UK Sportsbook reviews
Picking a bookmaker online is not always an easy task. Sports betting is enormously popular in the UK today. With such a huge market, there are literally hundreds of sportsbooks available only, so finding the right one for you can be a daunting task.
Bet.xyz makes your selection process much easier. We’ve tried and tested most bookmakers in the UK today. By using our site to compare UK sportsbook you’ll quickly be able to filter out the sports books that suit you. We only recommend sports betting sites that are licensed by the UKGC (United Kingdom Gambling Commission). That way you can always sure that the sites you try through us are safe, reliable and regulated.
When reviewing a bookmaker, we take a close look at several key factors that are important to us. These things include:
- Website Design & Usability
- Bonuses and Promotions
- Mobile & Tablet Compatibility
- Sports & Betting Selection
- Payment Alternatives
- Responsible Gaming
- Customer Support
We test all of these things individually and round it up to a total score between 1-5. We try to be as objective as we can when giving the total score. But since everyone has individual preferences in sports betting, we can recommend that you read the full review of a sportsbook before you sign up. That way, you’ll get all the information that you need. Our reviews are always long, but that’s just because we want to make sure we include everything – to give you the full picture. However, you can always check out our lists to start off with, which will give you the key features of each sportsbook.
The best bonuses and free bets at UK sportsbooks
With sports betting being such a huge market in the UK, there are a huge number of sportsbooks out there. The competition between them is fierce. A good thing is that they will all compete for new players. They often do so by giving out lucrative bonus offers and free bets for new players, and you can use this to your advantage.
Playing with a good bonus means that you will get more value for your money, and a higher change of making a profit on your bets. If you are serious about sports betting, finding the right bonuses and free bets is key, as they will give you an edge and better chances of winning money when you play at a sportsbook.
We are always on the look out to find the latest and greatest sports betting bonuses available at UK operators. We compile all the best offers in a list, and our visitors can then easily find a suitable offer and start playing straight away. We strive to be the leading sports betting portal on the market, and to always be up to date with the latest bonus promotions available to UK players. The easiest way to find a sports betting offer that suits you, is to use our lists of recommended operators. Here you’ll get a quick overview of what all the UK licensed sportsbooks are currently offering, as well as their main features. If you want to get more in-depth information, you can jsut click on through to the review of the bookmaker you are interested in.
One of the most important things to consider when playing with a bonus offer, is the terms and conditions. All bonuses these days comes with a certain set of terms, and these can differ quite a lot from one offer to another. Therefore, it’s important that you always read through these before you start playing, and make sure to read through it properly. We agree that this might not be the most fun thing to do, but it can save you a lot of work and pain down the road, should you ever run into any problems with your bonus.
We find the best sports betting welcome bonus offers, along with promotions available to existing players – and everything in between. If you’re a player looking to get the most value for your money in sports betting, Bet.xyz is the only place you need to look.
UK Sportsbooks News
Check out the latest news from the sports betting world in our News-sections. We bring you weekly updates of exciting campaigns, new bonuses and promotions and much more.
Getting started with sports betting
If you’re interested in online gaming, but want to start with something that offers game analysis then sports betting may just be of interest to you. Many people consider sports betting to be one of the easiest forms of betting as it is also beginner-friendly, once you get a hang on a few basics. Naturally, if you are already interested in sports, getting started with sports betting is going to be easy peasy. The relatively straightforward nature of UK sports betting is what makes it very popular.
New sports betting sites are also being created to cater to the growing market demand. There’s probably a new sportsbook launching every week in the UK. With sports betting, your aim is basically to predict the outcome of a sports event and place a bet depending on what you think is going to happen. If you predict correctly, you win money. If your prediction is wrong, you lose money. You can make money on sports betting sites, even if you don’t have an interest in a particular sport, but apt at research, allowing you to bet on sports like Horse racing, Darts, Formula 1 and Rugby Union matches. Keep in mind though, that in order to be successful over a long period of time, you will really need to dedicate quite a lot of time in to your research and preparations.
The main reason why sports betting is easy is that to get started, players don’t need to know anything other than the basics. On the surface, sports betting is a straightforward concept, and you can learn the basics of a particular type of sports betting in just a few minutes. If you’re interested in football for example, make sure to check out our football betting tips for all the info you need.
However, some aspects of sports betting can be a bit more complicated. If you are looking to place regular bets and make consistent wins and long term profits, there are some essential things you need to know. And since you are going to putting your money on the line, the more you know, the better. You need to get a solid feel for how this whole industry works, even if you only plan to bet now and then for fun. Always make sure to be focused when betting on sports.
Sports betting wagers – Various types of bets
Besides the simplicity of online sports betting, it is also an appealing form of gambling because of all the sports betting offers available. Players can bet on any sport, game, league, or competition. So whether you are a fan of Golf, Volleyball, Hockey, Eurosport, combat sports, the Rugby league, Snooker or Motorsport, you can always find opportunities in which you can place a winning wager. To learn more about a certain sports category, you can check out our betting guides and tips. For example, we have a section full of golf betting tips!
The simplest type of wager is the win bet or Moneyline bet. This type of bet simply predicts which side will win the game, without any handicap. For example, if tomorrow’s game is a European football championship Arsenal vs Chelsea game, with Arsenal on the money line, you would wager, say, £20 to win £10. This would be represented on the site as 1-2, or -200. This would be because the bookmakers think that Arsenal has a better chance of winning the game.
Most new players tend to stick solely to this type of wager, and when you think of it, you don’t really need that much more. However, several other types of wagers offer a better chance of making more consistent wins. Some of these wager types are simple, but most are a bit complex and most of them have multiple names. If you’re looking to learn more about sports betting, make sure to read through this guide as we have all the information you need to become a fully fledged sports betting expert.
To get you started, we’ve compiled a list, along with explanations of some of the common bets and wagers you can make when you are betting on sports. This way, if you’re a beginner, you can get a clear overview of the many different options. It will also help you form an opinion on which types of wagers might be suited for your own personal style. So make sure to take 5 minutes and read through our explanations below, as this will give you a good foundation to get started from.
Other types of wagers
Handicapping
Handicapping refers to a wager that is very similar to point spread sports betting. Points are deducted or awarded to teams, not to make them equal favourites, but to provide players with more options. Handicapping gives players better opportunities to win at sports betting, but reduces the odds, or improves the odds, but reduces your chances of winning.
For example, if today’s game is between Wolves and Leicester, the bookmaker might offer the following handicaps for Southampton:
Leicester +1: 1.30
Leicester -1: 5.33
Leicester -2: 13.00
Wagering on Leicester +1 means that they would have been awarded an extra goal for sports betting purposes. The bookmaker, therefore, reduces the odds lower than those for wagering on Leicester on the standard win draw market, as they are more likely to win with this “extra goal.” Wagering on Leicester -1 means that they’d be deducted a goal, and sports betting on them -2 means that the bookmakers would have deducted two goals. The odds for these two wagers are higher than wagering on Leicester on the standard win draw market, as the chances of them winning with goals are significantly lower.
Total scores
Sometimes a player might root for both teams and bet on the overall score. You can bet on whether the score will be over or under a specific number. For example, if England is playing Australia in a World Cup cricket match, you can bet on whether the total number of runs will be over 500. The total score wager is independent of who wins the game, spread, or money line.
Other types of sport bets
Parlays/accumulators
Teasers and Parlays are the most common types of exotic wagers. A parlay is when a player takes two or more teams, and they both have to cover the spread. In American football, you might consider the Detroit Lions -2 and the Green Bay +3. To win your parlay, both teams would have to cover their spreads for you to win. Parlays have the benefit of bringing in bigger payouts from small bets. For example, a seven-team parlay pays out at around 75-1. However, if six teams cover their spread, and one fails, you lose your bet.
Teasers
Teasers are similar to parlays in that they involve two or more teams, which all need to cover their spreads. The difference is that you can add points, also known as teasing the spread. Using the Detroit Lions and Green Bay example, instead of Green Bay the Lions having -2, you would get +2. Green Bay would go from +3 to +6. Although you still have to be right on each bet, a teaser provides you with a bit of cushion.
Progressive parlays
Progressive parlays are a type of parlay that have a slightly lower risk. Unlike standard parlays, where you lose if you get one selection wrong, progressive parlays offer more flexibility. Players can still get a payout if one selection is wrong. Depending on the total number of selections, you might get a payout, even if two or three selections are incorrect. The disadvantage of progressive parlays is that, even if you get all the selections right, the payout is significantly less than that of standard parlays.
Full cover sports bets
Full cover bets are also known as permutation bets or combination bets. They are similar to parlays in the sense that they involve making more than one selection. Full cover bets, however, do not include all the selections into a single wager. Full cover bets can be better described as a sequence of wagers that covers all selections in every possible combination.
The most straightforward full cover bet is one for two selections. This wager has three possible combinations, as follows:
- A single wager on selection 1
- A single wager on selection 2
- A parlay on both outcomes
A full cover bet places all the combinations independently, but all at once. Therefore, if one selection wins, and the other two don’t, you can still win your payout for the winning bet. You would still lose for the other two selections. As the number of selections increases, the combinations grow exponentially.
If you place three selections, the full cover bet would include the following combinations:
- A single wager on the first selection
- A single wager on the second selection
- A single wager on the third selection
- A parlay on the first and second selection
- A parlay on the second and third selection
- A parlay on the first and third selection
- A parlay on the first, second, and third selection
A three-selection full cover bet is known as a patent. Full cover bets covering four, five, and six selections also have specific names. Other popular full cover bets are listed below.
Lucky 15 (covering four selections)
- Four singles
- Six two-selection parlays
- Four three-selection parlays
- One four-selection parlay
Lucky 31 (covers five selections)
- Five singles
- Ten two-selection parlays
- Ten three-selection parlays
- Five four-selection parlays
- One five-selection parlay
Lucky 63 (covers six selections)
- Six singles
- Fifteen two-selection parlays
- Twenty three-selection parlays
- Fifteen four-selection parlays
- Six five-selection parlays
- One six-selection parlays
Proposition Bets
Proposition bets are usually placed for fun, more than anything else. This type of bet involves a great deal of guesswork, though some players may place them after in-depth research. Proposition bets are wagers on specific aspects of a sporting event that do not have any bearing on the outcome of the event. Some examples of proposition bets include:
- The first team to score in a handball game
- Time of the first goal
- Time of first corner kick
- Which team will win the coin toss?
If there is going to be a “no toss” in a particular over in cricket then you’d have to consider whether:
- Will any player score a brace or hat-trick?
Don’t know what a “no toss” is? Then make sure to read through our online cricket betting guide!
Futures
Futures are wagers on the winner of a specific tournament, competition, or league when there are still more than two possible winners. Futures wagering is also known as ante-post sports betting. An example of sports betting on futures is backing a soccer team to win the UEFA Euro 2020 before the league starts.
Choosing which bet to make
Sports betting is inherently a risky way to spend your free time, or worse, try to make an income. If you apply a bit of logic and rationality to it, however, it can quickly become a fun and exciting way to make some big bucks. That being said, players should know that there are never any guaranteed ways to make money with sports betting. You are not going to win every bet you place. Knowing that there is no such thing as a safe bet is going to help you place smarter bets and, more importantly, know when not to bet. The most important rule of sports betting is: If you can’t afford to lose it, then it’s safer in your wallet than being placed on a bet.
That being said, it’s not all gloom and doom. There are a variety of steps that players can take to enhance their chances of consistently choosing good bets, making accurate predictions, and managing their bankroll efficiently. You can use oddschecker or a sports betting calculator to find the latest odds and boost your potential winnings.
Online sports betting game categories
As you continue placing wagers on sporting events, you will discover that there are different sports betting categories. Those that offer simplicity often lack in flexibility. While some offer better odds, some categories provide more chances of winning. Your choice of sports betting category will influence your long-term winnings, so make sure that you do a bit of research beforehand. The following are the most common types of sports betting categories:
In-play/live sports betting
Once a game starts, it does not necessarily mean that all bets are off. Live sports betting allows players to bet “in-game” after the bookie has observed the status of the game and has reassessed the odds. There is a wide variety of in-game sports betting options. For example, the total for an NBA game tonight might be 150 before the game starts, but both teams start scoring faster than anticipated. An algorithm calculates how much time is left in the game and correlates with the rate of scoring to come up with a new total of, say, 180. Players can then bet over or under this new total. You can follow the statistics of each game of livescore sites. Live sports betting is quickly becoming one of the most popular forms of betting in the UK, and by far one of the most exciting ways to place bets.
Fixed-odds sports betting
Fixed-odds sports betting is the traditional form of sports betting UK, where players predict the winner, the scores of a particular game and place a bet on the selection. If you’re a beginner, this is the perfect way to start your sports betting journey. The term “fixed odds” is used because wins and losses are not affected by any movement of odd that occurs after the bet is placed. Most bookies offer fixed odds bets for virtually every professional-level sports. They also provide a range of different wagers, too. This is where things start to get a little more complicated. The letters and numbers that you will come across in a sports betting shop or new sports betting sites UK might look like hieroglyphics at first. By the time you finish reading this article, however, they should be as easy as reading the time. Here are some of the basic ways to bet on the result of a game. If you’re new to sports betting, then fixed odds betting is one of the best ways to get started, as it’s very easy to comprehend.
Spread sports betting
The most popular ways are to bet one team using the point spread or spread. A point spread means that players have to choose whether a particular game statistic will be higher or lower than the bookmaker’s posted spread. For example, in football, Arsenal might be playing Chelsea, and a bookmaker posts a spread of 3-4. Players, therefore, have to predict if there is going to more than four goals or less than three. Wagering on more than four goals would be buying the spread.
For every goal scored past four, you would earn winnings equal to your starting bet. If five goals are scored, you will earn twice your stake. If six are scored, you will win three times your stake. This is called covering the spread. Similarly, if less than three goals are scored, you would lose an amount equal to your stake. Wagering for less than three goals is called selling the spread. Wins and losses would be similar, but the reverse of buying the spread.
Exchange sports betting
Exchange sports betting is the same as in traditional sports betting, but without any bookmaker involved. Instead, all wagers are placed against other players who would be taking the opposite position. For example, if you want to put a bet between, say, a boxing match between Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz, an exchange sports betting platform would have two sets of odds for each player. One set of odds is labelled “lay”, and the other is labelled “back.” These odds represent wagers that other players have already placed for or against that boxer. If you choose to back Joshua at 1.5, you would effectively be placing a bet against someone who would have preferred to lay him at the same odds. The person who lays a wager is essentially taking the role of a bookmaker. If you win the wager, they have to pay you based on those odds. If they win, then they get to keep your stake.
Pari-Muriel sports betting
Pari-Muriel sports betting was developed in the late 19th century by players who were frustrated by the margins that bookmakers were making. This type of wagers removes the need for a bookmaker by putting wagers on a specific bet into a pool. After the sporting event is concluded, all the winning wagers are paid out of this pool. No odds are involved in Pari-Muriel sports betting. An example is 50 players wagering £5 on team A winning, and 20 others wagering £5 on team B winning. The total pool would, therefore, be £350. If team A wins, then the £350 would be split between the 50, each winning £7. Of course, in the real world, players wager different amounts. At the end of the day, each player wins from the pool, in proportion to what they wagered.
Virtual sports betting
Virtual Sports betting is similar to traditional fixed odds sports betting. Instead of wagering on conventional sports, however, players bet on professional video gaming. Many virtual games and leagues are now streamed online or televised on a TV channel like BBC, and attract huge audiences. Other games are streamed on Twitch, and e-sports are now almost as big as other big sports. Some popular games include Fortnight, Call of Duty, Counter Strike and League of Legends.
Sports slots
A fun game type to play that is a lot more laid back than sports betting itself, is sports-themed slot machines, which you can find at many casinos. Try using the casino guide Gamble.xyz, that offers both casino reviews as well as game guides. You’ll have no problem finding a casino that offer sports slots over there! One of the most popular sports slots is Net Ent’s Football: Champpions Cup, which was released just as the Euro 2018 took place in Russia.
Software developers in online sports betting
Unlike lotto, or other betting fields, such as casino games, sports betting players usually only just have to register on the best sports betting sites to access odds while the game is played elsewhere. No games are developed for the player. It’s therefor not as important to look for developer information when you’re looking for a sports betting sites, as it would have been if you were looking for an online casino.
Sports betting tips for profitable gameplay
Create your sports betting strategy and stick to it! Before you start sports betting on football, you need to ask yourself what you’re hoping to achieve. This might seem like a rhetorical question, but a different set of goals motivates everyone.
People bet:
- Just to have fun, while you watch your favourite sports.
- To challenge themselves and their knowledge of football.
- To try and earn some money.
If you are sports betting for the first two reasons, your strategy should be quite straightforward. All you need is to have enough money to achieve your objectives and a defined budget for how much you are prepared to lose. If you win, you will get your fun and satisfaction. If you lose, you will not end up going bankrupt. However, if you are sports betting to earn money you need a careful plan for winning bets consistently over a long period. This is where sports betting gets tricky. To make consistent profits, you need to:
- Manage your money effectively, and have a set budget that you stick to.
- Be able to identify odds that have value.
- Make correct predictions
Keep in mind that sports betting can be quite challenging, and if you make proper research it can also be time consuming. So it can be good to mix your sports betting up with some classic casino gaming, as casino gaming is a lot more relaxed and laid back.
Managing your Money
Once you have a budget to bankroll your bets, you need to map out a clear sports betting plan and stick to it. For example, if you have £500 to start with, you need to break it into smaller amounts that you bet at a time, rather than placing all of it on a single bet. It’s essential to stick to your plan, especially when you go on a winning streak. Equally important is to stop once you are at a 25 – 40% bet to winning ratio.
Taking advantage of bonus offers and promotions
One of the best ways to immediately increase your chances of profiting from sports betting is to take advantage of bonuses such as sign up offers and welcome bonuses, along with player promotions available to regular players at certain sportsbooks. Although bonuses typically have some terms that make it a little bit harder to get big payouts, they still help you get more money to bet with. By using our bonus sections and news section, you can always stay up to date with the latest and greatest promotions available at UK sportsbooks. In our list of recommended sportsbooks, you can get a clear overview of the welcome bonus of each operator, and by clicking through to the review, you will get a more in depth look at the different options for bonuses, loyalty points and free bets you can get with the sportsbook you’re interested in.
Identifying odds that have value
Being able to identify odds that have value is critical for long term success in sports betting. If you only bet on what you think will happen, you will end up getting the short end of the stick. You need to be able to compare the probability of your bet winning, and the overall odds available for your desired result.
Technology is changing the game in this respect. The availability of online sports betting UK provides players with access to different sportsbooks. You can, therefore, choose the best sports betting app to do what’s called “line shopping”. This is looking for the line that gives you the best odds on the bet you want to place. This is more like online shopping for a new phone. You look for the one that you like and then look for the best price available. Having an account with different bookies will give you a significant advantage. You might find the odds at -3 while sports betting online on some sites and -3.5 on others, which can make the difference between winning and losing.
Making correct predictions
Being able to predict results accurately is the common factor that attracts everyone to sports betting. To achieve this you do need to get to the nitty-gritty by doing a bit of research on past games and any other factors that may impact a game such as the addition of a new player. Prepare to invest a fair bit of time in to doing your research if you want to be successful. However, as we’ve said before, there is an element of risk in sports betting, but if you follow the advice put down in the rest of this article, you should be able to improve your success rate.
Small wins make big profits
This sounds obvious, but it’s something that punters often forget — you can make a fortune, a pound at a time. Small wins, if made consistently, lead to big profits. The fewer teams you bet on in a single ticket, the better your chances of winning. If you can put £5 or £10 on two to three well-thought-out teams, you have reasonable prospects of making a decent return.
The moment you start placing one pound bets on a 30-fold parlay, you have already lost the plot. You can either choose to lose those few pounds every week or make small wins. Either way, modest gains or losses, every week for several years, will add up from pennies to pounds. One of the best pieces of advice in sports betting is, “It’s equally important to avoid losing money as it is to win”. You should always think long term, instead of chasing that one big quick win!
Know your bet inside out
Before placing any bet, it’s vital to conduct thorough research on every match you’re thinking of sports betting on. It’s not just about how the competing teams played in previous games, which side has home support, or which side is on a winning streak. You should try to go deeper. Look into how their match statistics have been, and how they relate to those of the competing team, how good their offence and defence has been, and if they were good at keeping possession or they were just lucky. Past statistics also come into play, especially in sports like Basketball, where the teams play against each other more often. Consider if there are any injuries, follow sports betting news to learn if there are toxic internal politics if one of the teams has more to fight for — any bit of information you can get your hands on, however insignificant it may seem, is important.
The surest way of losing your money is placing your bets based on incomplete information, or worse, on a gut feeling. This brings us to our next point.
Never bet based on emotions
If you’re serious about making money through sports betting and you want to make a long term profit, you must always take an impartial approach to placing your bets. Placing bets that are based on emotions can be your biggest undoing. Being rational when you bet is one of the key fundamentals to a winning sports betting strategy, while betting based on your emotions will often be the thing that brings you down. This form of sports betting often takes many forms, including:
Chasing your losses
Sports betting losses can sometimes get the better of even the most experienced football punters. When you have just suffered another frustrating loss, its best to hold off making any bets until you are level-headed again. Placing more money on another bet that looks like a sure winner, to try and regain your money is a slippery slope that often leads to bankruptcy.
Backing your favourite team
Sports betting with your heart sometimes means putting money on your favourite team, regardless of where the odds, statistics, and common sense recommendations lie. If the team that you love loses a game that you have placed a bet on, it’s going to be a double blow for you. So try to leave your emotions out of the equation when you bet on sports. Or simply take a little bit out of your budget, and save it to bet on your favorite team, while accepting the fact that this might be a losing bet – so that you’ve at least planned for it.
Record your bets
You should make it a point to record all your bets. Keeping records is one crucial part of sports betting that many punters seem to overlook. Keeping track of your wins and losses can provide you with valuable insight on which types of bets are winning and losing, and how you can improve your sports betting strategy. Your record should include:
The type of bets you placed.
- How much you bet.
- The odds of a bet.
- How much profit or loss you make from a bet.
- Any relevant notes (such as which teams spoiled your bet).
After set time-periods, you should review your results from these records and try to identify your strong and weak points. Make sure to check our our betting tips section to learn more on how to become a successful punter.
