UK Betting Sites, Bonuses & Promotions!

Criteria Used to Find the Best UK Betting Sites

This was no mean feat by any stretch of the imagination. There are huge differences between online betting sites in more ways than even I imagined, below I’ll set out the 10 criteria used to rate and rank the bookmakers. All betting sites were rated on each set of criteria, their scores recorded and analyzed to make our list. While this may seem like a lot of fun to sign up, login and bet online everyday it really became a pain in the backside. Because I wanted the resukts to be completely legitimate I had to bet, claim the bonuses, test customer support, cashout, try different bets and much more. If you’re ready then I’ll explain the process used, be aware it’s quite a lot to read so have a cup of tea and perhaps a snack on standby.

UK Betting Site Legitimacy

Although things have changed quite a bit from the early days of online gambling, the unscrupulous still find away to make money illegally with scams, dodgy sites, cloned sites and so on. Quite clearly to make the best betting sites list each and every site needed to be fully licensed and regulated by a respected body and regulator. The UK Gambling Commission play a crucial role in this as they ensure each site they license and/or regulate adhere to a strict set of rules, and is regularly checked for compliance. You would be forgiven to believe that Ladbrokes or William Hill were UK companies based right here in Blighy. But you would be very wrong! The vast majority of betting sites and bookies are based off shore in the likes of Gibraltar or the Isle of Mann, i wonder why?! It’s only until recently that the UK government stepped up it’s demands on betting sites, casino, poker rooms and bingo sites to make them accountable. You may have noticed the strict rules now in place for offering bonuses where the t&c’s are being clearly displayed? this is the commission clamping down on misleading adverts and bookies who seemed to be targeting the vulnerable. Every bookie we tested got cross referenced with the UKGC to check it’s license was up to date and that no sanctions had been applied. A higher score was given to those actually based in the UK and any betting sites not licensed and regulated in the United Kingdom were thrown to one side. I can’t stress enough that this is the number 1 priority to look for when choosing an online bookmaker.

UK Betting Site Bonuses

Once we had the licensing and regulation out of the way we looked at sign up bonuses and incentives at the best UK betting sites. After all we are all after something for nothing especially when it sounds so good. When online betting was in it infancy offers were small. The big names such as ladbrokes, william hill and Betfred were slow to offer the best bonuses they could when people signed up. Casinos were a different beast, as were poker rooms but sports betting lagged behind on free money for signing up! The reason for this is because betting on football, horse racing, rugby, greyhounds, snooker or even tennis isn’t as profitable to the bookmaker as someone depositing and playing casino games for 5 mins. While this may be annoying we have to remember that bookmakers are businesses first and foremost, they do work out how much players value is for each of their platforms and give bonuses that are inline with each. 100% sign up offers for betting don’t exist. You can’t deposit £300 and get £300 extra to bet with. The numbers need to be smaller, this isn’t an issue as a recent move by the bookies is to give a certain amount of free bets to new customers who signup and place a bet. The normal sign up offers for bookmakers are aimed at getting you to deposit £10, which isn’t a great deal. It’s a nice amount for an accumulator or treble bet, but not sufficient for people who like to bet big. Free bets are the order of the day, so below are the top free bet offers from our favorite and most trusted online bookmakers. All have terms and conditions attached which you should read, but on the whole the free bet bonuses are a nice little perk, and should be claimed. At the end of the day, even if you win money which is classed as “free bets” it’s still adds to your betting bankroll to use for future, and at some point you will be able to cash it out and buy yourself or the wife a nice little treat.

Best Bookmakers Sign up Offers for 2024

1.

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Stake £10, Get £40 In Bonuses!

Bet Fred is the number one choice for online bookies. A true UK bookmaker who offers customers new and old a lot more than most.

Join now!T&Cs Apply 18+

New 18+ UK customers only. Register using the promo code WELCOME40, deposit and place first bet of £10+ on Sports (cumulative Evens+) within 7 days of registration. First bet must be on Sports. £30 in Free Bets and £10 in Free Spins (50x20p) credited within 10 hours of bet settlement. Free Bet stakes are not included in any returns. Bonuses have a 7-day expiry. Payment restrictions apply. SMS verification and/or Proof of I.D and address may be required. Full T&Cs apply.

2.

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Match 100% Matched Up To £30 Deposit Bonus

Join now!T&Cs Apply 18+

New UK & Ireland customers only. Min Deposit: £10. First deposit matched up to £30. 1 x wagering at odds of 1.75+ to unlock Free Bet. Credit Card, Debit Card & PayPal deposits only.

Online Bookmaker Bonus codes

The online bookies like to mix things up to see what offers attract the most new customers. Quite often they do this by dishing out bonus codes or promotional codes for special offers, and to launch a new sign up deal. Bonus codes are a good way to get a bigger free bet or bonus from online bookmakers. For this reason all our featured online bookmaker reviews show the most up to date and current bonus codes for you to use. We all like to bet right? One of the biggest advantages to betting online are the vast choice of betting bonuses available, this means free cash or special offers for YOU to take advantage of. The online bookies want YOU! It really is that simple, and to get you to join them they are willing to pay for the privilege. This gives us all a unique opportunity to pick and choose where we want to bet online, and the ability to change quickly to take advantage of a special promotion, bonus or offer often claim via a bonus or promo code. Important note: Not all bookmakers issue bonus codes, they will give your their latest promotion right on their own website. If this is the case we will ensure the deals we feature are the best and most current at all times.

Online Bookmaker Promotions

Have you ever walked into a high street bookies and hear “hello again, nice to see you here’s a free tenner for a bet?” I very much doubt it! But when you are signed up to an online bookmaker things are very different. The virtual shop fronts of the bookmakers are a lot cheaper to run than those on the high-street. City center rents and business rates are a killer, that’s why all the banks are shut! Bookies will follow suit soon enough and everything will move online. Because it’s more cost effective for the bookmakers to take bets online, they have more money left to reward players. That’s where their promotions come in to play.

Stake £10, Get £40 In Bonuses!

Bet Fred is the number one choice for online bookies. A true UK bookmaker who offers customers new and old a lot more than...

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Join now!T&Cs Apply 18+

New 18+ UK customers only. Register using the promo code WELCOME40, deposit and place first bet of £10+ on Sports (cumulative Evens+) within 7 days of registration. First bet must be on Sports. £30 in Free Bets and £10 in Free Spins (50x20p) credited within 10 hours of bet settlement. Free Bet stakes are not included in any returns. Bonuses have a 7-day expiry. Payment restrictions apply. SMS verification and/or Proof of I.D and address may be required. Full T&Cs apply.

Get £50 in free Bets

Titan Sports Bookmakers are a breath of fresh air, they are very rewarding and offer a whole host of sports to bet on - Mo...

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Join now!T&Cs Apply 18+

What promotions can i get?

The bookmakers use promotions for various reasons. Once they have you signed up and using their betting service they don’t want to lose you to someone else who you saw and decided to claim a bonus there as well. Promotions are just another tool in the arsenal of the bookies to keep us betting, and get new signups at the same time. Enhanced odds promotions – When major events come around such as the Cheltenham festival, grand national, world cup and so on, the bookies fire out huge odds to either keep you their or get new customers. While the enhanced odds bets are usually limited to maximum bet amount, and any winnings are in free bets they still attract new customers. Money Back promotions: these are most popular for events like the grand national. Money back if your horse falls is a common one. A great promotion, but it will be money back as a free bet not just your money back. And then if you win on your free bet, you might find you have win more free bets. However that said, they are worth taking advantage of if your betting for fun and not for living!

Being loyal to an online bookies might be better for you!

Betting on football, horse racing, darts or anything is awesome! We all know that…. but unlike any other form of online gambling (with the exception of bingo) it may be best to choose one online bookie, stay loyal, and ignore the free bet offers. Although you can benefit from sign-up bonuses and promotions with all of the top bookmakers, you will be rewarded with better odds and loyalty from a select few. If your winning punter why would you want a free £10 bet when you get get the best odds guaranteed, which in the long run is going to make you richer than any free bet offer every will. This whole concept is a contradiction of what this section was about “claiming bookies bonuses” but, it’s each to their own. Our words of wisdom are quite simple, ask yourself what’s more important to you? Guaranteed best odds for horse racing or football, or a £50 free bet from Ladbrokes?

Which is the best UK Bookmaker?

Just in case you have read enough and want to get started betting online, I’ll answer the question which is the best UK betting site now before carrying on with our criteria used. This was easy for us at Bet Sharks. One bookmaker offers everything we, and most people could every need. The best sign up bonus, the highest payouts on specific bets such as the lucky 15 bonus, accumulator insurance and more.

• They offer guaranteed bet odds, money back offers, constant rewards.
• You can bet on just about everything
• The have an online casino
• They have an online poker room
• They are known as “the bonus king” and for a very good reason

We would choose betfred over all other bookmakers and we have. All the bets we place at done with Fred, in our honest opinion no one else comes even close. Here’s a great example of why we love BetFred. the founder Fred Done from Salford in Manchester is a mad crazy Mun Utd fan, as are most people from Salford, it’s not their fault! A few years back Man Utd played that badly Fred paid back everyone who had placed a bet on Man Utd to win the league, saying they were rubbish! That would have netted them a huge profit, but instead he refunded them! The bonus king does these random acts now and again. But more importantly they offer all you will ever need.

Stake £10, Get £40 In Bonuses!

Bet Fred is the number one choice for online bookies. A true UK bookmaker who offers customers new and old a lot more than...

Review

Join now!T&Cs Apply 18+

New 18+ UK customers only. Register using the promo code WELCOME40, deposit and place first bet of £10+ on Sports (cumulative Evens+) within 7 days of registration. First bet must be on Sports. £30 in Free Bets and £10 in Free Spins (50x20p) credited within 10 hours of bet settlement. Free Bet stakes are not included in any returns. Bonuses have a 7-day expiry. Payment restrictions apply. SMS verification and/or Proof of I.D and address may be required. Full T&Cs apply.

Bet Specific Bonuses

Not all bookies are created equal! When it comes to bet specific bonuses you really do need to shop around, be smart and get the most for you money. While 1 bookmaker might give a great bonus on an Accumulator bet, they might have a bad deal when you place a lucky 15. By not choosing the bookmaker who offers the best bonuses and rewards on the specific bet you are going to place, you are wasting money. There is absolutely nothing wrong with having multiple betting accounts online. In fact it makes perfect sense to do so for this very reason. Below is a selection of bets you can place in the bookmakers on all sporting occasions. Whether its a football accumulator bonus, or a lucky 15 horse racing bonus you want. Just click the images to find the best available bonus for that bet. Let’s face it. The bookies have enough money – When we win, lets make sure we get the best possible bet return, and win the biggest possible from each bet we place. Check out all the best bet bonuses from trebles, lucky 15 bonuses, accumulator bonuses and insurance deals plus many more. Bet Specific Bonuses. The bookmakers who offered the best deals on multi bets such as lucky’s, yankees, Heinz and Acca’s scored higher in this test, we ranked them and moved on to our next test.

Bookies Banking – The Number 1 reason for Customer Complaints

Banking at the bookies is the major factor most people complain about. Having plenty of options to deposit and withdraw winnings is an issue, but slow withdrawals are a real annoyance. Not everyone likes to use a standard deposit or credit card. The bookmakers do try and offer as many options as they can to keep everyone happy, although this is an impossible task. With so many options to deposit and withdraw from your online betting account the bookies try to please as much as possible. With a selection now accepting paypal or boku to make sure they don’t miss out on new punters looking to bet online. We allocated each bookmaker a score depending on which banking options, and how many options they offered in order of popularity. These score for this specific criteria and all others we assigned were added together to give the overall top 10 UK bookies list.

Most popular UK betting site deposit and withdrawal methods

• Credit / debit cards
• Paypal
• neteller
• Skrill
• Paysafe Cards
• Boku – Pay by mobile

The bookmaker that has the most banking options = TitanBet

Get £50 in free Bets

Titan Sports Bookmakers are a breath of fresh air, they are very rewarding and offer a whole host of sports to bet on - More than their competition!

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Join now!T&Cs Apply 18+

Betting site deposit and withdrawal times

This is the section of a bookmakers that has the most complaints by far online. In all honesty the majority of complaints and unnecessary. Screaming on a forum because ladbrokes want you to send ID isn’t their fault, it’s a process that has to be done. When you win, you want your winnings. People are impatient and want it straight away, the banking system often doesn’t allow this and it’s not the bookmakers fault, it’s just the way it is. fastest way to cashout from a bookmaker is to choose one with a high street presence. You can withdraw your winnings in cash over the counter, if that’s not an option the best take around 24 hours for funds to hit your paypal, neteller or skrill accounts.

Mobile Betting Apps & Tools

It’s now the majority of bets placed at UK betting sites are done using a smartphone. This can either be via an app for ios or android or direct at the bookmakers compatible website. We are all so busy or pretending to be that we feel it necessary to do everything on our phones instantly. With that in mind we ranked the better sites on how well their mobile apps or software was on both iphones and android (Samsung) When you bet, you want to win! With that comes the need to work out how much you have won, or could win should your selections come up. For this we need tools such as a bet calculator so we can get exited about our possible riches to come. To be honest the bookies calculators weren’t really up to much so we made our own. Choose from the Bet Sharks BIG Bet Calculator: this betting calculator can be used to work out pretty much every bet you can place. It’s totally free to use and always will be. Or choose a bet calculator for your favourite kind of bet.

Betting Tools & Calculators

Bet Calculator Apps For Iphones

We are constantly striving to provide useful tools for our visitors. Our latest additions to the bet sharks bet calculators family are our bet calculator apps. At present they are available from the apple app store for iphones only, we do aim to release an android version in the coming weeks, so check back for that!

The most popular apps at present are the Accumulator Bet Calc App and the Lucky 15 Calculator App. You can see all the iphone apps on our betting apps page, or visit the app store to find them. We also have an odds converter free to use which lets you convert betting odds to and from decimal, moneyline and fractions.