Best UK Betting Sites for December 2024 - Top 10 Bookmakers
Covers, the preeminent digital authority for UK sports bettors, boasts more than two decades worth of sports betting excellence. Our experts cut through the clutter to uncover actionable and trustworthy information about the best UK sports betting sites. We never recommend a bookmaker that we wouldn’t use ourselves.
Our unbiased bookmaker reviews — backed by the Covers BetSmart Rating — are designed to make smarter sports bettors.
Top-rated UK betting sites in December 2024
Within 24 hours
- bet365 Benefits
- Top-rated online bookmaker
- Outstanding coverage of sports
- Fast and secure banking system
- bet365 Review
Within 24 hours
- Betway Benefits
- Modern betting platform
- Soft odds for popular markets
- Large welcome bonus
- Betway Review
1-5 days
- BetVictor Benefits
- NFL Live Streaming
- Very reputable bookmaker
- Sharp odds for many sports
- BetVictor Review
1-5 Days
- William Hill Benefits
- Very experienced and trusted bookmaker
- Great betting odds across the board
- Complete range of sports and markets
- William Hill Review
4 days
- 888sport Benefits
- Lots of live streaming options
- Superb bookmaker interface
- Good sign-up bonus
- 888sport Review
2-7 days
- bwin Benefits
- Famous bookmaker
- Great online betting interface
- Awesome range of markets
- bwin Review
2-7 days
- Sportingbet Benefits
- Trustworthy online bookmaker
- Live streaming on the site
- Licensed and regulated in the UK
- Sportingbet Review
0-6 Days
- mr.play Benefits
- Packed schedule for live betting
- Multi-language site (English + 5 more)
- Mobile site optimized for easy navigation
- mr.play Review
Top 5 UK betting sites
UK sports bettors are spoilt for choice in 2024. Still, a handful of online bookies have risen to the top. The following bookmakers stand tall as our top five UK betting sites:
1. bet365
Bet £10, get £30 in free bets
Code: COVERS365
bet365 is a one-stop shop for most UK bettors thanks to its superb sports coverage, fantastic sports betting app, and consistently great odds. Simply put, bet365 is the quintessential bookmaker and one of the best political betting sites in 2024. Visit our bet365 review for more on the top UK betting sites, including how you can claim its latest welcome offer with our exclusive bet365 bonus code.
- App Store rating: 4.7 (iOS), 4.7 (Android)
- Sign-up bonus: Bet £10, get £30 in free bets
- Payout speed: 0-5 days
2. Betway
£10 in free bets
No code required
Betway is a bookmaker with a long track record in the UK. Its betting app features a clean interface, quick load times, and smooth navigation, ensuring bettors enjoy an optimal mobile wagering experience. Betway's “in-play” section is especially well done. Read our Betway review to learn more about one of the UK’s top bookmakers.
- App Store rating: 4.7 (iOS), 4.3 (Android)
- Sign-up bonus: £10 in free bets
- Payout speed: 1-5 days
3. BetVictor
Bet £5, get £30 in bonuses
No code required
One of the UK’s longest-tenured bookies, BetVictor is still going strong in 2024. With its simple and approachable sportsbook interface, BetVictor is one of the top UK betting sites for new sports bettors — and that’s taking nothing away from the bookmaker’s viability for experienced punters. With fair odds, 24/7 live chat, and horse racing markets, there’s lots to love about BetVictor. Learn more in our BetVictor review.
- App Store rating: 4.7 (iOS), 3.9 (Android)
- Sign-up bonus: Bet £5, get £30 in bonuses
- Payout speed: 1-5 days
4. William Hill
Bet £10, get £30 in free bets
No code required
William Hill is another experienced and reliable online bookmaker checking in with competitive odds and an excellent live betting section loaded with a wide range of popular markets. The nearly century-old company provides a robust online offering to UK bettors, complete with casino, poker, and horse racing. Visit our William Hill review page for more expert insight and analysis.
- App Store rating: 4.7 (iOS), 4.3 (Android)
- Sign-up bonus: Bet £10, get £30 in free bets
- Payout speed: 1-5 days
5. 888sport
Bet £10, get £30 in free bets
+ £10 casino bonus
888 brings customization to the forefront with its “Made For You” section, streamlining the online experience for active sports bettors. Its website and app are equal parts aesthetically pleasing and user-friendly, and a steady flow of sportsbook promos awaits users regardless of their chosen platform. Check out our 888sport review for a deeper dive into the UK betting site.
- App Store rating: 4.5 (iOS), 4.5 (Android)
- Sign-up bonus: Bet £10, get £30 in free bets + £10 casino bonus
- Payout speed: 4-8 days
Tips for choosing a bookmaker
- What do you need from a bookmaker? Everybody’s requirements differ. Which sport do you bet on most? Do you favour one particular market over all others? Does any bookie do a better job odds-wise with that sport or market than everyone else? If you prefer to bet on the go, then a solid mobile web or app experience is a must. Is streaming essential to you? Answering these questions will help you create a shortlist of bookmakers that will work for you.
- Do your research. Do not rush in. Take your time and carefully study our betting site reviews. Know a bookmaker but don’t see it on our recommended list? Then make sure to consult our blacklist to ensure it does not feature there and save yourself any future pain. Arm yourself with as much information as possible and make the right choice for you.
- Read the bonus terms and conditions. Everybody loves a bonus, and the bigger, the better. However, it is essential to read the fine print when it comes to sportsbook promos, particularly when it comes to understanding the minimum deposit, minimum bet, wagering requirement, and time limits.
- Check the withdrawal options and speed. Everybody wants to get their winnings paid out as quickly as possible, so before choosing a bookmaker, it is imperative to see what withdrawal options they offer and what processing time is involved.
Learn more
How we rate and review bookmakers
How we rate and review UK betting sites
Learn how we rate bookmakers
Covers BetSmart Rating
Covers has been running the rule over bookmakers for over a quarter of a century. During this period, we've honed our Covers BetSmart Rating to ensure that when you gamble at one of our recommended betting sites, you can be safe in the knowledge that it is reputable and legal. The main factors that go into a bookmaker's overall rating are bonuses and promotions, banking and payout speeds, key features, security and trust, and customer support.
We don’t limit our reviews to these five key criteria alone but instead, provide you with as much relevant and up-to-date detail as possible in order to help you choose the book best suited to your needs from our list of top online bookies. To that end, our team of experts does everything from signing up and funding an account to redeeming bonuses, placing bets, and withdrawing winnings. We test all features, so you don’t have to.
Learn how we rate bookmakersHow we rate UK betting sites
All bettors want their winnings quickly, so payout speed is an important factor in our evaluation process. We’re also looking for a wide range of sportsbook deposit and withdrawal options and limited payment restrictions.
While a big welcome bonus is always nice, we also check to ensure that the terms and conditions around it are fair. We also evaluate ongoing sports betting promos for existing customers.
This is a broad category, but we like to see sportsbooks that push the envelope to deliver an amazing experience to sports bettors. Some of the features we look for include sports betting apps, competitive odds pricing, a variety of betting markets, live betting, early cash out, streaming options, poker and casino offerings, and responsible gambling features.
With real money at stake, you need to know you’re depositing at a site you can trust. Before recommending any sportsbook, we’ll make sure they have a valid license for the jurisdiction from the appropriate regulators. We’ll also ensure the website is safe and secure so that your data is protected.
If an issue arises, you should be able to have it solved quickly and conveniently by a real person. We like to see different options to reach customer support and how quickly they resolve the issue.
While the five categories above are the basis for our sportsbook ratings, we dig deep and look at everything we possibly can at every online sportsbook we review; the sign-up process, verification process, limits, localization, VIP or loyalty program, and user experience.
Bonuses, free bets and promotions
Competition is tight among UK bookmakers in 2024, and we’re seeing online betting sites use the most common sportsbook sign-up bonuses to attract new customers. With so many different types of welcome offers, it’s important that you understand them so that you choose the offer that is right for you.
| Bonus | Description | Find this bonus at |
|---|---|---|
| Deposit Match |
These are the most popular bonuses awarded by bookmakers. Deposit match bonuses are usually given as a percentage of your first deposit. For example, get a 50% deposit match bonus up to £50. |
 MansionBet
|
| Bet Credits |
A bet credit is money added to your account that can be used to make a bet but can’t be withdrawn. You can, of course, withdraw any winnings made from bet credits. |
 bet365
|
| Free Bets |
Free bets, or bet tokens, work just like bet credit, where you're given non-withdrawable bonus money. Any winnings from a free bet are yours to keep. |
Betway
|
| Bet and Get |
Some online bookmakers will reward new bettors for making their first real money wager by offering free bets as a reward. For example, make a first bet of £10 and get £30 in free bets. |
William Hill
|
| Risk-Free Bet |
A risk-free bet works exactly how it sounds. If you win your risk-free wager, you keep the winnings just like any other bet. But if you lose the risk-free bet, the bookmaker will refund your stake up to the amount specified by the promotion. |
 Guts
|
| Backup Bet |
A backup bet is also known as a risk-free bet in the gambling industry. Make a wager according to the terms of the promotion and get your stake back if that bet loses. |
 Sportingbet
|
Best sports to bet on in the UK
Bettors in the UK wager on a wide range of sports, but these seven tend to pull in more bets than the others, with football being the undoubted king.
Betting on football, from the pitch to the pub, is front and centre with punters. While the Premier League drives plenty of action, these trusted soccer betting sites offer a huge menu of leagues and markets, including in-play betting and accumulators.
for Football:
NBA betting is well worth the late nights, when you can get bets down with the most trusted basketball betting sites on everything from point spreads to player props on the league’s biggest stars.
for NBA:
There’s no denying the global popularity of NFL betting. Sundays are quickly becoming a busy night for online betting, as football fans cash in on the hard-hitting action of the NFL. The best football betting sites are adding more features to meet the demand.
for NFL:
“America’s Pastime” is finding a home with sports bettors in the UK. MLB baseball betting is a great way to spend the summer months and the best baseball betting sites give you multiple markets to choose from, such as 5-inning odds and in-play betting.
for MLB:
Tennis betting is nearly a 365-day event, with tournaments happening every day around the world. If you love gambling on the ATP, WTA, and every tournament in between, you’ll want to make sure you’re playing at the best sports betting site for tennis odds.
for Tennis:
Take a swing at golf betting with tournaments on the board every week. The top players in the PGA and on the European Tour do battle year-round, and the best golf betting sites offer a wide array of odds that will have you hitting the green more than the golfers.
for Golf:
With daily betting at the track, horse racing betting sites are popular in the UK. Racing fans can find odds from the biggest local tracks as well as live horse racing betting from famous tracks around the globe.
for Horse racing:
Esports is one of the world's fastest growing sports leagues, meaning that esports betting is one of the hottest markets across UK sportsbooks in 2024. The top esports betting sites allow you to keep up with the virtual betting action.
for Esports:
Popular betting picks
Blacklisted sportsbooks
Covers takes pride in being the most trusted site for sports betting information and we want you to have the best experience wagering at safe online betting sites. So when a sportsbook doesn’t meet our standards, or when we get multiple reports of bad practices from our users, they end up on our blacklist.
- Allegations of withdrawal issues
- No license information available on site
- Poor customer service
- Multiple reports of slow payments
- Allegations of non-payments
- Risk of account closure simply for winning bets
- Reports of confiscated winnings
- Slow customer support response times
Regularly seen on
We have had our finger on the pulse of the sports betting industry for more than 25 years.
The bookmakers we recommend have been personally reviewed, rigorously curated, and frequently updated by our team of experts.
News outlets turn to Covers for our earned reputation as a trusted and authoritative source of sports betting information. These are among the notable publications and media outlets that have referenced Covers.com and our industry experts.
Quick facts: UK sports betting
Quick facts
| Legal betting age | 18 |
| Online sports betting | Yes ✅ |
| Betting shops | Yes ✅ |
| Online gambling regulator | UK Gambling Commission |
| Best UK betting site | ⭐bet365⭐ |
Best betting sites abroad
UK betting sites FAQ
Yes, online bookmakers are legal in the UK.
Our top UK betting site for 2024 is bet365. The rest of our favourite bookmakers are listed above. All have been reviewed and vetted using our trademarked Covers BetSmart System.
Our research has shown us that bet365, William Hill, and 888Sport consistently have some of the best odds in the UK. Best odds can vary by sport and even by game, however, which is why it is important to shop around before placing a bet.
Many online bookmakers in the UK accept PayPal, including bet365, Betway, William Hill, and many more. Check out the deposit options in our top listings above for more bookmakers that accept PayPal.
No, you don’t need to report sports bettings winnings in the UK if you are a casual gambler.
Football is definitely the most popular sport for UK punters to bet on. Horse racing, tennis, and the major U.S. sports are other popular options.
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