Football betting is a beautiful business, just like the game itself. However, if you don’t know your bookies from your blaggers, your experience can quickly turn sour. In other words, if you don’t bet on football at the right sites, you’ll never score the best deals.
The good news is that there are hundreds of UK betting sites out there. The bad news is that there are hundreds of betting sites out there. Although the market is awash with options, some of them miss the target and others aren’t even worthy of a place on the bench. Fortunately, we’re here to help. We’ve sorted the superstars from the substitutes.
This guide contains a rundown of the best football betting sites in the UK. Not only that, we’ve given you some tips on how to get maximum value when you bet on football matches. From betting offers and enhanced odds to in-play options, live streams and everything else in between, this is your definitive guide to football betting markets. So, if you’re ready, let’s kick things off.
Best Football Betting Sites – Top 10 Licensed and Regulated Sportsbooks
What are the best football betting sites in the UK? Well, from our industry knowledge and hours of research, we believe the following bookies are among the top names not just in the UK but the world.
New Customers only. Bet £10* & Get £30* in Free Bets. Sign up, deposit between £5* and £10* to your account and bet365 will give you three times that value in Free Bets when you place qualifying bets to the same value and they are settled. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits. Min odds/bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. T&Cs, time limits & exclusions apply.
Bet £50+, Get £25 in Free Bets + 10 Spins
- Fast Apple & Android App
- Generous Offers & Specials
- World class, personal service
New customers only, 18+. Min deposit £10. Place a £50 bet on any sport at 2.0+ to qualify for £25 in free bets and 10 Free Spins. Free Bets and Spins valid 7 days. £0.10 Free Spins. T&Cs apply. BeGambleAware.org.
Bet £10 Get £40 in free bets (mobile only)
- BOG on Horse Racing
- #YourOdds Bet
- Acca Boosts
18+. Play Safe. From 00:01 on 18.10.2022. 4x £10 free bets. Free bets expire after 30 days. New customers only. Minimum £10 stake on odds of 1/2 (1.5) or greater on sportsbook (excluding Virtual markets). Further terms apply. #ad
Bet £15 Get £10
- Excellent Cash Out Options
- Good Football betting
- Great Sports Betting Coverage
NEW CUSTOMERS ONLY. MAX ONE £10 FREE BETS. QUALIFYING BETS MUST BE PLACED AT ODDS OF 1/1 OR GREATER. PAID AS BONUS TOKEN WITH MIN 4/5 ODDS REQ. SKRILL, NETELLER & PAYPAL NOT ELIGIBLE T&CS APPLY. 18+
18+ New customers only. Opt in, bet £10 on any football market at minimum 1/1 odds. No cash-out. Get £40 in Free Bets on selected events. Free Bets expire in 7 days. Debit card / Apple Pay payments only. T&Cs apply. begambleaware.org | Please gamble responsibly
Bet365
Based in the UK and a one of the biggest brands in betting, Bet365 stands out for two reasons: coverage and reliability. Bet365 is such a big a name that it can’t afford to rest on its laurels. This means you always get world-class service, regardless of whether you’re betting via your desktop or mobile.
Like all the best football betting sites online, Bet365 focuses on a variety of sports. What’s more, it has a solid welcome bonus worth up to £100 and plenty of weekly promos. In fact, when you bet on football at this site, you’ll get more value than almost any other bookmaker. Promotions such as acca bonuses will boost your payouts by up to 70%. Add to this early payouts when your team goes two goals ahead and it’s easy to see why football fans love Bet365.
To claim the Bet365 welcome bonus, click here to create an account. Enter our Bet365 bonus code PLVIP and deposit £5+ using Visa, MasterCard, eWallets such as PayPal, bank wire or Apple Pay. From there, make a bet equal to or greater than the value of your deposit and Bet365 will match it. This free bet is valid up to maximum of £100.
Betfair
Betfair is now part of Flutter Entertainment, the biggest sports betting and gaming company in the world. However, before it merged with the likes of PokerStars and Paddy Power, it was a football betting exchange. Since its launch in 2016, Betfair has evolved into a multifaceted platform that now offers exchange betting and standard bets on football.
You can make payments via all the usual methods, including Visa, MasterCard, PayPal, Skrill and bank transfer. You can also get also get up to £100 in free football bets when you create your first account using our link and Betfair promo code ZBBC01. With that offer, you’ll receive a £20 free bet each time you make five £10 wagers (minimum odds 1/2). You can do this five times in total to get the full £100 bonus.
Other than being the world’s largest sports betting exchange and offering newbies £100 in free bets, Betfair is ideal for those that love the beautiful game from all angles. The site provides hundreds of football bets every day, guides on where to watch the latest games, bet builders and virtual matches for when there’s a lull in the action!
William Hill
Willian Hill has been in the betting business since 1934. The company started out as a horse racing bookmaker but, today, it’s among the best football betting sites in the world. The are many reasons why this is true. Firstly, new customers get £40 worth of free bets when they use our sign-up link on mobile and bet £10. That’s £10 more than the standard offer and only available when you use our William Hill promo code N40.
Secondly, this football betting site gives you one free acca boost every day, guaranteed best odds on selected matches and daily bonuses. Finally, Will Hill has a host of added extras, including William Hill Radio, a daily sports schedule and a create your own football bets feature known as #YourOdds.
BetVictor
BetVictor was founded by William Chandler in 1946 and is one of the few UK betting sites that’s still independent. While other football betting sites in the UK have been taken over or merged with larger entities, BetVictor is out there on its own.
Don’t be fooled by its solo status. BetVictor has more than 500,000 customers in 160 different countries. It rakes in more than £1 billion every year and that means it has the resources to provide some excellent football betting opportunities.
For example, football fans can get something other than the standard BetVictor welcome bonus by making their first bet on the beautiful game. After making a deposit via debit card, eWallet or bank transfer, you’ll need to opt in a bet on any football market. If you win, great. If you lose, BetVictor will refund any losing bet on football up to £30.
If that’s not enough to tempt you, BetVictor’s status as a lone ranger means it has total control over the odds and features it offers. The slick mobile-first software makes it easy to search through hundreds of daily football bets with a single click. The lobby itself is filled with specials, enhanced odds markets, in-play football bets and more.
The standout feature for us is the bet builder tab. This allows you to build your own bet in a way that other bookmakers can’t match. First off, there’s the standard build a bet option. Beyond that, you can make your own Premier League bets, use premade templates and even make your own multiples!
Also, if you like to bet on the Sport of Kings too. BetVictor is one of the best online horse betting sites.
Paddy Power
If you’re looking for Irish irreverence and charm, look no further than Paddy Power. Based in Ireland and founded in 1988, this top-rated football betting site likes to do things a little different. Like its peers, it offers thousands of football bets every year, as well as debit card, eWallet and bank transfer payment options.
On top of this, you can use our registration link and exclusive Paddy Power promo code (YSKADD) to get three risk-free bets worth £10 each and 100 slot spins. Not only is this a sick football betting bonus, it’s better than you get under normal conditions. This alone is a reason to join this Irish bookmaker. However, it’s not the only reason. We regard this as one of the best football betting sites in the world because it offers non-standard lines.
In other words, Paddy Power offers all the usual pre-game and in-play options, such as scorecasts, halftime/fulltime, straight win bets etc. Alongside these bets, you can wager money on current events, scandals and anything else in the media. For example, when the Ryan Giggs scandal broke, Paddy Power employed his brother Rhodri, and created a special selection of bets. It’s this cheeky attitude that’s made Paddy Power a hit with football fans.
6 Key Areas Why These Are The Best Football Betting Sites
Quality, quantity and excellent service. Those are the common traits among the top online bookies. Indeed, we’ve told you what the best established and new football betting sites are, but that’s not enough. We want to tell you why they are the best.
Also, we want to show you how we review betting sites and, in turn, show you how to find your ideal bookmaker. With that being said, here are the things you need consider when you’re searching for a new football betting site.
Awesome Promotions & Sign-up Bonuses
Every newbie needs a bonus. If an online bookmaker doesn’t give you something as a new customer, don’t join it. That might sound harsh but there are so many football betting bonuses out there, it’s not worth wasting your time on sites that don’t give you something extra.
New customer football betting bonuses come in many different shapes and sizes. We’ll provide some real-life examples in a moment. Before we do that, here are the main types of footie bonus you can get as a newbie:
- Free Bets – These promotions give you free bets for making a deposit and/or opening wager.
- No Lose Bets – Otherwise known as risk-free bets, these deals give you a rebate (as a free bet) if your opening wager loses.
- Enhanced Odds – Football betting sites will often give you better odds on selected events. This means you’ll get more money back when you win.
What are the best football promotions?
The best football betting bonuses are available when you use our promo codes. We’re always adding offers to the mix, but here’s a small selection of what you can get with our sports betting bonus codes:
- Bet365 – Use our Bet365 bonus code PLVIP to get up to £100 in free bets.
- William Hill – Use our William Hill bonus code N40 to get four free bets worth £10 each.
- Betfred – Use our Betfred promo code SPORTS60 to get £30 in betting credit, plus 30 free slot spins.
Great Betting Odds
There are thousands of football betting odds out there. From long odds to short odds, every bookmaker has its own take on a game. In fact, there are more odds than you can feasibly consider. Our top picks offers some of the best football betting odds in the world.
To make things even easier, we keep tabs on everything that’s going on in the industry via our best odds guaranteed (BOG) page. There, you’ll find the most lucrative betting lines for football matches and many other sports.
A Diverse Range Football Betting Markets
There are football betting odds and there are football betting odds. Any bookmaker can offer win and scoreline bets. However, the best UK sportsbooks go one or two steps further. We can’t outline every single football betting market, but here are some popular options:
- Correct score bet
- First goal scorer
- Scorecast (first goal scorer + correct score)
- Both teams to score
- Over/under goal markets
- Handicap betting
- Halftime/Fulltime
- Double chance
- Draw no bet
- Number of fouls/corners
Cashout Options
Another feature the top UK football betting sites offer is cashouts. This feature allows you to end a bet before its natural conclusion and receive some prize money. The amount you receive will depend on the status of your bet, the potential returns and your stake.
For example, if you stand to win £1,000 and there’s five minutes left, you’ll probably receive an offer that’s very close to your potential payout. If, however, the game is only five minutes old, you’ll be offered a lot less.
Cashouts should be seen as a standard when you bet on football. Any site that doesn’t offer this feature probably isn’t worth using. There are exceptions, of course. However, when you’re sizing up which UK betting sites to use, the ability to cashout early should be available.
Some of the best bookies offering cashouts are:
- Paddy Power
- William Hill
- BetVictor
In-Play Betting
Like cashouts, in-play betting is a standard feature in today’s world. If you can’t make live football bets, you should find another bookmaker. Of course, that doesn’t mean you have to make in-play wagers. You might not like them. However, you should always have the choice.
For those that don’t know what live betting is, the premise is simple. You get to make predictions while an event is underway. For example, you can bet on the next player to score a goal or what the score will be within a certain period of the game.
The beauty of live football bets is that the odds change in line with the dynamics of a match. If one team is getting the upper hand, the odds are going to shift in their favour. Therefore, this type of betting is not only exciting but great if you can read a game and predict patterns of play. Exchange betting sites, such as Betfair are great platforms for in-play betting, because you bet against other bettors.
Request A Bet
We’ve already highlighted things such as build a bet. However, as a reminder of what “request a bet” means, it’s basically a way of creating your own wager. If a possible outcome isn’t listed, you can contact the oddsmakers and suggest your own bet. If they approve, you’ll see it appear in the lobby.
Some of the sites that offer request a bet are:
- William Hill
- Paddy Power
- 888Sport
Live Streaming
Online sportsbooks aren’t what they used to be. Back in the day (circa 2000), all you could do was log in and bet on a few sports. Today, online sportsbooks are much more sophisticated. As well as odds, they contain statistics, calendars, previews, reviews, betting tips and, most impressively, live streams.
Live broadcasts are available for certain sports and certain events. To unlock a live stream, you need to bet on the event in question. Once you’ve done that, you’ll be able to watch a match in HD quality via your desktop or mobile device.
Where can I watch live streams?
Some of the best UK betting sites with live streams are:
- Paddy Power
- Bet365
- BetVictor
Numerous Banking Options
You can’t bet on football without some money in your account. All of our recommended bookmakers are licenced by the UK Gambling Commission. As part of the regulatory process, every operator has to offer secure payment options.
The top sites also strive to offer something for everyone. If you want to use debit cards, you can. If you want to use eWallets, such as PayPal, you can check out our PayPal betting sites guide. If you want to try the latest payment innovations such as Boku, it will be available at best football betting sites.
Reliable Customer Service
The final quality every top-rated bookie must have is excellent customer service. There’s no use offering a wealth of features and not responding when someone needs help. As a bare minimum, betting sites should have an FAQ and email support.
We also like to see a phone number and a live chat service. Then, just for complete peace of mind, a bookmaker should be active on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Bet365, RedZone, STSBet and all of our top picks have great customer service, so you’ll always get the bet experience possible.
So, there you have it, that’s the world of football betting and how to find the best deals. All that’s left for you to do is join our recommended bookies and enjoy the beautiful game.
