Best Football Betting Sites in the UK: September 2023

Compare the best football betting sites and their welcome offers quickly and easily at BettingOdds.com.

Our detailed rankings provide all the essential details for each of the bookies we recommend, and you can dive deeper with our quick reviews below.

Looking for the latest odds? Head to our football odds page to find the best price for your next bet.

Our Top Football Betting Site Recommendations - September 2023

Top Football Betting Sites Reviewed

SBK 

Launched in 2019 and aiming to rewrite sports betting with a fresh new approach, SBK is an app-only sportsbook available for Android and iOS. The idea behind the app is to provide punters with access to better odds for their bets courtesy of the bookie’s links with the Smarkets betting exchange. There’s also a unique social aspect to SBK, so if you fancy exchanging tips with other punters, this is the place to be. As a new customer, you’ll get 3 x £10 free bets when you download the app and bet at least £10. 

bet365 

bet365 may not have the flashiest website around but that doesn’t stop it from being a top pick for online football bettors. When it comes to perks, top of the pile is the ongoing 2up early payout offer, which pays out single bets as winners if your team goes two goals up at any stage of the game, regardless of the final match result. There are loads of other perks at bet365, including boosted odds on all the big games, up to 70% football accumulator bonus, a bore draw money back offer, and a bet builder available on up to 12 selections. 

BetVictor 

BetVictor offers a choice of welcome bonuses, with a couple of the picks of particular interest to football bettors. There’s a simple bet £5 to get a £10 free bet offer, which allows you to get involved for minimal outlay, as well as a specific football sign-up deal, which hands out 4 x £10 football Bet Builders when you bet £20 or more on any football market. To get your hands on more freebies, you can join the BV Loyalty Club. This exclusive club pays out a free bet between £1 and £25 each week when you bet 5 x £5 on any sport. 

Betfred 

Like most top bookies, Betfred has a dedicated page for football betting, and you’ll find this well organised with tabs to help you switch between in-play betting, football competitions, coupons, and TV matches. There’s also a scroller at the top of the page to keep you up to speed with all the latest football betting offers, as well as special prices on #PickYourPunt bets like Both Teams To Score in Both Halves in the Juventus v Sevilla match. Grab £30 in free bets when you sign up and bet £10 and a £5 free bet when you stake £20 Monday to Thursday. 

William Hill

I’m a huge fan of William Hill’s Build #YourOdds feature, where punters send their prospective bets through to William Hill’s Twitter account. You can combine a number of selections from multiple markets and matches, rolling the odds into one bet slip. This takes football betting to an elite level, offering customers free rein over how they’d like to bet. 

£30 worth of free bets are available to new bettors signing up to the site, and accumulators will receive boosted football odds once per day. And if live streaming is your thing, you can access William Hill TV provided you have funds in your account.

Unibet

Do you enjoy having your football odds boosted? Look no further than Unibet, where the Uniboost feature enhances the odds on bet builders and accas once every day. And for any major footballing event, Unibet will consistently boost odds on a number of high-profile matches.

There’s a phenomenal £200 reward scheme to members who successfully refer a friend, plus a £40 insurance bet on your first wager at the site, which is returned as free bets. 

BoyleSports

This football betting site has recently added a live streaming string to its bow, which is available to anyone with an active account. BoyleSports likes to take care of its acca fans in particular: accumulator odds can be boosted by up to 100%, there’s acca insurance in place when one leg lets you down, and you’ll receive a £5 free acca bet for every five accas that you place. 

New members at BoyleSports can claim £25 worth of free bets when they sign up and wager £10 of their own. In the hunt for some football betting specials? At the time of my review, BoyleSports was running special promos on the opening run of Premier League fixtures for Arsenal, Chelsea, Man United, Man City, Liverpool, Tottenham and Newcastle. 

BetUK

Deposit and place a minimum bet of £10 within seven days of opening your BetUK account and you’ll receive £30 worth of free bets. Beyond this, there are lots of ways you can make your football bets stretch a little further, including joining the acca club for regular £5 free bets. During my review, BetUK was running a bet builder promotion on the women’s World Cup – you can expect similar types of rewards for any major footballing event. 

SpreadEX

I like the way SpreadEX presents its football betting markets, organising them into UK, European, global, international, women’s football, and live streaming categories. This football betting site also includes an unusual range of wagering options I’ve not seen at other bookmakers, including markets such as corner supremacy, penalty performance, and those that focus on the shirt numbers of the goalscorers in the match. These are all welcome additions to the football betting experience. As you’d expect from one of our recommended football bookies there’s fantastic coverage of all the major leagues and competitions, as well as those you’ve likely never heard of, such as the Arabian Gulf Cup. Sign up and bet £25 and you’ll double your money in bonus funds. 

Betway

New customers at Betway will receive a free bet worth up to £30 if their first £5 minimum acca loses. This football betting site doubles up as an online casino and will also chuck 50 free spins on Big Bass Bonanza as part of the package. You can also join the Betway free bet club when you wager £25 at odds of 2/1 or more, generating a £10 free bet for the following week. You’ll find a dedicated odds boosts section within the football category, offering price slashes on upcoming football markets. At the time of my review, Betway was accepting bets placed on football taking place in 82 different countries stretching from Rwanda to the Faroe Islands. 

Parimatch

Parimatch looks to tempt new customers to sign up by offering massively enhanced odds on certain markets. For example, at the time of my review, Man United were 40/1 to beat Brighton in the Premier League – those odds were of course reserved for first-time bettors at the site, but it’s an interesting way of incentivising new members. That’s not all you’ll receive as a new customer either, with £30 in free bets to use on football markets offered to those who sign up and wager £10 of their own. The Parimatch Hat-Trick Hunt also invites punters to predict the precise score of three Premier League games in a round of fixtures; it’s completely free to play, with one correct answer rewarding you with a £1 free bet, two correct answers dishing out £2, and all three correct answers an impressive £50. All of this and more is available on the Parimatch mobile app, which in my eyes makes it one of the best football betting sites around.

Virgin Bet

You’ll receive £20 in free bets from Virgin Bet when you sign up and wager your first £10. After this you can decide whether you want to opt-in to other football betting promotions: a £5 free bet when you wager £10 on any football event, and a £10 free accumulator wager when you place two £10 accas yourself. There were loads of odds boosts on Premier League games during the time of my review, as well as a host of daily specials that venture outside of standard football bets. 

How We Rank the Best Football Betting Sites

To find the best football betting options, we put sites through their paces, looking for the best bits as well as areas that could be improved within their football betting offering. Our approach to football betting site reviews allows us to recommend the top bookies and give you the full picture when we do. Here’s what we look for: 

• Licensing and Safety – A no-brainer. To feature on BettingOdds.com, football betting sites must hold a licence from the UK Gambling Commission. That licence tells us that sites offer a safe and fair platform for football bettors. There won’t be any funny business with these bookies, and the UKGC has got your back if there is. 
• Welcome Bonus – The best football betting sites offer welcome bonuses such as no deposit free bets and Bet 10 Get 30 offers that are valid on their football markets. We dig deep into the offer T&Cs, checking out the minimum deposit, expiry times, wagering requirements and more to make sure that bonuses give you a reasonable shot at cashing out.
• Choice of Markets – It’s fun to tip a Premier League winner but top bookies offer action on a huge variety of football betting markets, and on both domestic and international games. At top sites, you can bet on Messi scoring for PSG just as easily as you can bet on van Dijk picking up a red card for Liverpool.
• Competitive Odds – Bettors always want to get the best odds for their bets, and top football betting sites often go all out to offer the most competitive football odds. During big-ticket events like the World Cup, bookies often compete to offer the best price on an England victory through offers like price-boosts. 
• Extra Features – Top online bookmakers are keen to provide the best experience for punters, often coming dressed to impress with features that are both useful and engaging for football bettors. We look out for sites that go the extra mile with additions like free bet clubs, goal giveaways, live betting markets, and custom bet builders. 
• Payment Methods – Punters usually have a favourite payment method, so the best football bookies offer plenty of options. We check out the cashier page to ensure you’ll have trusted banking options like debit cards, e-wallets, Trustly, and Paysafecard available to you when betting on the football.
• Customer Support – Encountering major issues at top football betting sites is unlikely but having a question is entirely possible. When we review football bookmakers, we always give the customer support options the once-over. Alongside detailed FAQs, the best sites offer a mix of live chat, email, and social media support.

Types of Football Betting Bonuses

Bookmaker sign-up offers are designed to attract new customers, so they often feature generous max bonus amounts. There are lots of different new account deals up for grabs, but we’ve rounded up some of the most common new customer betting offers below: 

Free Bet

Most sites will allow customers who sign up for a new account to redeem a free bet on the football. However, sometimes there are limitations on the markets which can be used to redeem it. Some operators will only allow users to redeem a free bet on outright markets, like match result or player to score rather than an accumulator or bet builder. Minimum odds are also a commonly found term when redeeming a free bet for the football.

Matched Deposit

Matched deposits are usually reserved for online casinos but you do occasionally see them offered at football betting sites. These bonuses see the bookmaker match a percentage of your deposit up to a specified limit. For example, you might receive a 50% match up to £20; in this instance, a £20 deposit would generate an additional £10 of bonus funds on behalf of the bookie, giving £30 in total. Watch out for conditions such as minimum odds, winning caps, time limits and wagering requirements. 

Risk-Free Bet

Some online bookies go down the route of offering new customers a risk-free bet or bet builder for using on the football. Bet365's Goal Giveaway is a popular example, with free bet returns varying on how many goals are scored in matches assigned to a user through a completely free-to-play opt-in game. Sky Bet often offers users a completely free £1 bet builder for a featured Premier League game being shown on Sky Sports.

Welcome Bonus

Every bookmaker will offer new customers a welcome package when they first sign up. These can take many different forms, but free bets are the most common offer for betting sites. Which terms and conditions you need to watch out for will depend on the offer, but remember to opt-in if required and to use a bonus code if there is one. 

Money Back Offer

Money back offers act as a kind of insurance policy on your bet. For example, many football betting sites offer your stake back if the match you’ve bet on ends 0-0, or if that player you’ve bet on is substituted before half-time. 

Enhanced Odds

Enhanced odds bonuses are generally reserved for pre-match markets, offering potentially huge boosts on specific bets. You’ll see these regularly offered at all football betting sites, particularly in the build-up to a major sporting event. Parimatch’s new customer offer of 40/1 on United to beat Brighton is a good example of this.

Loyalty Bonuses

The best bookmakers will offer loyalty bonuses to football fans who consistently place bets at the site. Again, these can take many different forms, but free bets tend to be how they’re delivered.

Bonus Terms and Conditions

Whether it’s a free bet or a risk-free punt, new customer offers almost always come with wording like full T&Cs apply.

The small print varies but often goes beyond having to opt-in or enter a promo code. For example, many deals exclude deposits made with certain payment methods, while minimum bets and minimum odds also show up regularly.

Market restrictions relating to how you use free bets are reasonably rare but will get an outing during popular tournaments like the Euros or the World Cup. In those exciting times, you’ll see lots of welcome bonuses tweaked to hand out targeted freebies.

The Best Football Betting Sites for Mobile

Placing bets on your desktop computer is great fun but the experience on mobile is often better still. Most bookies offer a mobile version of their online sites, where you can access all the same features. However, the benefits of mobile betting sites go beyond the chance to bet on the same football games as you can on a PC. The biggest draw here is that you can have a punt not only whenever you like, but also wherever you might be. 

In addition to mobile betting sites, top bookies like Bet365, and Unibet also offer a native app. Mobile apps are usually available for both Android and iOS, coming tailored to the respective tech for a smooth experience on your mobile phone or tablet. Additional advantages of betting apps come courtesy of improved security and optional push notifications that can send all the latest bonus codes directly to your home screen. 

A word of caution about mobile betting apps — unfettered access to real money betting may lead to longer or more frequent gambling sessions than planned. Please gamble responsibly and head to problem gambling organisations like begambleaware.org if you need support. 

Payment Methods at Football Betting Sites UK

While high street bookies like Coral and Ladbrokes can complement their cashier pages with over-the-counter services, football betting sites usually offer online payment options only. There’s plenty of choice in this regard, so you should have no worries finding trustworthy banking methods for depositing and getting paid out on your winning football bets. Here are some of the most common options:

• Debit Cards – Visa and Mastercard debit cards top the list of payment options, offering instant deposits and near-guaranteed bonus eligibility. Payout times aren’t always so impressive, sometimes taking as long as five days or more. However, some betting sites offer Visa Fast Funds, which can speed up payout times to as little as 30 minutes after internal processing following the final whistle. 
• PayPal – PayPal allows you to deposit at betting sites by typing in little more than your email address. You can avoid sharing sensitive financial information this way, making PayPal not only a convenient banking option but also a secure one. PayPal also offers instant deposits and speedy withdrawals but won’t always be eligible for football bonuses. 
• Skrill – Betting sites often include the Skrill e-wallet as a choice on the banking page. The benefits of Skrill are rather like what you can expect from PayPal, though a notable extra here is the Skrill prepaid Mastercard. If there’s a downside to Skrill, it’s that this e-wallet is often excluded from football bonus offers and promotions — far more so than PayPal. 
• Neteller – Another popular e-wallet available as a deposit method at many football betting sites is Neteller. Again, there isn’t a huge amount of difference in terms of this e-wallet’s functionality from others on the market, though Neteller may have the edge for bankroll management thanks to the availability of virtual cards. Like other e-wallets, bonus eligibility can be a bit hit and miss. 
• Trustly – Using open banking technology, Trustly allows you to make betting site deposits directly from your bank account. There’s no need to use a debit card, share your bank account details, or open a Trustly account. Just select Trustly as your payment method, confirm your deposit via your bank, and you’re good to go. Trustly often qualifies for football bonuses, works for payouts, and is fee-free too. 
• Paysafecard – One of the best-known prepaid cards, Paysafecard is not a physical card, but rather a paper voucher sold at select land-based stores. Each voucher bears a 16-digit code, rather like a debit card, which you type into the cashier page to make your deposit. Paysafecard is a convenient option for cash bettors but doesn’t work for payouts and rarely qualifies for football promos. 
• Pay by Mobile – Services like Boku and Payforit allow you to charge betting site deposits for the football to your mobile phone bill. The only thing you need is a UK mobile phone number. Pay by phone services rarely qualify for bonuses, don’t offer withdrawals, and hold limited appeal for high rollers due to transaction limits. For casual bettors, this service offers a quick and easy option for small deposits.

Football Betting and Responsible Gambling

Football betting is an exciting way to enhance your experience of the match. However, it's important to always gamble responsibly and ensure that betting remains fun and doesn't become problematic. Here are some responsible gambling tips to keep in mind:

• Set a budget and stick to it — All UKGC-licensed betting sites have on-site limiters that can be enforced either by budget or time spent on site. Making use of these is critical, helping to avoid the scenario of chasing losses. 
• Only gamble with money you can afford to lose — You should never borrow or steal money to gamble, nor gamble beyond your reasonable means. If you are, this is a sign that problem gambling habits are forming. 
• Take regular breaks and don’t chase losses — Without taking regular breaks from gambling, it becomes easier to detach from reality and make impulsive decisions. You’re never guaranteed a win in gambling, so chasing losses is an application of flawed logic. 
• Never gamble when under the influence of drugs or alcohol — When we take drugs or consume alcohol, our ability to make clear decisions is severely impeded, so you should never bet when in this condition. This rule applies to any extreme emotional state, such as betting when angry, frustrated, or sad.
• Don’t let gambling interfere with your personal or professional life — Neglecting personal, professional, or social responsibilities in favour of gambling is one of the major warning signs of problem gambling. 
• Keep track of your gambling activities — It’s important to know exactly how much you’re spending on gambling. Make regular checks on your betting account history and weigh up the totals – betting sites have tools that help you do this.
• Educate yourself on the signs of problem gambling — Gambling addiction is a mental illness – a topic of conversation many of us don’t enjoy having. It’s therefore vital that you educate yourself about gambling’s harms and how they manifest in human behaviour – not just for your own good, but for those around you too. 
• Use the responsible gambling tools offered by online bookies — There are tools offered by bookmakers that help punters stick to responsible gambling practices, such as on-site limiters and self-exclusion tools. No matter how much you gamble, you should always make use of these. 

If you feel that you or someone you know is struggling with problem gambling, there are several organisations that can offer help and sport. These include GamCare, BeGambleAware, and the Freephone 24-7 National Gambling Helpline (0808 8020 133). 

Frequently Asked Questions