Bookmaker Reviews 2024

Last Updated: March 4, 2024

It’s here, in the bookmakers reviews section, where we get our say on the best and worst bookmakers the web has to offer (just scroll down to see how bad it gets).

Each bookmaker has been given a star rating which represents the quality of service on offer, their reputation, whether they pay out on winning bets and what kind of bonuses and promotions are on offer.

Betting Reviews: Best & Worst Bookmakers

#1
Bet365
5 | 5
  • Bet £10 get £30 free bets
  • Worlds most popular bookmaker.
  • Best for live streaming & in-play.
New Customers only. Bet £10* & Get £30* in Free Bets. Sign up, deposit between £5* and £10* to your account and bet365 will give you three times that value in Free Bets when you place qualifying bets to the same value and they are settled. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits. Min odds/bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. T&Cs, time limits & exclusions apply. Registration required.
#2
Betvictor
5 | 5
  • Bet £10 get £40
  • Best football odds.
  • Best odds guaranteed on racing.
18+ New customers only. Opt in, bet £10  on any football market at minimum 1/1 odds. No cash out. Get £40 in Free Bets on selected events. Free Bets expire in 7 days. Card payments only. T&Cs Apply, see below. begambleaware.org | Please gamble responsibly
#3
William Hill
4.5 | 5
  • Bet £10 get £30
  • Trusted UK bookmaker.
  • Live streaming on WHTV.
18+. Play Safe. From 00:01 on 18.10.2022. £30 bonus. New customers only. Minimum £10 stake on odds of 1/2 (1.5) or greater on sportsbook (excluding Virtual markets). Further T&C's apply. #ad
#4
Coral
4.5 | 5
  • Bet £5 get £20
  • Long standing reputation.
  • Recently revamped app.
18+ New UK+IRE customers. PayPal and certain deposit and bet types excluded. Min first £5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 = 4 x £5 free bets valid for 4 days on sports, stake not returned, restrictions apply. T&Cs apply.
#5
Paddy Power
4.5 | 5
  • Bet £20 Get It Back If It Loses
  • Tons of weekly offers / promo’s.
  • Ireland’s top bookmaker.
New customers only. Place your FIRST bet on any sportsbook market and if it loses we will refund your stake in CASH. Max refund for this offer is £20. Only deposits made using cards or Apple Pay will qualify for this promotion. T&Cs apply. Paddy's Rewards Club: Get a £10 free bet when you place 5x bets of £10+. T&Cs apply.
#6
888Sport
4.5 | 5
  • Bet £10 get £30 + £10 casino
  • Newest high scoring site.
  • Unique promotions & deals
Min deposit £/€/$10 • A qualifying bet is a ‘real money’ stake of at least £/€/$10 • Min odds 1/2 (1.50) • Free Bets credited upon qualifying bet settlement and expire after 7 days • Free Bet stakes not included in returns • Casino Bonus must be claimed within 7 days • To withdraw bonus/related wins, wager the bonus amount 40 times within 14 days • Casino Bonus expires after 60 days • Withdrawal restrictions, payment methods, country & Full T&C’s apply.
#7
Betfred
4 | 5
  • Bet £10 get £40 bonus
  • Most football promotions.
  • Best for virtual sports.
New UK 18+ only. Register (excl. 13/04/2024) with promo code WELCOME40, Bet £10+ on Sports in one transaction within 7 days of registering. Get £30 Free Bets & £10 free spins within 10hrs of bet settlement. Bonuses expire 7 days after issue. Min odds, eligibility & payment exclusions apply. Full T&Cs apply. Full T&Cs apply
#8
Ladbrokes
4 | 5
  • Bet £5 get £20
  • One of most well known in UK.
  • Daily odds boosts.
18+ New UK+IRE customers. Paypal and certain deposit types and bet types excluded. Min £5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 = 4 x £5 free bets. Free bets valid for 7 days on sports, stake not returned, restrictions apply. T&Cs apply.
#9
Unibet
4 | 5
  • £40 + £10 Welcome Offer
  • Great for live streaming.
  • Actually care about their customers.
18+ begambleaware.org. New customers only. Min deposit £10. Money back as bonus if first bet loses. Wagering requirements: all sportsbook 3x at min. odds of 1.40 (2/5), casino 50x. Unless forfeited the sportsbook bonus must be wagered before using the casino bonus. Bonus expires 7 days after opt-in. Full T&Cs apply #AD.
#10
Bwin
4 | 5
  • £20 Back Up Bet
  • Under new ownership.
  • Wide range of markets & live betting.
T&C’s apply – 18+
#11
SportingBet
4 | 5
  • £15 Back Up Bet
  • Very poor opening bonus.
  • Multiple player complaints.
T&C’s apply – 18+
#12
Betsson
4 | 5
  • 100 % Bonus up to 100 €
  • Constantly improving.
  • Must improve its app.
T&C’s apply – 18+
#13
Betfair
3.5 | 5
  • Bet £10 get £30
  • World’s best betting exchange.
  • One of the biggest bonus deals.
New Customer offer. Place a min £10 bet on the Sportsbook on odds of min 1/2 (1.5), get £30 in Free Bets. Rewards valid for 30 days. SMS verification required. Only deposits via cards will qualify. Please Gamble Responsibly. T&Cs apply.
#14
Boylesports
3.5 | 5
  • £25 Free Bet Bundle Offer!
  • Trying to up their game.
  • Need better offers & promo’s.
18+. UK Customers (Excluding NI) only. Cash stakes only. Min £10 stake required for initial £5 free bet. Min odds ½. Max £25 in free bets. Subsequent free bets equal 50% average of each 3 £5 max qualifying bets. 13 settled bets required to receive full £25 free bet. Qualifying bets must be placed on sportsbook within 30 days of opening account. Cashed out bets will not qualify towards your average stake. One free bet offer per customer, household or IP address only. Free bet expires after 7 days. Payment method restrictions apply. T&Cs apply.
#15
Dafabet
3.5 | 5
  • £30 Risk Free Bet
  • Not at same level as big players.
  • Poor site & app quality.
T&C’s apply – 18+
#16
Parimatch
3 | 5
Parimatch Rating
  • Bet £10 and Get £30 in Free Bets
  • Excellent value odds on main sporting markets.
  • Very limited in terms of payment methods available.
18+. UK Customers (Excluding NI) only. Cash stakes only. Min £10 stake required for initial £5 free bet. Min odds ½. Max £25 in free bets. Subsequent free bets equal 50% average of each 3 £5 max qualifying bets. 13 settled bets required to receive full £25 free bet. Qualifying bets must be placed on sportsbook within 30 days of opening account. Cashed out bets will not qualify towards your average stake. One free bet offer per customer, household or IP address only. Free bet expires after 7 days. Payment method restrictions apply. T&Cs apply.
#17
Tote.co.uk
3 | 5
  • Up to £10 risk free bet
  • Only tote betting offered.
  • Very limited usefulness.
#18
188Bet
2.5 | 5
  • No current welcome bonus
  • No longer serve UK market.
  • Only good for Asia.
T&C's apply, 18+, begambleaware.org.
#19
Betdaq
2.5 | 5
  • Up To £1,000 Cash Back
  • A distant second to Betfair.
  • Dated platform, poor software.
Up to £1,000 commission back at the end of the first 30 days as withdrawable funds. Standard 5% commission rate applies. Not available to API, RDT or Trading Tool customers. 18+. T&C's apply.
#20
MansionBet
2.5 | 5
  • 50% Extra Up To £50
  • Awful bonus wagering requirements.
  • Little reason to join.
T&C’s apply – 18+
#21
Marathonbet
2 | 5
  • No sign up offer!
  • Horrible site & interfact.
  • Little or no reason to join.
T&C’s apply – 18+
#22
Bet At Home
2 | 5
  • No welcome offer!
  • Bad rep with punters.
  • Problems with payouts.
T&C’s apply – 18+
#23
Fun88
1.5 | 5
  • £28 Bonus Token
  • Shocking wagering requirements on bonus.
  • Poor site & app.
T&C’s apply – 18+
#24
Betway
1.5 | 5
  • Up to £30 free bets
  • Limit accounts quickly.
  • Borderline scammy.
T&C’s apply – 18+
#25
Expekt
1 | 5
  • No welcome bonus.
  • Below par website & app.
  • Nothing to recommend.
T&C’s apply – 18+
#26
Sky Bet
1 | 5
  • Bet £5 get £10
  • Questionable owndership.
  • Question marks over financials.
First single & E/W bet only. Odds of 1/1 or greater. 1 x £10 bet token. Free bet stakes not included in returns. Free bets are non withdrawable. No free bet expiry. Eligibility restrictions. Further T&C's apply. 18+. Begambleaware.og.
#27
ManBetX
1 | 5
  • No bonus deal.
  • One of the worst we’ve ever reviewed.
  • Down right amateurish.
T&C’s apply – 18+
#28
Winner
0.5 | 5
  • Scammy welcome bonus.
  • Shocking wagering requirements.
  • Poor reputation among players.
T&C’s apply – 18+

Betting Review Ratings Explained

The following is an explanation of the star ratings we use for our bookmaker reviews:

– The best of the best – any site which gets a 5 star rating really is the cream of the crop.

– Any online bookmaker with a 4.5 star score is a top quality place to bet online but isn’t quite as good as the absolute best online bookies.

– The 4 star grade is applied to quality online bookmakers who’ve just got a couple of small issues with their site or reputation.

– Good sites which pose little if any risk to player funds and have a solid reputation but lack the features to be rated higher.

– Decent for placing online wagers but often lacking in features, promotions and bonuses.

– Again OK sites but completely lacking in features promotions and bonuses.

Sites which have a good reputation but have been known to mess around with player funds in the past and cut off winning punters quickly.

(or below) Total scam sites which should never be used ever, avoid at all costs.

Online bookmakers which aren’t listed above – whilst every effort is made to keep the list above up to date obviously I can’t list every single gambling site in creation. If you’ve come across a site which isn’t on the list then my advice is to avoid it. All the top rated online bookmakers are included in the list and anything that’s worth a B rating or higher is already on there.

There’s little reason to bet with anyone who doesn’t have an A or at least a B rating so if the bookie you are thinking of joining isn’t listed it’s a good idea to give it a miss.

Note: If you think there is a mistake with the online betting reviews list above or want me to add a site to the list based on your own personal experience then don’t hesitate to drop an email. You can do this via the about CheekyPunter.com page.

Bookmakers With The Best Reviews 2024

The following bookmakers have the best reviews:

  1. Bet365
  2. Betvictor
  3. William Hill
  4. Paddy Power
  5. Coral
  6. 888Sport
  7. Betfred
  8. Ladbrokes
  9. Unibet
  10. Betfair

What Does A Good Bookmaker Offer

Our bookmaker reviews are designed to give you the information that you need to choose the best betting site for your needs. So what do we look for and what qualities should a good bookmaker offer? Here are some of the most important factors to look out for.

Welcome Bonus

Welcome BonusThe welcome bonus is often the first thing that you see when you visit a new bookmaker’s home page and it is one of the key elements in attracting new customers to a site. A good welcome bonus will offer a substantial boost to your betting with a site, but it will also have transparent and fair terms and conditions, with minimal or zero wagering requirements and other restrictions that are punter-friendly.

Existing Customer Promotions

Existing Customer PromotionsA bookmaker that only focuses on new customers and doesn’t offer much for regular punters will not score highly in our ratings. The best bookmakers provide ongoing promotions for those who show loyalty to the site. These can be in the form of long-term promotions, such as a VIP or Loyalty program, ACCA insurance, and Best Odds Guaranteed deals, or short-term offers, relating to specific events and markets.

Multiple Payment Methods

Multiple Payment MethodsThere is an ever-growing range of banking options available to consumers and bookmakers have to keep up with these developments. In addition to the standard card and bank transfer payment offers, the best bookmaker sites will provide a variety of other methods, including e-wallet, prepaid cards and even cryptocurrency, where appropriate, so that as many customers as possible can bet using their preferred deposit and withdrawal method.

Quick Payouts

Quick PayoutsBookmakers that are slow to payout are regularly highlighted by punters and this is one of those areas of the gambling sector that can be extremely frustrating. The speed of individual banking methods is not within the bookmaker’s control, but the speed and accuracy with which withdrawals are processed definitely is. Avoid bookmakers with a reputation for slow payouts, and those that attach significant restrictions or fees to withdrawals.

Security and Valid License

Security and Valid LicenseNo matter what sport you like to bet on, it is important to be able to bet on the markets that you are interested in. This is particularly important if you want to bet on relatively low profile sports or markets other than Match Winner or Tournament Winner. The best bookmakers provide a huge choice of sports events and the depth of market to meet everyone’s needs.

Extensive Markets

Extensive MarketsBookmakers that are slow to payout are regularly highlighted by punters and this is one of those areas of the gambling sector that can be extremely frustrating. The speed of individual banking methods is not within the bookmaker’s control, but the speed and accuracy with which withdrawals are processed definitely is. Avoid bookmakers with a reputation for slow payouts, and those that attach significant restrictions or fees to withdrawals.

Competitive Odds

OddsAs well as a wide choice of markets, the quality of the odds offered is also important. All punters should compare odds across a range of bookmakers to find the best price, but some sportsbook sites are consistently better at providing competitive odds on particular sports, and these are often the first sites to check out when you are planning a bet.

Live Streaming

Live StreamingLive streaming is vital for in-play betting punters, but it can also be useful for punters who bet in the pre-event markets. Often it is possible to spot things while watching a live sports event that others have overlooked. Obtaining the rights to provide live streaming coverage is something that not all bookmakers can do, so look out for those that offer the most comprehensive streaming coverage.

In-Play Betting

In-Play BettingLive betting is a dynamic and exciting form of sports betting that is a growing sector of the industry. The best sports betting sites provide a wide selection of live betting opportunities. This includes in-play markets for all major and most minor sports, and a host of betting options ranging from which team or player will win the next point to the overall match-winner.

Betting Statistics

StatisticsWhile not every bookmaker can offer live streaming, it is possible for most to provide statistics and visual aids, particularly for live games. These can provide detailed, quickly-updated data on live events, ranging from cumulative stats for such aspects as shots on target to visual representations of shots played in cricket and tennis matches. Bookmakers that offer the most advanced and detailed statistics can be more attractive than their rivals.

Efficient Customer Support

SupportGood customer support is sometimes overlooked by punters choosing a new sports betting site, but it is an important part of the package. If something goes wrong or you have a query, it is important to be able to access fast and efficient customer support. The best sites will give you multiple channels of contact, with a 24/7 live chat support service being the most important.

Free Mobile App

Mobile AppAlthough there is a trend for bookmakers to offer a mobile browser-friendly site rather than the familiar downloadable app, most sports betting sites still give customers the downloadable app option. If you like to do your mobile betting through an app, look out for the top-rated apps, which should be free, easy to use and provide access to all of a bookmaker’s markets and features.

Responsible Gambling Support and Features

Responsible GamblingThe betting industry has rightly been under pressure to do more to protect customers from the risk of problem gambling and gambling addiction. Providing access to a variety of support services and tools, including Time Outs, Self-Exclusion and helplines is not only an important priority, it also indicates that a bookmaker takes their duty of care towards customers seriously.

Online Sports Gambling: An Unclean Industry

ScamWhilst the majority of bookmakers are licensed in some part of the world the industry is by no means a clean one. It’s just far too easy for anyone to set up their own online site and start taking real money bets from punters.

In fact you can get your hands on a skin or white label if you prefer for as little as £10,000 and with it comes everything you need to start taking bets from punters no matter who you are or where you are in the world. On top of these unregulated and unlicensed sites you’ve also got the ones who are prepared to pay massive fixed sums of cash to website owners to promote them and most webmasters will cash in on these fixed sums without a single second of thought for the punters they are misguiding. Basically they’ll publish biased bookmaker reviews on purpose.

All things considered it isn’t a particularly well regulated industry but that doesn’t mean there aren’t legitimate options where your cash is safe and you know you’ll get paid out on any winning bets. Here at CheekyPunter.com we’ve come up with a rating guide for bookmakers across the web. If you stick to the sites that that have A ratings to then you can be confident you’re cash is safe and you’re in a regulated and licensed environment.

Are the Cheeky Punter Betting Reviews Reliable?

We know that there are a whole load of websites out there that are providing some form of reviews or ratings for different bookmakers. We already mentioned earlier that a host of websites will simply provide the best grades to the highest bidder and one of the main reasons you can trust the Cheeky Punter ratings is that we promise we’ll never accept payment in exchange for any rating listed on the website.

A Note From The Cheeky Punter (aka David):

The betting site reviews which are listed on CheekyPunter.com have been put together by me the editor of the site. Previously my name and identity was listed on the about page but because of the unscrupulous nature of some of the companies reviewed on this site I’ve been forced to remove those details to protect myself.

I’ve been part of the online gambling industry for over 10 years now. I’ve bet sports online for that entire time and I’ve played online poker as a professional as well. Since 2006 I’ve bet with too many different online bookmakers to count and I know what it takes for any particular site to achieve any A type of rating.

It’s my promise to you that I won’t ever recommend any sites which I wouldn’t be prepared to use myself. I do still bet sports online and if I won’t bet there you shouldn’t either.

Do The CheekyPunter.com Ratings Differ From Others Online?

Cheeky Punter RatingsYes the bookmaker ratings you will read at CheekyPunter.com do differ from others you will find online. As mentioned some websites change their bookmaker reviews based on payments which we don’t. Our ratings are based on our teams experiences (as long time online gamblers) as well as news stories and player complaints received via email.

Now just because we’ve suggested that some portals do take payments from marketing teams to improve their ratings that doesn’t mean that all of them do and this isn’t the place you’ll find reviews of online bookmakers. If you have a problem with any of the recommended options on this page then please get in touch via the contact page to tell us more.

You’re probably wondering if we make money from the bookies reviewed here… and the answer to that question is yes. CheekyPunter.com is run to make a profit but we pride myself on being an honest voice in the industry and somewhere that players can come to find unbiased recommendations.

You might also find that other info sites choose to list bookmakers which haven’t been listed on Cheeky Punter. This is a UK portal and we don’t put much emphasis on sites which accept customers from the USA. Many online bookies based in the states are currently tied up with ongoing investigations from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and there’s no way on this earth we’re ever going to advise you to bet with them. Our main interest is helping punters from the UK and Europe to find the best betting sites possible where their money will be safe and they’ll get paid out on winning wagers.

Note:Check out the mobile apps section for different app reviews such as the Betfred app.

Betting Site Review FAQs

Questions and answers

What should I consider when choosing a bookmaker in 2022?

There are many factors to consider when choosing a bookmaker, but some are more significant than others. The size of a site’s welcome bonus and the generosity of the associated terms and conditions is important, as is the speed of payouts. The other two key factors to look out for are the quality and depth of the sportsbook’s ongoing promotions and how competitive the odds are.

Are the bookmaker reviews at Cheeky Punter reliable?

We are a completely independent review service, and we take no payments from any bookmaker in exchange for favourable reviews. Our analysis is unbiased, and as you can see from checking out the site, we give plenty of bad as well as good reviews. We aim to be as objective as possible to give you the facts so that you can find the best sportsbook site for you.

Does Cheeky Punter get paid to do bookie reviews?

Cheeky Punter does not get paid or accept payment to score a bookmaker in a certain way. We conduct our reviews independently of any financial compensation however if you do sign up at any bookmaker recommended by us will we receive a financial benefit for the referral. As you can see we score plenty of bookmakers poorly even though they would pay us to do otherwise.

What are the best betting sites for UK customers?

There are many factors to be considered and the best betting site for you will depend on your betting style, favourite sport and many other priorities. However, taking an overall view, we consider that for most punters, Bet365 and BetVictor are the best online sports betting sites for UK customers.

What is the best betting company overall?

We feel Bet365 are the best betting company overall. As you can see from our list of UK betting sites, we have awarded the full five-star rating to two bookmakers. While both are excellent platforms for a wide range of sports betting fans, we feel that Bet365 have the edge. This is due to their slightly bigger range of betting features, with their excellent live streaming service being particularly notable.

What’s the worst betting site?

There are a number of bookmakers that could be considered the worst betting site. Winner have a terrible reputation and offer a very dubious welcome bonuses. Expekt, ManBetX and SkyBet also have major question marks against them, while Betway’s tendency to rapidly close winning accounts and Fun88’s poor website and app also suggest they are sportsbooks to avoid.

What is the most trusted betting site?

The UK and European regulated markets feature a wide range of licensed sportsbooks and trusted betting operators.However, one indication of trust is the number of customers who use a service. In that case, the answer is clear: Bet365 currently has the largest customer base, so technically they can be considered the most trusted betting site.

Why have some betting sites been rated poorly?

There are many factors that can lead us to dish out poor betting site reviews. Of these the most common factors relate to account closures, slow payments and customer feedback. All bookmakers will close accounts they consider ‘unprofitable’ but some are quicker to do it than others, and earn a negative rating as a result. Slow payments, resulting from sluggish or ineffective processing by the site are another concern. Finally, bad customer ratings can be a big red flag. If a bookmaker attracts multiple bad comments, particularly if the same issues are recurring, it is far more likely that we will downgrade their rating.