Written By: Dean Carr / Fact Checked By: Sarah Lunness
Every year more than £14 billion is wagered on sport in the UK with several billion of that wagered on football. It's no secret that football is our national sport and we love betting on it almost as much as we love going to see an important late-season fixture in person.
Online bookmakers are well aware of our national obsession with football and go to great lengths to try and curry the favour of punters with welcome bonuses, free bets, enhanced odds and other temptations. In this guide, we’ll look at the best football betting sites in the UK and what makes them special.
List of the Best Football Betting Sites
There are a lot of outstanding UK betting sites, but they can’t all be top dogs when it comes to football. The following represents our picks for the 9 best sites for football betting.
18+ Gambling Can Be Addictive. Please Play Responsibly. BeGambleAware GamStop Gambling Commission
1. bet365
Expert Rating: 4.9/5
bet365 is one of the UK’s best betting sites for football, where you can bet on everything from who is going to win outright to how many throw-ins or free kicks there will be during the match along with player prop bets. bet365 is also one of only a handful of UK bookmakers who offer partial cash-out so you can take a percentage of your stake while the bet is still active. Add football live streaming to the mix and you’ve got a recipe for one of the best football betting sites with cash out in the UK. Oh, and let’s not forget their Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets Welcome Offer.
Pros:
- Extremely competitive odds
- Outstanding mobile app
- Huge selection of football markets
- Excellent bet builder function
Cons:
- Lacks existing customer football promotions
2. William Hill
Expert Rating: 4.8/5
William Hill is as tuned into the punter psyche as any company and understands to its core the importance of providing competitive prices on Premier League, Serie A, Champions League, La Liga and other world-class football league matches. They also go above and beyond with their loyalty rewards, boosted odds and a nifty feature they call “Acca Freedom”, where you have your choice between acca insurance or an acca boost. And let’s not forget their welcome bonus of 3x£10 in Free Bets for opening an account and making an initial bet of £10 at odds of at least 1.5 (1/2).
Pros:
- Wonderful welcome bonus
- Regular odds boosts
- Acca freedom
Cons:
- Fewer football live streaming options
3. Betfred
Expert Rating: 4.8/5
Betfred has earned the loyalty of football lovers for their blanket coverage of UK football and other top leagues and tournaments from around the world. One of their best features is their in-play betting option which adds an extra level of excitement to your activities without imposing a steep learning curve, minimum deposit, or wagering requirements. Another thing we really love about Betfred is their state-of-the-art mobile app with its clean interface, intuitive navigation and rock-solid security. If you're thinking of opening a Betfred account, now’s the time as they’re giving away £40 in Free Bets for new customers.
Pros:
- Generous welcome offer
- Strong football odds
- Quick withdrawals
Cons:
- Dated in-play interface
4. 888Sport
Expert Rating: 4.7/5
888Sport is one of the strongest candidates in our selection of the best football betting sites in the UK. Founded in 2008, 888Sport has been a mainstay of the sports betting scene for some time and football is at the heart of its offering. Regular users of the site benefit from special football promotions on a near-daily basis and the 888 Acca Club promotion is hugely popular with its football punters. All new customers that sign up to 888Sport today are eligible to claim £30 in free bets + a £10 casino bonus.
Pros:
- Strong selection of markets
- Casino bonus included in welcome offer
- Plenty of payment methods
Cons:
- Lacks in-play match data
5. BetVictor
Expert Rating: 4.7/5
BetVictor does a superb job covering football both in the UK and around the world, including all the biggest leagues and tournaments and lots of lesser-known ones. Their sportsbook offers competitive odds, plenty of loyalty rewards, a great bet-builder feature and a slew of speciality markets. Couple all that with the wide array of financing options they provide and you undoubtedly have one of the best betting sites for football in the UK. And just in case you need more incentive to check them out, consider their welcome bonus wherein if you bet £10 at odds of 2.0 or greater they’ll credit your account with £40 in free bets.
Pros:
- Outstanding welcome bonus
- Aesthetically pleasing site
- Competitive football odds
Cons:
- No football live streaming
6. Betway
Expert Rating: 4.7/5
Betway puts its money where its mouth is when it comes to its support for English football sponsoring as they do West Ham United. When it comes to their sportsbook they're equally committed. There are a ton of markets at competitive odds, plenty of loyalty bonuses, a bet builder tool and a minimum initial deposit of as little as £5. The Betway sign-up bonus takes the form of first bet insurance. Just place up to a £30 acca on any sporting event taking place anywhere in the world and if you lose Betway will credit your account up to £30.
Pros:
- Solid football promotions
- Sign-up offer includes a casino bonus
- Football live streaming in the UK
Cons:
- Welcome bonus only returns free bets if your first bet loses
7. BetUK
Expert Rating: 4.7/5
BetUK is part of a new generation of online sportsbooks. On any given day you can expect to find hundreds and hundreds of football markets related to matches in both the UK and abroad. There are also lots of loyalty promos and an outstanding Welcome Bonus we'll get into in a second. First, we have to say that, while BetUK is one of the best football betting sites in the UK, they can’t be considered THE best because of the limited number of deposit and withdrawal methods. That said, their welcome bonus is worth mentioning as you get £30 in Free Bets for making a first wager of at least £10.
Pros:
- New football betting site
- Daily price boosts
- Strong in-play betting options
Cons:
- Welcome bonus free bets are on fixed events
8. Virgin Bet
Expert Rating: 4.6/5
Virgin came to the bookmaking business late, but they had an advantage most other startups don't have: a globally recognised brand name. Because of that, they didn’t have much trouble attracting punters and they kept many of those punters by doubling down on football with daily price boosts and a variety of existing customer promos. They also offer one of the best football live streaming services in the business and their In-Play betting feature is as good as any. Their welcome bonus provides £20 in Free Bets for placing an initial bet of at least £10 at 1.5 odds or better.
Pros:
- Offers live streaming on selected football matches
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons:
- Live chat is automated
9. LiveScore Bet
Expert Rating: 4.6/5
LiveScore Bet hasn't been around all that long. But despite being wet behind the ears they’ve managed to become one of the best football bet sites in the UK. LiveScore Bet separates itself from much of the competition by offering a wealth of existing customer promotions, competitive odds, hundreds of football markets every week and state-of-the-art football live streaming. You could make an argument that they’re one of the overall best sports betting sites in the UK, but that’s a story for another day. Their £20 Free Bet Welcome Bonus serves as a strong and valuable introduction to what their service is all about.
Pros:
- Excellent customer service
- Good range of football markets
Cons:
- Limited payment methods
10. Mr.Play
Expert Rating: 4.6/5
Mr.Play is a new-ish site and is still not widely known. The lack of name recognition and popular engagement hasn't stopped Mr.Play from making a notable effort to attract football fans and keep them happy. Every day you’ll find existing customer promos and features such as Euro Elite Battles and Premier League Match Day Battles. Mr.Play boasts competitive odds, wide variety of football markets, the number of different account finance options they provide and their innovative “Pulse Betting”. New customers can earn themselves a £10 bet token when they place a £10 qualifying bet today.
Pros:
- Boost on acca winnings
- Wide range of football markets
Cons:
- Mediocre welcome bonus
How to Join a Football Bookmaker
Signing up to new betting sites for football is remarkably easy. Here’s how it's done:
- Navigate to the bookmaker’s registration page by clicking one of the links above.
- An application form will open up. Fill in all required fields.
- Choose a username and password.
- You may also have the option to log in using Touch ID. Choose that if you wish.
- Accept the Terms & Conditions.
- Review your information, then tap “Join Now” or the equivalent button.
- Choose a deposit method from the options provided and fund your account.
- Remember that to take advantage of most Welcome Bonuses, you’ll need to make your first deposit with a debit card.
That’s it. Now that your account is active and funded you are free to bet.
How We Rank The Best Football Bookmakers
There are a number of factors that we look for before adding a football betting site to this particular list of the best football bookmakers. Each of the listed betting sites that we have ranked above has passed the test of this strict criteria.
Range of Matches
All football punters will want their bookmaker to have a variety of matches from a wide range of leagues to bet on. The best UK football betting sites will feature action from across the world and have a strong selection of matches and leagues to bet on, not just the biggest and most common.
Bonuses
Bonuses are a huge factor in any football bettor’s experience online. We will first assess the quality of the welcome bonuses that are on offer for new customers, as well as the existing promotions and bonuses that can be claimed once you have played through the initial offer.
Competitive Odds
It's essential that a bookmaker provides competitive odds to give punters the most value possible. If one bookmaker is offering odds of 2/1 on a selection and another is offering 3/1, there will only ever be one choice for punters.
Live/In-Play Betting
Live betting has become a huge part of the way football punters bet on matches in this day and age. We have assessed each of the in-play sections of the football sites listed above for the range of in-play events that are available, as well as the betting options that are available when betting on the match live.
Mobile Options
More sports betting customers are betting on their phones than ever before, making it critical that football betting sites have a functional mobile platform to offer. There are a number of excellent football betting apps that are associated with the sites that are featured above.
Betting Options
There are a number of betting features that we like to see from the best football betting sites. This includes bet builder and cash out options to give a more complete experience when betting on football.
Payment Methods
The more payment methods that are featured on a football betting site, the easier it's for customers to make deposits and withdrawals from their accounts. The quality of these payment methods is just as — if not more — important as the quantity.
Popular Football Betting Markets
There are plenty of football betting markets that punters can place bets on each and every week. There has never been a better time to be a football punter than now thanks to the tremendous depth of markets and the range of The following are some of the most popular types of football wagers.
Final Result
Also known as a “full time result” this is the most common type of wager in football. The punter places a bet on one of three possible outcomes: either the home team will win, the away team will win or the match will end in a draw.
Correct Score
Like the Final Result bet, the Correct Score bet is a very straightforward wager. The person places a bet on what they anticipate will be the final score of the match. Bookmakers list a variety of potential scores and assign odds to each. The bettor then chooses one of these.
Both Teams To Score (BTTS)
Another simple, straightforward wager the Both Teams to Score bet, typically abbreviated to BTTS, is a simple yes or no bet. If you believe both teams will score, choose “yes”. If you believe 1 or both teams will not score, choose “no”.
First Goalscorer
The First Goalscorer bet is just what it says it's. You bet on which player from either team you think will score the first goal of the match. A variation on this wager is the “Anytime Goalscorer” in which you would pick a particular player to score at anytime during the match.
Over/Under
Over/Under bets are common in most sports. The bookmaker offers odds that the total number of goals scored in a particular match will be above or below a certain number. Some football bookmakers will also offer Over/Under on total shots on goal, yellow cards, the amount of stoppage time and more.
Double Chance
The Double Chance bet allows you to bet on a pair of full-time results. For instance, you may believe that your home team will not have what it takes to beat the visiting team, but you think they might be able to pull out the draw. So you would bet on the away team to win and the draw.
Football Specials
Some of the best betting sites for football offer special markets such as whether or not a particular manager will last the entire season, or which club a selected player will join during the transfer window. Another popular Football Special is betting on whether player X will make the England squad, for example. These specials will pop up routinely throughout the course of the season to reflect the current affairs in the world of football.
Football Accumulator (Acca)
Accumulator bets, popularly known simply as “accas” are available on all the best football bet sites. The acca involves combining 4 or more markets into a single bet with all 4 needing to win for the wager to pay off. While the odds are long of that happening, the payoff when it does happen can be quite substantial.
What is a Football Accumulator Bet?
As we just mentioned the accumulator, or “acca” bet, involves combining multiple selections into a single wager. An acca bet must comprise at least 4 selections, but punters are free to add extra ones if they wish. Odds from each selection are combined making the odds on the entire acca bet quite long. If just one of the selections fails, the entire acca bet fails. However, most bookmakers will offer “acca insurance” wherein if your acca bet misses by 1 selection you’ll get a compensatory Free Bet.
Live Streaming UK Football Betting Sites
Most of the UK’s best football betting sites offer live streaming of matches throughout the year that includes bet365, Virgin Bet, BetUK, William Hill, BetVictor and 888Sport and other online bookmakers like Coral and Paddy Power. Having the ability to live stream football matches in the same place that you are betting on them is a huge advantage to punters and improved technology means there are HD quality live streams with UK football betting sites online.
Popular Football Leagues to Bet On
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League is an annual tournament that pits the best of European football against each other. It's widely considered the most prestigious club football tournament in the world and attracts insane amounts of betting action. Expect to see plenty of price boosts and accas associated with this competition, as well as enhanced odds for some of the matches.
English Premier League
The English Premier League is the most popular domestic club league in the world. From Manchester to Manila, fans are passionate about their favourite Premier League teams and that is reflected in the amount of betting action even mid-season fixtures attract. Lots of novice punters begin by betting on the Premier League since they’re at least somewhat familiar with the teams involved. Each team plays 38 matches a season in the Premier League,
Bundesliga
The German Bundesliga attracts the largest average crowd of any professional football league, with nearly 5,000 more fans per match than the Premier League. The quality of the competition is always high, the games are fast and furious and the league has produced 9 Ballon d’Or winners. You’ll always find lots of Bundesliga action on UK betting sites.
Serie A
Italy’s Serie A was thought to be the top league in the world until the late 1980s and early 1990s when it was finally surpassed by La Liga, the Premier League and others. It's still a top 5 league and contains perennial powerhouse clubs like AC Milan, Juventus and Inter Milan. If you’re a fan of the art of football, you’ll love Serie A.
La Liga
Any league that contains within its ranks both Barcelona and Real Madrid is a league to be reckoned with and that is certainly the case with the Spanish La Liga. La Liga held the ranking of the best European football league for an astonishing 7 years straight between 2013 and 2019. Real Madrid and Barcelona alone attract almost as much betting action as some entire 2nd tier national leagues.
Ligue 1
French Ligue 1 is currently the #5 ranked national football league in Europe and boasts several powerhouse clubs including Paris Saint-Germain. The French are intent on preserving the quality of their football and so beginning in 2024 the number of Ligue 1 clubs will be reduced from 20 to 18 for that reason. Every year Ligue 1 generates hundreds of millions of euros in betting action.
English Championship
The Premier League is not the only game in town when it comes to English football. The English Championship attracted more than 11,000,000 paying fans last year and is a favourite of punters nationwide. Officially the 2nd highest division of the English football league system, competition is furious between clubs jockeying for promotion to the Premier League.
Football Betting Sites FAQs
What is the best football gambling site to bet on?
You will get all kinds of opinions in response to this question, but for our money, the best of the best football betting sites is bet365. From their flawless live streaming service to their blanket coverage of dozens of football leagues, their innovative markets, competitive odds, prop bets and partial cash-out feature, along with their generous Welcome Offer and a steady stream of existing customer promos they’ve got everything a football fan could want.
Can you live stream football on UK betting sites?
You can live stream football on most of the best football betting sites, though not all. Particularly noteworthy are bet365, Virgin Bet, BetUK, William Hill, BetVictor and 888Sport. There are also UK online bookmakers that did not make our list of best betting sites for football that also offer live streaming including Coral and Paddy Power.
How do I bet on football?
Betting on football with any of the best football betting sites in the UK is surprisingly easy. All you have to do is open a new account with one of the above-listed bookmakers, make whatever minimum deposit that bookmaker requires, navigate to the Football section of the site, select a market and indicate how much you want to wager. After that, review your bet to make sure it's correct and then tap “bet now” or “place your bet” (depending on the site).
What are the best football bets?
The following are some of the most popular types of football bets placed through online bookmakers:
- Final Result
- Correct Score
- Both Teams to Score
- First Goalscorer
- Over/Under
- Double Chance
- Football Accas
