With plenty of online bookmakers to choose from, picking the best UK bookmakers can be quite a challenge. We’ve simplified your task by listing the top bookmakers of 2021 based on experience and user reviews.
To incentivise bettors to register and open accounts, the bookmakers offer generous free bets and other sign up promotions.
Bet365
Bet365 are one of the most popular online bookmakers. With more than 35 million global customers, they’re doing something right.
Coral
Coral is another bookmaker that has successfully transitioned from the high street to online. With their roots dating back to 1926, they are certainly one of the UK’s most popular bookmakers.
Ladbrokes
Ladbrokes is the oldest betting company in the world, dating back to 1886, though they didn’t use the Ladbrokes name until 1902. Similar to other high-street bookies, Ladbrokes have remained competitive with the likes of Bet365 and Betfair.
William Hill
Being one of the oldest bookmakers in the UK (founded in 1934) William Hill has successfully held their ground in an increasingly competitive industry.
Paddy Power
PaddyPower is one of the younger bookmakers on this list but they still provide a great platform that many people love using. Their mission to ‘bring excitement to life’ certainly holds true.
Betfair
One of the few, solely online platforms on this list, Betfair took the betting industry by storm at the turn of the millennium. With their groundbreaking betting exchange platform, Betfair won a lot of customers from other bookmakers on this list.
888sport
One of the newest bookies, founded in 2008, 888Sport have built a brilliant customer base in a relatively short space of time. They continue to win praises from a large number of bettors in the UK.
Betway
Betway is another company that make our list of the best UK bookmakers. Founded in 2006, Betway were able to build their customer base just in time for online betting to take off.
Betfred
Another bookmaker that withstood the transition from high-street to online betting is Betfred. With roots dating back to 1967, Betfred has built one of the most popular bookmakers online.
BetVictor
Originally branded as Victor Chandler, the founder, and later rebranded as BetVictor this bookmaker have built a great online presence. With customers in over 150 different countries worldwide, BetVictor are one of the largest players in the game.
How we pick the best UK bookmakers
Picking the best bookmakers in the UK is no easy task. There are hundreds of factors that determine where a bookmaker should rank and we consider as many of these aspects as possible. We use all of our knowledge and experience to bring you the best bookmakers of 2021.
Here are some of the key factors we consider in no particular order:
- Odds – The best UK bookmakers should provide the most value to their customers. In that vein, the odds should be competitive with other leading bookmakers.
- Customer satisfaction – Arguably one of the most important factors when reviewing a bookmaker, is how happy (or not) the customers are. How quickly does the bookmaker deal with problems? Are the support staff helpful and easy to get hold of? And how quickly are bettors winnings paid out?
- Platform ease of use (desktop/mobile) – Other key criteria we look at is how easy the website or mobile app is to use. Is the bookmaker’s website quick to load, easy to navigate and aesthetically pleasing? In the modern world of gambling, a lot of people place bets on mobile devices. It’s therefore important the bookmaker’s mobile app is up to scratch.
- Reliability – Another factor we consider is how reliable and trustworthy a bookmaker is. Customers want to use UK bookmakers that consistently provide quality.
Which is the best UK bookmaker for me?
There is a huge range of bookmakers you can choose from in the UK and picking one can sometimes seem quite difficult. You need to consider what you’re opening your betting account for. Are you looking to place bets on a specific sport or event? Are you looking for the best odds across the industry? Or are you just looking for bookies free bets?
Once you understand the reason you want to open a new betting account, you’ll be able to pick the best bookmakers more easily. You can go through our bookmaker reviews and work out which is the best fit for your needs.
If you’re just looking to take advantage of bookmakers’ free bets, offers and other promotions you can check out our detailed guide here.
Best bookmakers for matched betting
Some of you may be interested in which the best bookmakers are for matched betting. It’s fair to say that all the above UK bookmakers are both reliable and provide some great free bets and other promotions which you matched bettors can take advantage of.
For more information, you can read each review to check out their true potential for matched betting.