Independent Bookmaker Reviews you can trust
UK online sports bettors need to have safe and reliable bookmaker sites where they can join and play responsibly. They also need to find and read honest bookmaker reviews.
But finding the ideal bookmaker isn’t always easy.
Latest Bookmaker Reviews
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10 Reasons Why You Can Rely On Our Bookmaker Reviews
It’s only natural to wonder about the credibility of our betting site reviews. How do you know that you can trust our opinions? Moreover, what can we point to that backs up our expertise?
Here are ten reasons you can turn to us for advice when it comes to choosing your next sports bookmaker online:
- We spend time researching each bookmaker online.
- We compare the odds of each bookmaker to those of other sites.
- We study forums and online reviews from previous account holders.
- We are a team with extensive knowledge in the sports betting industry.
- We are constantly on the lookout for the best and newest sites.
- We vet the legitimacy of each bookmaker before recommending them.
- We believe in responsible gambling practices.
- We believe in reasonable online sports betting bonuses.
- We test out many bookmaker site features, including customer service tools.
- We make sure to do a deep dive into the history of the bookmaker companies.
We judge each bookmaker based on its level of customer service, industry trustworthiness, selection of markets and odds, bonuses, special features, and cashier.
There are five main features that every good UK bookmaker should offer, which we’ll get into today.
Continue reading along as we highlight these features, discuss our process of creating betting site reviews, and prove to you (with ten reasons) why you should take our word for it.
Now, without further ado, let’s get into the best betting site reviews guide!
5 Top Features a Good UK Bookmaker Should Offer?
A solid UK bookmaker should be a fun yet responsible place to gamble, owing to its optimized features, rewards, and safety.
In our opinion, the following five features are the most important as we write betting site reviews.
- A reliable customer support system
- A large selection of competitive odds and markets
- Ease of use
- Worthwhile promotions and bonus offers
- A secure banking system
And as a given, a worthwhile UK bookmaker should be licensed, registered, and committed to responsible gaming.
How We Rate The Online UK Bookmaker Sites
To determine whether or not each bookmaker site has the most important features, we evaluate them thoroughly. It’s important for us to spend time browsing and comparing a site’s betting odds to the odds offered at competitor sites.
In our betting site reviews, we also get a feel for the user experience by trying out the site firsthand to understand its offerings.
Browsing the Odds/Markets
There are a few critical aspects to this step of our betting reviews.
First, we like to see how many sports you can bet on at a bookmaker and which ones.
A basic bookie will have markets for football, baseball, basketball, etc. But the best sites will also feature unique tennis, volleyball, winter sports, racing events, and more markets.
Second, it’s good to see if you can get the same or better odds for the same price you would pay at other bookies. We look at this factor and scour each site for special odds like odds boost promotions, “best odds guaranteed,” and more.
Last, we want to ensure that the sites we recommend let their players bet in various ways. Aside from straight wagers, we feel it’s important to find sites supporting teaser bets, parlays, and props, among other markets.
User Experience
We can generally gauge how a bookmaker values a customer by looking for the following:
- Responsible gaming features (i.e., timeouts, limits, self-exclusion methods, etc.).
- A well-designed site or mobile layout.
- Easy-to-navigate web pages and betting features.
- A straightforward account sign-up and login process.
- 24/7 or extended hours of customer support via live chat and phone.
- Good reviews from previous bookie customers (as seen online).
These features will often set apart a great bookmaker from an okay one.
The right features signify that the company values its customers and isn’t looking to rip them off.
Player Benefits
Another crucial part of evaluating bookmakers is to browse the site’s promo and bonus selection.
First, we examine the sign-up bonus or welcome offer. Most sites have these, but not all are worth the associated deposit and terms.
We look for sign-up offers that require relatively low investment, have relatively loose wagering requirements, and have a decent betting value.
Sites with VIP or customer loyalty programs are also worth recommending, as they reward customers for returning.
And last but not least, we are always searching for UK bookmakers offering year-round promotions.
These could come as free bets, reload bonuses, or referral offers. The idea is to have player benefits even after the introductory period has ended at the bookie.
Payment Experience
Another sportsbook element that shouldn’t be overlooked is the cashier.
There are many ways to gamble, from e-wallets to credit/debit cards, wire transfers, checks, and cryptocurrencies.
The cashier is where you’ll make your deposits and withdrawals.
Not only should the cashier support safe and reliable payment methods; they should also support a variety of options for different kinds of players.
Furthermore, the payment experience shouldn’t involve lots of extraneous fees, unreasonable minimums/maximums, or huge delays on payouts.
We evaluate these factors before recommending a bookmaker.
Mobile Betting Options
While not every online bookmaker has jumped on this train, it’s still worth seeking out.
Not every bookie we recommend is going to support mobile sports betting. But when we find good mobile betting options, we will tell you about them in our bookmaker reviews.
Sometimes, good mobile betting comes in the form of an official Apple or Android application.
Other times, you can use the mobile-optimized version of a bookie’s website to bet.
In either case, we look for well-designed options that don’t easily crash and feature most of the same betting options you get on the desktop version.
Industry Trustworthiness
Finally, if other industry pros can vouch for a particular UK bookie, so can we. Of course, we like to do our research first. But in many cases, we will recommend UK bookmakers with at least a few years of licensed experience.
We’re looking for sites backed by sports news outlets, notable sports celebrities, and others who can speak to the excellence of the betting experience.
We List Pros and Cons In our Betting Sites Reviews
And, of course, it’s worth mentioning that all of the online bookmaker reviews we release highlight the pros and cons of joining. It’s important to us to be fully transparent in our betting site reviews so that we don’t let down our readers.
While many online sports betting sites are optimized and offer great selections, gambling is still inherently risky. That’s why we make sure to find any potential downsides of joining a site and share them with you.
This way, you can go into a new betting account fully informed and ready to gamble responsibly.
Our Final Verdict On The Sports Betting Reviews
Our bookmaker reviews are thorough, giving readers great insights into the pros and cons of joining different UK bookies.
We stress the importance of sites that are easy to use, have secure payment systems, offer good customer support, and have competitive odds and bonuses.
Be sure to stay tuned as we release even more UK bookmaker reviews in the future.
Our thorough review and rating process is designed to help even the most hesitant players to find the bookmakers that are right for them.
FAQ's
Do bookmakers ban winners?
Bookmakers do not ban winners intentionally. However, they may limit the amount of money a winner can bet or win to protect themselves from significant financial losses.
Bookmakers often have rules about maximum payouts and limits on how much someone can bet. These rules are designed to prevent significant financial losses for the bookmaker.
In some cases, bookmakers may also require identification before allowing someone to place a bet.
What's the biggest bet ever won?
Don Johnson won The biggest bet ever by winning $15 million in a single hand of poker while playing at the Casino de Barcelona in Spain.
The game he played was called Caribbean Stud Poker, which is similar to five-card stud poker but with a progressive jackpot side bet.
In 2014, a man named Scott Montgomery won a $189 million jackpot on a slot machine at the Riverside Resort and Spa in Laughlin, Nevada.
What bookies don't limit winners?
Bookies usually limit the amount of money that can be won on a single bet, but some exceptions exist.
For example, if you place a bet on a long-shot horse in a race with high odds, the bookie may not limit your winnings because they assume that it is unlikely that you will win.
Additionally, some online sportsbooks offer progressive jackpots or other promotions where there is no limit to how much you can win.
Do bookies ever lose?
Bookies are in the business of making money, so they do not lose every time.
However, bookmakers try to balance their books by adjusting odds and taking bets on both sides of a game or event.
In general, bookies have an advantage over gamblers because they set the odds and can adjust them as needed.
Bookies also collect a commission known as vigorish or juice from losing bettors.
When gambling, you can only lose 100% of your money?
Gambling is a game of chance, so there's always the possibility that you can lose more than what you initially put in. However, when gambling, you can only lose 100% of your money if you don't walk away with anything.
In other words, losing everything you bet is possible, but not necessarily more.
Do bookmakers close winning accounts?
Yes, bookmakers do close winning accounts.
Bookmakers are businesses, and they want to make a profit. If you consistently win money from them, they may decide to limit your account or even close it altogether. This is known as “closing a winning account.”
Bookmakers will often use algorithms to monitor betting patterns and detect unusual activity. They may also investigate suspicious bets made by an individual.
What is the maximum withdrawal from bookmakers?
The maximum withdrawal amount from a bookmaker varies depending on the bookmaker and the withdrawal method. However, most bookmakers have a minimum withdrawal limit of around £10-£20.
Depending on the bookmaker's policies, the maximum withdrawal amount can be as high as £500,000 or more. A site like betfred scores high for withdrawal limits. Some bookmakers may also require identification verification before allowing you to withdraw funds.
Can I bet on both teams to win?
No, you cannot bet on both teams to win. This is known as a “push” or “tie” and it is not possible in sports betting. In order for a bookmaker to make money, they need to create a situation where there are more losers than winners. If someone were able to bet on both teams to win and the game ended in a tie, then the bookmaker would lose money.
Can a bookmaker keep my money?
It's unlikely - but it could happen if the bookmakers suspects illegal activites were at hand to secure a profit. So match fixing or breaking their terms for opening an account.
For example some bookmakers wouldn't like it of you opened an account using a VPN and were not resident of the country you said you were from.
What information do I need to open an online bookmaker account?
It's pretty simple to open an account at a UK bookmaker.
You just need to enter your personal details including a valid email address and mobile number (which you will need to verify by means of a link sent to your mailbox or phone.)
Register a valid Debit card or eWallet (check the banking options at each boomaker)
Once confirmed you should be ready to place your bet.
What should I consider when choosing a bookmaker in 2023?
We have highlighted what you should look for in selecting a decent bookmaker in our article on this page. Here are the main points you should be looking at:
A reliable and 24/7 available customer support.
A good selection of betting markets and sports (this will depend on what you want to bet on of course).
User friendliness of the site.
Decent promotions and bonus offers
A good range of Banking options.