Sport: Best customer support
1. 888 Sport – Best Online Betting Site in the UK Overall
New UK players, 18+. Minimum deposit £10. Place a qualifying bet of at least £10 on a bet with odds of 12 or more. Free Bets credited upon qualifying bet settlement and expire after 7 days. Casino bonus needs to be wagered 40x within 14 days. Full T&Cs apply.
Pros:
– £30 worth of free bets + £10 casino bonus
– Weekly £5 free bets
– Special bets available
– Has some of the best new UK slots
– Top-notch selection of markets
– Bet builder, money back as free bet
Cons:
– Support team not available 24/7
888 Sports is one of the most established online betting sites. The platform stands out with a maximum variety of betting options, sweet bonuses, and special bets.
Variety of Betting Markets: 5/5
You can check out around three dozen betting markets on the platform and then also join dedicated sections for racetracks and eSports.
Best odds are guaranteed for horse racing, and we highly recommend staying up to speed with the specials section for the best options.
We also really like their special bets section, a type of pre-chosen parlay that can often be found with odds boosts. They’re tied to leagues and specific games, which really ups the fun for a weekend of sports watching.
Bonuses and Promotions: 4.7/5
The minimum deposit requirement at 888 Sport is £10, which opens you the gate to a £40 first-deposit bonus, consisting of £30 in free bets and £10 to spend at the casino.
The wagering requirements are 40x, and you have to meet them within two weeks.
The promos don’t stop with the welcome deal. The website offers you boosted trebles, a bet builder, and another top-tier option, the 4/1 offer.
In plain terms, winning a bet with 4/1 or higher odds will grant you £5 worth of free bet stakes. Note that full Terms and Conditions apply.
Payment Methods and Payout Times: 4.5/5
You can opt for three of the most popular e-wallets at 888 – PayPal, Skrill, and Neteller – plus other options like debit cards and Apple Pay. Trustly and PaySafe are also supported.
Naturally, Visa and Mastercard are also on the menu,
When cashing out it usually takes 2-3 days, but the waiting time goes as high as 8 days if using wire transfer.
Mobile Optimisation and User Interface: 4.7/5
You’ll recognise 888 Sport from miles away. The orange and black mixture is great for brand visibility, but that’s actually low on our list of priorities.
The cross-promos between the sports betting and casino side of the platform are a bit unnecessary in our opinion but everything runs smoothly. Zero lag, the platform beats any of the new betting sites, and truly goes the extra mile to deliver an exceptional experience.
If you’re a mobile user, the 888 is fully optimised for all iOS and Android smartphones and tablets.
Customer Support and Online Presence: 4/5
You can contact the team over the phone, by email, or through the 24-7 support centre.
The casino is also very active on all major social media channels, so having a team on hand and ready to respond to inquiries is a massive plus.
Don’t miss the welcome bonus at 888 Sports including £30 in free bets and £10 in the casino.
2. Bet-at-Home – Top UK Betting Site for Virtual Sports
Bonus offers are available for new customers residing in Great Britain on the website who have never transferred money to their betting account. 18+ Full T&Cs apply.
Pros:
– £50 welcome bonus with lower wagering requirements
– Top-tier virtual sports betting
– Wide variety of betting markets
– Nicely works on mobile
Cons:
– Dated design
– Lacklustre promos for regulars
Bet At Home is a longstanding online betting site with a cool welcome bonus, a great variety of markets, and the best virtual sports betting options a UK bettor can ask for.
Variety of Betting Markets: 4.8/5
Bet-At-Home betting options include sports, eSports, live betting, and virtual sports. When you sum everything up, we are looking at over three dozen markets, including niche markets like biathlon, Indy Car, water polo, ski jumping, and even politics betting in the non-sporting department.
In the Virtual section, football is the most prominent option – just like UK bettors want it. But you can also join the Virtual Basketball League, the Virtual Tennis Open, Virtual Horse Racing, or Virtual Dog Racing.
And if that wasn’t enough, the platform hosts a fully-fledged online casino.
Bonuses and Promotions: 4/5
The sign-up bonus at Bet-At-Home is solid: £50 with 17x rollover requirements. It’s not difficult to cash out your casino bonus winnings, but on the downside, the platform lacks significant promotions and bonuses for regular users.
Do note though that these promos change rather rapidly, so you may not find the same one that we had at press time.
Payment Methods and Payout Times: 4.8/5
UK players can use debit cards, Trustly, Skrill and Skrill 1-Tap, Neteller, PaySafeCard, bank wire transfer, and vouchers.
Skrill is prominent on the platform and powers three deposit methods. We appreciate the addition of e-wallets but don’t quite understand why PayPal was left out of the mix.
The withdrawal set up is a little strange, with some methods like Skrill and bank transfer having a 5 GBP fee after your first two free withdrawals of the month. That said, it is virtually fee-free outside of these parameters.
Furthermore, with e-wallets taking just one business day to process we can consider this a fast payout casino.
Mobile Optimisation and User Interface: 4/5
If you’re on mobile, you won’t mind Bet-At-Home at all. On desktop, however, the dated design will likely bother you at least a bit.
Despite lacking refresh for at least a decade, the betting site is easy on the eyes, the pages load swiftly, and the platform is SSL encrypted and safe.
The navigation also scores high marks because every section of the site is easy to reach in no more than a click or two.
Customer Support and Online Presence: 4.6/5
The sports betting department at Bet-At-Home has a dedicated phone line and a dedicated email. The company address is publicly available, and you can also use a contact form or live chat to reach out.
For public discussion, you can check out the casino’s Twitter page. Before contacting the agents, we recommend at least taking a glance at the FAQ library. You can check for terms like sports spread betting account, single or accumulator bets, and more.
Claim the best bonuses at Bet-At-Home
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3. Grosvenor Sport – Best Bonuses of any UK Betting Site
18+. New, ID Verified players only. Up to £10 bonus credit. 30x wagering requirement. 7 day expiry. £50 max withdrawal without deposit. Note that the full T&Cs apply.
Pros:
– Odds boosts
– Well-established reputation
– Over 30 markets
– Super fast payouts for many British banks
– Million Pound Picks promotion
Cons:
– Average banking options
Grosvenor is a world-renowned casino that enjoys a spotless reputation in the UK. The platform covers 30+ markets and adds an odds boost feature to boot.
Variety of Betting Markets: 4.9/5
You can check out over 30 different markets at Grosvenor, including non-sporting events like politics and TV. Football and horse racing are among the popular options, while lower-cap options include cricket, darts, snooker, and more. You can also bet on eSports.
You can place all the classic bets on the platform but also enjoy live betting and a highly advanced odds booster section, where new opportunities are listed daily.
Bonuses and Promotions: 4.9/5
When you join the website, you qualify for their Double The Odds promo, granting you a 100% odds boost for bets up to £10, or £5 per way.
Time-sensitive promotions are one of the things we like the most on Grosvenor Sports, so keep your eyes peeled on promos like runner-up tennis refunds, golfing free bets, or horse racing money back promotions.
The Million Pound Picks is highly popular among Grosvenor users, and you might want to check it out. It’s a free-to-play game in which you predict the top first goal scorers. Landing three or more correct picks will secure you a free bet.
If you beat all other players though, you’re looking at a £2,000 win. And then, correctly guessing the 10 first scorers lands £1,000,000. Note that full Terms and Conditions apply.
Payment Methods and Payout Times: 4.3/5
Payment methods at Grosvenor are alright, but nothing to write home about. The casino covers the critical options all betting sites should include but leaves a lot to be desired for some players.
Specifically, you can use Visa and MasterCard debit cards, PayPal, PaySafeCard, the casino cage, or Click to Play. The addition of PayPal is always most welcome.
Grosvenor has really sped up withdrawal times over the past year – if you’re rolling with Barclays, NatWest, HSBC, Nationwide, RBS, Lloyds, TSB and Paypal you can expect your payments within 3 hours.
Mobile Optimisation and User Interface: 4.8/5
The Grosvenor sports department is similar to the casino section, and that’s a good thing because we’re looking at a professional, sleek, and elegant design you would expect from an industry leader like Grosvenor.
Pages load very fast regardless of the section you’re visiting. You can be live betting or checking the max qualifying bet stake in the FAQ, the experience is smooth. And that applies to the mobile department as well.
Customer Support and Online Presence: 5/5
We really don’t have anything to complain about in this benchmark. Grosvenor is one of the best betting sites for customer support. You can communicate with the support agents over live chat, a toll-free line, or email.
The casino is also active on social media if you seek public discussion.
Make a betting account at Grosvenor and get a 100% boost on your first wager.
4. VBet – Best UK Betting Site Sports Variety
18+. New, ID Verified players only. Up to £10 bonus credit. 30x wagering requirement. 14 day expiry. £500 max withdrawal. Note that the full T&Cs apply.
Pros:
– £10 free bet welcome bonus
– Boosted odds for new clients
– Stellar eSports collection
– Also one of the best slots sites in the UK
– Live betting available
– E-wallet support
Cons:
– Design has room for improvement
VBet is an exceptionally well-rounded sports betting platform offering tempting bonuses and possibly the best eSports department online.
Variety of Betting Markets: 4.8/5
VBet offers just about every market a UK bettor needs. Plenty of football betting options, tennis, golf, rugby, and even some international favourites like basketball.
If you want to bet on eSports in the UK, VBet is the site for you. You can check out Counter-Strike, Call of Duty, Valorant, and many other options.
The variety of bets is also exceptional, and you can place all bet types from regular winners and parlays, all the way to live betting.
They’re also one of the best online casinos in the UK overall.
Bonuses and Promotions: 4.8/5
In the bonus department, you can score a £10 free bet in two £5 increments as soon as you join the platform.
The minimum deposit requirement to claim the promo is £10, and 30x rollover requirements. Again, eSports are a highlight of this betting site, and that includes promotions.
For eSports bettors, the £10 bonus revolves around 10% of losses during the last day of betting, with zero wagering requirements. You have two weeks to use the bonus.
And that’s not all because VBet is also one of the best greyhound racing betting sites, offering £5 in sportsbook money for every five greyhound bets you place (minimum odds 1.5).
Payment Methods and Payout Times: 4.5/5
The betting site offers seven payment options, including several e-wallets. You can opt for debit cards, Trustly, Neteller, Skrill, PayPal, MuchBetter, ecoPayz, and SafeCharge.
Payments are fast and don’t require more than three business days. The fees are low or non-existent across the board.
Mobile Optimisation and User Interface: 4/5
We have a minor quibble with the VBet design department because while the platform is optimised for mobile users and easy to use, the front page is a tad cluttered.
What we mean by cluttered is that VBet is a massive platform with casino and sports bets, and they are all over the front page, which can be confusing for some users.
In fact, they’ve got so many promos for existing players all in quite loud colours, our eyes didn’t know where to go! Apart from that, the load times are great, and the design is memorable.
Customer Support and Online Presence: 5/5
The VBet live chat support is just exceptional. You can reach out to support agents any day of the year, 24/7. The contact button is in the lower right corner.
You can also use email to reach out, use a UK landline phone number, or contact the team through social media.
The FAQ library is concise and high-quality. You can inquire about single or accumulated odds, check which deposit method restrictions apply, and more.
Visit VBet today for the best UK sports betting experience with two £5 free bets.
Runners-Up:
– Mr Rex
– Zetbet
– Luckster
– BetTarget
– High Bet
How We Ranked the Best Online Sports Betting Sites in the UK
Range of Markets and Bet Types
The UK betting sites highlighted on this list deliver high market variety combined with competitive odds and plenty of bet types.
We didn’t chase sheer numbers, we went for variety and a solid combo of the most popular sports and leagues for UK customers. We also included horse racing options, eSports, niche markets, and maybe some non-sports betting options on the side.
Bonuses and Promotions
When it comes to bonus bets, we searched for a top-notch welcome bonus with fair wagering requirements. But we didn’t stop there. We want betting sites that keep you excited to bet wagers even if you’re a regular user, way past the welcome bonus.
By that, we mean reload bonuses, time-sensitive promotions, money-back promos, and more.
Payment Methods and Payout Times
This benchmark rates the variety of banking options, the fees involved, and withdrawal speed. Needless to say, we want the fees low and payouts swift. When it comes to payment methods, the more, the merrier.
Mobile Optimisation and User Interface
Most UK customers handle their sports betting through mobile devices. That’s why we discarded any sports betting site that is not optimised for Android and iOS tablets and smartphones. On top of that, we highlighted online bookmakers with safe, SSL-encrypted platforms.
Customer Support and Online Presence
Customer support is paramount whether you have betting site issues or want to know the bet credits stake. We like when a sports betting site goes the extra mile in producing an in-depth, easily-searchable FAQ library, but instant live chat support is where it’s at.
We also like to see dedicated email addresses and phone support lines. Finally, this benchmark reflects the online presence of the sports betting platform.
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Best UK Betting Sites – FAQ
Who Regulates Betting Sites in the UK?
The UK Gambling Commission regulates online bookmakers in the United Kingdom.
What Are Wagering Requirements?
Also known as rollover requirements or playthrough requirements, this number shows the number of times you will have to wager your bonus money at the betting site to claim any bonus winnings.
For example, a 10x rollover on a £10 means you’ll need to wager £100 to be able to cash it out.
What Is the Best Online Sports Betting Site in the UK?
In our opinion, the answer is VBet. The site hosts a quality selection of markets, the best eSports betting options in the UK, all while offering a sweet sign-up bonus and an easy-to-use interface.
What Is a Risk-Free Bet I Can get at These Online Betting Sites in the United Kingdom?
Risk-free bets that lose get refunded by the online sportsbook. As the name indicates, this makes the bet entirely free of risk.
Typically, the user is only allowed to keep the winnings from the bet, not the original bet amount itself. Always make sure to check the qualifying bets section – some have odds minimums of 1.5 for example.
Is VBet Legit?
Yes, it is. The online sportsbook is licensed by the Malta Gambling Authority and the UK Gambling Commission, placing it under the same regulatory body as the leading betting sites in the UK.
How to Find the Best Online Betting Sites in the UK?
The process starts with checking the licensing, which is usually publicly displayed in the footer menu. Once you determine that the casino is safe and legal, proceed by checking the market variety, the bet types, and the supported banking methods.
Also, give the bonus section a look and pay attention to the fine print and wagering requirements. Finally, drop the support team a line to see how they perform and check the platform from a mobile device.
What Is the Best Football Betting Site in the UK?
If you’re a football betting fan, you can go wrong with any of our top picks. Still, VBet offers an unparalleled variety of football match betting options, so we will crown it the best UK football betting site.
Comparing the Top 5 Online Betting Sites in the UK
888 Sport: The best online sports betting site for UK customers. 888 Sport presents you with over 30 markets and possibly the best user interface a UK player can opt for. New players get £30 in free bets in the sportsbook and £10 in the casino. Note that full T&Cs apply.
Bet-at-Home: If you like betting on virtual sports, Bet-At-Home is an industry leader in this department. The website is effortless to use on mobile straight from your browser. Note that full T&Cs apply.
VBet: VBet boasts an incredibly well-rounded platform with the best eSports catalogue you can hope for. New players get two free £5 bets upon their first deposit. Note that full T&Cs apply.
Grosvenor Sport: Grosvenor is a gorgeous online casino with an impeccable reputation among online players. Don’t miss the Million Pound Picks promotion if you want to join this betting site. New players get a 100% odds boost on their first bet. Note that full T&Cs apply.
How to Join a Betting Site in the UK
Creating an account with online bookmakers as a UK customer is as simple as possible. You need to go through three steps, taking a few minutes tops.
Let’s do it using VBet as an example.
1. Create your VBet Online Betting Account
– Visit the VBet website and click the green Register button in the upper right corner.
– Create a username and password, and enter your email and full name. Click ‘next’.
– Enter some additional personal info and click ‘next’.
– Adjust the notification settings, tick the box confirming you are 18 or older and that you agree to the T&Cs. Click ‘submit’.
2. Verify Account via Email
– Visit the email account you entered during registration.
– Open the message from VBet and click the link to confirm your data and registration.
– If the link does not auto-redirect you, manually visit the VBet casino page to log in.
3. Make the First Deposit
– In the deposit section enter the sum you wish to deposit and make the payment.
– You can now place your first cash bet and enjoy the ride. Make a qualifying real-money bet, and you’re all set.
So What Is the Best UK Betting Site?
In our humble opinion, 888 Sport is the best betting site, based on a top-tier variety of betting markets, an exceptional casino bonus selection, and a super-safe, easy-to-use interface.
With that said, whatever betting site you decide on, we urge you to bet responsibly, never chase your losses, and remember – it’s all about having fun! Stay safe, play safe.
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DISCLAIMER: You probably don’t need us to tell you that any form of gambling comes with risks and should not be undertaken as a solution to solve your financial troubles. It’s worth remembering the phrase…the house always wins!
If you suffer from a gambling problem or suspect somebody you know does, then we strongly suggest that you call the National Gambling Helpline at 0808-8020-133 to talk with an advisor for help and to make gambling safer for you or your loved ones. Remember all gambling sites and guides are 18+ only.
Casino sites listed on our site may not be available in your region. Check your local laws to ensure online gambling is available and legal where you live. Our reviews are independent and reader-supported and we may receive commissions for recommendations made in our websites guides, this does not affect our rankings methodology and we always recommend sites we believe will provide the most enjoyable gaming experience.
Visit these organisations for free gambling addiction resources:
https://www.gamstop.co.uk/
https://www.gamcare.org.uk/
https://www.begambleaware.org/
