Online Sports Betting Sites - Top Bookmakers Picked by Experts

This titan of the sports betting industry has won dozens of awards. It’s won the prestigious "Sports Betting Operator of the Year" from the EGR Operator Awards multiple times. It’s received the "Online Sportsbook Operator of the Year" at the International Gaming Awards several times too!

Betway is another international giant, who’s also won several awards at the EGR Operator Awards, including "Best Sports Betting Operator" and "Best Mobile Sports Product". 

Unibet has won plenty of awards too, but recently it took the title of "Socially Responsible Operator of the Year" at the EGR Operator Awards.

The most common form of sports betting, fixed odds betting is a type of gambling where bettors wager on the outcome of events like sports matches or horse races based on predetermined odds. In this form of betting, the odds are set and remain unchanged at the time of placing the bet, indicating the perceived likelihood of a specific outcome to occur.

Example fixed odds bet: Man City to beat Crystal Palace – 1.33

In sports spread betting, bettors wager on whether a specific outcome in a sports event will exceed or fall short of a 'spread' set by a sports betting company. Profits or losses are determined by how much the final outcome exceeds or falls short of the spread. 

The spread provided by the betting firm represents their prediction of the range of a final outcome for a particular occurrence in a sports event. 

For example, this could be the total number of goals scored in a football match, the runs scored by a team in a cricket match, or the distance between the winner and the second-placed finisher in a horse race.

The bettor can choose to 'buy' or 'sell' based on whether they believe the final outcome will exceed the top end or fall below the bottom end of the spread offered. The accuracy of the bettor's prediction determines their potential winnings or losses.

The profit or loss for the bettor is calculated by the selected stake size, multiplied by the number of unit points above or below the bettor's chosen level. This highlights a key distinction between sports spread betting and fixed odds sports betting – the potential winnings and losses are not fixed and can be significantly higher or lower than the original stake size.

Example spread betting bet: Man City to beat Crystal Palace – 1.75 per goal margin

This straightforward bet is simply your prediction of which team or player will win a specific match. The favourite in a match will have the shortest odds, while the underdog will have the longer odds.

With a match handicap bet, you are betting on a team or player to win a match after the handicap is applied to the final scores. Handicap bets are a great way to level the playing field in an unevenly fought contest.

This bet is a prediction of the final score of a match. The match will have to end with the exact score you predicted for this bet to pay out.

An each way bet comes in two parts:

You are backing a player/horse/team to win the match/race/tournament.

You are backing a player/horse/team to place in the match/race/tournament (Usually between 1st and 5th)

If you back the winner, both parts of the each way bet will pay out and you’ll get maximum winnings. If your backed choice places, you’ll only be paid out for the 2nd part of the each way bet, which will be a fraction of the odds you backed them at.

Hedge betting is a strategy employed to mitigate potential losses or enhance profits. Here's how it can be applied to your betting:

• Suppose you've placed a bet on a player to win a tournament, and they progress to the latter stages. To hedge your initial bet, you can back their opponents in subsequent matches. This approach ensures that you'll receive some returns regardless of the outcome.
• Evaluate the potential payouts and the odds associated with your hedged bets to determine the appropriate amount to stake. This calculation allows you to optimise your hedging strategy effectively.

Accumulator betting involves combining multiple match winner bets on a single bet slip, with each added bet increasing the overall odds. Here's a simple guide on how to do it:

• Identify matches where there is a clear favourite (typically indicated by lower odds).
• Select multiple match winner favourites and add them to your bet slip to create an accumulator bet.
• Keep in mind that adding more selections will increase the odds of your bet, but it also escalates the level of risk involved.

Check out our expert reviews for the betting sites you’re interested in. We bring together decades of expert advice and can be a great starting point. Then, have a look online and see what other bettors are saying. For example, Betfred gets rave reviews online thanks to their long standing reputation and great customer service.

We know, it’s not much fun, but reading through the terms and conditions for your site is essential. The bonus terms can make or break a bonus, so look out for a sensible wagering requirement and a friendly win cap. For example, Betwinner’s bonuses tend to have a 5x wagering requirement, which is easy for any bettor to complete.

Safety is so important when betting online, so there are lots of boxes to check here. We only recommend sites with a licence. They should also have great responsible gambling tools, excellent customer service, and use SSL encryption as standard.

The user experience encompasses a little bit of everything. From how easy it is to navigate the site, to whether the buttons on the mobile app are large enough for clumsy thumbs! 

A generous welcome bonus is essential for a space on our ‘best of’ lists, but sites should also offer bonuses for existing customers too. Odds boosts, free bets, and tournaments are always welcome.

Being able to make payments safely and securely is a top priority. We also like to see sites with fast withdrawal times and a broad selection of providers.

We like seeing sites with at least 20 sports (though 30 or more is better). They should have in-depth markets, ideally with live betting capabilities.

A Free Bet provides you with a specific amount of money to bet on a market of your choice, often subject to certain conditions (like minimum odds). Instead of using funds from your own cash balance, a Free Bet places the wager using the bonus amount. If the bet wins, your payout is calculated based on the Free Bet amount and the odds.

It's important to note that any potential winnings do not include the return of the Free Bet stake as part of the payout.

For instance, if you use a £10 Free Bet on a bet that wins with odds of 4/1, the payout will be £40. In contrast, if you had staked £10 of your own cash balance, the return would be £50.

Welcome Bonuses are the promotions you receive when you first sign up and deposit at a sportsbook site. Welcome bonuses will range from extra cash to play with, Free Bets, money back if your first bet loses and even free spins on casino games. 

Finding a betting site with a welcome bonus is a priority for many people who are looking for a new destination for online betting.

Deposit bonuses give you additional funds to play with when you make a deposit, typically displayed as a percentage increase. It's common for deposit bonuses to come with wagering requirements, so it's important to review the promotion's terms and conditions before attempting to withdraw any bonus-related winnings. 

For example, depositing £50 with a 100% deposit bonus would give you a total bankroll of £100 to start playing with.

A risk-free bet is similar to a Free Bet, but you use your own cash from your balance to place the wager. The key benefit is that if the market you bet on loses, your stake will be refunded back to your balance. 

For example, if you placed a £10 bet on West Ham to win at odds of 4/1, you would receive a payout of £50 if they won, but your £10 stake would be refunded to your balance if they lost.