Football Betting Sites - The Complete UK Guide For 2017 2025

Type “football betting sites” into Google and you’re going to be overwhelmed with choice. In the UK alone there are hundreds of different sportsbooks available to punters, each with their own bonuses, markets, odds and exclusive features. With that much choice out there it’s difficult to know the best destination for your bets. Luckily, you’ve come to the right place, we’ve compiled detailed information on the UK’s leading betting sites in order to give you all the answers you need.

First up, we have a huge comparison table with the UK’s leading football betting sites. Here you’ll find details of their welcome offers, a quick summary of each bookies key features and a link to their site so you can claim your welcome bonus. 

Rank
Bookmaker
Features
Rating
Welcome Bonus
1
  • Get a Free Bet up to £/€30
  • Second Goal Scorer Free Bet up to £/€50
  • Goalless Draw Free Bet up to £/€50
  • Single Pre-match bets only, Max Free Bet £/€50
Get a Free Bet up to £/€30
100% bonus on first deposit
Claim Bonus T&Cs apply
2
  • 100% up to £150
  • OR 50% £750 Casino Bonus
  • Wide Range Of Sports Markets
£750 Bonus
for Casino
Claim Bonus T&Cs apply
3
  • Bet £10 Get £30
  • £10 Mobile Bonus Bets
  • £2K Football Comp Every Week
Bet £10 Get £30
Just Bet £10!
Claim Bonus T&Cs apply
4
  • £20 On First Deposit
  • Full-Screen Mobile Live-Streaming!
  • Cashout and Roll Over Features
£20 Bonus
100% Match!
Claim Bonus T&Cs apply
5
  • Bet £10, Get £25
  • Then Receive up to £20 Later
  • Pay By Phone-Bill!
£25 Welcome Bonus
pay-by-phone!
Claim Bonus T&Cs apply
6
  • Bet £10, Get £60
  • 50 X £50 Random Cash Drop Every Sunday!
  • £10 Goal Scorer Bet Gets You x2 and x3 P
Bet £10 Get £60
Multiply Your Deposit!
Claim Bonus T&Cs apply
7
  • Cash out… Stay in Profit!
  • Accepts Zimpler (Pay-By-Phone-Bill)
  • Up to 60% Boost on ACCA!
  • Get £2 Every Time Your Team Scores
Bet £10 Get £10
Just Bet £10!
Claim Bonus T&Cs apply
8
  • Exclusive 50% Bonus up to £100
  • £20 Bonus Bets On Mobile Bet!
  • 2+ ACCA Cashback Available!
£100 Bonus
Exclusive!
Claim Bonus T&Cs apply
9
  • Cash out… Stay in Profit
  • BOG on Horse Racing
  • 5.0 Star-Rated App Available
£25 Bet Insurance
Win Risk-Free!
Claim Bonus T&Cs apply
10
  • 100% Bonus Up To £30
  • £10 Bonus Bet Every Week
  • Cash Out Boost
£30 Bonus Bet!
100% Match
Claim Bonus T&Cs apply
11
  • Accepts Paypal
  • Live-Streaming and Cash Out!
  • Accepts Boku (Pay-By-Phone-Bill)
  • Up to 60% ACCA Boost
  • Extra £10 Bonus for Mobile Users
£50 bonus!
Code: WELCOME50
Claim Bonus T&Cs apply
12
  • Bet £10, Get £20
  • Increase Your Winnings By 10x
  • Cashout and 100% ACCA Boost
Bet £10 Get £20
Just Bet £10!
Claim Bonus T&Cs apply
13
  • 100% bonus up to £100
  • Win £1 million by predicting footie results
  • Plenty of eSport markets covered
£100 Welcome Bonus!
100% Match!
Claim Bonus T&Cs apply
14
  • Accepts Apple Pay
  • Cash out… Stay in Profit!
  • Weekly £25 Free Bet Club
  • £10K Footcast Every Week
3 x £10 Free Bets
+£10K footcast
Claim Bonus T&Cs apply
15
  • Weekly £25 Free Bet Club
  • Accepts Zimpler (Pay-By-Phone-Bill)
  • 4+ ACCA Insurance
  • The Best Place for eSports
£35 Bonus
100% Match!
Claim Bonus T&Cs apply
16
  • £30 New Customer Welcome Offer
  • Casino,LiveCasino 200% Welcome Bonus
  • Deposit £100 – Play with £300
  • Deposit & get £20 +£500 playthrough bonus
Bet £20 Get £20
Free Matched Bet
Claim Bonus T&Cs apply
17
  • Bet £10 Get £30
  • 15% Cashback On Goodwood Horse Races
  • Request Any Bet
Bet £10 Get £30
Triple Your Deposit!
Claim Bonus T&Cs apply

Get the best welcome bonuses and free bets

Any bookmaker worth their salt will give new players a great welcome bonus to entice them in and kick start their betting. Welcome bonuses can come in all different shapes and sizes; some offer to match the customers first deposit, while others will give you a free bet when you wager a certain amount, this will typically be on your first bet in that particular sportsbook.

Unsure what they mean? We’ll explain. Take Betway’s 100% bonus up to £100 offer, this would give you a pound for pound match on your first deposit, up to £100. So if you loaded your account up with £90 first, you would have a £90 bonus from Betway!

This is why it’s always smart to make a big first deposit, so you’re able to make the most of the welcome offer.

Some punters stick with one bookmaker, which might have been all well and good in those pre-internet days, but things are different now there are so many football betting sites. We will always advise opening up a number of accounts with different bookies in order to make the most of their respective offers.

If you had set aside £45 for one weekend of football betting, you could make use of the following three offers and get £110 extra in free cash!

  1. Betfred’s Bet £10 get £60.
  2. BWin’s matched deposit up to £30.
  3. Coral’s Bet £5 get £20.

Full details of the various welcome bonuses for the UK’s main football betting sites can be seen on the table at the top of this page. To see the latest free bet offers for UK players visit our dedicated free bets page.

How to find the best promotions for exisiting players?

Good news, the promotions don’t stop once you’ve signed up. Most good football betting sites will reward loyal customers with ongoing promotions.

While welcome bonuses tend to be fairly unimaginative (it’s rare to find anything another than a deposit match or a free bet frankly), football betting sites do like to get creative when it comes to promotions for existing players.

We compiled the main types of promotions that are available so you can tailor your choice of bookie to your favourite type of bet.

  • Bet365 have become a firm favourite amongst football punters for their excellent odds and range of bonuses. Amongst their promotions is a money back offer when games end 0-0 as well as a range of bonuses on European fixtures. So, if betting on final scores is your preferred wager, you might want to consider this operator.
  • Football fans love an accumulator, after all, there is no bigger thrill than the prospect of turning pocket change into thousands of pounds. If accas are your thing, you won’t want to miss out on BetVictor’s £25 acca insurance. If your accumulator misses out by one result they’ll give you money back in the form of a free bet.
  • BetBright, one of the lesser known football betting sites also have a great money back offer on accumulators. If you’re new to accas and still getting the hang of it you can use these operators to take the sting out of a bad selection!
  • Other operators will give out free tickets to major domestic, European and international football events. Recently NetBet gave away tickets to the Champions League final. Of course, we’ll keep you up to date with great promotions like these over at our betting offers section (more on this later). So if you’re into old school giveaways its worth looking out for offers like these.

How to pick the right football betting sites?

Knowing which football betting site offers you the best welcome bonus is great, but once that initial promotion is used up you’re going to need more reasons to stick around.

One of the first things you’re going to look out for is the range of markets and bets available in their respective sportsbooks.

Unsurprisingly the big names always have a very comprehensive sportsbook. The likes of Bet365LadbrokesWilliam Hill and Coral have a wealth of markets, from the major European leagues right down to the Rwanda National League and everything in between.

However, don’t rule out some of the lesser know football betting sites, as their depth of offerings will often surprise you. Take Guts for example, primarily known for their casino, but quietly provide a very broad range of football markets. At the time of writing they have over 40,000 bets available including markets on football from the Faroe Islands, Guatemala and even Gibraltar!

You’ll see that our comparison table at the top of this page features a great mix of football betting sites, from the established icons of betting to the up and coming new kids on the block. The best thing is, everyone has some great offerings so it’s worth exploring as many as possible, if only to make use of their exclusive welcome bonuses.

Who are the best new football betting sites 2017?

New football betting sites are arriving on the internet almost on a daily basis – the question is, how do you know which football betting sites are worthy of entry into the Champions League of betting sites, and which wouldn’t even make it past the first round of the Checkatrade Trophy?

In 2017, the best new football betting sites – as gauged by the sports betting experts here at freebetsinfo – are those that offer the best welcome bonus deals, ongoing promotions and that also cover the most markets. Live betting is also essential, as this crucial facet of internet sports betting is one that is becoming increasingly popular. Cash-out – the ability to cash-out winning bets before the event has concluded, albeit for a reduced pay out – is another ‘must have’.

At freebetsinfo, when it comes to the best new football betting sites in 2017, we like to see innovate site designs and invention. We’re not in favour of sites that look like a confusing mess of numbers – simplicity means clarity, which is essential if you’re new to wagering on sports online.

Just keep up to date with the reviews and news here at freebetsinfo, and we’ll wager your football betting in 2017 will be your best betting year ever.

How do exchange markets work?

Exchange markets work a little differently to traditional betting. With a normal wager you “back” a bet (bet that the outcome will happen) when the bookmaker “lays” (bets that the outcome will not occur).  With an exchange market is very different, instead you have the option to back / lay and another customer will take that bet and back / lay against it.

The best-known exchange market is Betfair’s, as it is one of the oldest and easily the biggest. There are, however, increasing amounts of exchange markets popping up online as more and more operators jump on this bandwagon.

If you want to know more about betting exchanges and find some great promotions check out our Betfair review.

In-Play & Cashing Out – Find the right bookmaker for you

In-play football betting is a relatively new phenomenon, but it has already become one of the most popular forms of football betting.

If you are watching or listening to a match, then nearly all online bookmakers will allow you to make in-play bets. Regardless of whether you’re on desktop, mobile or tablet you can bet on which team you think will likely score next, who the next goal scorer will be … even which team will win the next corner!

Another recent innovation when it comes to football betting at an online bookmakers is the concept of cash-out.

How does cashing out work? This example will explain all:

Say you have Real Madrid to beat Barcelona and with fifteen minutes to go your wager is looking good with Madrid being 1-0 up. However, disaster strikes when Madrid’s top defender is given a red card! You decide that Barcelona with the extra man are likely to equalise, so you cut the chances of your bet turning into a losing one by cashing-out – taking a reduced amount of cash in return for not waiting until the end of the game.

Barcelona do indeed go on to equalise, so you’ve secured some winning cash when otherwise you’d have taken nothing from the game.

You can cash-out at any point during a football match, but the closer to the end of the game you leave it, the better return you’ll receive in comparison to your original bet.

Looking for more information on live streaming options? Our football live streaming page will give you the best options for watching online in the UK.

Mobile betting – which bookmakers do it best?

There was an unthinkable time that existed before we all had a mobile phone in our pockets. They’ve since become an integral part of our lives, and football betting sites recognise this. That’s why all major sports books offer mobile-optimised versions of their sites that you can use to place football bets using your mobile or tablet.

When such apps first appeared on the internet, they were typical apps that required you to download them and install them onto your phone. Both the Apple Store and Google Play found they had issues with this, as they were reluctant to host apps which involved gambling for real money. This was not so much a problem for people with Android phones as apps could be downloaded outside of Google Play, but such a thing was not possible for iPhone and iPad users.

The creation of HTML5 in 2014 changed the playing field for mobile football betting apps. Sites that are built using HTML5 are able to be downloaded temporarily into a web browser, then disappear from your phone when you close the app.

This means that to use a mobile sports book app, all you need to do is go to the sports book’s site using any suitable browser on your device, and the software with recognise that you are browsing using a smart phone or tablet.

The HTML5-version of the site that’s been specially-optimised for mobile devices will then download to your device. Such sites are much easier to use on mobile devices than desktop sites, as they have been designed specifically to be convenient to use on tablets and phones.

Some online sports books will offer you special deals when you use the mobile version of their site – you can find full details of the best deals on our mobile betting guide.

How can I find trusted websites?

Have you found a potentially great new betting site but aren’t sure whether to trust it with your cash? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. While the majority of bookmakers are completely legit, every so often a new one pops up that isn’t above board, and people are right to be wary when it comes to their first deposits.

If a website is linked anywhere on freebetsinfo you can guarantee it is 100% safe. All of our featured operators is fully licensed and regulated by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC).

If you aren’t aware, the UKGC is responsible for keeping crime out of UK gambling, as well as ensuring all operators act in a fair and responsible manner. This means ensuring promotions do not target vulnerable groups such as children, or promote irresponsible behaviour such as excessive betting.

Which payment methods can I use?

Football betting sites offer a wide variety of payment options for customers, giving you the freedom to deposit and withdraw with your preferred method.

Generally, you’ll find all the usual suspects, like Skrill and Neteller, and some places are now rolling out Apple Pay.

Some operators are also offering PayPal wagering options. While there have been some issues in the past over PayPal and the online gambling industry, largely because of the risk of criminal activity and fraud, they have begun working with many major UK football betting sites.

Get the latest football betting offers

Even the most experienced punter has bad spells, sometimes even your “safest” bets just don’t seem to go to plan, and we know how frustrating it can be when you’re stuck in a rut.

Luckily for you, we’re here to help. Our expert team will be publishing regular tips and all the latest betting promotions to help point you in the right direction. Just head to our betting offers section to view the very best in latest bonuses, free bets, acca insurance and more!