Which are the best UK betting sites for Football?

By far the most popular source of gambling in the UK in terms of turnover (amount bet) is Horse racing, BUT football is catching up fast. There is no recent data available but between 2008 and 2013, turnover from “off course” betting on horse racing was £5.1bn whilst football betting was £1.2bn. However Horse racing is on the decline while football has shown ever increasing popularity and it is now a case that the number of bets placed is actually virtually the same between the two. So where is the best place to stake your bets online and just as importantly “Why”? Well it depends what you are looking for, some people favour high odds above all else, others like high limits, others like a slick website with plenty of promotions and others may be eligible for and interested in the VIP loyalty scheme. There is no one outright “Best”, but there is a best in each category and in our opinion a best “All rounder” too.

High Odds

So which site has the best odds? This is a very, very, important factor, it is not so much picking more bets that win that make a successful gambler, as much as making bets which win more money (than the bets that lose). The odds are what makes the difference between success and failure. In all probability on most major games and major markets, such as win/lose/draw, correct scores, first goal scorer, over/under 2.5 goals, etc, then the best odds will be found at the exchange “Smarkets”. They will always mirror the odds at Betfair but have a much lower 2% commission rate on bets which win. Even with this commission rate they will nearly always be higher than any other bookmaker.

Stake Limits

The next most important factor is probably being able to bet a large amount, certainly as much as you want too. There is no point having fantastic odds of 5/1 for Manchester City to beat Huddersfield if you can only bet £2.50 on it. The exchanges do have large liquidity on the major markets but it can be sporadic in other areas. It varies from account to account and changes over time but it is likely that the bookmaker to offer the highest limits per bet on average is Bet365. Coupled with a large range of markets, a first class customer service team, and lightning fast pay outs, they are probably the best UK stand alone bookmaker.

Bonus Offers

If you like promotions, free bets, fun and prizes whilst you place your football bets then PaddyPower is the bookmaker for you. They have regular price boosts, free bets and free spins give aways, and novelty bets galore. A famous novelty bet was will the 23 stone goal keeper of Sutton Utd eat a pie at Half time when they faced Arsenal in the FA cup (He did). Where else can you bet on that? They have a promotion where you are paid out as a winner if your team goes 2 goals ahead, and also insurance if one leg of your 4 leg accumulator bets loses you get a money back free bet.

VIP Loyalty Scheme

The final UK bookmaker we would recommend if for High Rollers who spend real money and want to be treated well is Ladbrokes. They offer selected customers tailored VIP care, special high roller deposit bonuses and enhanced limits, regular free bets, gifts, and complimentary tickets to major Sporting Events such as Wimbledon, Aintree, and the FA Cup final!