Recent closures of bookies have typically been where other bookmakers have bought them out. Typically with these betting sites, balances have been returned to customers and bets have been paid out. Make sure they're registered with the UK Gambling Commission!

Check out our reviews for more info! However there have been occasions where ante post long term market bets have been cancelled and stakes returned. This of course can be extremely bad for punters who have obtained great value prices on events far into the future.

We recommend that you are cautious about which betting sites you use to place your ante post bets. Do so with a bookmaker which is larger and less likely to go out of business or be taken over. Or even better, consider splitting your bet around several betting sites. So rather than say have £20 with one bookmaker, make 4 £5 bets with different bookies.

This same advice is often made by our members when users are discussing how to avoid having their stakes limited by bookies. The best way to see this is from user experience.

This is why we have collected over user reviews across the different UK betting sites from the members here at OLBG. Read their experiences and how they rate each of the bookies before deciding if you will open a new account with that online bookmaker.

Our users will often talk about their experiences with customer services and how any issues they had were dealt with. We have spent hundreds of hours trawling through terms and conditions, withdrawal policies, depositing terms and so on for each of the betting sites we list, so that we can provide you with all the details.

Some bookmakers do make charges for certain withdrawals. We dont want to scare you as most the bookmakers we list have fair terms and conditions and dont go too far away from what would be industry standards.

However there are a few to watch out for. Our users may well have highlighted any in their reviews, or our researches will have found some in their hours of painstaking research. Of course this also helps us to see positives and reasons why you may want to consider betting with the bookie being reviewed.

Check our bookmaker reviews before opening your next betting account to see if there are any terms and conditions, a good range of payment methods, charges or withdrawal policies which you should look out for.

Think about what you want from your bookmaker and read the reviews to find users who have found that. Ask yourself, why would I open an account with this bookmaker AND bet with them regularly?

That is the key. This page and the accompanying detailed guides are packed full of information to help you to find the best betting site for your needs. Opening lots of accounts and trying them out is an alternative to reading our guides and we are aware that some people may wish to do this and take advantage of the welcome offers available.

Most betting sites provide a welcome offer when you register an account with them. This is sometimes called a free bet or a bonus. We discuss these in more detail on our free bets page but for your convenience here are some of the best betting sites offers available now.

Make sure you are familiar with the terms and conditions when you register with an online bookmaker. Here is a selection of questions you should consider when looking through online bookmaker terms and conditions and particularly when assessing the customer offers available. It may be that you have been quite happy with your existing online betting site but would like a change.

Maybe you want to try a similar site to see if you prefer betting elsewhere, maybe you have had issues with your existing bookmaker. In recent times it has been common that people have been asked for proof of affordability and rather than provide such documents have looked elsewhere to bet.

For whatever reasons, we are seeing many people looking for a similar bookmaker to the one they have. So here we try to answer some of those questions. William Hill is a popular high street betting shop that has developed a great online offering. If you are looking for a strong UK brand then a similar offering is available with Ladbrokes or Betfred.

Betfair differs from many other UK betting sites as it also has the betting exchange offering. If you are looking for a similar betting exchange to Betfair then we would recommend Matchbook or SMarkets. They are both good alternatives for the exchange.

If you bet on fixed odds and are looking for an online sportsbook offering then a similar site would be bet or BetVictor.

As a well known UK high street bookmaker with a reputation for good customer service, trust and reliability we would suggest that William Hill would be a similar alternative to Ladbrokes.

bet is such a popular online bookmaker that many sports bettors are on the look out for a similar site to bet or a better site than bet If you are looking for a large UK focused online bookmaker which provides good odds, a great range of markets and top in play betting then we would say that BetVictor is a similar site to bet Here we look at each step of the process you will need to go through before opening your new account and help you with any questions you may have.

The minimum deposit is often £5 but for some bookies it can be a lot higher. Check out our review pages for information on minimum deposit amounts for online betting sites. As well as varying by bookmaker this can also vary by deposit method used. Bookmakers will normally return any winnings to the same card or payment method used to deposit unless instructed otherwise.

Sometimes you will be asked to provide details to help the online bookmakers comply with money laundering regulations. Please understand that the online bookmakers are not being difficult, they are simply following legal guidelines. This will be even more likely to happen if you choose to withdraw to a different payment method than you used to deposit.

A debit card is the most common deposit method for online betting sites, this is a straight transfer from a UK bank account. Bookmakers or any gambling companies are no longer allowed to accept credit cards as a deposit method. Most UK bookies accept PayPal which is the most popular e-wallet with sports bettors.

Some people like to use it to keep betting transactions off their bank statements, others find it a much faster way to deposit in and out of betting sites. Be aware that using PayPal could exclude you from welcome offers with some bookies.

Many of the larger online betting sites support Apple Pay and it's like to be available on more sites soon.

Deposit and withdrawal times will be the same as the bank cards being used through Apple Pay. Skrill is an alternative to PayPal. Used to be known as Mneybookers, this has always been a popular payment method for online gamblers.

and is accepted at most sites. These are prepaid cards which can be used to fund online betting accounts.

Fees aren't charged for deposits and so these are a popular way to fund online accounts for those who don't use bank cards. Take a look at the reviews for each bookmaker by clicking on the link in the above list where we will detail all the deposit methods available for each site. With most online bookmakers listed here you may be able to easily transfer money between the bookies other products such as poker, casino and bingo.

Transferring money between accounts is often very simple and if you only want to play the sportsbook you can just ignore this function. Many people use payment providers such as Skrill formerly Moneybookers for depositing into, and withdrawing from online bookmakers, as these can be faster, more convenient than bank or credit cards.

However sometimes using these methods may exclude you from bookmakers welcome offers. If so this will be mentioned in the terms and conditions of the welcome offer. For more info on which payment methods are accepted by which bookmakers please read through our bookmaker reviews.

In recent years the regulations for bookmakers have tightened as the Gambling Commission have looked to increase the protection of the user. This is fantastic news for the industry and all who use online betting sites but you need to be aware that you may have some small inconveniences when trying to open a new online betting site or if you are wanting to place large bets with a bookmaker.

ID verification is very strict and sometimes you may be asked to send off copies of documents for ID and address verification. Also if you are placing large bets and or making large deposits then online betting sites have a responsibility to ensure that you can afford to do so. You may be asked affordability checks such as showing your pay slips and or you may be asked for proof of funds for money laundering checks.

Don't take such requests personally, all licensed online bookies must follow these regulations or they can face huge fines. Here are some common tips to help you with gambling responsibily online. For more information take a look at our detailed responsible gambling guide.

You will have seen this slogan used by online bookmakers frequently over recent years. It is trying to get across the serious point that if you aren't enjoying gambling you should stop immediately. You can use a process of self evaluation to help you to understand if you have a gambling problem.

There is a great tool at Gamcare. If you do believe that you have a problem then there is always someone to talk to at begambleaware. They can offer great advice including helping you to self exclude. There is a valuable service called Gamstop which allows you to self exclude from all betting companies signed up to the program for a period of your choice.

All UK licensed bookmakers listed on this site will be part of the GamStop programme. For this reason and many others you should never join betting sites not GamStop.

We strongly recommend that you record your gambling and set yourself limits. Only bet what you can afford to lose. Online betting sites have started to offer a number of tools to help you with this including. Using playing time notifications to remind you how long you have been gambling and when to stop is a useful tool and so is setting a specific loss amount you are happy with in advance.

Online betting has been growing at a great rate in recent years, at the expense of high street betting shops. The Covid pandemic results in betting shop closures and as sports returned, sports bettors only had one choice if they wanted a bet and that was online.

Many who hadn't already opened online betting accounts did so during this period, experiencing the benefits of betting by mobile phone via sites or apps.

Once betting shops re opened, many had already experienced enough to stick with online betting. The BetVictor mobile betting app provides versatile sports coverage with exclusive betting app features. Betfair is far easier to use via mobile app than site and Matchbook is a great alternative exchange which also has a highly rated mobile offering.

Read our full analysis of the best betting apps. Most UK high streets have one or more betting shops but they have been in decline as online gambling has grown.

As of March there were 7, UK betting shops, down from 8, in March and 9, in March source Statista. More and more people are becoming aware of the benefits of betting online but plenty still mix this with visits to the local bookies or even exclusively use the high street shop.

These are the biggest high street bookies by the number of shops they run. The latest figures available from Statista are from and show the declines since Keep in mind there has been further decline in total shops between 8, shops and 7, shops.

If you are new to online betting, perhaps previously using high street betting shops to place your bets, then we recommend one of these better known brands for your first online betting account.

These betting sites are all easy to use, offer a good range of betting opportunities, a good range of deposit methods, great customer service and an all round easy online betting experience.

Make them your first port of call and once you are used to betting online, take a look around at other alternatives based on what sports you like to bet on or types of bet you like to place.

bet is the highest rated sports betting site licensed in the UK according to the OLBG user ratings. The betting sites on this page are ordered by their user ratings so you can see the full list from highest rated to lowest rated.

Our in house team also review all new bookmakers in detail before we add them to the site. So read their reviews too by clicking on the links on this page. The biggest online bookmaker in the World is thought to be bet Based on global revenue of all betting brands controlled, Entain includes Ladbrokes, Coral, Bwin is larger with Flutter includes Paddy Power, Betfair next largest.

The big three bookmakers in the UK of Ladbrokes, Coral and William Hill are often referred to being the largest due to having the most retail outlets high street betting shops. It is rare for an online betting site not to offer a welcome bonus to encourage customers to sign up. You can see a full list of offers on our free bets page.

We actually time this as part of our review of all new bookmakers we add to OLBG. Typically it takes between 2 and 5 minutes to complete the online registration and deposit funds and place our first bet.

This can be delayed if the bookmaker needs to verify identification or funds. Typically not much more than your name, address and payment details. This is why it is so quick and easy to open an online betting account.

The exception though is if paperwork is required to verify your identity. This is understandable though and should be expected on occasions by customers.

Bookmakers have very strict ID verification, money laundering and affordability checks which they must adhere to. For every single bookmaker listed on OLBG we also list all the deposit methods available. Just go to the review page to find out.

The vast majority of UK customers deposit funds through debit cards. Many bookmakers do also accept other online payment methods such as PayPal and Skrill. Bookmakers are not allowed to accept credit cards as a deposit method. Make sure you check any welcome offer terms and conditions as the use of some payment methods may mean that you don't qualify for a free bet or bonus.

According to OLBG ratings, bet is the most trusted UK betting site. According to trust pilot ratings 10bet has the highest trust rating followed by BetVictor. The quick summary and conclusion from all our analysis is that these are the best betting sites in each category.

Want to learn more about online betting sites? OLBG is packed through of guides to help you to learn more and find the best sites for you to use. Here are some of the most relevant guides not already mentioned for further reading.

Betting Odds Explained - How Do Bookmakers Work? Best New Top Rated. Rate BetMGM. The BetMGM Sports sportsbook brings you all the action from the most entertaining sports across the world. BetMGM Review. SEE OFFER BetMGM Review. Rate Kwiff. Kwiff Review. SEE OFFER Kwiff Review. Rate BetVictor.

Rated 1 Betting app and often best odds to be found on football and racing. Low minimum deposit and great welcome offer to try BetVictor as your online betting site.

BetVictor Review. SEE OFFER BetVictor Review. Rate talkSPORT BET. Your favourite radio station is about to become your favourite betting site with great odds and a wide range of sports to choose from. talkSPORT BET Review. SEE OFFER talkSPORT BET Review. Rate Star Sports.

Star Sports offers a range of boutique bookmaking services to its discerning clients: Star Sports Review. SEE OFFER Star Sports Review. Rate Planet Sport Bet. Planet Sport Bet is a fantastic betting experience, combined with the very best in sports media and information to help your punting.

Planet Sport Bet Review. SEE OFFER Planet Sport Bet Review. Rate Betzone. SEE OFFER Betzone Review. Rate BetGoodwin. Operating since Goodwin Racing now brings the online punter BetGoodwin for a personal online betting service BetGoodwin Review.

SEE OFFER BetGoodwin Review. Rate Fafabet. An impressive range of sporting events to bet on an equally impressive looking platform bringing freshness to your daily betting. Fafabet Review. SEE OFFER Fafabet Review. Rate Spreadex. Fixed-Odds, Financial Trading and Spread Betting all in one place.

Spreadex Review. SEE OFFER Spreadex Review. Rate Unibet. Quick sign-up and low minimum deposit are just the start. once inside, you find Unibet rival the very best online bookmakers available to UK customers Unibet Review. SEE OFFER Unibet Review.

Rate AK Bets. Ak bets is a 'Rails' bookmaker bringing customer service and experience to the online market in the UK, for the more discerning customer AK Bets Review.

SEE OFFER AK Bets Review. Rate Virgin Bet. With Low minimum deposits to get your started, BOG and great football acca options, VirginBet is more than a gimmicky betting brand and offer daily price boosts too Virgin Bet Review.

SEE OFFER Virgin Bet Review. Rate Betfred. Betfred Review. SEE OFFER Betfred Review. Rate QuinnBet. The best range of weekly promotions you'll find online.

Quinnbet are rapidly becoming one of the most popular bookmakers newly listed on OLBG. QuinnBet Review. SEE OFFER QuinnBet Review.

Rate Sporting Index. World leaders in sports spread betting, Sporting Index open up a whole new way of betting on sport, maximising your accuracy in your sporting predictions. Sporting Index Review. SEE OFFER Sporting Index Review.

Rate Parimatch. Parimatch offer live betting on more than 20 sports in 60 countries, with over leagues and sporting events, every day, 24 hours a day.

With stats and analysis Parimatch is more than just betting Parimatch Review. SEE OFFER Parimatch Review. Rate BetUK. BetUK offer a dedicated offering centered around Football, Horse Racing and Tennis and do it very well.

Super Quick App makes things simple. BetUK Review. SEE OFFER BetUK Review. Rate Fitzdares. Styled as the world's finest bookmakers, Fitzdares is now available online. Fitzdares Review. SEE OFFER Fitzdares Review. Rate SBK. A new way to bet. A bookmaker that tells if you have the best price, gives you tips, and asks you what features you want.

SBK Review. SEE OFFER SBK Review. Rate LiveScore Bet. Enjoy the best online betting experience at LiveScore Bet. Browse all the latest odds across our huge selection of sports betting markets LiveScore Bet Review.

SEE OFFER LiveScore Bet Review. Rate BetDaq. Betdaq operates the world's second-largest online betting exchange, along with sports betting and online casino offerings. SEE OFFER BetDaq Review. Rate BresBet. Launched by a passionate punter, BresBet brings that 'on-course bookie' feel to the world of Online Sports Betting BresBet Review.

SEE OFFER BresBet Review. Rate mr. A new bookmaker offering everything you would expect to make your bets, but adding in new features to stand out from the crowd. Certainly worth a look at the player specials.

play Review. SEE OFFER mr. Rate DragonBet. Family Brand with on-course values who pride themselves as being an Independent Bookmaker DragonBet Review.

SEE OFFER DragonBet Review. Rate Tote. The Tote: British gambling company since Sold to Betfred in Sold to UK Tote Group in Largest pool betting operator. Based in Wigan. uk Review. SEE OFFER Tote. Rate Betway. A fantastic sportsbook with the 1 Rated Weekly FREE BET CLUB.

Free Jackpot predictor games with huge prizes and superb eSports betting too. Betway Review. SEE OFFER Betway Review.

Rate Midnite. Bet on sports and esports like never before. Midnite is making betting friendly and fan-first. Call the shots with next level betting Midnite Review. SEE OFFER Midnite Review.

Rate MagicRed Sports. MagicRed has always been one of the top online casinos at OLBG but now you can bet on sports on the platform too. MagicRed Sports Review.

SEE OFFER MagicRed Sports Review. Rate Luckster Sports. Luckster Sports Review. SEE OFFER Luckster Sports Review. Here you can get non-runner no bet for the Cheltenham Festival, best odds guaranteed, price boosts and extra each-way places. Over the years we've found that BoyleSports consistently has some of the best extra place terms in the business.

This is also another betting site that gives you money back as a free bet if second to the favourite in selected races.

Bet builders continue to grow in popularity at online bookies and the best betting sites now have promotions tied to same-game accas. Bzeebet offers a bet £20 get £20 free bet welcome bonus when you sign up. Once registered, you have access to one of the best bet builders around.

You can combine up to 30 legs from the same game and there are 10 sports with the bet builder option , including football, rugby, tennis, American football and basketball.

You can also combine bet builder markets from a range of games into a multi-match bet builder. A good way to identify the best betting sites is by looking at the most recent online betting award winners.

The Premier League takes centre-stage this weekend after midweek FA Cup action and there are some huge games down for decision - including a Manchester derby on Sunday which could have big implications for the title race. Elsewhere, leaders Liverpool face a potentially tricky trip to the City Ground for a clash with Nottingham Forest on Saturday afternoon, while Arsenal are away to Sheffield United on Monday night.

Sign up and place a bet of at least £5 at odds of evens or greater and this betting site will give you three £10 free bets. It's rare that an offer gives you 6x your first bet in bonus funds, so this is an offer worth considering if you're looking for a new online bookmaker.

Just be aware that the match kicks off at pm on Sunday and you must place your bet before pm in order to qualify for the offer. Don't forget to also check out our Premier League betting offers page for more free bets and promos on this weekend's fixtures.

I've also been an avid sports bettor for decades, so I know what punters generally want from betting sites. com's EN Director , I lead a team of experts who review and rank all of the best bookmakers in the UK and other English-speaking countries.

I spent five years with Paddy Power and Betfair, giving me a great insight into internal processes at a large betting company. com, where I test online bookies and contribute to reviews. I also work with the best betting sites to bring our readers exclusive offers.

Their score prediction game adds a bit of fun to a weekend of football, while I also enjoy their bet builder for betting on US sports like the NBA and NFL. We rank the best betting sites based on their unique features, provide strategy tips, and help readers compare odds and offers for the biggest sporting events.

My favourite is probably the 'Acca Flex' offer which gives me a profit bonus when I win a football accumulator. We review UK betting sites by registering an account with all available licensed online bookmakers.

Any betting sites we recommend must be licensed and regulated by the UK Gambling Commission. This is the ultimate benchmark in gambling regulation and it means a betting site is regulated and legal. Always examine welcome offers as a priority when choosing which online bookmaker to bet with.

The free bet bonus value should be high and the terms and conditions shouldn't be restrictive. The company offers a range of online gaming products, such as casino games, sports betting, and lottery games. It is licensed and regulated in several jurisdictions, including Malta, the UK, and Curacao.

It serves customers in various countries around the world. Flutter Entertainment Plc is a global sports betting and gaming company that operates in several countries around the world, including the UK, Australia, and the US.

The company offers a range of online and land-based sports betting, casino, and poker products through its various brands, including Paddy Power, Betfair, Sky Bet, and FanDuel.

The company's sports betting platforms cover a wide range of sports and events, with competitive odds and live streaming available for many matches and events.

Galaxy Entertainment Group is a leading casino operator. It operates several luxury casino resorts in Macau, including Galaxy Macau, Broadway Macau, and StarWorld Hotel and Casino. The company's casino resorts offer a range of gaming products and services such as slot machines, table games, and VIP gaming rooms.

In addition to its casino operations, Galaxy Entertainment Group also has made investments in hotels, restaurants, and other entertainment and leisure businesses in Macau and other regions. The company is committed to providing world-class entertainment experiences for its customers and has won numerous awards for its hospitality and entertainment offerings.

In December we rebranded our Group from GVC Holdings, to reflect our ambition to be the world-leader in sports betting and gaming entertainment. The Group owns a comprehensive portfolio of established brands such as sports brands bwin, Coral, Crystalbet, Eurobet, Ladbrokes, Neds International and Sportingbet and games brands Foxy Bingo, Gala, Gioco Digitale, partypoker and PartyCasino.

Intralot S. is a leading global gaming and sports betting company that provides a wide range of gaming solutions, including lottery systems, sports betting platforms, and online gaming products. The company operates in over 40 countries around the world and has partnerships with some of the largest gaming operators and lotteries in the industry.

The company's products and services are designed to provide customers with a seamless and immersive gaming experience, with a focus on innovation, reliability, and security.

Kindred Group Plc is a leading online gambling company operating several online gambling brands, including Unibet, Maria Casino, 32Red, and Bingo. It offers a range of online gambling products and services, including sports betting, casino games, poker, and bingo. The company's products are designed to provide customers with a safe, reliable, and enjoyable gambling experience, with a focus on innovation and customer satisfaction.

Kindred Group is a responsible gambling platform and has implemented a range of measures to promote safe and responsible gambling. LeoVegas Mobile Gaming Group is a leading online mobile gaming company that operates several online gaming brands, including LeoVegas, Royal Panda, and BetUK.

It offers a range of online gaming products and services, including sports betting, casino games, and live dealer games. The company's products are designed to provide customers with a seamless and immersive gaming experience, with a focus on mobile gaming and innovation.

MGM Resorts International is a global entertainment company that operates resorts and casinos in several countries, including the United States, China, and Japan. The company offers a range of entertainment and hospitality services, including gaming, hotel accommodations, dining, and entertainment.

Its properties feature a variety of amenities, including luxury hotel rooms, world-class restaurants, spas, and retail shopping.