Best Football Betting Sites in the UK in 2024

Football is the most popular sport for betting among punters in the UK, with an increasing number of people choosing to wager at online bookies instead of brick-and-mortar retailers. If you’re looking to start gambling on football, this article is just what you’re looking for. We’ll guide you to some of the best  football betting sites the UK has to offer, helping you make your selection.

Top Football Betting Sites: An Overview

Below, we’ve broken down six of the most popular football betting sites by category. Before that, we’ve put together the table below comparing all their best features to provide you with a helpful overview of our top bookmaker picks:

Read on to find out more about each of these six great sportsbook options.

Best Football Betting Sites by Category

There are lots of different ways you might choose to go about betting on football. However, regardless of whether you favour in-play wagering or bet builders or whether you’re looking for free bets or great live-streaming functionality, there’s a site out there just for you.

Best Football Betting Site for Live Wagering

Bet365 is one of the most popular sites for betting on football in the UK. The exciting in-play section is a major reason for this, with a great number of live matches to watch, complete with stat trackers. Both the app and website run smoothly and are very fast, perfect for placing wagers during ongoing events.

Best Football Betting Site for Free Bets

Betway’s Free Bet Club is one of the many benefits this site has to offer. After opting into this programme, users can place £25 on accas and receive two free bets with a combined value of £20 to £30, providing punters with the opportunity to get to grips with the site without spending too much money.

Best Football Betting Site for Bet Builders

NetBet’s bet builder is available across numerous sports and allows bettors to combine as many as six betting lines per game. Users can win £20 in free bets and an additional £10 in tokens in exchange for wagering £10 on a bet builder, with additional vouchers up for grabs from NetBet’s Wheel of Fortune.

Best New Football Betting Site

PlanetSport Bet may be new on the scene, but it shows a lot of promise for people looking to place football wagers, boasting a wide range of betting lines, competitive odds, and competitive sports coverage. This bookie may not have as many special features as other more established sites, but its varied selection of bonuses makes up for it.

Best Football Betting App

Football fans will be impressed by the range of matches and markets available through Betfred, not to mention the competitive odds and variety of promotions. Those who prefer to play from their mobile won’t miss out on any of these features, thanks to the seamless experience provided by this bookmaker’s app.

Best Football Betting Site for Live Streaming

These days, many online bookies provide live-streaming services, but Unibet’s is second to none. With a dedicated streaming service broadcasting over 40,000 sporting events annually, including football matches from leagues all around the world, this site is definitely worth considering. Its live streams even have commentaries, so you can catch key insights into the games, too.

How We Review Football Betting Sites

When reviewing football gambling sites, we evaluate a range of different factors. These criteria are essential when choosing a reliable, convenient  bookmaker:

• Licensing & Security. We always make sure to verify whether a given sportsbook is licensed by a trusted authority. In addition, we check what safety measures soccer betting sites have in place so that you can be sure your details are secure.
• Football Betting Odds. When reviewing sites, we check the quality of the odds they offer, making sure that we only promote those that provide their users with a fair chance of walking away with decent winnings.
• Betting Offers. We prioritise websites that offer a range of different bonuses and promotional schemes. These can help new gamblers get to grips with how everything works without spending too much of their own money and ensure loyal punters keep returning.
• Mobile Betting. With nearly 75% of bettors using their smartphones to play, it’s more important than ever for sportsbooks to have powerful apps or at least a mobile-optimised website design. 
• Payment Options & Payout Speed. Depositing and withdrawing cash should be made as convenient as possible. We recommend sites that boast a good selection of payment methods and that deliver winnings in a timely fashion.
• Customer Support Quality. It’s a necessity for bookmakers to provide stellar assistance through multiple channels. Online sportsbooks that offer 24/7 help will rank more highly on our site.
• User Interface & Design. UI and website design are of crucial importance to creating a fun and easy-to-use sports betting site, as a bad interface can ruin the gambling experience and turn punters away. 
• Responsible Gambling Features. We always look out for responsible gambling features on the sites we recommend, only suggesting bookies that take your well-being seriously and provide the necessary resources to look after it.

We recommend betting only on sites that tick all of the boxes above.

Popular Football Betting Markets Explained

There are numerous betting markets, or betting lines, for punters to choose from when placing football bets, some simpler and others a little more complex. Here are just a few you might encounter:

• Match Result. One of the simplest and most popular options, this is a simple bet placed on the team you think will win — or on there being a draw.
• Over/Under Goals. In over/under bets, gamblers wager on whether the total number of goals scored by the end of a game will be over or under a set figure determined by the bookmaker.
• Both Teams to Score. As the name suggests, this betting market involves wagering on whether you think both teams will score over the course of the match.
• Correct Score. One of the trickier football bets, bettors making correct score wagers must precisely predict what the exact score will be by the end of the game.
• First Goal Scorer. This betting line involves betting on who will score the first goal of the game. As such, it requires a detailed knowledge of team members from both sides.

We recommend doing a lot of research into each type of betting market and the strategies behind them to find out which one is right for you. This is one of the best ways to ensure you place wagers based on sound logic.

Football Betting Tips

If you’re new to the world of football betting online, you may wonder whether it’s possible to have consistent results. While there is no way to 100% guarantee a win every time you place a wager, there are some steps you can take to place strategic bets that are more likely to win. Here are just a few:

• Analysing Team Form and Player Performance. Regardless of the type of bet you’re placing, it helps to have an in-depth knowledge of each team and its players. Familiarise yourself with their previous games, paying attention to key players and tactics so you can wager with more accuracy.
• Using Bonuses and Promotions. Using sportsbook bonuses provides you with the opportunity to place additional wagers without having to pay out even more of your hard-earned money. You can take advantage of them to try out different markets and find your feet.
• Exploring Different Football Markets. Some markets are more complicated than others. Research the various betting lines available to you and, if you can, try a few different types out so that you get a feel for which options suit you and your playing style the best.

These are just a few tips to help you get started. We recommend doing your own research and finding other strategies that work for you.

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