The Best Online Sportsbooks in the UK — Updated 2024 Guide
As a fan of sports betting, you have more than enough options to choose from among UK bookies in 2024, but how do you choose the best one? It’s an ever-lasting question, but don’t worry — the expert team behind FreeBets will take you through the best options to help you decide.
We’ll also keep you posted on the best UK bookmakers in 2024 with monthly updates, but first, let’s deal with the guide on finding a perfect pick for your betting needs.
Greatest Online Sportsbooks in the UK
Before we move on to explain more about some of the best-ranked UK bookmaker sites currently, we first need to fill you in on the biggest names in the UK industry. These are the sites that always make a good pick:
William Hill
When searching through the best betting sites, William Hill is always an option in the UK. It has been around as a sportsbook since 1934, and it now has one of the most convenient sites for betting on football, tennis, rugby, and other sports.
You can also get a £30 free bet bonus, so make sure to check our detailed review for the latest updates.
Betfred
While we are at free bets, Betfred offers one of the most convenient deals for newcomers, with £50 up their sleeve for all newcomers. Among offered sports, it offers the biggest selection of horse racing odds in the UK, as well as loads of options on tennis, football, basketball, and cricket.
If you are looking for a platform with the best UK betting promos, rare are the ones that compete with Betfred. It allows you to choose from offers like the sports welcome bonus, Acca Flex for a bonus on football bets, and specials like Double Delight or Hat Trick Heaven.
PaddyPower
PaddyPower has been one of the biggest names for local punters for years, and they offer the best selection of online betting markets and odds for greyhound racing and golf. Plus, their horse racing odds and other sports are right up there with the country’s biggest betting operators.
As the cherry on top, you also get a £20 welcome bonus for newcomers, which you can use to place risk-free bets.
Bet365
For those in need of an all-around solution, Bet365 simply offers the finest blend of sports betting markets, bonuses, and convenience. You can download their app and manage your wagers on a mobile device, grab the sign-up betting bonus, or participate in Bet365 tournaments.
It’s also arguably the best bookie in the UK in terms of its Bet Builder feature and usability, and it also rates pretty high for offering competitive and fair odds.
Betway
At Betway, every player is a winner right from the very start, thanks to the lucrative £30 matched free bet bonus. So, you get your wager refunded if your initial bet loses, making it easier to adjust to on-site betting selections and odds.
It also combines the betting and casino lobbies by giving you 100 free spins right off the bat, and there’s a dedicated eSports section with a £10 free bet bonus for new players.
Your Top UK Online Sportsbooks of the Month
- Well-reputed and one of the biggest brands
- A wide variety of markets and sports are available
- Swift withdrawals
- Safe and secure
- Live chat support and proactive gambling support
- Regular promotional offers and free bets
- Many restricted countries
- Average website design
- Dedicated mobile app is present along with a mobile responsive site that is easy to use.
- Football betting markets are extensive allowing users a wide range of choices
- Gigantic Jackpots offer huge winnings
- Help Desk feature with its FAQs and guides provides useful information about all aspects of the bookmaker
- Promotions offered are minimal
- Betting margins are not generous
- User-friendly web interface
- Mobile responsive casino and sportsbook
- Diverse selection of games and sports
- Exemplary customer support
- Diverse and hassle-free payment options
- Does not support crypto payments
- Limited to only a few select countries.
- Great customer service
- Exciting free bets and promotional offers
- A wide variety of niche and popular sports and games are available
- Many payment methods are accepted
- Top-notch casino games
- Comprehensive FAQ section
- No mobile application is available
- Fewer welcome offers
- Limited live streaming options
- One of the most reputed and trusted bookmakers in the industry
- A vast number of payment methods are accepted
- Promotes safe gambling
- Excellent in-play betting and live-streaming service
- New and attractive promotional offers and bonuses
- Heavily information-loaded website
- Customer support is offered only through live chat and X
- New users keep their stake from welcome bonus
- Chance to get supercharged sports betting odds
- Cash out can also be supercharged
- Margins can be high for the industry
- Limited payment options available
- Few boosts offered on the sportsbook
- Smaller stakes are pooled and offer huge payouts
- Safe and secure
- Interesting bonuses and rewards
- Various bet types are available due to pool betting
- User-friendly app and website
- Top-notch racing live coverage
- Only debit cards are accepted for payments
- In-play betting is not offered
- Attractive welcome offers and scratch cards
- Amazing app and website experience
- Quick withdrawals with no extra charges
- Safe and secure
- Interesting Esports options
- Fewer payment methods as compared to other sites
- Fewer live streaming options
- Fully regulated in every country they operate in
- Betting just as quick and easy on desktop and mobile sites and apps
- Excellent betting value, especially on football markets
- Live streaming only available for horse racing
- Winning accounts can have stakes and offers limited quickly
- Site navigation could be improved
How We Pick The Best Betting Sites
You can stick with our team’s custom sportsbook rating methods when choosing the best site for placing your bets in 2024. It’s not just about the odds and bonuses — there are various factors to consider here. So, here are some of the main things we look for when choosing the best UK sportsbook sites:
- Betting Licence — The first thing we look for when evaluating UK betting sites is their licence. To ensure that all of our recommendations are safe and legal for UK punters, we only include sites verified by the UKGC on our list.
- Odds and Fairness — Not even the best bonuses and betting offers can help if the odds are simply not worth it. So, we always put in the effort to give you sites with fair odds that are worthy of your time and money.
- Security Measures — Besides offering fair betting, the site also needs to use proper security measures to make it on our list. That includes SSL encryption used to enhance customer data safety and identity theft prevention protocols.
- Betting Bonuses — What’s an online bookie without a good betting bonus? Well, hopefully, you won’t have to find out since FreeBets team will always keep you posted on the best recent deals and betting promos.
- Betting Tools — Some of the top-notch betting sites include features and tools that make your life easier when betting, including Bet Builder and live betting apps with advanced stats.
- Available Markets — Even though most of the online bookies on our list include similar markets, there are simply some platforms with a more diverse portfolio of live betting and pre-match options. So, make sure to go for the one that gives you the freedom of choice.
Football Betting Bookies
As one of our specialties, you’ll find a complete list of football betting sites right here at FreeBets. We try our best to keep you posted on the latest changes in the world of football betting, and that includes the latest online bookies, the most generous bonuses, and betting tools to enrich your experience.
We’ll give you detailed reviews of the best UK football betting powerhouses like Bet365, William Hill, Ladbrokes, and PaddyPower to show you why you can trust these platforms.
Tennis Betting Bookies
With diverse betting markets for tennis betting in the UK, you can always find an option or two to bet on Wimbledon, the US Open, Roland Garros, and the Australian Open. Plus, we’ll give you a headstart by giving you a list of operators with the best sign-up deals for tennis betting and a wide selection of ATP 250 and ATP 500 Series tournaments.
Rugby Betting Bookies
Whether you prefer wagering on Super League or Premiership matches, we’ll help you find a suitable option for all of your rugby betting needs. Some UK bookies are the sponsors behind certain teams and leagues, so you can bet on Betway and Betfred to have the best betting odds in this category, along with the best sign-up offers.
Horse Racing Bookies
With a bit of good luck and help from the FreeBets team, you’ll be able to bet on horse racing events like the Cheltenham Festival and Epsom Derby effortlessly. Get in play with the best odds and exclusive free bet offers by listening to our experts for the best possible betting advice.
Cricket Betting Bookies
As yet another major sport in the UK, cricket has established itself as a market filled with betting opportunities. From player props on the top batsman to wagers on most innings, in-play options, and toss winners, we’ll make sure you’ve got everything you need.
Sites like Betfred and PaddyPower feature a variety of options along with the best cricket free bets in town, but we’ll make sure to keep you updated on the latest changes.
Other Popular Sports for UK Punters
If you wish to bet on other sports in the UK besides the most popular options, you can still make use of our lists and reviews. Just click on the link to find out more about the best betting sites offering competitive odds for your favourite sport, and wager on the following markets:
- Basketball Betting
- Ice Hockey Betting
- American Football Betting
- UFC Betting
- F1 Betting
- Handball Betting
- Volleyball Betting
- Snooker Betting
- eSports Betting
- Virtual Sports Betting
Fair and Responsible Betting
All of our hard work and expertise would be in vain if just one player gets scammed or faces problems withdrawing the funds or placing their wagers. That’s why we take fairness and responsible betting seriously at FreeBets, and so should you.
To ensure that our recommended betting sites are safe and secure, we only place bookies licenced by the UKGC or at least MGA on our list. We also consider responsible gambling to be a key factor in having a good time betting on UK bookies. So, you can use the following responsible gambling tools and links to get help in case of need:
- Check the official BeGambleAware website for steps on confronting problem gambling
- Get useful materials from the National Gambling Helpline on number 0808 8020 133
- Visit the official website of the Gambling Commission for guides on safer gambling and betting
- Get support for problem gambling at GamCare with guides on how to recover from gambling problems