Best Football Betting Sites UK 2023

Choosing the best football betting site has become somewhat of a challenge in recent years thanks to a huge number of high-quality online bookmakers popping up in the UK.

There are more than a dozen big-name sportsbooks offering football betting to players with coverage of the Premier League, Champions League, Europa League, and more. This choice is good news for betting fans as you can now choose your bookmaker based on what is most important to you as a customer, be that excellent price boosts, the most user-friendly interface or the most competitive odds.

However, with so many different things to consider, getting to the bottom of the pile and settling on the top betting site can be quite the challenge.

Thankfully, the team at Squawka has put in the leg work to narrow down the top, most trusted football betting sites.  There’s plenty to get into with the safety and reputation of the betting sites to the odds quality and live streaming capabilities of the sites.

New players looking to sign up for the best football sites available this year can claim a range of top welcome promotions, odds boosts, and free bets. Check out our top-ranked football betting sites, the offers available to new players, and everything you need to know about UK sportsbooks.

Top 10 Best Football Betting Sites

BetMGM

Celebrating the golden era of sports betting and online casino, MGM Resorts recently launched BetMGM UK in the United Kingdom. Available on desktop and mobile apps, the sportsbook brings you all the action with thousands of markets for customers to enjoy across a wide range of sports.

With an excellent new customer offer, In Play betting and a huge casino section with an impressive array of bonuses and plenty more, we fully recommend BetMGM as one of the best new platforms to place your online bets.

Midnite

Midnite started out as a place for e-sports fans to place bets, but they’ve quickly grown and progressed into a fully fledged sportsbook. Their football offering is strong and they’re now starting to branch out into some other sports, including horse-racing.

They have an excellent, easy-to-use sports books, regular price boosts and a very competitive new customer offer. Although not the most well-known bookmaker on this list, they’re certainly one that we recommend looking at when you’re aiming to choose your favourite bookmaker to place football bets with.

Best for: User experience. Their sportsbook interface is one of the cleanest and most user-friendly we’ve seen.

Sky Bet

Sky Bet is one of the most popular betting brands in the UK as they produce some excellent new customer price boosts that alternate over time but also have plenty of reasons to keep customers coming back.

An easy to use sportsbook, a huge variety of markets and some competitive odds make them as popular as they are and as more and more new firms crop up, it’s no surprise they continue to compete.

Best for: All customer price boosts. Their ‘Double Up’ boosts are always worth looking for and there’s a huge variety of other enhancements too.

Bet365

Bet365 pride themselves on being the world’s most popular sportsbook and it isn’t difficult to see why they hold such a position. A strong live streaming offering, competitive odds and a brilliantly designed sportsbook and app are just some of the reasons why this bookmaker remains as popular as ever.

They remain innovative in the way that they continue to find more ways to engage their customers too and are ever at the forefront of new technologies having previously been among the first to adopt in play betting and cash-outs.

Best for: Live streaming. With games from popular competitions such as Serie A, La Liga and the FA Cup available to watch and bet on, the live streaming section is what really sets bet365 apart.

Paddy Power

Paddy Power have a reputation for being the bad boys of the UK betting scene as they often like to poke fun at Premier League fans with their cheeky marketing campaigns and social media presence.

That shouldn’t deter you from thinking this is an excellent sportsbook to use however as Paddy Power offer some of the best free bet offers around as well as an array of price boosts and importantly for us, a huge array of markets on Premier League fixtures in particular.

Best for: Stats-based markets. This being Squawka, we love a stat bet and with shots, fouls, assists markets and plenty more offered, Paddy Power is one of our favourites for these bets.

Betfair

Betfair started as an exchange and still has an exchanged system as well as a standard sportsbook, meaning that they’re able to offer some of the best odds around, not only on the most popular competitions but on some more obscure tournaments as well.

They’re great for a price boost at Betfair too, with a handful of cherry-picked prices on individual matches being boosted as well as daily enhanced multiples that are easy to find on their well-designed site.

Best for: Customer service. Unsurprisingly for a brand that prides itself on fairness, they have an excellent FAQ section backed up with live chat and email contact options if needed.

Bet UK

Bet UK is one of the newer brands on this list but that doesn’t hold them back from competing with some of the more well-known names such as Sky Bet and Bet365, with a very competitive new customer offer and an easy to use sportsbook.

Like many other new brands, they’ve quickly been able to offer a real depth of markets including some excellent stats-based bets and they have a good depth of sports too if you wish to stray from the football betting that we personally love here at Squawka.

Best for: Free Bet offer. For a newer brand to offer a new customer offer as enticing as the Bet UK one is rare but unsurprisingly we’re huge fans!

Pari Match

Another newer brand, Pari Match has set its stall out in terms of attracting new customers with a very decent usual new customer offer but also an array of price boost enhancements available to those who don’t yet have an account.

Once you’ve signed up though, you may find yourself coming back for more on a regular basis. Pari Match offers a really strong array of stats-based markets including offsides and pass markets as well as some handy all customer price boosts too.

Best for: Enhanced price customer offers. While the likes of Betfair and Paddy Power have offered these in the past, it’s Pari Match that seems to be pushing forward with the best enhanced new customer offers right now.

SBK

Looking for an exchange bookmaker to get more value for your bets? SBK may be the way to go. This mobile-only app is very easy to use and can see quick changes in odds giving the opportunity to get great value at a moment’s notice.

The difference between a normal sportsbook and an exchange is that bettors will bet against each other, allowing punters to set their own odds for an event. Couple those odds with a well laid-out app and a tasty new customer offer and you can see why SBK is a recommended bookmaker from us.

Best for: Exchange betting. It’s not the most popular way of betting on sports but it’s not without it’s advantages – not least the great odds you will find from time to time on your selected bets.

Unibet

Unibet have established themselves as one of the main players of the sports betting scene in the United Kingdom over recent years and it isn’t difficult to see why, not least with the great value you get from this particular sportsbook.

An easy to use and well-designed sportsbook is one of the reasons why many punters keep returning to Unibet, but another is the live streaming. They’re one of the few brands that can compete with Bet365 in terms of their live stream offering.

Best for: Great value odds. Although they don’t always have the best odds, it’s very rare that you’ll find a poor price from Unibet in comparison to their competitors.

Betfred

Betfred have been a high-street staple in the United Kingdom for many years but did you know that they also have an excellent online offering too, including a betting app?

Although they don’t offer the deepest markets, Betfred have an excellent casino section with big bonuses and if you’re looking for a simpler, more streamlined sportsbook, then you could do worse than to go with this long-running and trusted bookmaker.

Best for: Versatility of offers. Many of their offers will allow you to earn free spins as well as free bets to place on sports and some of their casino offers are eye-catching to say the least.

Which are the best new football betting sites in 2023?

If 2022 taught us anything, it’s that football never sleeps. Whether there’s an international tournament, league football, a continental competition, domestic cups or rigorous pre-season schedules, the sport never truly takes a break. So, betting on football is always a popular choice among punters.

There are some emerging bookmakers who are offering excellent markets on football, from price boost accas, to a newer trend of statistics-based odds. With Bet UK, they are offering some rather niche metric-based markets on specific games, such as ‘Player’s shots on target’, ‘to give an assist’, ‘player’s fouls won’ and ‘total offsides’.

As mentioned above, The Pools offer a particularly tantalising ‘price boost’ market for pre-match betting. They include offers such as ‘league win doubles’, where they boost the price on two clubs in a particular league to win their individual games.

They also offer ‘featured-create-a-bets’, which pre-populate certain bet builders on specific games, such as ‘Over 2.5 goals, Over 9.5 Corners & Most Goals in The Second Half’. With their acca boost offer on top of what we’ve already mentioned, The Pools are looking strong for football betting.

TonyBet is another that offers a range of markets for specific games. Their ‘Players’ tab on individual matches offers slightly more versatility than some of their competitors, with ‘Player to score in the first 10 minutes’ and ‘Player to score in both halves’ being two interesting options.

They also have a ‘Statistics’ column for ‘Offsides’, ‘Shots on Target’ and ‘Cards’ to offer an alternative to more traditional markets.

Which football betting sites offer live streaming?

Which Online Football Betting Websites Offer The Best Enhanced Odds

Pari Match

If you haven’t yet signed up for a Pari Match account, we recommend keeping an eye on our site and particularly the top of this page. Occasionally, they will offer new customers some huge boosted odds on a particular event when you sign up – such as a price boost of Liverpool to beat Brentford at 35/1 from a normal on-site price of 4/9 in the 2022/23 campaign.

But fear not if you already have an account, as Pari Match also offer enhanced odds for existing customers. When you see a small red lightning logo next to a fixture, that means that there are Bet Boosts available and with a large array of stats-based markets available with this bookmaker, it’s one site that we at Squawka are always checking to see if we can find some extra value!

Midnite

Midnite may not be the most established name featured on this page having started out as a site more focused on E-Sports betting, but that doesn’t stop them from offering some of the best enhanced odds on the market now that they’ve expanded into more traditional sports betting.

To find some of these boosts, simply navigate to the match that you’re wishing to view the boosts for and scroll across to the ‘boosts’ section at the top of the page. You’ll often see odds enhanced on chosen bets in markets such as correct score and anytime goalscorer – as well as some selected bet builders.

Sky Bet

Sky Bet are home to some of the most eye-catching price boosts on the market and what’s more, they have a section of their sportsbook dedicated just to enhancements and specials. Just scroll to the ‘specials’ section of the football area in the sportsbook.

Here, you’ll find some boosted accumulators and multiples for the day alongside the usual manager and transfer specials offered by this bookmaker. They’ll also offer a handful of price boosts on Premier League, Champions League games and more, including some ‘double up’ boosts where they double the price of a shot on target bet or something similar!

Bet365

Bet365 are one of the most popular bookmakers in the world, but surprisingly they’ve not really been known for offering price boosts or enhanced offers in the past. That’s changed in the last year or so however, with them now offering a few boosts on key fixtures in most of Europe’s top leagues.

Simply navigate to the match you’re looking for the price boosts of and just underneath the usual match result odds, you will find some enhancements, usually on correct score markets or markets such as ‘to win both halves’ as well as some longer-odds chosen bet-builders.

Betfair

One of the best bookmakers to consider if you’re looking for price boosts is certainly Betfair. If you see a small, upwards-pointing arrow next to any match on the Betfair sportsbook, this means you will find some price boosts available on the game.

But that’s not all. Betfair’s enhanced accumulators are not only among the best available, but they’re also very easy to find. On the right hand side of the sportsbook, once you’ve navigated to the football section, you’ll find several multiples across different competitions and markets that you can add to your betslip in one simple click. Lovely!

Bet UK

Bet UK are another one of the newer bookmakers on this page, but that doesn’t stop them from offering some of the best odds boosts for their new and existing customers and much like Betfair and Sky Bet, they have a dedicated section of their sportsbook just for said boosts.

On the left hand side menu under the ‘betting’ heading you will find a ‘Bet UK Specials’ button and one click through there will take you to the day’s specials. You can toggle between ‘Outrights’ and ‘All BetUK Specials’ to find different markets and bets with enhanced odds that you can take advantage of here.

Free Football Betting Tips & Predictions Here on squawka.com

At Squawka, our team of expert tipsters carefully analyse a vast range of football matches and offer insightful tips and predictions for each one. Our mission here is to help you gain that slight edge and make the most out of your football betting.  Grab your notepads because we’re about to delve into some exciting tips and strategies.

1. Understand Team Form

Before jumping into the predictions game, it’s crucial to understand a team’s form. Keep an eye out for the last five matches at least. Are they winning consistently? Are they losing? Or are they unpredictable with their performance? Remember, a team on a hot streak is more likely to continue that trend, while a team with a losing streak may need a morale boost to make a comeback.

2. Home and Away Records

Never overlook the power of the home field! Teams tend to perform better when they’re in their comfort zone. Research the home and away records of the teams in question. Some squads seem to find that extra spark when they’re on home turf (home crowds make a big difference), and some even when they’re visiting.

3. Check Player Fitness and Suspensions

Always be up-to-date with player statuses. Injuries, suspensions, and even personal matters can influence a player’s performance and, ultimately, the team’s result. Remember, even the absence of a single key player can significantly shift the team dynamics.

4. Look at Head-to-Head Stats

How have the two teams performed when they’ve faced each other in the past? Some teams just have a knack for outsmarting certain opponents, regardless of their overall league position or form. So, dig into those head-to-head stats before making your prediction.

5. Understand the Style of Play

Each team has its unique style of play which can influence the outcome of a match. For instance, a team with a strong defense might be less likely to concede goals, while a team with a powerful attacking lineup could score more. Also, consider the clash of styles – how does one team’s approach fare against the other?

6. Keep an Eye on the Weather

Yes, even Mother Nature can influence a football match! Extreme weather conditions can make the pitch difficult to play on and can significantly impact the players’ performance. So, keep an eye on the forecast too!

Predicting football matches involves more than just luck. It’s about understanding the game, the teams, the players, and even the conditions. Of course, there will always be surprises – that’s the beauty of the game we all love! But with these tips, you’ll certainly improve your football predictions.

Good luck with your predictions this week, and remember, enjoy the beautiful game! Below you will find an updated list of Predictions for the latest Football games.

Premier League 15:00 09.12.2023

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Nottingham Forest

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Sheffield United

Brentford

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Manchester United

Bournemouth

Man Utd vs Bournemouth: Betting tips, predictions, odds & match preview

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Crystal Palace vs Liverpool: Betting tips, predictions, odds & match preview

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How Squawka judges football betting sites

Ranking the best football sites isn’t an easy process and working through the long list of betting sites in the UK can be a laborious task. Ranking the top sites is a bit of a balancing act, but it’s an act that is well worth the time, effort, and organisation.

What we look for in a bookmaker

Squawka uses clear criteria when judging online football betting sites with only the very best bookmakers making the cut and featuring in the top lists.

A brief overview of the criteria considered and the features searched for, including the quality of the odds, reputation, license & regulation, security, fees, live betting, mobile compatibility, customer support, bonuses, and promotions, responsible gambling, the number of football leagues and the live streaming capabilities can be found below.

We apply the same rigorous standards when reviewing any bookmaker, whether that is established betting sites or new betting sites.

Safety & Security

The safety of any betting site is paramount to its success and all bettors in the UK are entitled to safe and fair betting with an operator of their choice.

– We look for online football betting site that use SSL (Secure Socket Layer) encryption, which is a security protocol that encrypts data sent between your browser and the bookmaker’s server. You can tell if a website is using SSL encryption by checking for a padlock icon in the URL bar and making sure the URL begins with “https” instead of “http”.

– We check what payment methods the bookmaker accepts and make sure they use secure payment gateways that are PCI (Payment Card Industry) compliant. This ensures that your payment details are encrypted and protected from unauthorized access.
– We look for bookmakers that have a clear and transparent privacy policy that outlines how they collect, use, and store your personal information.
– We check if the bookmaker offers two-factor authentication (2FA) as an additional layer of security. 2FA requires you to enter a unique code in addition to your password when logging in, which can help prevent unauthorized access to your account.
– We look for bookmakers that promote responsible gambling and have measures in place to help you manage your gambling activity.

License and Regulation:

To ensure that sports betting remains both safe and fair, UK betting sites are licensed and regulated by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC). The UKGC is notorious in the gaming industry as one of the most thorough gambling commissions, requiring betting platforms to be fine-tuned to meet the robust requirements of the UK market.

All of the top football betting websites in the UK must be licensed by the UKGC to be legally able to offer sports betting to players. Those sites that avoid the licensing process or infringe the rules and regulations will be heavily fined by the UKGC with the figures often stretching into the millions. Here at Squawka we only review Bookmakers with a License.

Reputation:

The reputation of a betting site is also important to Squwaka with reviews from real players taken into account when compiling the top examples. A betting site with a string of negative feedback, customer concerns and issues is one that is likely to have underlying issues – these player reviews are vital for sifting the sites to find the top.

Quality of odds

We look for bookmakers that offer competitive odds on a wide range of sports and events. Comparing odds across different bookmakers can help you find the best value for your bets.

The quality of odds at the top sportsbooks are often boosted using a feature known as an “Odds Boost”. These boosts can be categorised into two separate camps – the boosts for new players and the boosts for existing players. The odds boosts for existing players are those that we are most interested in and showcase what bettors should expect during their time with the bookmaker.

Bettors can usually find examples of the odds boosts offered by a sportsbook by selecting the boosted tab from the main betting markets menu. This highlights the full range of odds boosts offered by a betting site from a range of different sports.

We also check if the bookmaker consistently offers competitive odds, or if they have a reputation for offering lower odds in certain markets.

Payment Options & Payout Speed

We review all the payment options the bookmaker offers for withdrawals, and whether they are convenient and secure for you.

We also look for bookmakers that offer fast and reliable payouts. We check their policies on withdrawing winnings and how long it typically takes to receive your funds. In our football bookmaker selection, we check if there are any limits on the amount you can bet or win, as this can impact your ability to place larger bets or win big payouts.

The number of leagues/markets

Not all sportsbooks in the UK offer the same selection of betting markets and, with the focus directly on football, leagues to wager on.

This may not be an issue for bettors looking to place a casual bet on a huge event such as the World Cup with the majority of betting sites offering coverage. However, for bettors looking to wager on lesser-known leagues, games and events such as Serie A and Ligue 1, the range of markets is much more important.

Our top football sites listed above ensure that all of the popular (and some of the not-so-popular) leagues and events are covered in the betting markets.

Build a bet / Request a bet

The build a bet feature, also known as the request a bet feature, is offered by a number of betting sites for football to give bettors the chance to make their own bets on events.

The feature typically works through social media with bettors able to Tweet the sportsbook accounts with an off-market bet that they would like to place. For example, a bettor could be looking for a specific player to score a hat-trick within the first 45 minutes of a game. The betting site would then reply to the Tweet with their offered odds and how to access the bet from their account.

Depending on the sportsbook of choice, some football gambling sites will feature some of the popular player-created bets for other players to choose from. This gives bettors additional markets to choose from, adding to the overall experience of the football betting site.

Live streaming

The top football betting sites will often offer live streaming of the games and events that bettors are able to wager on.

The criteria for how players are able to watch the live streams differ between sportsbooks with some allowing for all players to view sports and others requiring for a bet to be placed on an event. This information can be verified with the sportsbook of choice in the live streaming terms and conditions before signing up.

The way in which events are live-streamed can differ between football betting sites, too. Some sportsbooks offer a genuine feed of the action as it unfolds whereas others provide dynamic graphics of the key events of the game.

Customer Support

A bookmaker’s customer support can be a crucial factor in your overall betting experience, and for that reason, we look for bookmakers that offer reliable and accessible customer support.  We check if the bookmaker offers multiple channels of customer support, such as email, live chat, and phone support. And if the betting site offers 24/7 customer support, this can be especially helpful for resolving urgent issues.

We do test customer support for speed and quality to find out if they respond promptly to inquiries and provide helpful and informative answers to your questions. One other check that we do is to find out if the bookmaker has a comprehensive help center or FAQ section that can provide answers to common questions and issues.

Bonus and Promotions

All bookmakers offer bonuses and promotions to attract and retain customers. While these can be attractive incentives, it’s important we understand the terms and conditions of these offers before accepting them. These different types of bonuses are usually welcome bonuses, deposit bonuses, free bets, and cashback offers.

We check the wagering requirements associated with the bonus or promotion. These typically require you to bet a certain amount of money or at certain odds before being able to withdraw any winnings from the bonus.  We look into the VIP perks and Loyalty program that rewards you for your continued betting activity.
We review the time limits (some offers may expire after a certain period of time) and any restrictions that are associated with the bonus or promotion. We only list football betting websites with a reputation for offering fair and transparent bonuses and promotions.

Betting tools and resources

Somewhat overlooked by many football betting review websites and punters, the availability of betting tools and resources can be a valuable factor when choosing a bookmaker.

We check if the bookmaker offers personalised alerts, betting history tracking, access to betting guides, stats, and analytics for sports events. This can be a valuable resource for analyzing trends and making more informed betting decisions.  All of our bookies listed above offer a mobile app. This can provide a convenient and accessible way to place bets and access betting tools and resources on-the-go.

Football focused

Naturally, one of the biggest characteristics that we search for when looking for the best football betting sites is whether or not the betting site is football-focused.

Every betting site has its own specialty, so to speak, with some sites gravitating towards horse racing, others around golf or tennis, and our favourites, those focused on football. A clear niche is best for those football fans searching for the best betting experience with the top odds, events, and markets for football betting.

A focus on football does not necessarily mean that the site will be the best for Premier League lovers, but it definitely grabs our attention. If the rest of the betting site stacks up, it may find itself in our top list of football betting sites in the UK.

Bet £10 and get £30 in free bets

New Customers Only. First Single & E/W Bet Only. 5P Minimum Stake. Odds of 1/1 or Greater. 3 X £10 Bet Tokens. Free Bet Stakes Not Included in Returns. Free Bets Exclude Virtuals. Free Bets Are Non Withdrawable. Free Bets Expire After 30 Days. Eligibility Restrictions and Further T&CS Apply. 18+. begambleaware.org

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18+ only. New customers only. T&Cs apply.

New Customers Only. First Single & E/W Bet Only. 5P Minimum Stake. Odds of 1/1 or Greater. 3 X £10 Bet Tokens. Free Bet Stakes Not Included in Returns. Free Bets Exclude Virtuals. Free Bets Are Non Withdrawable. Free Bets Expire After 30 Days. Eligibility Restrictions and Further T&CS Apply. 18+. begambleaware.org

Bet £10, get £30 in free bets

New Customers only Bet £10* & Get £30* in Free Bets. Sign up, deposit between £5* & £10* to your account & bet365 will give you three times that value in Free Bets when you place qualifying bets to the same value & they are settled. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits. Min odds/bet & payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. T&Cs, time limits & exclusions apply.

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18+ only. New customers only. T&Cs apply.

New Customers only Bet £10* & Get £30* in Free Bets. Sign up, deposit between £5* & £10* to your account & bet365 will give you three times that value in Free Bets when you place qualifying bets to the same value & they are settled. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits. Min odds/bet & payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. T&Cs, time limits & exclusions apply.

Bet £10 and get £40 in free bets

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18+ only. New customers only. T&Cs apply.

18+. BeGambleAware.org. New customers only. 3 days to claim and 7 days to place a qualifying bet to receive 4 x free bets. 1 x £10 Horse Racing, 1 x £10 Free Bet Builder, 1 x £10 Acca and 1 x £10 football. 7 day expiry. Exclusions apply. Stake not returned. T&Cs apply.

Bet £10 and get £20 in free bets

18+ New UK Customers. Must bet £10 in total on accas with 4+ legs, min odds 3/1 (4.0). £20 credited as 4x £5 Free Bets, valid for 7 days on selected bets only, stakes not returned. Restrictions & T&Cs apply. BeGambleAware.org

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18+ only. New customers only. T&Cs apply.

18+ New UK Customers. Must bet £10 in total on accas with 4+ legs, min odds 3/1 (4.0). £20 credited as 4x £5 Free Bets, valid for 7 days on selected bets only, stakes not returned. Restrictions & T&Cs apply. BeGambleAware.org

Bet £30, get £5 in free bets T&Cs apply

This promotion is for new customers only. Customers must be 18+. Customers must be residents of the UK/IE. Sign Up using the promo code ‘b30g5′ and make a minimum deposit of £30. Place a minimum £30 bet on any selection with minimum odds of evens (2) and receive a £5 free bet upon bet settlement. BeGambleAware.org. Full terms & conditions apply.

18+ only. T&Cs apply.

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Bet £10 get £40 in free bets T&Cs apply

18+ only. New customers only. For verified UK clients only. The qualifying bet should start at £10 and have 1.5 or greater odds. Following the qualifying bet, you will receive 4 free bets that can be used one after another. Each free bet lasts for 7 days. Single bet only. Pre-Match or Live. No Cash-Out. Max payout – £500.

18+ only. New customers only. T&Cs apply.

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Get a £30 Matched Free Bet if your first Acca loses + 50 bonus spins T&Cs apply

18+ only. *New UK customers only. Min Deposit: £5. Maximum Free Bet: £30. First bet on a Football or Horse Racing multiple with 3+ selections. Overall odds: 3.00 (2/1) or higher. Free Bets available upon settlement of the qualifying bet. This is offer is valid for 7 days from your new account being registered. 50 Bonus Spins credited on placement of qualifying Acca bet. 50x bonus wagering applies as do weighting requirements, bonus Spins only available on selected games and expires 7 days after being awarded. Debit card deposits only (exclusions apply).  BeGambleAware.org. Full terms apply

18+ only. T&Cs apply. New customers only.

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How do I choose a football betting site to sign up with?

When it’s finally time to decide on a football betting site to open an account with, it can be difficult for players to know exactly what to look for on the top site.

There is, unfortunately, no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. Instead, new players looking to find the perfect football betting site should think about what they want in an online football betting site. Of course, the safety, reputation, and quality of odds are important to every player – but after that, it’s really down to personal preference.

There are no bad sportsbooks in our top list of the best football betting sites and, with plenty of different welcome offers up for grabs, players are – in a sense – rewarded for not settling with their first sportsbook choice. Our advice is to choose one of the top betting sites from our list and take it for a spin, using the welcome bonus and getting a feel for the site.

If you’re not happy with the sportsbook after a week of navigating the markets, it’s time to head back to the top list and choose another example.

How to sign up with the top football betting sites

The sign-up process for the majority of football betting sites is a similar process that is both quick and simple to complete.

New players that have decided on a sportsbook that they are wanting to try can follow the steps below to get started with their welcome bonuses.

1. Visit the promotion landing page

The first step to joining any football-focused sportsbook is to click the link in our top table of betting sites to visit the promotion landing page.

These landing pages take potential players directly to the sports betting sites and give the first taste of what’s on offer. Bettors are able not only to get a feel of the sportsbook, but check the offer terms and conditions before making their sign-up decision.

2. Click the “sign up” option

Once bettors have familiarised themselves and are satisfied with the terms and conditions of the welcome offer, they can hit the “sign up” button on the site.

This will typically redirect new players to a different page of the football betting website where they will be greeted with a new player form.

3. Complete the onboarding form

The new player onboarding form must be completed by all players looking to place a sports bet in the UK. The welcome form will require new players to enter their personal information, including the following details:

• Full name
• Date of birth
• Postal address
• Phone Number
• Email address
• Password

Betting sites will typically use an independent third party to verify the identity of all players signing up to wager with the sportsbook. A small percentage of new players may be required to supply additional documentation at this point to fill in any missing details.

Required documentation may include photographic ID, such as a passport or driver’s license, or proof of address, such as a recent council tax bill or bank statement. These documents can be uploaded as an image file via a document uploader on a sportsbook or by sending them over to the betting sites customer support team.

4. Deposit and claim the welcome offer

Once an account has been created and the identity of the player verified, new bettors are able to make their first deposit and claim any available welcome offers.

New players should note that the way in which welcome offers are claimed is dependent on both the sportsbook of choice and the promotion up for grabs. Some welcome offers require a promo code whereas others are applied automatically.

Similarly, bettors may be required to make a minimum deposit with a certain (or limited) deposit method whereas other bonuses are applied without any deposit required. It is the responsibility of the player to check the terms and conditions of the welcome offer carefully to brush up on the qualifying criteria.

Which football betting sites offer live streaming?

Live streaming is offered by a number of UK-based football betting sites with the feature offered in a pair of different categories.

The first way in which players can view live streaming is the most traditional sense with a live feed of the event, much in the same way that an event would be broadcasted. This is by far the most popular form of live streaming at an online sportsbook and is the method that the best bookies for football use when streaming popular events.

The alternative to the traditional stream is a dynamic graphic that coincides with the live-action as it unfolds. This type of live streaming does not use live images of the event, but rather an animation of the action with key features highlighted as the game continues. This is a less population option, but a good solution for when traditional streaming is not available.

The way that live streaming can be accessed at a betting site also differs depending on the brand. Some sportsbooks allow all bettors with a positive balance to watch the events live whereas others require the account holders to place a wager with a minimum value on the event to access the live stream.

Additionally, sportsbooks may have different qualifying criteria for different sporting events. For example, it is common for greyhounds and horse racing streams to be accessed for free with other sports requiring a wager to access the streams.

What are the most popular football betting markets?

There’s a huge amount that goes on inside the 90+ minutes it takes to play a game of football and that’s reflected in the betting markets available for any given game.

Open up any sportsbook and choose a game at random and there will be hundreds of different betting options for players to choose from. Bettors are able to choose from the overall winners of a game, the halftime score, the first, last and anytime scorers, the number of corners, the number of cards and so much more when navigating the betting markets of a match.

The most popular football betting markets can be categorised as outright football betting, BTTS betting and football accumulator betting.

Outright football betting

Outright football betting is concerned with whole competitors as opposed to single games, making it a great place for new bettors to get started.

These bets, often also referred to as Football Futures, offer new bettors to place wagers on “bigger picture” events rather than the details of a match. For example, bettors are able to place a wager on the overall winner of a season of the Premier League in the outright football betting category.

The majority of these types of bets are typically placed at the beginning of the season, although some football betting websites do allow for the wagers to be placed midway through the competition. The top sportsbooks offer these types of bets for the Premier League as well as Serie A, Bundesliga and more.

BTTS betting

Another good starting point for new players to get familiarised with football betting is with Both Teams to Score (BTTS) betting.

The aim of this type of bet is self-explanatory with bettors wagering on the outcome of both teams playing the game to score a goal during the 90 minute period. These types of bets are almost fully exclusive to football betting and prove to be popular not just with new sports bettors but with seasoned football wagerers, too.

The BTTS bet is a common addition to a football accumulator, boosting both the risk and the potential reward that bettors are looking to claim with 4 or more picks from a sportsbook. With more than 50% of football games in the 20/21 Premier League ending with a goal from either end, there’s no surprise that the bet types are so popular.

Football accumulator betting

Accumulators, also known as accas, are a huge part of football betting with both new and existing players taking advantage of multiple selections in a single bet.

An accumulator is made up of a minimum of four different bets that can be placed on just about anything at an online sportsbook. There will be some exceptions with some bet types unable to be added to an accumulator, but most sportsbooks will typically label these as “exempt”. For example, bettors are not typically permitted to add odds boosted promotions to an accumulator.

Alongside accumulators, double and trebles are popular among football bettors with the same ability to add multiple selections to a single wager in the betslip. Doubles are made with two combinable bets whereas trebles are made with three, anything more is considered an accumulator.

Accas are a great way to shoot for the stars on long odds bets, if you need a little help on what to punt on, look no further than our football accumulator tips page

Which Football Bookies offer acca insurance?

Accumulator insurance, commonly known as Acca insurance, is a popular feature offered by a range of sports betting sites that refunds players if their accumulator lets them down.

The majority of acca insurance features at sportsbooks work as either a part or full stake refund when a maximum of one pick in the accumulator keeps them from their potential winnings. Each available sportsbook offers a slightly different flavour of acca insurance with the following currently offering the features to all bettors:

• Betway
• Sky Bet
• Paddy Power
• Bet365

Acca insurance is not always paid out in cash and bettors may instead find free bets and bonuses in replacement of bonus funds. To find out more about any specific acca insurance, bettors should head through to their chosen sportsbook from the list above to view the ongoing player offers.

Which Football Bookies offer the best enhanced odds?

Enhanced odds give bettors the chance to wager on events with improved odds, compared to the standard offering, as advertised by the bookmaker.  Odds boosts can be broken down into two main categories – the enhanced odds for new customers and the enhanced odds for existing customers.

Enhanced odds for new customers

Welcome bonuses that focus on enhanced odds are typically used whenever there is a large sporting event taking place in the calendar that sportsbooks are looking to cover.

For example, whenever a large boxing match, horse racing festival, or football final is scheduled, bookmakers will take this opportunity to create an odds boost promotion to gain attention from new customers. Bookies will typically inflate the odds to an unbeatable amount, often more than 10x the standard odds offered to existing customers to really make a statement.

What is not typically well reported is the terms and conditions that go with these enhanced odds offered. Although new bettors may be advertised 50/1 for Manchester City to Win the Premier League, bettors aren’t able to run out and put their life savings on the outcome.

Instead, bettors are typically limited in the amount that they are able to wager with these enhanced odds and the payouts received are often in the form of bonus funds in replacement of cash. Therefore, it is vital that new bettors read the terms and conditions of these enhanced odds welcome offers carefully to avoid disappointment when receiving payouts.

Enhanced odds for existing customers

The second form of enhanced odds is the most important type offered by sportsbooks – the enhanced odds for existing customers.

These enhanced odds offers can typically be found in the main betting markets menu under the heading “price boosts”, “odds boosts” or similar and are available to all players to claim. Unlike the new player promotions, these odds are not usually boosted astronomically but do come with less restrictive terms and conditions.

A typical odds boost that bettors could expect to find at a good sportsbook would be a boost from 5/2 to 9/2 for Man City, Fulham & QPR all to win. Every sportsbook offers odds boost promotions in slightly different ways with some sites limiting the amount that can be wagered on boosted odds.

Bettors can typically check out some examples of the available enhanced odds on their chosen sportsbooks before opening an account to find what’s on offer before committing to an account.

What are the most popular football competitions to bet on?

Sportsbooks typically offer a long list of football competitions and leagues that players are able to bet on.

Some betting sites offer a wide variety of lesser-known leagues, whereas others stick to the more popular football competitions. Some of the most popular football competitions that bettors will find on the bulk of sportsbooks can be found listed below.

The World Cup

Only played once every four years, the World Cup is the largest football competition with national teams from across the globe pitched head-to-head on the main stage.

Last year it was Argentina claiming the crown, with Lionel Messi finally getting his hands on the World Cup Trophy to complete his cabinet. It was a thrilling final too, as Argentina beat defending champions France on penalties after a 3-3 draw which saw Messi score twice and Kylian Mbappe grab a hat-trick.

The Champions League

Played annually, the UEFA Champions League (UCL) is a competition in which the top-level European clubs compete for the title.

A total of 79 teams compete for just 32 places in the group stages with the most successful club in the history of the Champions League being Real Madrid with a total of 14 titles. Manchester City are the current holders, beating Inter Milan 1-0 in the final in Istanbul to secure their maiden title.

The tournament is played in a round-robin group stage, deciding the qualifiers for a double-legged knockout format with a single leg final used to decide the overall winner. Once again, bettors should expect huge odds boosts and special promotions during the tournament.

The Premier League

The English Premier League is one of the most popular national leagues globally and highlights the top level of English football.

A total of 20 teams contest for the title each year with the lowest three teams relegated to the English Football League Championship. In their place, the top two teams from the Championship are moved up to the Premier League with an additional third team promoted following a series of play-offs involving the third to sixth-placed teams.

Manchester United, known globally, are the team with the most titles with a total of 13 separate title wins spanning from 1993 to 2013.

The Europa League

Formed in 1971, the UEFA Europa League (UEL), is the second-tier competition of European club football, second to the UEFA Champions League.

The tournament, played annually, sees clubs from across Europe compete for the title with Sevilla currently holding the record for the number of titles with 7 to their name. Following the Spanish side, four teams Juventus, Inter Milan, Liverpool, and Atlético Madrid are joint second on the list, each boasting 3 titles.

The way in which teams qualify for the tournament is a little more complicated than others with UEFA coefficients used to determine the competitors. These coefficients essentially allow for better entrance rounds offered to nations that have more success in football.

Each association is permitted a standard number of three births with the expectations of Andorra and San Marino, both of which have two berths and Gibraltar which has only one berth. Liechtenstein is the only other exemption to the rule which qualifies only the Cup winners.

Serie A

Founded in 1898, Serie A is the top level of Italian football with the teams competing not only for the title but for the Scudetto and the Coppa Campioni d’Italia.

A total of 20 teams compete for the win with the round-robin tournament system (also known as the all-play-all system) used to establish the champions. The top four teams in Serie A qualify directly for the UEFA Champions League whereas the bottom three are relegated to Serie B.

Juventus boast the most number of titles with a total of 36 title wins and a huge 21 runner-up awards. They are followed by Inter Milan and AC Milan, who both hold 19 wins and 16 runner-up positions.

The Bundesliga

Founded in 1962, the Bundesliga (also known as Fußball-Bundesliga) is the top level of the German football league.

Unlike other national leagues, the Bundesliga is played with 18 teams opposed to 20 with Bayern Munich boasting the highest number of wins with 33 titles. Second place in the all-time title list is a joint holding with both Borussia Dortmund and Borussia Mönchengladbach holding 5 wins each.

The bottom two teams following the end of the season are relegated to the 2. Bundesliga, the second level of the German football league with a third team relegated with the teams ranked 15 and 16 entering a playoff to hold the position.

La Liga

The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, known as Primera División in Spain and as La Liga in English-speaking countries is the top level of the Spanish football league.

Founded in 1929, La Liga is famed around the world as the home to football giants Barcelona and Real Madrid. It’s no surprise that the pair hold the top two spots in the history of the league with Real Madrid holding the top spot with 35 title wins and Barcelona sitting in second with a total of 27 title wins.

The league plays with 20 Spanish teams competing for the title with the bottom three teams relegated to the second level of Spanish football, the Segunda División. The top two teams from the Segunda División earn a promotion to La Liga with a third promoted team decided with a series of play-offs with the third to sixth-placed clubs competing for the position.

Best football betting website FAQs

Searching for an answer to a burning question about the best football betting sites? Check out our frequently asked question (FAQ) section below and we’ll (hopefully) have the answer ready for you.

What is the best site for Football Betting?

Pinpointing the overall best football betting site isn’t quite as easy as you may hope and although there are a handful of great football betting sites, there is no clear overall best.

As each sports betting site offers something a little different, it’s down to the players themselves to decide on which site is best for them. This could be any of the top sites in our list of the best football betting sites, it all depends on what players are looking for in a betting platform.

With a huge range of welcome offers and free bets to claim for new signups at the majority of sportsbooks, it pays to be picky. Our advice would be to choose one that catches your eye from the top list, claim the welcome bonus and give the bookie a try. If you don’t gel with the platform, head back into the list to try out another until you find the perfect bookmaker for you.

Who offers the best football odds?

The top football betting sites in the UK are all relatively evenly matched when comparing the quality of odds available.

Ultimately, it all comes down to the different odds boosts offered by the betting sites and which site offers the best promotions for the existing players. Depending on the leagues, games and events that bettors are looking to wager on, the following bookmakers offer the top odds for football betting:

• 888sport
• Betway
• Sky Bet
• Paddy Power
• Bet365

Bettors can check out the general odds offered alongside the enhanced odds and welcome offers advertised by clicking the link and heading over to the sportsbook for more info.

Can I use my Free Bets on accumulators?

Free bets offered by football betting sites are a great way to get to grips with the platform with minimum risk for new players, but each come with their own terms and conditions.

Typically, bettors are able to use free bets on accumulators, but this is not a universal rule and bettors should check the information in the offer small print before creating their accumulator. This information is required by regulation and should be clearly outlined by all UK sports betting sites.

A number of bookmakers do allow for free bets to be used on accumulators with the caveat that a minimum odds value must be reached for these bets. Typically, this value is larger than the minimum threshold that would be required for a standard free bet.

What is the safest football bet?

No football bet is a guaranteed winner, such is the nature of football betting, but as a general rule the shorter the available odds are, the more likely your bet is to be a winner. However, by the same token, the shorter your odds are the less you are going to win if it is indeed successful.

In terms of the safety of placing bets with our chosen bookmakers, we can assure our readers that we would not feature any bookmakers that we didn’t consider to be trusted. Every bookmaker on this page and elsewhere on the site is licensed in the UK and regulated by the gambling authority so you can feel secure in placing your bets with these brands.

Which is the best football betting app?

When it comes to selecting a football betting app, we recommend reading up on which applies best to what you’re specifically looking for in a bookmaker. With so much variety these days, there are a myriad of priorities and those priorities are different for each and every customer.

If you’re looking for a user-friendly interface then we can recommend the likes of Sky Bet and Midnite, whereas if live streaming and price boosts are your thing then Bet365 and Betfair, with whom you can watch and bet on games in La Liga, Serie A and more, are definitely worth a look.

We can also recommend our very own Squawka Live app. With the Alerts feature, users can preset triggers that will notify them if specific in-play events (such as match time, odds changes and goals/points) happen. Want to know if the away team scores within the first 10 minutes? Set an alert. How about if the odds for the home team to win reaches more than 8/1? Set an alert. Read more about the Squawka Live app here.

Which is the most profitable football bet?

The longer the odds that are available on your bet, the more you will profit if the bet is a winner. However, be aware that the longer the odds, the less likely the bet is to land. This is the nature of football betting and you must decide whether you want to risk going for longer-odds for the chance of a huge winner, or go for shorter odds to have more of a chance of winning.

It’s important to remember to do your research, never bet more than you can afford and to place bets on competitions and teams that you’re familiar with to have more chance of placing winning bets. We also produce our own tips on competitions such as the Premier League, Champions League and more right here using the expertise of our Team Squawka writers to produce our tips.

Is there any limit of how much money you can win in football betting?

Most bookmakers will have a maximum payout attached to their bets, meaning that even if your potential pay-out is higher than a certain number, you will only be paid out at a certain amount. We’ve compiled a list of some of these maximum payouts for the bookmakers featured on this page which you can find below:

What are the latest football betting websites?

Looking for the newest football betting sites? Perhaps you’ve exhausted all of the well-known names and are looking for a new customer offer elsewhere, or perhaps seeing what some of the newer brands can offer in terms of inventiveness and new features?

For the latest list of new betting sites click here – where you can find brands such as Lottoland, Bet UK and Midnite, all of whom are relatively new to the sports betting game in comparison to some of the other brands featured on this site but all of whom offer competitive odds, deep markets and plenty more to excite new and existing customers alike.