So what is a minimum bet?
This refers to the minimum (and by that we mean lowest) amount that you can stake on any one given bet. Every bookmaker is free to set their own minimum bet limits and we have listed some of the best below:
The best betting sites with the lowest possible minimum bet amounts are the online bookies:
- Ladbrokes minimum bet - 1p
One of the UK's oldest and largest bookmakers we are not surprised to see them give customers the maximum amount of betting flexibility, accepting bets from as little as just 1 pence. - Boylesports minimum bet - 1p
The largest bookmaker in Ireland and one of the most professional there is, BoyleSports are amongst the front runners for allowing the minimum possible bet stake, matching the other leaders at just 1 pence.
Recommended bookies with a low minimum bet stake amount!
After Ladbrokes and Boylesports the minimum bet stake amount slowly rises, but the online bookies we list below all have a minimum bet stake amount of less than £1:
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WilliamHill minimum bet - 3p
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Coral minimum bet - 5p
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Smarkets minimum bet - 5p
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Betvictor minimum bet - 5p
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Skybet minimum bet - 5p
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Betfair minimum bet - 10p
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Bet365 minimum bet - 10p
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Paddy Power minimum bet - 10p
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LVBet minimum bet - 10p
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Betway minimum bet - 10p
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Betfred minimum bet - 10p
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888Sport minimum bet - 10p
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Matchbook minimum bet - 10p
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SportingBet minimum bet - 10p
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The Tote minimum bet - 50p
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Betdaq minimum bet - 50p
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Bet-At-Home minimum bet - 50p
As you can see different betting sites have different minimum bet limits, there is no rule that the limit must be a certain size. Minimum bet amounts help you to maximise the number of bets which you can place, you do not need to have "All your eggs in one basket" so to speak. Low minimum bet amounts allow you to test your sports betting strategies and systems at the bookies for real but without threatening your overall bankroll whilst they are under development. Once a winning strategy is identified with low betting stakes, of course, you are free to ramp up the bets later on.
Low bet stakes (especially micro stakes like 1p) are best to be used when betting on relatively high odds, a minimum of 3/1 would be recommended. If you are betting at odds less than this, the winnings would not be divisible by less than 1p, so your winnings will be rounded down. Do not worry about not having many winners at long odds because if you deposit £10, and bet 1p a time, you get a massive 1000 different bets to experiment with.
The main advantage to low minimum bet stakes when betting online is that whilst testing strategies losses are probable but it is unlikely to concern you. There is no tendency or desire to win any losses back immediately causing a player to "tilt". Even if you lose 20 bets in a row if they have only cost you 20p total you are likely to just shrug rather than be upset about it.
The top betting sites are…
Here at Legalbet we have also categorised the top betting sites and their features to make them easier for you to find. They are:
By Sport: Football | Tennis | Boxing | Cricket | Snooker | Golf | UFC | Darts | Greyhound | Rugby | Horse Racing | Basketball | Baseball | Formula 1 | Ice Hockey (NHL) | Volleyball | Cycling
By Payment Systems: PayPal | Skrill | Klarna | Boku | Debit Cards | Apple Pay | Paysafecard | Neteller | Google Pay | Prepaid Cards
By Features: Cash Out | £5 Minimum Deposit | Minimum Bet Sizing | Live Streaming | Betting Exchanges | Safest | Fast Withdrawal | Daily Free Games
By Events: Politics | Superbowl
By Esports: CS:GO | Dota 2 | League of Legends | PUBG | Valorant
Frequently Asked Questions:
All bookmakers will have a different minimum deposit amount, the standard amount is between £5 and £10. To learn exactly what the deposit minimum is at each bookmaker be sure to read one of our bookmaker reviews.
You would be forgiven for thinking the answer is yes, given the vast number of sports covered, the number of leagues, the policitcal and TV specials markets and of course the ability to request a price for anything you wish via Twitter with a number of firms. However... some things are off limits, you can not bet for example on somebody elses (or your own) death.
There is no easy answer to this, for an individual bet the lower the odds then the chances are that bet will have a greater chance of winning. For long term profits, you need to bet on value, and that is not correlated to low odds.
From the UK bookmakers, the lowest possible bet stake amount is just 1p at either Ladbrokes or Boylesports.
The minimum bet stake amount at Bet365 is 10p which is around the average for a UK bookie.
