Best online bookies - Quick links
There's plenty to know about sports betting, which is why we have covered it extensively on this page. Click on the quick links below to get straight to the point on what seems interesting to you.
Best Betting Sites UK 2022
Online sports betting in the UK is more popular than ever. Bojoko helps you choose the best betting sites in the UK and present you with all the information needed to get started in online betting. We tell you exactly how to place a bet online, how to do it smartly, and what sites to use for your sports bets.
List of online bookmakers (UK)
Check out all the best bookmakers below and their welcome offers.
Our list of top betting sites
You might have already had the chance of trying out our unique and useful bookmaker tool from the list of online bookmakers above. If not, go to it from here. The best betting sites offer players all kinds of different features and welcome offers, and with our tool, you can filter in exactly the sites you want by choosing these features. You can use the tool like this:
- Either use one of Bojoko's pre-made lists to find the best bookies in the UK or click on the three dots next to the pre-made lists.
- Through the three dots, choose the "Customise filters" -option.
- After this, a menu will open with over 50 ways of filtering the top betting sites in the UK (for example, sites with free bets).
- Click on the features you would like to find on the betting sites shown. You can also set minimum and maximum limits like bonus money amount, percentage, and when the bookmaker has been launched.
- Choose "Show results", and you will be presented with a new list with only the betting sites that apply to the criteria you have selected!
Every single one of these top betting sites has also been reviewed by one of our independent betting experts, who give our readers insights and experiences from their time spent at the bookmaker. These reviews are conducted in a thorough manner from creating an account to withdrawing.
All readers can also write their own experiences about any betting site available through Bojoko, as we aim to always provide transparency in our reviews. This is why all of the experts at our site always review with their own name, instead of hiding behind a mysterious pseudonym.
Bojoko helps you choose the best betting sites in the UK
Bojoko stands out from the crowd by offering a full package to our readers and helping to get started in sports betting. With our help, you should have zero issues choosing the right online betting site for your needs.
Bojoko presents you with plenty of information about different UK betting sites, betting offers, information about betting on specific sports, payment methods, and much more! We always make sure we cover topics with a responsible perspective and all sports betting sites you can find on Bojoko are fully licensed by the UK Gambling Commission, they are safe to use and tax-free!
All betting sites you find on Bojoko, you can be sure they have met these criteria:
- Licensed by the UK Gambling Commission
- Safe & fast money transfers
- Reliable operations
- Efficient customer service
- Good odds and selection of betting markets
Find more info about different betting sites
New Betting Sites 2022
Find the newest sports betting sites available to UK players.
Paypal Betting Sites
Bookmaker reviews
Find more info about different betting offers
Plenty of options for online sports betting
In 2022, there are hundreds, almost a thousand different betting sites licensed in the UK. Players are spoiled with choice only with the licensed betting operators, but there are also some off-shore sites that UK players might be able to join as well. We always recommend playing and gambling only at the bookmakers that hold a valid license granted by the UK Gambling Commission.
The license assures correct safety measures for players so that you can trust your data and personal information are safe, money transfers are secured and you have the means to complain and seek help in case there are problems with some particular betting site.
How to identify the best bet sites for you
Personal preference is a hard thing to quantify, but when looking to find the best betting site for you, it’s important to know what you want. For this, it’s crucial that you know what kind of a bettor you are or aim to be so that you know what kind of bet sites suit you the best. For example, you might only want to find sites that offer football betting.
There are many kinds of top-quality betting sites, often being built primarily with a focus group of some sort in mind. Are you more of a player that bet for entertainment and fun, or are you actually looking to make a profit long-term or something in between? There are different sites that suit different types of players.
- Also check: World Cup betting 2022
Your choice of the primary device is also extremely important, as although all betting sites work on smartphones and tablets these days, some do it better and offer an app or a faster-working site. A lot of the best bookmakers also offer players free live streams, but not all, so be sure to check this with our bookmaker tools filter if you want to enjoy some of the world’s best sports for free!
Welcome offers can also be a big part of a hook on a certain betting site. No matter how good the offer, you should still take a tour of the site first, just to see if it’s the kind of place you would like to spend your time long-term - unless of course you just want to grab the extra value from the welcome offer and just have some fun!
How to find and play at the top betting sites through Bojoko
1. Search our list of online bookmakers to find top betting sites
- Check the list of the best betting sites in the UK
- Use search filters for different features
- Compare different sites
2. Check out expert reviews of the top betting sites
- Use Bojoko ratings to pick a suitable betting site
- Go to reviews directly from the list
3. Open a betting account through our links
- Pick a top betting site from the list
- Click the green Play Here button
- Move on to the bookmaker's site
4. Begin your career on one of the many safe betting sites
- Fill in your details for registration
- Verify registration
- Start betting
Best bookmakers have the best odds
One characteristic we need to lift above the others is the prices you get, i.e the odds. Especially for more serious bettors and everyone who aims to make money with betting, the odds are the single most important factor. The better the odds are, the better your returns will naturally be when you win.
Some betting sites focus on offering the best possible odds and therefore offer fewer bonuses or other special deals. Vice versa, some sites have to sacrifice their payout percentage on odds to offer better and more bonuses, enhanced odds etc.
We have gathered the top 5 best betting sites according to the level of their odds below.
Best online betting sites according to Bojoko experts
As mentioned, Bojoko's mission is to be your guide to finding the best betting sites in the UK and help you select the most suitable one for you. We highly encourage to make the most of our expert betting reviews to help with your decision.
Bojoko has several industry experts testing all the betting sites in the UK with real money. These reviews are 100% honest and thorough going through all the different features, customer service, payments, and withdrawals. What this means in detail, the experts will do always do the following:
- Deposit real money
- Try the sign up offer occasionally
- Explore the site thoroughly and test the usability
- Place pre-match and in-play bets on different markets
- Test different features that are available, for example cashouts, live streams, etc.
- Get in touch with the customer service
- Go through KYC and account verification and upload documents
- Make a withdrawal and test how quickly the site pay the winnings
This process results in an up-to-date review based on real user experience that any user would get when joining the betting site through Bojoko. Please find the latest Bojoko reviews below:
ThePools started as The Football Pools in 1923 paying out over £3.2 billion over its lifetime. ThePools is firmly intert...
Spreadex offers something quite different to the norm at UK betting sites, with users offered the choice between spread ...
Parimatch might not be known by many sports fans in the UK, but this betting brand has actually been around for a long t...
Unibet, who is part of the Kindred Group, launched in 1997 and is still operating more than 20 years later. This should ...
Best sports betting sites - What do they have in common?
Betting sites have been around for so long that the world’s best betting sites share a lot of traits in common with each other. Chief among these in terms of UK players is of course the UK betting license, which all sites must operate under if they wish to have a presence in the United Kingdom.
You can only find UKGC-licensed sites through us, so you don't need to worry about the license of any given bookmaker when browsing at Bojoko. After this crucial point has been taken care of, let’s take a look at the other aspects of a successful betting site:
- Plenty of betting markets to enjoy - This is a given, but if you want to offer players a top-quality betting experience, your betting markets must be up to scratch. The best betting sites offer odds on almost anything from traditional sports to the likes of esports, entertainment, politics, and virtual sports + of course a fully working in-play section as well.
- Good value and odds for players - Value for money is extremely important to professional bettors, which is why it's inherently important to find the betting sites that offer it best. This can be in the form of the best odds on the market or fantastic offers and campaigns, and you want to most likely find a site that is a good mixture of the two.
- Banking and money transfers - The UK license already guarantees the safety of your funds at the best betting sites, but this alone isn’t enough. The best online bookmakers must also provide players with enough options to make deposits and withdrawals, like debit cards, PayPal, e-wallets, crypto, and other deposit and withdrawal options. Best sites also don't charge extra fees for your transactions.
- Customer service - Customer care is an important part of any business, and betting sites are no exception. Options like live chat, email support, and phone support must be available to players to be considered one of the best bookies out there, and extra choices like Whatsapp, Skype, or Telegram support are also greatly appreciated.
- Financial stability - You might have heard horror stories about people’s money being stuck on a betting site that went bankrupt, which is why it’s generally best to place your faith and hard-earned cash in operators who are owned by larger, stock-listed companies, that will not go under.
Things the best bookmakers never do
The best bookmakers in the world can be identified by what they do right, but also by what they never do wrong. This might seem like we’re telling you the exact same thing again, but there are some interesting aspects to all of this:
- Screw you over with wagering requirements and shady rules - Some not-so-honorable betting sites will do all they can to hide how they are cheating players out of a good deal. If you keep finding information in the terms and conditions of the site buried deep and not visible immediately, keep your guard up in the future as well.
- Non-existent customer service - If you have a problem, the customer service will always solve it - in an ideal world at least. On low-quality betting sites, customer service is generally provided, but they don’t help you out enough, and your problem might be placed on hold indefinitely. Response times can also be frustratingly slow.
- Laggy site with a lot of problems - All websites have problems sometimes, but at the best betting sites, these are fixed often within an hour or two, if not minutes. If a betting site has a feature that is not working for a long period of time with no announcement of a fix in sight, consider not playing at the bookie regularly.
- Hoarding withdrawals - When you win, you want to enjoy your winnings. At the best betting sites getting a hold of your winnings can be done in no time, while on the worst end of the spectrum the whole world seems to be against your withdrawal being completed. KYC checks must of course be done, but if there are any problems after this, things aren’t looking good.
How to make money betting
For most people, online betting is a form of entertainment and just a hobby, which is fine. For a small group of people, it's also a profession that brings food to the table. Even if betting was only a fun pastime for you, we are sure you are interested and looking for ways to improve your success and make some money out of it.
For bettors of all levels, it's crucial to understand a few key principles when trying to make a profit from betting.
- Always compare the odds - This is probably the most important thing you can do! By having an account on multiple different sites you can always find the highest odds for your bet. Over the long term, this will significantly improve your results.
- Risk management - Keep a cool head and implement a staking plan to minimize the risk of tilting and betting with oversized stakes. For example, play only single bets with 1-3% stakes of your total bankroll or use a Kelly criterion.
- Use your expertise - Use most of your stakes on those sports and leagues that you know the most. It's certainly fun sometimes to try different things, but prioritize your bets on those sports in that you are an expert!
- Understand probabilities - For every outcome there is always a probability. Try to educate yourself to estimate probabilities for different outcomes, even on rough accuracy. Compare these probabilities with the odds, and some good value can be found. Read more here.
- Use historical statistics - Make sure you are aware of the most important historical statistics depending on the sport you are betting on. Statistics can give you a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses between competing teams or athletes.
- Single bets over accumulators - Accumulators always look nice on your screen with massive potential wins, but the cold hard truth is, single bets will yield more profit in long term. Probabilities to win go ever lower the more you have selections on your betting slip.
- Take advantage of welcome offers - Lastly, make the most of all available free bets and other betting offers. Use the free money to boost your bankroll and either place more bets or top up your stakes a little bit. The easiest ones you may claim can be up to bet £5 get £30.
How to know if a bet is profitable
If you want to go a bit more advanced, understanding the odds and how they are calculated is the next step. The general rule bookmakers always adhere to is that odds are always in correlation with probabilities. This means that if you see an odd, there is always a corresponding probability.
The odds you see on a betting site are simply an inverse of the probability the betting site has determined for that outcome. Let's look at an example:
- The odds for Manchester United to win is 1/1 or 2.0 in decimals
- We can use an equation 1 / odds x 100 to get the probability in percentage
- In this case: 1 / 2 x 100 = 50%
- The bookmaker has determined the probability as 50% for Man United to win the match
Now, in order to check if you have found value against the bookmaker, you need to make your own estimate of the probability. Let's say you have estimated Manchester United to win with a probability of 60%. Now, with the following equation, we can determine and see the odds for your own probability estimate.
- Calculate odds using this equation: 1 / probability in decimal = decimal odds
- In this case: 1 / 0,6 = 1.67
Finally, you compare these two odds, your own and the bookmakers. If your own odds are lower than what the bookie is offering, you have found a positive estimated value. Now you can place the bet on higher odds than it should be given in the first place, given that you trust your own estimate, of course. You should always stay critical of your own probability estimates.
- Your odds < Bookies odds = EV+
If a majority, or perhaps all bets you place are with a positive estimated value, in the long term you should beat the bookies and make money from betting.
If your self calculated odds are lower than what the bookie is offering, you have found a positive estimated value and have the opportunity to place a bet with higher odds than you should.
UK betting legislation
Gambling and sports betting is regulated by the UK Gambling Commission in the United Kingdom. The gambling law itself is called the Gambling Act 2005 which determines what can and can't be done in the industry and how operators are allowed to operate inside the borders of the UK.
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The Gambling Act 2005 requires all operators to be fully licensed by the UKGC in order to operate. This is for online and physical betting shops.
Betting KYC = Age verification
All UK betting sites are required to verify all their customers' age and identities. This process is called the KYC or Know Your Customer. This is to make sure there are no underage gambling or possibly any other sort of crime. As a player, you have to provide documents to prove your identity and age.
This might sound like quite a chore and especially earlier it was a bit of a hassle with many bookies and their slow processes. Nowadays, things are much better and documents can be sent rather easily. Many betting sites have implemented an automatic way of uploading your documents, so no emails or anything like that have to be sent.
When joining any betting site, please be prepared to provide the following documents. You are not able to withdraw any funds before your account is verified.
- Proof of identity = A picture of your passport, national ID card or driver's license
- Proof of address = A picture of a recent utility bill with your full name. Bank statements and official government letters will also suffice
- Proof of payment method = This is not always needed, but if asked then a screenshot from your online bank/payment method or a picture of your card will do
Betting tax in the UK
Players are often very curious about taxes in betting, and for a good reason too. In some countries, winnings from gambling are taxed amongst your annual income, but in the UK all gambling and betting winnings are tax-free.
But take a note: Tax-free winnings only apply to bookmakers licensed by the UK Gambling Commission. Winnings from off-shore betting sites, for example, Curacao licensed sites will be under taxation.
Online betting and responsible gaming
All licensed betting sites in the UK follow the regulations of the UKGC, as mentioned. This also means they have to follow a responsible way of operating and protecting players. All betting sites should have sections on their websites containing valuable and thorough information on how to handle your betting in case it's getting out of hand, or if you identify your friend or family member in the same situation.
Bojoko is all in favor of responsible sports betting and we support UKGC regulations on this matter. This is why Bojoko only works with fully licensed and regulated betting operators. In order to work with Bojoko, betting companies must have adequate tools for players to control their own gambling and implement responsible gambling tools, such as:
- Deposit Limits
- Reality Checks
- Account betting history
- Self-Assessment
- Time-Out
- Self-Exclusion
- Account Closure
Bojoko wants to remind all sports bettors to play responsibly and only play with money you can afford to lose.
Online Betting - Frequently Asked Questions
Article by:
Joel Kelly
Joel has worked in the iGaming industry for nearly a third of his life, with almost a decade of experience with casinos, sports betting and poker. During this time he has had the opportunity of testing dozens of different bookies, casinos and poker sites, with his focus currently being managing Bojoko's UK sports betting content.