Best PayPal Betting Sites

There are a number of different ways in which punters can deposit and withdraw to their accounts and here at BettingOdds.com we've outlined the best bookmakers to bet with using PayPal.

Introduction to PayPal Betting Sites

Founded in 1998 by Max Levchin, Luke Nosek, and Peter Thiel, PayPal started out as Confinity, a company that developed security software. After switching focus to payment systems and merging with X.com, part-owned by Elon Musk, Confinity became PayPal in 2001. With Peter Thiel as CEO, it went public with the new name and leadership a year later in 2002. 

It wasn’t long after this that PayPal was purchased by eBay for $1.5bn worth of its own stock, and soon became synonymous with eBay purchases, accounting for over 70% of payment transactions on the online selling platform. Following many well-selected acquisitions — including VeriSign in 2005 for $370m to boost security support, and Fraud Sciences in 2008 for $169m — PayPal secured its dominance in the e-wallet industry.

PayPal was spun out from eBay in 2015, with Dan Schulman taking on the role of CEO and former eBay CEO, John Donahoe, standing as Chairman. It now operates as the most popular e-wallet payment solution available, completing transactions for its almost 250 million customers in over 200 countries and in more than 25 different currencies. 

In terms of features, PayPal allows for transactions to be completed without sharing personal bank account details with the merchant. Through a simple email activation, a payment can be passed across from your e-wallet via your connected bank account. Taking things a step further, PayPal now offers a buy now, pay later option with certain transactions. It’s also possible to pay with cryptocurrencies, and you can even apply for a PayPal credit or debit account. 

Naturally, this level of flexibility is one of the reasons why PayPal is often the favoured e-wallet option for over 300 online betting sites in the UK.

Best PayPal Betting Sites

Lots of different sites offer PayPal Betting giving customers the ability to deposit and withdraw via this method. Here are some of the best bookmakers that we enjoy using. 

Betway - Why we would recommend 

• Excellent app design and navigation
• Comprehensive range of in-play markets
• Bet Builder feature
• Excellent sign-up offer

PayPal Betting Offers

At online betting sites you’re going to come across a varied range of offers and bonuses for both new and existing customers. Let’s take a look at some of those found most commonly at the best PayPal betting sites. 

Free Bets

Naturally, free bets are exactly what they sound like, and you may see a free bets sign up offer for new customers written as ‘Bet £10, get £30 in free bets’. There will be terms and conditions attached, such as time limits associated with how long the free bets are valid for, maximum winning caps, and sometimes even restrictions on which sports they can be used on. 

Free bets are regularly associated with cashback bonus offers, and they’re often used as a currency in place of withdrawable cash. This means that if you lose your bet with a cashback offer, you will be paid back in the form of free bets or credit on your account. While they can’t be withdrawn, they allow you to at least have another go without spending more cash.

Matched Deposits

A PayPal betting site will regularly offer some form of matched deposit offer to new customers. What this means is that it will match your initial deposit by a certain percentage up to a certain amount. For example, you may see it written like ‘100% up to £100’ which means that any deposit you place, up to £100, will be matched by the online bookmakers, doubling your bankroll. 

These are a nice sweetener for joining a new site, however you should be mindful of the terms and conditions attached. They will vary from site to site, and contain requirements that always significantly limit your chances of landing any withdrawable winnings from your bonus. As such, it’s important to see offers, such as matched deposits, as a way of trying out a new site to see if it’s the right one for you, or to have a bit of fun without the cash element. These terms and conditions can include things such as wagering requirements that denote the amount of times a bonus must be played through before a withdrawal can be made. For example, if you accept a 100% bonus up to £100 with a wagering requirement of x35, this means you will be wagering £3,500 (100 x 35) before you can withdraw anything associated with the bonus. 

Cashback

Cashback offers take the edge off a lost bet by returning a proportion of your wager to you in bet credits. While the name suggests you will gain something back in the form of cash, it’s highly unlikely to be the case.

They are a great opportunity to soften the blow of a loss, but naturally they come with stipulations attached. Among other conditions, a bettor may find there are minimum odds requirements, maximum stake eligibility, specified markets and betting types the cashback can be used in. 

PayPal Betting Site Features

With ever-growing competition, it’s important that a sportsbook offers as many additional features as possible. With the best PayPal betting sites, you can regularly find the latest technology, features and betting opportunities around, so let’s now take a look at some of the most popular ones available.

Live Streaming

Nowadays, many of the best PayPal betting sites offer live streaming of sporting events. What this means for the punter is an opportunity to watch a game live, via the sportsbook site itself, without having to subscribe to a TV sports package. 

All you usually need to do to access a live-streamed game is set up an account with your chosen PayPal betting site and make an initial deposit. It’s often the case that live streaming and in-play betting go hand in hand – watching a match, getting a feel for who may win, who may score, or even which side will achieve more free kicks, is inherently beneficial for guessing how things might turn out. The best PayPal betting sites do not usually charge customers for live streaming a match. As long as you have an in-credit betting account, there should be no charges to watch a game. 

In-Play Betting and Cash Out

In-play betting, also referred to as live betting, is the act of making bets while a game is in progress. This can be a particularly exciting way of betting as it’s usually associated with watching a match at the same time, getting an understanding of the players or teams, and predicting what may happen in the remaining minutes. 

The majority of betting markets instantly become in-play when the whistle blows for the start of a game, however there are quite a few options that are solely in-play opportunities. This includes bets on:

• Next player to score
• Next player to get booked
• Who will win the current half
• Who will be substituted during that half

Cashing out lets you settle a bet while it’s on to win, albeit with a reduced payout on what you’d land if the result played out. Perhaps you have a feeling that things are going downhill for the favourite and you want to cash out your potential winnings before the result goes against you.

Bet Editing

Bet editing is the ability to amend a bet once it’s already been placed. Perhaps you want to add to your acca, or remove something that suddenly doesn’t seem so likely to pay off – this is where bet editing comes into play. Usually available as both a pre-match and in-play option, this feature is technically the cancelling of one bet, cashing out, and immediate placing of another. So be mindful that you may negate or invalidate any associated bonus offer by cashing out midway. Plus, of course, there are variations from site to site, with some offering just the chance to decrease a current bet, whereas others will allow for additions to be made to your betslip.

Live Odds

Live odds are what a bookmaker offers to bettors during in-play betting, and they’re not available for wagers placed pre-match. They are as they sound: live and therefore liable for fluctuation as the game progresses. Live odds are calculated using complex computer systems, or quite often traders working as odds compilers who calculate the price of a bet depending on the current situation in the game. Typically associated with football, punters might want to take advantage of live odds if something dramatic occurs mid-match. Perhaps a player has had a few near misses and you can sense he’s going to score – this is when live odds come into play, and you can check the odds value and place your bet while the game is in play. 

Request a Bet

Also known as a bet builder, request a bet is a system that allows punters to request a certain, unique bet via a hashtag on Twitter. The best PayPal betting sites all have unique hashtags that will alert them to the request, where they will then calculate and offer odds to that individual. Naturally, with a one off bet, you may be more likely to encounter higher prices than if you pick an already advertised selection of odds, however if you really have your heart set on backing a certain outcome, then requesting a bet may be your only option. Starting out as a phenomenon unique to SkyBet with #RequestABet, other bookmakers have tagged onto the idea. Ladbrokes goes with #GetAPrice, and PaddyPower opts for #WhatOddsPaddy, to name just a couple. 

Virtual Sports 

Another PayPal betting option is that of virtual sports. Virtual sports are fixed odds events and matches that use a random number generator (RNG) to decide the outcome. Bookies can neither know the result in advance, nor influence the outcome of a match. Despite being virtual, punters see the same result no matter where they are in the world, and equally the outcome is always the same for everyone. Games are typically a lot shorter than in real life – for example, football matches last a matter of minutes, which means you find out the results a lot quicker. In addition, there is no seasonal play like in real life games, so virtual sports are available all year round. 

Alternatives to PayPal

If PayPal doesn’t float your boat, there are many alternatives to choose from. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular options. 

Neteller – one of the closest matches to PayPal in terms of service, Neteller is an e-wallet set up in 1999. It hosts millions of customers around the globe and supports over 22 currencies. While it offers great levels of security and transaction speeds, Neteller is often excluded from betting site bonuses so be sure to read through the offer’s T&Cs carefully if this is your preferred payment method. 

Skrill – with headquarters in London, Skrill provides a global e-wallet service that supports over 40 currencies. It’s free to set up, however there may be fees associated with withdrawals made through Skrill. Similarly to Neteller, Skrill is largely excluded from bonuses and offers so check through T&Cs before making your deposit. 

Visa – Visa debit card is still one of the most popular payment options, providing simple withdrawal and deposit options that are available at virtually every online casino and sportsbook around the world. Nevertheless, withdrawing from a betting site via Visa can be one of the slowest methods around, unless you are eligible for Visa Fast Funds, in which case you will have access within just a few hours at fast payout betting sites.   

Mastercard – much like Visa, MasterCard is another hugely popular payment method at UK betting sites, with millions of customers worldwide enjoying its services. It’s almost certain that any betting site you choose will accept a MasterCard deposit. Mastercard has a high level of security, and it’s rarely, possibly never, excluded from a betting bonus. 

Trustly – using an Open Banking method of transaction, Trustly is possibly one of the most secure methods of depositing available as there’s no need to share your banking details beyond Trustly’s highly-secure platform. Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Trustly is relatively new to the UK but it’s gained a huge amount of popularity in other countries, such as Sweden where it was originally founded. 

Paysafecard – Paysafecard acts as a deposit method but isn't viable for withdrawals. Purchased from physical stores as cards with set values, you simply input your Paysafecard PIN into the online bookie by way of deposit. It’s probably the best way of keeping a close eye on your gambling balance because once you have spent the money on your card, there’s no way of depositing any more without topping it up or buying a new card. Similarly, there’s no need to hand over any of your personal information during deposit, so it’s great for the security conscious. 

Compare and Select One of the Best PayPal Betting Sites

Now you know everything you need to know about betting with PayPal, take a look through our suggested betting sites and compare what each has to offer. Once you’ve decided which best suits your needs, click through and accept your welcome offer!

Frequently Asked Questions About PayPal